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sourflame's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and boy, am I glad I did. The novel engages you from the very beginning, drawing you in with well-crafted, deeply folkloric world building and characters that develop naturally. The plot is engrossing, with high stakes but without being unnecessarily gratuitous. Five stars!
cbharpy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
fishy27's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.5
I don’t even remember where I found out about Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros, but oh my goodness, I can’t believe that more people aren’t talking about it!!!
We follow our main character, Toma, who is living what she believes to be a normal life with her undead adoptive family. When Tsar Mikhail ends up injured in her backyard and her sister is taken, she goes on a journey to retrieve her sister and return Mikhail to safety after he had been overthrown in a coup. Along the way, we meet a charming commoner named Vanya.
Because I can’t remember where or when I found out about this book, I had no idea what it was about. I was immensely pleased to find that this book takes place in an Imperial Russia-inspired world and incorporates Eastern European/Slavic folklore and mythology. This story has really great worldbuilding that clearly sets up the political and social tensions that arise across the empire, and the fantastic elements are woven in really seamlessly. While this story generally follows the “MCs travel through spooky, enchanted forest where mythical creatures lurk, and you meet each one as they try to kill the MCs,” but it doesn’t feel so formulaic as to bring you out of the reading experience.
Although this book is single POV, I really loved how well developed each of our three MCs are. They are unique and distinct, but they’re not tokenized or reduced to identifiable traits. Their relationships among them develop almost without you even realizing it, and I adored each of them. This book is deeply emotional, and I was crying at work while I listened to it. I developed attachments to these characters without even knowing it.
I am generally a fan of open endings like this book has, but my complaint here is that this felt a bit too open for me. I really thought this book was going to end up being poly, and I think the author absolutely had room to allude to such an ending and chose not to. That was a bummer, but I’ll get over it. I felt like the political strings were left a bit loose, and I really wanted Galina and Toma to have a more solid sense of comfort at the end. Overall, I think this book would’ve greatly benefited from an epilogue.
This book was such an unexpected pleasure, and I will certainly be on the lookout for other stories by Polydoros.
We follow our main character, Toma, who is living what she believes to be a normal life with her undead adoptive family. When Tsar Mikhail ends up injured in her backyard and her sister is taken, she goes on a journey to retrieve her sister and return Mikhail to safety after he had been overthrown in a coup. Along the way, we meet a charming commoner named Vanya.
Because I can’t remember where or when I found out about this book, I had no idea what it was about. I was immensely pleased to find that this book takes place in an Imperial Russia-inspired world and incorporates Eastern European/Slavic folklore and mythology. This story has really great worldbuilding that clearly sets up the political and social tensions that arise across the empire, and the fantastic elements are woven in really seamlessly. While this story generally follows the “MCs travel through spooky, enchanted forest where mythical creatures lurk, and you meet each one as they try to kill the MCs,” but it doesn’t feel so formulaic as to bring you out of the reading experience.
Although this book is single POV, I really loved how well developed each of our three MCs are. They are unique and distinct, but they’re not tokenized or reduced to identifiable traits. Their relationships among them develop almost without you even realizing it, and I adored each of them. This book is deeply emotional, and I was crying at work while I listened to it. I developed attachments to these characters without even knowing it.
I am generally a fan of open endings like this book has, but my complaint here is that this felt a bit too open for me. I really thought this book was going to end up being poly, and I think the author absolutely had room to allude to such an ending and chose not to. That was a bummer, but I’ll get over it. I felt like the political strings were left a bit loose, and I really wanted Galina and Toma to have a more solid sense of comfort at the end. Overall, I think this book would’ve greatly benefited from an epilogue.
This book was such an unexpected pleasure, and I will certainly be on the lookout for other stories by Polydoros.
phebr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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? No
3.5
worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
3.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher, Henry Holt and Co. BYR, and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Kosa Empire is embroiled in a civil war as the Tsar has been dethroned and has had his magic stolen and a power struggle is ongoing between the magic wielding elite and the commoners. Seventeen year old Toma lives on the edge of the empire with her family of undead, completely unaware of the conflict until one day, it lands right on her doorstep in the form of Mikhail, the tsar in exile. His pursuers are not far behind, and when they end up capturing Toma’s sister to bring back to the revolutionary leader, Toma and Mikhail set out – Toma to get her sister back and Mikhail to regain his empire and magic. On the way, they encounter a commoner, Vanya, who has magical powers, but is labelled a witch by his neighbors and he joins them on their journey as they struggle to make their way across a war torn, dangerous land. But Toma begins to realize she might have magic of her own, and she will need to figure out how to use it before it’s too late.
I read The City Beautiful last year and loved both the concept and the author’s writing style so I was eagerly waiting for their next book. The premise of this book is what made me pick it up, even if necromancy magic isn’t my favorite. It takes the concept of Imperial Russian history and adds a fantasy element with the elite nobility who have magic, the magic-less but very superstitious commoners and anyone else who is found to have magic is persecuted as a witch. On top of this, when people die in this world, they may come back as different forms of undead depending on the manner of death. A lot of Slavic folklore is included and many of the monsters make an appearance. I’ve only come across this folklore in passing before, so I enjoyed learning more about it and was very thankful for the glossary at the end. The world building was amazing and we discover the Kosa Empire through Toma’s eyes as she sees the world outside her isolated home for the first time, both the good, like the many ethnicities and cultures, and the bad, primarily the ongoing civil war that is drawing lines between different groups of society.
