Bonesmith (Volume 1) (House of the Dead Duology)

Please keep reading. This book is a slow burn in the best possible way. Wren is a hero and has a will of pure iron!

So good! I’m glad I ordered this and I can’t wait for the second book to come out in August.

I absolutely devoured this book. So different to anything I have read, can't wait for the next book x

It has everything - a prickly main character ready to swipe at anything, different classes ready to go, a weird and interesting world... honestly the whole time I was reading it was spent imagining how good the video game could be. It reminds me (a little not a lot but enough) of how it felt to play Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice in the sense of the atmospheric horror. The world building and magic are on the verge of being over-explained but in the best possible way. Very good read. Leo was a fun character, Julian... eh. Wren would be so fun to play!

We begin our story on the grounds of Bonewood Forest, and Wren Graven is a Bonesmith who is vying to become the best valkyr in the noble House of Bones. In order to do so she must face a trial and several tasks to show off her mettle and abilities. Until she’s sabotaged. Then she finds herself banished to the Border Wall, a once prestigious post now long bereft of any notoriety. There she meets Leopold, the third prince from the House of Gold. Trying to get in his good graces and improve her circumstance, she accompanies him during his tour of the wall when their group is set upon by rogues. The gold prince is taken and Wren is left for dead with one of the kidnappers. An unlikely alliance is formed when Wren teams up with Julian, both on their own personal missions to recover the prince and the truth.— “My life, and the lives of my people, are no game,” he practically growled. “You see them out there, don’t you? You see what we’re up against? Everyday we’re trapped in here is a day closer to all of us winding up like that. Do you know what we do with our dead? Have you ever thought of it?” Wren didn’t respond, but it seemed he didn’t need her to. “We used to burn them.” Her stomach twisted, knowing what he would say next. “It didn’t work.”What a thoroughly immersive world that is built within the pages of this book. The underlying tones of lies, deceit, and betrayal push it a little further to the darker side, which is already dark considering all the otherworldly elements at play. Between the magic systems, the dominions, and the characters, there’s a lot of information to be had in its 447 pages, even the smallest details are not overlooked. Sometimes, for me, that could get a little in the way of the “moment” or dialogue but more often than not it simply added to the story telling.All the characters had distinct voices and complexities. Wren is a bit of a rebel and wild thing. Her wit and brazenness sometimes getting the better of her. Even so, I enjoyed watching her evolve as a character, coming into vulnerability and self awareness that’s a weapon in and of itself. Julian complemented her wildness with a stoicism and steadfastness that she needed. The two had wonderful chemistry and banter and I liked seeing their relationship develop. Leo added a softness, a comedic relief, and true friendship that Wren was also lacking. The three of them together make quite a team. The handful of chapters where we got to see from both Julian and Leo’s pov’s were great and totally distinguishable, I hope we get more of that in the next book.Overall I felt the pacing of the book was pretty good, it had its slower moments for me, possibly due to the detailed prose between dialogue but it carried itself well. There were several plot twists that hit throughout the story… a few that I figured out as a read and a few that took me by surprise. That, coupled with the writing and world building, have me really looking forward to the next installment.