mandapandemon's review
5.0
I really loved this story. It’s grotesque and brutal and I fell in love with Jaga.
elle_ette's review
3.0
Jaga's Bones follows Jaga, a young girl sent to take part in trials that, if she succeeds, will allow her entry into the Order of the Sisters of Gloam, a cult which serves the God of Death and trains its young acolytes to raise and control the dead for their own perverse desires. Taron is a crippled farmer who owns his late father's axe, a weapon possessed with the soul of a demon, who is forced away from his peace to fight for his homeland when the Sisters of Gloam invade with their army of the dead. When Jaga decides to abandon the Sisterhood, turning on its worship of death in favour of life, and miraculously escapes, she meets Taron and the two of them become attached to one another.
This is a beautifully written, absolute fever dream of a book. It is disgusting and violent, with very well established elements of sword-and-sorcery fantasy that I didn't expect. There's a decent amount of world building and explanation surrounding the magic system and the cult, as well as brief mentions of other, opposing religions that seem to appear across the map as Jaga finds herself searching for safety. Weaved among the gore and the violent sexual content there are themes of found family and friendship, and many of the characters, specifically Jaga and the friend she makes in a girl called Arla, are nicely fleshed out with some pleasantly redeeming features that give this work a great deal more depth than your average Splatterpunk.
As with many books that are only a few hundred pages long, moments within this one felt somewhat rushed and overall I think Jaga's Bones reads as unfinished and in need of tighter editing. This could be incredible as part of a series or a larger novel, there are some stunning ideas in it, but I really wanted to see more elaboration.
This is a beautifully written, absolute fever dream of a book. It is disgusting and violent, with very well established elements of sword-and-sorcery fantasy that I didn't expect. There's a decent amount of world building and explanation surrounding the magic system and the cult, as well as brief mentions of other, opposing religions that seem to appear across the map as Jaga finds herself searching for safety. Weaved among the gore and the violent sexual content there are themes of found family and friendship, and many of the characters, specifically Jaga and the friend she makes in a girl called Arla, are nicely fleshed out with some pleasantly redeeming features that give this work a great deal more depth than your average Splatterpunk.
As with many books that are only a few hundred pages long, moments within this one felt somewhat rushed and overall I think Jaga's Bones reads as unfinished and in need of tighter editing. This could be incredible as part of a series or a larger novel, there are some stunning ideas in it, but I really wanted to see more elaboration.
bjswann's review
5.0
Sword and Sorcery meets splatterpunk mayhem in a unique and exciting adventure that will probably leave you longing for more.
Jaga is a reluctant necromancer indentured to serve in the sinister Sisterhood of Gloam. Taron is a humble farm boy whose only real inheritance is a demonic axe with an appetite for murder. After passing through their own separate but equally grisly rites of passage, Jaga and Taron end up on a collision course with one another – but will they meet as friends, lovers, enemies, or a twisted combination of all of the above?
JAGA’S BONES is the best kind of escapist fun, featuring exciting and interesting characters, grotesque and detestable villains, action, adventure, sex, violence, intrigue, magic, monsters, weirdness, and a refreshing dose of dark and irreverent wit. It plays with aspects of genre in some relatively unique ways, creating a fusion of fantasy and splatterpunk elements that should please fans of either genre. And if you should happen to be a fan of both, like your humble reviewer here, then odds are this book will knock your socks off. And maybe your feet as well, leaving you to hobble forth on bloody stumps as you go out in search of Mister McHardy’s other books!
Jaga is a reluctant necromancer indentured to serve in the sinister Sisterhood of Gloam. Taron is a humble farm boy whose only real inheritance is a demonic axe with an appetite for murder. After passing through their own separate but equally grisly rites of passage, Jaga and Taron end up on a collision course with one another – but will they meet as friends, lovers, enemies, or a twisted combination of all of the above?
JAGA’S BONES is the best kind of escapist fun, featuring exciting and interesting characters, grotesque and detestable villains, action, adventure, sex, violence, intrigue, magic, monsters, weirdness, and a refreshing dose of dark and irreverent wit. It plays with aspects of genre in some relatively unique ways, creating a fusion of fantasy and splatterpunk elements that should please fans of either genre. And if you should happen to be a fan of both, like your humble reviewer here, then odds are this book will knock your socks off. And maybe your feet as well, leaving you to hobble forth on bloody stumps as you go out in search of Mister McHardy’s other books!
mandapanda13's review
5.0
I really loved this story. It’s grotesque and brutal and I fell in love with Jaga.
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