Reviews

The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst

romcomkeith's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

4.0

malignantcactus's review against another edition

3.0

I really struggled with this one. I think a lot of the ideas are cool. The magic system is interesting. The way the book explores the concept of legendary heroes realizing they actually failed in their quest decades before, requiring them to atone for it rather than pass it off to a new generation. The exploration of grief its pervasiveness. Really cool ideas.

But the execution wasn't there for me. I liked the ideas, but I was never fully convinced of the relationships between the heroes. Add a relatively bland villain and some of the most obvious/stupid twists that the heroes should have figured out well before they did, and well, you get a mixed bag of a book.

bookishcreature's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

emrodav's review against another edition

3.0

Maybe 3.5 ✨, but I can’t justify rounding up.

A really interesting fantasy world with a great concept and interesting characters. The plot was just too disjointed for me. And it never felt like the stakes were high enough, but rather like I was waiting for the real conflict to begin. I’d love to read more in this world though!

thedisneyreader's review against another edition

I bought this one on Audible a while back when I had a credit available. I really liked the premise and I listened to about 18% of it before I stopped. I don't think there was any real reason I stopped except for wanting to focus on other books. I decided to DNF it but I may decide to pick it up again another time. We'll see.

nonesensed's review against another edition

3.0

 Having defeated a great evil 25 years ago, Kreya now spends her days trying to resurrect her lost love, some times succeeding, but only briefly. Her quest to gain the necessary 'ingredients' for her less than legal necromancy leads her to discover a horrific possibility: the man who murdered her husband and thousands of others might not be as dead as previously believed.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this story. The characters, former heroes reuniting after years apart, having to deal with things left unsaid and how they've all changed, are engaging and likeable! I had fun getting to know them and got invested in their friendships and loves. But then the central plot took off and I sadly found myself over and over needled by a big issue (which is a bit of a spoiler, so): 

Kreya, the supposed brilliant strategic leader who brought down a guy who's talked about like he's Sauron, is... not a very good strategist. Not only does Kreya get outwitted over and over and fails to be strategic (for example: not checking the valley of eternal mist and monsters you yourself used to sneak around in for the undead army you think might be lurking around - why not????), but her achievements from her younger days are also more tell than show. It made the plot a continuous loop of "our heroes fail yet again!" once Eklor re-enters the scene. Frustrating.

Also,the more you learn about the "Bone War" you start to realize it was basically One Guy with a lot of undead against One City State. Not exactly the world ending doom I at first got the impression Eklor was supposed to be. 

Now, this is not me saying this is a bad book! I had a lot of fun reading about the characters, I really like them as people, but I went into this kinda looking for Competence Porn and that's not what I got. Kinda like biting into what look like a strawberry and tasting chocolate - not a bad taste, but not what I was in the mood for, y'know?

Basically, read this for fun characters, but be prepared to be frustrated by their life choices. 

searobin's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I accidentally deleted my first review, so point form this time:

• More second book in epic trilogy than pure "the after" vibes imo, and I'd love a prequel 
• Love found family and getting the band back together tropes
• Characters felt like old friends
• Unnecessary use of the clunky and unna ural "he or she" instead of the easier and more inclusive"they", which always bothers me, especially in books that acknowledge queerness exists

jthoms's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

marieintheraw's review against another edition

4.0

Overall, if you can get past a somewhat slower start, this is a standalone urban fantasy that I absolutely recommend.

Spoiler-Free Review: https://amberinoface.wordpress.com/2021/03/08/the-bone-maker-by-sarah-beth-durst/

I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.

lyzaface's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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? Yes

4.5