A review by bookishkathrine
The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst
3.0
Post-war stories about heroes struggling with the aftermath are interesting to me, like Veronica Roth's "Chosen Ones." "The Bone Maker" is an enjoyable fantasy read, but I was somewhat disappointed.
I felt like there was a lot of potential; the bone magic is fascinating, and the sacrificing of life for the revival of others makes for some intriguing angst. The world and the characters, however, were thinly sketched. I liked the friendship between Kreya and Zera, and the relationship between Stran and Amurra, but I would have liked to have seen some more background or chemistry between Kreya and Jentt. Kreya comes off cold, and it is hard to connect with her, especially since a lot of the past is unelucidated. Elkor is sort of an abstract villain; the context around him comes in much later, and in the end, he is surprisingly easy to take down.
The beginning is slow, although there's plenty of action. Sometimes, I wished there were more opportunities to color in the dynamic between the heroes.
I felt like there was a lot of potential; the bone magic is fascinating, and the sacrificing of life for the revival of others makes for some intriguing angst. The world and the characters, however, were thinly sketched. I liked the friendship between Kreya and Zera, and the relationship between Stran and Amurra, but I would have liked to have seen some more background or chemistry between Kreya and Jentt. Kreya comes off cold, and it is hard to connect with her, especially since a lot of the past is unelucidated. Elkor is sort of an abstract villain; the context around him comes in much later, and in the end, he is surprisingly easy to take down.
The beginning is slow, although there's plenty of action. Sometimes, I wished there were more opportunities to color in the dynamic between the heroes.