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The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

7 reviews

kathrynleereads's review

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challenging dark informative mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco begins the story of Tea, a young girl who is brought to the city of Ankyo to be trained as an asha after accidentally bringing her brother back from the dead.

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In my mind, this book can be split into two very distinct parts, the first being the majority of the book, and the second being the last 100 pages. 

For most of the book, the pace is slow, the plot basically nonexistent, and the character development mild.

The last 100 pages, however, tell a whole different story. All of a sudden the pace turns nearly frantic, and the characters are challenged in new and difficult ways.

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Tea- While reading, I constantly forgot that Tea is only 14 years old. She has the air of a much older and more experienced person, which I believe is one of the reasons that she is so powerful and (potentially) dangerous. 

Fox- I’m not sure why, but I never completely trusted Fox. He obviously loves Tea very much and is there to protect her, but the whole time I was reading, there was some part of me that felt as if he’s got the potential to derail things for Tea.

Lady Mykaela- Despite having to deal with the daeva on her own for the most part, and without the presence of her heartsglass, Lady Mykaela is such a calming and positive presence. I do wish that she fought back against the kingdoms using her basically as a tool though.

Zoya-
Right from the start, I felt as if Tea’s relationship with Zoya was going to be that of enemies-to-friends, and I’m so glad that (as of now) I seem to be correct.

Likh- I wish Likh had been a little more present in this book. I love his character and the debate that his presence brings up about tradition. 

Polaire & Althy- I love these two. They’re so different but also so genuine. Despite everything, they love Mykaela and Tea and do everything in their power to keep them both safe.

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Flash-Forwards & the Bard- The presence of the Bard in the flash-forwards was ingenious in so many ways. 

Having Tea explain things to the Bard was a seamless way to foreshadow, and to fill readers in on things they may have overlooked, but I think the Bard’s reactions to Tea’s stories are so much more valuable. 

Fictional worlds are sometimes hard for readers to grasp because even with different customs and traditions explained through world-building, it is not always easy to gauge the level of difference between that world and our own.

Seeing how the Bard, who only knows the world of the Eight Kingdoms, reacts and responds to the information he is learning from Tea gives readers insight into the mindset of the people there.

Putting aside the Bard and the added world-building element that they provided, I enjoyed the presence of the flash-forwards because of the intrigue they created.

Obviously, there are some slight spoilers released through the flash-forwards, but they are so far-fetched from the current direction of the story that it only builds the suspense more.

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World-building- In my opinion, world-building is what makes or breaks a book. I love seeing fictional worlds brought to life and reading about all the cultures and traditions that exist in each one. 

I’ve never read a book about which I could say there was too much world-building. 

Until now.

The Bone Witch has an amazing world that I loved learning about, but I think the reason it dragged so much for so long was because of the over-abundance of world-building.

There was so much information thrown at the reader so quickly that I got lost in the details numerous times. 

It took me most of the book to determine that there is just one of each deava, and I’m still trying to sort out the major differences between the eight kingdoms (the guide at the end of the book would have been very helpful had I discovered it before finishing the book).

This book taught me that it is not world-building alone that makes or breaks a book, but world-building that is well-paced. 

Despite this, and even though the book did drag for a majority of the story, I do think The Bone Witch is worth reading. 

Rin Chupeco has built an intricate and beautiful world and has set the story up for great second and third books. 

I can’t wait to find out what’s in store for Tea in the rest of the trilogy! 
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directorpurry's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

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tifftastic87's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I appreciated the rich culture and world that Chupeco created in this story. It was pretty confusing at first but I did like that it unfurled as the story did. It may have been clearer in physical form and I think I will pick up the books for the rest of the story. 

Tea is a necromancy witch in a world where witches are known. Female witches are trained to use their rune magic to both protect and entertain the wealthy and high class. In their training to entertain they are very highly educated in history, dance, musical instruments and song, as well as fighting. Male witches join the military ranks as Death Seekers. Tea discovers her ability as a Dark Asha by accidentally raising her brother, a fallen death seeker when she is only 12. From here the story follows Tea as she is trained in her craft, but the training doesn't come easy and Dark Asha's are more feared and ridiculed than respected. 

