I've put off reading The Bone Witch despite having owned it for over a year because a friend told me I would hate it. However, after hearing how amazing it is for months, seeing the gorgeous cover for The Heart Forger, and being told by another friend that I absolutely SHOULD read it, I finally gave it a try!

Tea, not pronounced like the beverage, is the Bone Witch and she is special. She has rare, strong powers that she uses as a child with no training to bring her brother back to life. She is taken by an older bone witch to learn how to be an asha. Intertwined with Tea's narration is that of a bard who has come to find older, banished Tea and learn her story. I enjoyed the way the two storylines were told and anticipated them coming together at the end of the book. All of this sounds awesome, and the beginning had me hooked!

Unfortunately, The Bone Witch becomes incredibly boring and tedious after the first few chapters. There are countless descriptions with very little action throughout most of the story. Tea goes to class, Tea has dinner, Tea makes friends, Tea gets new clothes, Tea has a crush, and on and on and on. Buried within all this monotony is a good story, but it takes so long to get to it that I just couldn't force myself to stay interested.

I found the characters themselves to be just as boring. Honestly, I can't remember any of their names besides Tea and her brother, Fox, who was probably the most interesting character in the entire book. I wanted desperately to care about Tea, but she came off as a special snowflake (is there another word for this that we can use now?) who has amazing powers for... reasons... and she is more powerful than anyone around her for other reasons. She also knows how to use them without training, which is, of course, out of the usual. I really wish more had been explained about why Tea was so much more advanced than the other girls around her.

Something I did love about The Bone Witch was the world building. Since 92% of the book was spent on descriptions, I definitely had a good idea of the world and what it looked like. There was some interesting backstory to the magic and the city, and I thought some of the creatures and especially the daevas were really unique. But again, all this comes at the expense of a plot. There is none.

Finally, I despised the ending. In fact, I thought the audiobook hadn't downloaded the last part and double checked, then texted a friend asking if I'd missed something major. The two storylines I mentioned earlier never came together. What I'm guessing is the middle of the story is shown at the beginning of the book, then we work towards that point from Tea's perspective, but the book ends well before the two converge. It left it all feeling very unfinished.

I didn't completely despise this book, but I was left extremely underwhelmed. I prefer to read series and don't mind a cliffhanger at all, but I hated the way this one was written. I don't mind stories that aren't completely plot-driven either, but this one barely had a plot at all and the characters were forgettable. In the hands of another author, I think this is a story I really could have loved. I just don't think Rin Chupeco is the author for me.

So it’s become a thing where if a book I got a review copy of has been out for so long that it goes on sale for cheap, I buy it. Might be a print copy of the book in a bookstore, might be a Kindle book. It’s my apology for being such a failure of a reviewer, especially if the book is by and about marginalized people. The Bone Witch was one such case. The book left me underwhelmed, but I don’t regret buying it or reading it one little bit. I just wanted more from it.

The worldbuilding and plot are the novel’s strongest points by far. Following Tea from the time her powers as a dead-raising bone witch awaken at her brother’s funeral to when she becomes a full-fledged asha, Chupeco’s fantasy world unfolds naturally as Tea herself learns about the surprisingly superficial asha system while a maid and then apprentice in House Valerian, one of many asha collectives in The Willows, a district of the city of Ankyo. More powerful asha will fight, sure, but a surprising amount of an asha’s time is spent as an entertainer at nobles’ parties as an entertainer. Upon becoming an asha, they have to pay their House back all the money that was spent on them.

It sounds like a criticism of the novel, but the shallow superficiality of the system was actually one of the most interesting points of the worldbuilding. It’s such an obvious flaw that there’s simply no way it won’t come back up later. Since an older Tea is in exile and ready to raise some hell, perhaps she came to the same realizations. She’s fourteen when she’s an apprentice and seventeen as an exile, leaving a gap of three years where something drastically changed Tea.

