Title: The Bone Witch
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Rin Chupeco
Format: eBook
Pages: 432
Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Necromancy, Magic
Book Blurb:
Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there’s anything I’ve learned from him in the years since, it’s that the dead hide truths as well as the living.
When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.
MY REVIEW
“Lady Mykaela was telling me the reason bone witches were feared: not because we could control daeva but because daeva were not the only ones we could choose to compel.“
The Bone Witch, by. Rin Chupeco
I finally read this book! I’ve been meaning to read it for the past two years and even tried to read it and put it away. I’m glad I put it aside until I was ready to read it. This time, I decided to read it slowly and put it down when I wanted to but picked it up again the next day and the next until I couldn’t stop.
But let me tell you what bothered me before that prevented me from connecting to this book. The past/present storytelling would throw me off. This time around I took it for what it was and treated it like a mystery. It made me want to know who Tea is talking to and why she is telling this tale. Something horrible seems to have happened and we don’t know why yet. This kept me in the story and then suddenly I was immersed in this world of ashas and daeva. The world building is wonderful, but again, you have to be patient with it.
This story is written beautifully. It is like a fairy tale or like folklore actually. It appears like nothing happens for much of the story because Tea is learning how to be an asha. And yes in my head I kept calling her “Tea” until a character she meets says, “Tey-uh”. 😂 Oops. But I liked calling her Tea, like the drink, so I kind of stuck with it.
Tea finds out she is an asha when she accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox. An asha is basically a witch who can control the elements with runes or help with healing among other things. They are also like geisha – they cultivate skills to entertain people with dance and song. But Tea, is a Dark Asha, she can raise the dead and kill daeva, which are demonic creatures that cause havoc in their world. The people in this world wear heartglasses, a necklace that is similar to a mood ring. Certain colors of the heartglass can reveal what a person is feeling or if the person is ill. The world Rin Chupeco builds is detailed, lush and vivid, so I really enjoyed this part, slow as it is. I even got hungry reading about the foods they were eating in the book, that’s when I knew I had been transported to this fictional world.
Tea and her brother Fox (now her familiar) leave their home and family to journey with the current bone witch, Lady Mykaela. Mykaela becomes her mentor and teacher. Tea is thrusted into this world of ashas and learning to become one of them takes dedication and learning in all the disciplines from combat, healing, dancing, singing, casting runes and killing daeva. But she’s also navigating this world and how to be a proper asha in it, which includes mingling with politicians, attending parties and learning about current affairs.
There are other things happening in the story other than Tea learning about her powers. There is the mystery of Lady Mykaela’s missing heartglass, Tea’s strange connection with daeva, and her crush on Prince Kance. The story picks up in the second half and it gets good!
Don’t look for romance in this first book of the series, if you do, you will be disappointed. But there is love, sibling love between Tea and her brother, which I wasn’t expecting to endear me so much. This book didn’t need romance because I love how Fox looked out for Tea and vice versa. It doesn’t mean a love interest isn’t building for Tea, the past/present storytelling aspect reveals a few things at the end! And it’s a good ending which led me to continuing the series right away with book two…see review below!
But I wouldn’t have gotten to amazing book two if I didn’t stick out book one, so I’m glad I finished this one. It is a slow start but a fantastic build-up to the next book.
Get it here: Amazon
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Title: The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch, #2)
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Format: eBook
Pages: 528
Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Necromancy
Book Blurb:
No one knows death like Tea. A bone witch who can resurrect the dead, she has the power to take life…and return it. And she is done with her self-imposed exile. Her heart is set on vengeance, and she now possesses all she needs to command the mighty daeva. With the help of these terrifying beasts, she can finally enact revenge against the royals who wronged her—and took the life of her one true love.
But there are those who plot against her, those who would use Tea’s dark power for their own nefarious ends. Because you can’t kill someone who can never die…
War is brewing among the kingdoms, and when dark magic is at play, no one is safe.
MY REVIEW
“Take a girl and remove her heart. Add a touch of tragedy and a thirst for vengeance. Divide her into equal part of grief and rage, then serve her cold.“
The Heart Forger by. Rin Chupeco
This second book of The Bone Witch series, slayed me. And let me tell you, I read book one in four days, and book two in one day! I didn’t want to leave this rich world that Rin Chupeco has written. I’m even afraid to read the last book of the series. It’s a good thing I don’t have it on me, or else I would get no sleep tonight. 😅
The Heart Forger starts off with the past/present storytelling again, this time I’m used to it and look forward to it. It beings with Tea telling the Bard another story but these stories make me apprehensive. The tale she tells isn’t a happy one and that scares me, for her and her loved ones.
The mystery of Lady Mykaela’s heartglass takes precedence in book two because she is dying without it. Tea wants to help find Mykkie’s heartglass, and the mystery of it reveals some nefarious things going on in Odalia. There is more political intrigue between the other kingdoms in this book also, which moved this story along quicker than the last one. There is action, mystery, romance, sibling love, friendship and always the fantastic world-building. We even get a glimpse of Tea’s family again, just for a quick minute, but that was so nice to see because we don’t get much of them in book one.
In this book we get to know more about the evil enemy, the Faceless and watch as Tea gets stronger in her dark powers. I love her bond with the daeva, especially the aiz (a three headed monster with wings). This book has more than one love story going on and I am here for all of it and the diversity! Tea’s love story made me sigh with happiness, but knowing what is revealed in the past/present storytelling makes me dread what happens. Obviously in the present, Tea has been pushed beyond what she used to be, she’s chosen to do drastic things for vengeance and my heart aches for her.
I’ve read the books back to back and have seen Tea grow powerful as she learns the dark and secret runes. And I love Tea – yes she’s sometimes impulsive and doesn’t listen to the elders, but she always tries her best. Tea usually uses her powers to save those she love but no matter what she does, she has the stigma of being a dark asha and walks a fine line of doing what she thinks is right or coming off as power hungry. People trust her to a point and I hurt for her. There are people who don’t want her achieving so much power, which is understandable. Tea is also afraid that she will become the monster everyone thinks she is deep down inside when she is caught up in her powers. How far will Tea go to help the ones she love?
I have to wait until book three becomes available at my library to read it and I hope that’s very soon. Or I may just have to buy the set since I am in love with the series. I am so invested in this story: the relationships, the characters, the creatures, the world building and they storytelling. It is all beautifully done. I’m so glad I committed to this series and now I don’t want to see it end. ❤️
Get it here: Amazon
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