Reviews

Near the Bone, by Christina Henry

krwriter8's review against another edition

3.0

I thought this story was going to revolve around the mystery of the creature that lives in the mountains surrounding the meadow where a young woman lives with her abusive husband, but it took a different turn entirely. The first half is excessively repetitive showing William be an abusive husband and Mattie being too afraid to run away or do anything.

Then one day a group of people show up looking for the creature and the rest of the book is more repetitive scenes of them trying to escape both William and the creature. The ending is rather abrupt and we never find out what the creature is.

This felt like two different stories mashed together, neither of which was resolved by the end.

puzzledbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

lucyyearling's review against another edition

2.0

The last ten percent was good and at I was rooting for the main character, but it kind of read like a story you’d read on Wattpad :/

jonezeemcgee's review against another edition

4.0

4.25

I really enjoyed this. A page turner with a unique premise. However it did leave some unanswered questions.

shelbyisbooked's review against another edition

4.0

Super suspenseful and atmospheric with Bird Box vibes. I could not put this down and devoured it in one sitting

catsncomics's review against another edition

4.0

Dark, disturbing and sinister.
Near the bone is the story of Mattie and her abusive husband William who live in a cabin in the woods. One day Mattie discovers something unusual close to their home which leads to strangers from outside paying a visit and disrupting the day to day life between Mattie and William while also uncovering long buried secrets.

delena404's review against another edition

4.0

I’m normally not a horror reader. I also am not usually one for books that have a “what if it’s a monster?” plot. But this I really liked.

sarahsunshinereads's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 - fun and intense read. Can’t wait to pick up more from this author

bunnylover381's review against another edition

3.0

This book read like a bad horror film. The characters made all those stupid decisions that people make in cheesy horror movies. Overall though, it was entertaining and a fairly quick read.

caitlinwhetten's review against another edition

4.0

I'm surprised I enjoyed this. I really didn't like Henry's Alice retellings so I kinda wrote her off as an author that wasn't for me. But this seemed different enough that I was willing to give it a chance. It's quite atmospheric and filled with domestic horror and graphic violent horror. I liked Mattie and her journey through surviving her abusive husband, the harsh elements and a supernatural monster. I liked that the second half became a bit of a monster slasher. I do think the book could have done more to thematically tie in the supernatural elements -- I wish it had gone a bit of a different direction with it -- but I didn't mind the open ending and not getting very many answers. I still felt satisfied with the character's internal journey by the end. A great little wintery horror.