Most of the novel focuses on Tea’s time as a fourteen-year-old asha apprentice, the process of becoming an asha, and the very slowly unfolding mystery of who is causing chaos within the city. Though all of it is interesting as Tea’s world unfolds itself before our eyes, the actual pacing of The Bone Witch is glacial. Most of the novel’s forward momentum comes not from the above-listed events but from interlude-esque sections in which an older, exiled Tea is telling her story to an unnamed bard. She slowly reveals her plans for war to him and (not unsurprisingly) freaks him out.

Though I don’t know the proper name for it, this literary device is so irritating. Another example: when you read the action-packed prologue to a 400-page book only for the novel to meander along uninterestingly until that action finally kicks in around page 390. It’s a teasing attempt to up the pacing of any slow-moving novel and it rarely works. Here, it’s just annoying. It’s clear something happened to change Tea after the end of her apprenticeship, but the novel doesn’t feature that event. We only get mentions of that big something and implications about it.

That massive gap between who she was in the past and who she was now, leaving readers with questions about what in the world happened, is simply too much for me. A guessing game is not what I wanted from this book. Though its sequel The Heart Forger is out now, I don’t have much interest in picking it up since its jacket copy implies it’s picking up and sticking with where the older Tea’s story left off. It’s worth reading for the brilliance of the worldbuilding, but The Bone Witch is ultimately a mixed bag.

This book wasn't my cup of tea. I liked it the idea of the story and the plot seems great. But something about the first few chapters didn't hook me in. Something fell short for me. I have a sort attention span when it comes to books. If I don't like the first six or seven chapters, I find myself uninterested. Sadly, this book was not what I expected.

So the book started off a little slow but it picked up quickly and kept me interested the entire time! I read this book while on vacation and it was a really good story. I didn't realize at first that this book was part of a series but I'm very interested in continuing the series now!

This is a listening recommendation. Last year I read a galley copy of Rin Chupeco’s book called the Bone Witch. I have to admit I seriously struggled to finish reading it and when I finally finished I was nonplussed. As a reader, I was heartbroken because I loved her books The Girl from the Well and The Suffering. That love did make me want to give this new book and its author a second chance, though. Luckily my library has the downloadable audiobook on OverDrive so I listened to it before passing my final judgement. The readers (Emily Woo Zeller and Will Damron) did a spectacular job and wer able to bring this book to life for me in a way that reading could not. So the next time you are disappointed by a favorite author’s new work or any book for that matter, try it in a different format and see what you think. The audiobook saved this book and the author for me and now I’m so excited to see her next installment of the Bone Witch series The Heart Forger set to release in March 2018!

~ Under the Covers


Bone Witch is a story of a young lady’s discovery of her powers in necromancy among other things. It tells her journey of her beginning and her training into becoming part of the royal witch if you will. And most of all, it tells the heroine’s relationship with her brother, her teacher, and how she became her present self.

The story truly has potential and I appreciated the creativity of this world. It has all the makings of witches and warlocks, royal court politics, battling monsters, and a smidge of romance. Tea’s journey has a bit of similarity to The Memoirs of Geisha which earned a bit of respect from me as the heroine handled quite a bit.

If you’ve seen the ratings and reviews, you’ll know that people either love it or hated it. I, on the other hand, am split right in the middle. There were slow spots throughout the story, and there was a bit of an info dump about the heroine’s past. I would’ve like to know more of the heroine’s present, the other kingdoms, and the brewing war. Perhaps more action and suspense. I assume Ms. Chupeco has more for us in the next installment. I’m also intrigued by Fox’s POV and the possibility of his own story excites me. I hope Ms. Chupeco has that in the works already.

Being a bone witch means being ostracized in a group that has enough problems on it's hands. When Tea does something...unusual, she finds out just how unusual she really is...

An engaging YA fantasy, set in an engaging and intriguing new world.

RIn Chupeco weaves an interesting tale and her writing is beautiful at times and I hadn't realised this was considered YA when I requested the ARC. This book is one that I will utilise in the classroom when teaching creative writing and scene setting as I feel this was the book's major strength. My only reservation is that I hadn't realised this was the first in a series and I have so many questions!

