I really loved this book!!! Such a new and fun type of magic. I was hooked from the first line.

I absolutely recommend this book and I can't wait till book 2.

4.25/5

I received an ARC of this from YallWest and I’m really glad I did!

This book was so much fun. Just the first chapter had me roiling with anger for what other people did to our main character, Wren. Then when the adventure started it got so much more interesting and fun! There is only a hint of romance, probably leave more of that for book 2 b ht I enjoyed the little bit we got. It was nice to see some romantic manipulation too, i.e. kissing someone to distract them from the fact that you were tying them up in their sleep.

4.5 Stars

Well the Locked Tomb comparisons were as incorrect as expected (the only similarities are necromancy and face paint) but this was a really fun YA adventure story. A little shaky in parts, but the enjoyable main trio made up for it - I do wish we got more Leo POV chapters though because he was funny and my favourite!

Looking forward to the sequel.

Loved this. Can’t wait for the second one!!

If you know me, I'm a sucker for necromancy--and this book delivers on this front solidly, even if the magic didn't feel outstandingly special. The author seems to have spent her time developing the social worldbuilding to be unique, rather than introducing anything particularly special about the magical worldbuilding (apart from the one noteable plot twist/reveal the book seems centered around).

To me, the character relationships were probably the highlight of this book. Wren has such a dynamic personality, so all of her interactions and opinions about the other characters come with a nice kick. This is really a book all about how Wren's developing relationship with Julian, and it's paced and plotted with care.

A final thing I'll mention is that the writing style is simple but effective. I would love to emulate a similar sort of prose in my own writing--something that's enjoyable to read, infused with subtle personality, and straightforward enough to not get in the way of the literal storytelling either.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in picking up a new necromantic read or any fan of Nicki Pau Preto's writing!

It was all very predictable, but I very much enjoyed it .

J’avais peur que ça parte sur une réécriture de GOT, en fait j’ai surtout eu cette sensation au début parce que l’univers est treeeees similaire. Bon ça s’améliore au fur à mesure en devenant plus “original”. Par contre je m’attendais à une univers plus dark, et en vrai pas vraiment ? (Ce qui n’est pas dérangeant, juste que les thématiques laissaient supposer que ça pourrait l’être).

(Par contre l’introduction au worldbuilding est vraiment dense au départ, mais bon là aussi ça rappelle GOT

Character: 8.5
Atmosphere: 8
Writing: 8
Plot: 8.5
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 7.5
Enjoyment: 8
CAWPILE: 8.07

This book reminded me a lot of the Abhorsen Trilogy with how different people are born with different aptitudes to certain smithing (ie: bonesmithing similar to the Abhorsen role, and the ironsmiths similar to the Wallmakers). This is pretty high praise coming from me since I consider the Old Kingdom series, Lirael and the Abhorsen Trilogy specifically, as one of my all time favorite stories. I am very interested in reading Ghostsmith, though my one complaint is that I wish I did not glance at the blurb for Ghostsmith since that gave away a huge spoiler for Bonesmith. I throughly enjoy the characters and dynamics between Wren, Leo and Julien and cannot wait to see what is in store for them next.

I really enjoyed this book. It started a little slow, though with come intrigue, and there was a fair bit of info dumping, but somehow it didn't bother me too much.

All the twists were easy to see coming, but I enjoyed watching them arrive.

The ending was great and I can't wait to read the next book.

Also, I'd be very happy if Wren, Julien and Leo all ended up together because the three of them together is delightful.