A review by literaryprincess
Bone Crier's Dawn by Kathryn Purdie

3.0

My wishes from the last book were expansions on worldbuilding and character motivation, which we got, just not in the ways I expected. A lot more fantastical third parties and negotiations happening rather than our MCs solving problems on their own.

This book was equal to the last in the sheer amount of POV switches and "twists" in the plot that weren't meant to be surprising, but more were just to keep the characters moving around constantly which got tiring.

A lot less animal killing which was a plus, but the bone graces in general seemed to lose all their individual significance aside from the few that drove the entire third act's plot.

I feel like I missed out on a lot of Sabine and Aliesse interaction as true sisters because the story focused a lot on fixing the love square situation, and I didn't think much of Cas and Sabine as a couple, but Bastien and Aliesse were a vast improvement from last book.

Sabine overall is just a bit whiny - grappling with her second-best status and failing at every possible turn was a great way to show her growth in maturity and confidence, but it was very back and forth at times and I almost wanted to tell her to get a grip.

Jules shouldn't have had to die to fix the love triangle. That was utter bull and I'm angry on her behalf. I saw it coming from the moment she started getting sick and I desperately wished I was wrong but no.

Cas and Bastien started being civil a little too easily for me. I kinda wished for more pretty boy fights tbh.

Other than that, the magic system, familial story, and overall general coolness of ferrying souls was just as enjoyable as the first time around. Anyone who enjoyed the first book will likely see this as a satisfying conclusion.