I found myself pulled into the fantastic realm of Daevas and Ashas completely. This amazing story will suck you in and swallow you whole. Such submersive storytelling. I cannot wait for the next in the series!

I couldn't do this one. It was too dense with words that did not draw me in, too dense with descriptions and dialogue too early in the beginning of the book. At some point, the story needs to snag the reader into the momentum. Wait too long and that moment's gone.

Let's talk about The Bone Witch.

Admittedly, it's a hard book to "get in" to. Lengthy, floral descriptions, with reserved descriptions of characters and their doings, with a plot that's a slow boil. But when it comes to that frothy boil, you find it was certainly worth the wait.

I think the biggest complaint I hear about this book is that it was boring. Yes, you don't get the heart-pounding action right from the get-go that you do from other YA novels. Yes, this book is heavy on descriptions and especially detailed about the traditions and ceremonies of the people in the book.

At first, it was hard for me to keep my attention (hence how long it took to read... This book spent a lot of time on my nightstand gathering dust), but after the bitter-hard swallow of the first few chapters, I found myself... Enjoying this book. Even enjoying the descriptions. Chupeco clearly takes inspiration from the Geisha tradition of Japan, and her work doesn't feel like a farse or an uncomfortable parody.

I found myself craving more, wanting to know more about these characters and the little details: the hair pins, the clothing, the style and manner of speech.

Listen, it's tough going at first. I know. I get it. But if you're willing to try and push yourself through, it is worth the wait.

My only consolation in taking so long to read this first book is that I am now right up against the second book's release so... I have that going for me.

The beginning of the book wasn't as great as I expected it to be; however, it got exponentially better and more interesting as the plot progressed. I ended up loving this book and cannot wait to read the rest of the series as it releases. There was a lot of flashbacks to fill in the storyline and explain why Tea is raising daeva, which was slightly confusing for the first few chapter, but then begins to make a lot of sense later on. There are so many questions I have still, so I can't wait for book 2!!!

Tea is a bone witch, a rare and powerful witch in her kingdom. She can raise the dead and she can destroy monsters that other asha cannot. She leaves her family to learn the ways of a bone witch. In alternating chapters, the reader learns of Tea’s early training and her encounters with monsters and also follows the discussion between Tea and a young man as she relates her story. Now in banishment, she tells of her anger, her sense of betrayal. This dual perspective sets an unusual stage for the unfolding of Tea’s story. By the end, readers will be hooked and anxious to learn the rest of the story of Tea’s fall and punishment.

Chupeco has conceived a complex world of magic wielders and demons. The unfolding of the story through Tea’s own storytelling is interesting and adds to the anticipation. Tea’s mentors are interesting and her brother Fox adds a haunting quality. Some of the story dragged at times but the ending leaves readers on the edge, in anxious anticipation.

The concept of the Bone Witch was excellent but the book as a whole was hard to get through. The characters are very likable and the world building the is really good as well. The difficulty with this first entry of this series is that it became very confusing in some portions and this took away some of the enjoyment of reading book one of the Bone Witch.

I loved the premise of The Bone Witch. It sounded exciting and beautifully written. It was the latter, but not the most exciting story. I wanted more action and intrigue. It just lacked something and didn't keep me interested. It wasn't bad by any means, and fans of fantasy will certainly enjoy this first installment. I guess I was expecting darker than I was given.

This one is hard for me to review. While I ended up enjoying it, it was a struggle for me to read more than a few chapters at a time. This story is a much slower pace than I am used to, but that said, I loved Tea's character, and I'm excited to read more of her story in the future!

