Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

16 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
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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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alexa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this is clearly an introduction and a set up for the rest of the story and i believe it does this job well. i've had quite a pleasant time. i've still got a few unanswered questions though. i believed i'd get recounted the whole time between the start of the main character's journey and the point she's at in present timeline, but there still seems to be information i'm missing, mainly regarding her love interest. i can only hope this is going to be answered at some point in either of the two next books

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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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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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brookieblue's review against another edition

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

2.75

It’s SO weirdly paced. It’s a world building book with little to no action until the very end. I didn’t like the main character, who had no growth but could suddenly Mary Sue her way out of a dangerous situation. She was a coward and complained and whined the whole time, and I got so annoyed with her I almost quit this book. I will not be continuing, although the world could be interesting enough, if it was explained AT ALL. The characters are not fleshed out, the story is convoluted, and the world is confusing. 

Also, the audiobook is terrible. DO NOT LISTEN TO IT.

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sankta_aleena's review against another edition

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

4.25


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ariel790's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.25

This book is about a girl named Tea. Tea experiences loss and then has a re-birth that is comparable of Daenerys Targaryen's of Game of Thrones. Done by trial by fire with everyone questioning her motives. Tea is similar to the beauty and cleverness Daenerys has, but I think is so much stronger. I thoroughly enjoyed this tail of her beginnings, with a glimpse of the terror she may wrought in the future.

Rin Chupeco kept an easy pace with enough detail to imagine Tea's world with ease. Although, not a unique technique, I did enjoy Tea's humble beginning told as if in the past while jumping back to the present at the end of each chapter. This gave a sense of mystery to be solved in how Tea ended up exiled. While this wasn't revealed, enough to keep Tea interesting is. Looking forward to book 2. 

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ofbooksandechos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

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caseofspades's review against another edition

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

4.0


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