One of the main arcs of the story was Toma’s quest to find her sister, but also find her identity and regain her lost memories, and I thought this was very well done. On the downside, the characters largely fell flat for me and I couldn’t connect to them at all – there wasn’t enough emotional depth. The pacing was quite choppy and while it started off strong, it began to drag a lot in the middle. The magic system, particularly the abilities Toma has and the Unclean Force, were not elaborated on nearly enough either.
As for the ending, Toma’s arc was somewhat resolved and it was though a little predictable, it was still good. However, it leaves a lot of things up in the air for Mikhail and Vanya regarding how the war ends and how Vanya figures out his new state of being, so the story felt somewhat incomplete to me in that aspect. Overall, this story had a lot of potential, but the execution wasn’t to my taste and the book didn’t really work for me. However, if the plot appeals to you, I would definitely recommend trying it out, especially for younger YA readers – it would be a great one for Halloween TBRs!
Thank you to the publisher, Henry Holt and Co. BYR, and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Kosa Empire is embroiled in a civil war as the Tsar has been dethroned and has had his magic stolen and a power struggle is ongoing between the magic wielding elite and the commoners. Seventeen year old Toma lives on the edge of the empire with her family of undead, completely unaware of the conflict until one day, it lands right on her doorstep in the form of Mikhail, the tsar in exile. His pursuers are not far behind, and when they end up capturing Toma’s sister to bring back to the revolutionary leader, Toma and Mikhail set out – Toma to get her sister back and Mikhail to regain his empire and magic. On the way, they encounter a commoner, Vanya, who has magical powers, but is labelled a witch by his neighbors and he joins them on their journey as they struggle to make their way across a war torn, dangerous land. But Toma begins to realize she might have magic of her own, and she will need to figure out how to use it before it’s too late.
I read The City Beautiful last year and loved both the concept and the author’s writing style so I was eagerly waiting for their next book. The premise of this book is what made me pick it up, even if necromancy magic isn’t my favorite. It takes the concept of Imperial Russian history and adds a fantasy element with the elite nobility who have magic, the magic-less but very superstitious commoners and anyone else who is found to have magic is persecuted as a witch. On top of this, when people die in this world, they may come back as different forms of undead depending on the manner of death. A lot of Slavic folklore is included and many of the monsters make an appearance. I’ve only come across this folklore in passing before, so I enjoyed learning more about it and was very thankful for the glossary at the end. The world building was amazing and we discover the Kosa Empire through Toma’s eyes as she sees the world outside her isolated home for the first time, both the good, like the many ethnicities and cultures, and the bad, primarily the ongoing civil war that is drawing lines between different groups of society.
One of the main arcs of the story was Toma’s quest to find her sister, but also find her identity and regain her lost memories, and I thought this was very well done. On the downside, the characters largely fell flat for me and I couldn’t connect to them at all – there wasn’t enough emotional depth. The pacing was quite choppy and while it started off strong, it began to drag a lot in the middle. The magic system, particularly the abilities Toma has and the Unclean Force, were not elaborated on nearly enough either.
As for the ending, Toma’s arc was somewhat resolved and it was though a little predictable, it was still good. However, it leaves a lot of things up in the air for Mikhail and Vanya regarding how the war ends and how Vanya figures out his new state of being, so the story felt somewhat incomplete to me in that aspect. Overall, this story had a lot of potential, but the execution wasn’t to my taste and the book didn’t really work for me. However, if the plot appeals to you, I would definitely recommend trying it out, especially for younger YA readers – it would be a great one for Halloween TBRs!
cyrille6k's review against another edition
5.0
Toma's seemingly ordinary life is upended when a dirigible crash introduces her to a world teeming with magic and danger. This historical fantasy, reminiscent of Imperial Russia, captivated me with its rich world-building and unique blend of eastern folklore. The inclusion of monsters added depth and tension to the narrative.
While the plot is familiar, the setting feels fresh and original. Character development is strong, although emotional depth could be further explored through dialogue. The lack of a map was a minor inconvenience, and some aspects of the world-building, particularly regarding the war and the undead, felt under-explained.
Despite these issues, the book is a compelling read with thought-provoking themes of family, identity, and survival.
espurrr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
kathryn_reads_paiges's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Full RTC
meghanhudson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
zemthings's review against another edition
5.0
Huge shoutout to Inkyard Press for providing a digital ARC of such a great read. I was so engrossed in the story that I finished it in a day- the characters were likable and even with political intrigue and religious elements, there was a clear thread to follow and I never felt lost or overwhelmed with new words or folklore.
‘Bone Weaver’ is an excellent, well-paced novel that stands on its own. Well worth the read.
‘Bone Weaver’ is an excellent, well-paced novel that stands on its own. Well worth the read.