Reviewed this a long while back, not sure why review not showing. This book seizes you by the throat and doesn't let go!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read The Bone witch by Rin Chupeco. The book opens with a Bard witnessing a seemingly seventeen-year-old girl control a beast. The bard wants to tell the girl's story and she gives seven days for the bard to observe her. The girl tells the bard that she’s a bone witch. A girl named Tea tells her story of when she unknowingly brought her brother Fox back to life. The story alternates between past and present in this girl’s life. The telling of the story sets the world and characters based on Asha and bone witch legends and mythology. Tea grows in talent and becomes an Asha and fights against a dark creature and conquers it with help from her brother Fox, other Asha and soldiers known as Deathseekers. Tea’s alternating stories have not completely lined up yet, so the ending leaves the reader expecting more explanation in the sequel, Heart Forger. 4 stars for this fantasy tale.

The Bone Witch has been a highly anticipated read for me for a while, and despite it coming out last spring and despite me having an ARC before that >.>, I was only able to get to it recently. When I first read about it, I couldn't really tell if it was set in a modern world or fantasy world so there was a lot of intrigue happening. (It's a fantasy world, for those of you who don't know.)

It's a YA novel about a girl named Tea (pronounced tay-uh, yeah...that was hard for my brain to wrap itself around too) who is the most dreaded kind of witch that exists in her world—a bone witch. She discovers this when she accidentally raises her brother from his grave.

The premise was very cool, with the bone monsters with gems in their chests, the different kinds of asha (the most powerful witches...I think), the magical rituals, and the training in areas like fighting, dance, and instruments. But, I felt that the rest of the story didn't live up to the initial excitement. Let me tell you why. *drumroll*

I spent a lot of the time trying to decide whether the timeline, hopping back and forth from the past to the present and back, disorientated me or intrigued me. While it kind of did both, the disorientation won out. Think of it as having a line with one moving piece at each end. Each piece takes a turn moving a spot forward, until they meet in the middle. That's how The Bone Witch worked. It also took the fun out of figuring out the ending because the book already gave you the beginning and the ending and just left the middle to be discovered.

That leads me to my next point. Is it bad that the only reason I want to read the second book is because I am dead curious (pun not intended) about the ending, which dropped an unexplained bomb about a person that I liked and who was pretty mysterious. I think it says a lot that that is the only thing that might make me ready book two.

There were not a lot of things happening in this book.

There was way to much description for me. There were so many names, geographies, histories...the list could go on and on. It was an information overload that left my brain crying, because if I haven't mentioned it enough, names and such are not my strongest area. There was too much description and inner monologue, as opposed to interesting dialogue and good pacing. There wasn't a whole lot of action. There might have been a little war, but for the majority of the book Tea wasn't anywhere near the fighting. It was a weird isolation from the main events moving the book's plot.

And where was the training? Yeah, Tea trained at running errands and being a maid for a LONG time for the grouchy head of her asha house. And we learn what she eats and how the head lady picks her nose. For how important the book's description makes Tea's training sound, there is little of her actual asha training that we get to see. Loads of filler. Again, where is the war?? I WAS PROMISED WAR.

However, I did like the world building and the originality of the creatures. It was a very new fantasy world, and I only wish that the action had lived up to that part.

The heartsglass!

Those were so beautiful to visualize and read about, especially when Tea learned about diagnosing a person or reading their thoughts through the colors. The concept of losing your heart, etc. and the importance of the heartsglass in relationships was fascinating. 👌👌

It was also really interesting to read a story from the point of view of someone who I wasn't always sure was good. There's a very gray moral area in character that the author explores, and I appreciated that.

If you are someone who loves slower paced books and the luxurious small details of fantasy books (very luxurious), then you might like this one.

I was given a free copy of this for review via NetGalley **

I LOVED this book. I went into it not expecting too much as necromancy isn't something I find written in a way I enjoy very often. I enjoyed the story being told through Tea thinking back in time and having glances of where and what she is now when she's being "interviewed". The world itself was rich and reading it I could envision it perfectly in my head. It took me a while to get through this book because I found myself reading slower than I usually would to soak up everything but it was worth it 100%. I cannot wait to dive back into this world.