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lenar3ad's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Finished in one couple-hour sitting as I didn't want to put it down. The mythology/folklore was captivating and I was adequately spooked by the bone houses. I'll be buying for my shelf to reread when I want a mystical, undead adventure.
May be a little tough for anyone experiencing grief from losing a parent or finds corpse descriptions hard, all at a YA level.
May be a little tough for anyone experiencing grief from losing a parent or finds corpse descriptions hard, all at a YA level.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Violence, and War
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, and Sexual content
filipa_maia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was so good!
Strong female heroine, smart and loyal sidekick guy. How about that for a change? All this and a story full of zombies (aka Bone Houses)? Loved it.
I really liked this story: very rich background to the characters, very rich scenarios (full of magic, and scares), a lot of folklore to help give colour to the storyline and the right amount of twists at the end.
The only less positive note about this book is that, sometimes, I felt the story could move on a little quicker... in some parts, the plot just dragged when I was hoping for a little more emotion.
Strong female heroine, smart and loyal sidekick guy. How about that for a change? All this and a story full of zombies (aka Bone Houses)? Loved it.
I really liked this story: very rich background to the characters, very rich scenarios (full of magic, and scares), a lot of folklore to help give colour to the storyline and the right amount of twists at the end.
The only less positive note about this book is that, sometimes, I felt the story could move on a little quicker... in some parts, the plot just dragged when I was hoping for a little more emotion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Animal death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Terminal illness, Child death, Murder, and Abandonment
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Ryn is a gravedigger near a forest filled with "bone houses", walking corpses which have stayed in the forest and away from village... until now.
Ryn is trying to make ends meet in a town where the dead aren’t staying buried and older folks are turning to cremation. Ellis travels to her village on his way to get answers about his past. It turns out they may be the solution to each other’s problems, and together they journey through the forest into the mountains.
The worldbuilding treats all explanations as being needed by someone who is familiar with the setting, generally, but not the specific local history and current undead menace. This means all exposition feels grounded in the world without being overwhelming. However, wile the worldbuilding is specific (inspired by Welsh folklore), it isn't very deep. It gradually incorporates stories of what happened nearby decades ago as Ryn and Ellis are traveling, but a lot of details are only lightly referenced. I love books focused on conversation and banter, and I don't mind the sketchy worldbuilding, but this turns the mood from travel companions into a romance at almost the final moment, which was disappointing. It's not enough chemistry to be satisfying if I want a book with romance, and too much of one if I just want a guy and a girl to be friends without being paired up. There's an animal sidekick, which is not a trope I enjoy, but at least this one kept leaving for long stretches.
The story takes a while to get going, spending a lot of time initially in the village with Ryn and her siblings. It smoothly incorporates Ellis's arrival and various interactions with the local noble who is making Ryn's life hell by demanding her house as payment for her missing uncle's debts. Ellis is a mapmaker, and eventually he and Ryn leave on a cartographical expedition after the village is attacked by bone houses. Once they do leave, it's a cycle of traveling (leaving the goat behind for plot reasons), sleeping, then interacting with someone or something and then the goat catches up again. It felt predictable (in fact I guessed at least three major twists before they happened, along with a smattering of minor events), but in a way that might end up feeling comforting on a re-read.
I love this take on zombies, and I enjoyed the characters separately but don’t think they have much chemistry together. A good book, but not a great one. Read this for a journey story about loss, letting go, and living afterward.
Ryn is trying to make ends meet in a town where the dead aren’t staying buried and older folks are turning to cremation. Ellis travels to her village on his way to get answers about his past. It turns out they may be the solution to each other’s problems, and together they journey through the forest into the mountains.
The worldbuilding treats all explanations as being needed by someone who is familiar with the setting, generally, but not the specific local history and current undead menace. This means all exposition feels grounded in the world without being overwhelming. However, wile the worldbuilding is specific (inspired by Welsh folklore), it isn't very deep. It gradually incorporates stories of what happened nearby decades ago as Ryn and Ellis are traveling, but a lot of details are only lightly referenced. I love books focused on conversation and banter, and I don't mind the sketchy worldbuilding, but this turns the mood from travel companions into a romance at almost the final moment, which was disappointing. It's not enough chemistry to be satisfying if I want a book with romance, and too much of one if I just want a guy and a girl to be friends without being paired up. There's an animal sidekick, which is not a trope I enjoy, but at least this one kept leaving for long stretches.
The story takes a while to get going, spending a lot of time initially in the village with Ryn and her siblings. It smoothly incorporates Ellis's arrival and various interactions with the local noble who is making Ryn's life hell by demanding her house as payment for her missing uncle's debts. Ellis is a mapmaker, and eventually he and Ryn leave on a cartographical expedition after the village is attacked by bone houses. Once they do leave, it's a cycle of traveling (leaving the goat behind for plot reasons), sleeping, then interacting with someone or something and then the goat catches up again. It felt predictable (in fact I guessed at least three major twists before they happened, along with a smattering of minor events), but in a way that might end up feeling comforting on a re-read.
I love this take on zombies, and I enjoyed the characters separately but don’t think they have much chemistry together. A good book, but not a great one. Read this for a journey story about loss, letting go, and living afterward.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Alcoholism, Violence, Medical trauma, Death, Alcohol, Medical content, and Body horror
Minor: Murder, Terminal illness, Ableism, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, War, and Death of parent
norwegianforestreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Vomit, Violence, and Gore
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
When I began reading this book, a friend of mine told me that it was a "cozy love letter to zombies." I had absolutely no idea what that could possibly mean. Now that I've read it, I understand entirely and completely agree! A cozy love letter to zombies is exactly what The Bone Houses is.