The story itself was a little slow, but is told in two timelines. When the reveal of why happens the story starts to pick up. As with most YA stories, Tea is incredibly strong and special. But it didn't feel as Mary Sue as it could have. We see her struggle with many things and we see her fail and we see her punished. I did enjoy the aspect of her making mistakes and learning from them, we aren't told she is smart but we see that she is smart. Though that doesn't mean she doesn't make stupid young teen mistakes. Which I greatly appreciated. 

The building of the world and weaving of cultures honestly gives it extra points for me. 
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amre23's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

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lakinglaze's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely LOVED this book! It really builds and the world is so rich and wonderful!
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ashleycmms's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Angie don’t look at this. 
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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

The Bone Witch is an immediately dark and stunning book, filled with powerful characters and a world stubbornly set in its ways. I liked Tea from the early pages of the book, and fell in love with Lady Mykaela the moment she was introduced. As a whole I enjoyed this story, though it is very much a setup story with greater things to come.

I’ve only read one other book (series, really) with the same storytelling style as The Bone Witch – the Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. While I think it’s a style that only maintains its charm if used sparingly, I like the way the layers of storytelling peel back history in a race to get to the present. For some people, it’s the end of the book that drives them forward. As a longtime fan of fantasy and especially epic fantasy and magic-driven tales, I am just as interested in the journey as I am in the end. There’s certainly a lot that has happened between fledgling Tea and the graceful, powerful, confident woman we see sharing her story with the bard. How did she come to be? Read more and find out.

While I found it easy to fall into The Bone Witch as I read it, there are parts that have sunk in after completion that leave me a bit aggravated. The biggest of these things is the simplicity with which Tea wields her magic. We only ever see her draw dark runes for something big and powerful. While each incident drains her, she is otherwise left with no consequences for her actions, and although she’s technically in training, we see little to none of this. Tea is all chaos and good fortune in her casting. She does what she wants in life and has no consequences. She’s a “chosen one” trope and while that’s fine… I’m not feeling the struggle she needs to overcome in order to earn her status. It’s a bit of a pet peeve for me when characters essentially snap their fingers and have everything they need. Make me root for Tea because she’s strong and relentless, not just because she’s powerful.

This wasn’t a big enough annoyance to keep me from enjoying the book, but it’s one that I can’t stop thinking about now. There are a lot of moving pieces in The Bone Witch and other characters to be interested in as well – not to mention that I’m always interested in a book about necromancers. Although the term “Dark Asha” is used, in common speak Tea and Lady Mykaela are necromancers. They’re reviled by the other people of the world, or so w’re told. We see a couple instances early in the book where Tea is insulted, but for the most part, the Dark Ashas are revered where this particular book takes place. It’s possible that the prejudice comes into play later in the book, but it’s not something Tea faces frequently or affects her growth in any way. I mention this because a good chunk of the book blurb suggests prejudice takes a larger role than it did in actuality.

The Bone Witch didn’t follow the path I expected. There was more action and less schooling than I anticipated given the early storytelling and the patterns for similar books in this genre. It wasn’t so much surprising as it was extra interesting for this point. The pacing was a little rocky – it starts up steady then speeds up dramatically to the point where I had to go and rewind the audiobook to make sure I didn’t miss something. I don’t know that this would be as much of a concern in the physical copy, but something to be aware of. It’s funny – all the reviews I read said this was slow paced, but I didn’t feel that was the case. Maybe I read a lot of really slow paced books and comparatively this was fine?

I have some criticisms, but I can’t deny The Bone Witch was an interesting book and that I enjoyed it. I liked the threads of darkness that wove through the story, I liked the world, and I liked Tea’s cast of supporting characters. I will be going on to read The Heart Forger. Unless the series goes horribly wrong somewhere – which I doubt – I anticipate enjoying the trilogy and believe The Bone Witch is a book I’d read again. I recommend it.

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