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juliettewood's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
kathrynleereads's review
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.
-
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.
-
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-
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.
-
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.
-
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Classism, Medical content, Misogyny, and Sexism
tifftastic87's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Bullying, Chronic illness, and Sexism
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Violence
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The majority of this book is the world building with small bits of story progression is told through flashbacks to the past. I think it was a neat little plot device because you know where the character ends up. I found the system of Asha very intriguing, some parts magic geisha, some parts magic warriors. I’ll likely keep reading the rest of the series to see where it goes from here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Moderate: Misogyny
amre23's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Gore, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, War, Violence, Grief, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Terminal illness, Alcohol, and Body horror
lakinglaze's review
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!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Violence, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, War, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail
jupiterlee's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As morbid as it sounds, I am a sucker for any novel that includes "death" magic.
However, I will admit that there was not a massive amount of it in this novel, but I am willing to put that down to the first novel world building.
This is the first time (I believe) that I have read a book that alternatives between past and present narrative. I found that this kept my interest peaked because you begin to wonder things when reading the present narrative, and you start to wonder if maybe Tea is the villain of the story. However, I did find it slightly confusing as not only was the present time from a different perspective but at times it was all just too much to continuously try and wrap my head around: the different names of the dark items, the different names of the creatures that the dark asha are trained to put down, what each heartglass means and the colours associated with emotions, and the various names of places and people at times was just too much for my head to remember who was who and what the creatures were (but I supposed you can argue that that is not all that important, but it can be frustrating when you cannot visual what you are reading).
I do think that a glossary at the bad with heart glass colours and emotions would have been extremely helpful (others might have found this easier to understand than I did but at times I just gave up remember what silver heartglasses meant and what the colours displayed in them was supposed to represent).
Another thing I will admit is that, for me, it was a very slow paces book, which I am not a massive fan of. While I understand that chapters on Tea's classes and her struggles as a novice are there to build character, I felt that it could be underwhelming at times and it made me not so eager to pick up the book when I had the time.
I will certainly be picking up the next novel due to the ending and the facts that were revealed, but I hope that we get to see Tea using more of her magic and her mischievous nature (which it seems we may with what the information she has decided to withhold from others in the last few chapters). I will also be interested to see what happens with two characters :- one that seems to have went from her forever ally to her enemy, and one that seems to have went from her forever enemy to her ally!
However, I will admit that there was not a massive amount of it in this novel, but I am willing to put that down to the first novel world building.
This is the first time (I believe) that I have read a book that alternatives between past and present narrative. I found that this kept my interest peaked because you begin to wonder things when reading the present narrative, and you start to wonder if maybe Tea is the villain of the story. However, I did find it slightly confusing as not only was the present time from a different perspective but at times it was all just too much to continuously try and wrap my head around: the different names of the dark items, the different names of the creatures that the dark asha are trained to put down, what each heartglass means and the colours associated with emotions, and the various names of places and people at times was just too much for my head to remember who was who and what the creatures were (but I supposed you can argue that that is not all that important, but it can be frustrating when you cannot visual what you are reading).
I do think that a glossary at the bad with heart glass colours and emotions would have been extremely helpful (others might have found this easier to understand than I did but at times I just gave up remember what silver heartglasses meant and what the colours displayed in them was supposed to represent).
Another thing I will admit is that, for me, it was a very slow paces book, which I am not a massive fan of. While I understand that chapters on Tea's classes and her struggles as a novice are there to build character, I felt that it could be underwhelming at times and it made me not so eager to pick up the book when I had the time.
I will certainly be picking up the next novel due to the ending and the facts that were revealed, but I hope that we get to see Tea using more of her magic and her mischievous nature (which it seems we may with what the information she has decided to withhold from others in the last few chapters). I will also be interested to see what happens with two characters :- one that seems to have went from her forever ally to her enemy, and one that seems to have went from her forever enemy to her ally!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Animal death, War, and Violence
Minor: Bullying
ariel790's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: War and Bullying
Minor: Animal death, Terminal illness, and Violence
sarah984's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a fantasy novel about a girl with dark magical abilities being inducted into (and then cast out of) order of geisha-like entertainers and magic users. Parts of the story are set in the present and the other parts are Tea describing her history to a disgraced bard.
The story is slow but rich and detailed, and I thought the world was fascinating, especially the stuff about heartsglass. The main character Tea isn't necessarily likable but she is sympathetic and interesting. However most of the other characters are pretty flat - including, unfortunately, the love interest, which makes some parts of the plot feel a little silly - and some of them are pretty broad ethnic stereotypes (the "Russian" guy is mostly just kind of goofy but the way the characters implied to be Muslim are handled is genuinely offensive in places).
The story is slow but rich and detailed, and I thought the world was fascinating, especially the stuff about heartsglass. The main character Tea isn't necessarily likable but she is sympathetic and interesting. However most of the other characters are pretty flat - including, unfortunately, the love interest, which makes some parts of the plot feel a little silly - and some of them are pretty broad ethnic stereotypes (the "Russian" guy is mostly just kind of goofy but the way the characters implied to be Muslim are handled is genuinely offensive in places).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Islamophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Violence
kurumipanda's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, and Sexism
Minor: Animal death and Transphobia