Let me start out by saying that I absolutely abhor horror. Not only that, but zombies are my least favorite horror-related element. I was nervous going into this one, assuming that it would totally freak me out. I've certainly had other "horror fantasies" that bothered me within the first two chapters, so much that I DNF'd them. This book is not scary at all. Like truly, I've read just "regular" fantasies that are freakier. This one is more... subtly spooky? Quietly eerie? Cozy creepy? Yeah, I'm gonna go with it being cozy creepy.
From the get-go, you can't help but love the characters. They're sweet, a little quirky, relatable in multiple ways, and very easy to root for. There's even a bit of comic relief between Ceri and Goat (who, let's be honest, is the actual hero of this story - IYKYK). While Ryn could easily have become the typical "I don't need saving" kind of protagonist, she had her own flaws, and her tough exterior certainly had cracks. While Ellis could've been an almost too-soft cinnamon roll who certainly did need saving, he actually had quite a bit of strength to him that was brought out when it was needed the very most. They made an excellent duo and their chemistry was excellent.
*Side note about Ellis: the chronic pain representation was phenomenal. It made me tear up multiple times. While I don't personally experience chronic pain, I do have a chronic illness and related to so many of the sentiments he had throughout the story. It was wonderfully written.
I found myself highlighting quote after quote as I was reading, completely in love with the story and the way it made me feel. You can imagine my disappointment (with myself) when I accidentally returned it to the Libby library before saving the quotes elsewhere. I guess this just gives me all the more reason to purchase my own copy, read it again, and actually write down the quotes this time!
Honestly, the moment I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up again. It gave me the perfect cozy horror (excuse me: cozy creepy) of Shea Ernshaw, with the atmospheric writing of Rachel Griffin. AKA it was an excellent book and I can't wait to read everything else that Emily writes!
Let me start out by saying that I absolutely abhor horror. Not only that, but zombies are my least favorite horror-related element. I was nervous going into this one, assuming that it would totally freak me out. I've certainly had other "horror fantasies" that bothered me within the first two chapters, so much that I DNF'd them. This book is not scary at all. Like truly, I've read just "regular" fantasies that are freakier. This one is more... subtly spooky? Quietly eerie? Cozy creepy? Yeah, I'm gonna go with it being cozy creepy.
From the get-go, you can't help but love the characters. They're sweet, a little quirky, relatable in multiple ways, and very easy to root for. There's even a bit of comic relief between Ceri and Goat (who, let's be honest, is the actual hero of this story - IYKYK). While Ryn could easily have become the typical "I don't need saving" kind of protagonist, she had her own flaws, and her tough exterior certainly had cracks. While Ellis could've been an almost too-soft cinnamon roll who certainly did need saving, he actually had quite a bit of strength to him that was brought out when it was needed the very most. They made an excellent duo and their chemistry was excellent.
*Side note about Ellis: the chronic pain representation was phenomenal. It made me tear up multiple times. While I don't personally experience chronic pain, I do have a chronic illness and related to so many of the sentiments he had throughout the story. It was wonderfully written.
I found myself highlighting quote after quote as I was reading, completely in love with the story and the way it made me feel. You can imagine my disappointment (with myself) when I accidentally returned it to the Libby library before saving the quotes elsewhere. I guess this just gives me all the more reason to purchase my own copy, read it again, and actually write down the quotes this time!
Honestly, the moment I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up again. It gave me the perfect cozy horror (excuse me: cozy creepy) of Shea Ernshaw, with the atmospheric writing of Rachel Griffin. AKA it was an excellent book and I can't wait to read everything else that Emily writes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, and Chronic illness
cyan_altaria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
This book is great! The romance felt well developed, and in character. The characters felt well fleshed out, and the goat was adorable!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Animal death, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Vomit, Addiction, Blood, Alcoholism, and Murder
egurgens's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is such a wonderful mix of historical fiction and some slight horror. Main character Ryn learns how to navigate the dangerous forest from her father, and takes up his occupation of grave digging when he disappears. When she saves the odd, not-quite-a-noble Ellis, she gains a companion in her adventures with the local Bonehouses, which are beginning to venture out of the forest more and more often. While Ellis looks for his long-lost parents, Ryn looks for the cure to the curse of the Bonehouses (kinda like zombies), so the dead may finally rest and stop attacking wayward travelers.
Over the course of their journey, Ryn and Ellis face a strange village with strange practices, wayward Bonehouses, a lake monster, and they discover some feelings between the two of them. Ryn's unwavering strength and stubbornness appeal to Ellis, while his open heart and friendliness pull Ryn in. They both save each others life several times, which only pulls the two closer together.
A beautiful book of strength, determination to do what is right, and loss all mixed together to create a masterpiece. Features a badass gravedigger, a mapmaker with innate strength and chronic pain, and a stubborn, mostly dead goat.
Over the course of their journey, Ryn and Ellis face a strange village with strange practices, wayward Bonehouses, a lake monster, and they discover some feelings between the two of them. Ryn's unwavering strength and stubbornness appeal to Ellis, while his open heart and friendliness pull Ryn in. They both save each others life several times, which only pulls the two closer together.
A beautiful book of strength, determination to do what is right, and loss all mixed together to create a masterpiece. Features a badass gravedigger, a mapmaker with innate strength and chronic pain, and a stubborn, mostly dead goat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Murder, and Terminal illness
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