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Review: Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye

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Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye cover shows the head and shoulders of a blonde girl with a wolf curled behind her head and one swooping in front of her.

Daughter of the Bone Forest (Witch Hall #1)
Jasmine Skye
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 27, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Daughter of the Bone Forest

Two girls reluctantly bound by fate must weather a dangerous courtship as a prophesied war grows ever closer in Jasmine Skye’s high-stakes, queernormative dark fantasy debut, DAUGHTER OF THE BONE FOREST.

Rosy is a bone familiar, gifted with the power to shift into animals marked with exposed bone. She spends most of her days in the magical Bone Forest, caring for her feral grandmother and hiding her powers to avoid conscription by the Witch King’s army. Until the day that Princess Shaw, a witch known as Death’s Heir, visits the Forest. When Rosy saves Shaw’s life, the princess offers her the chance to attend the prestigious school, Witch Hall, as payment. Though Rosy is wary of Shaw’s intentions, she cannot pass up the opportunity to find the cure for her grandmother’s affliction.

But at Witch Hall, Rosy finds herself embroiled in political games she doesn’t understand. Shaw wants Rosy for her entourage, a partner to help lead the coming war. All Rosy wants is to stay out of trouble until she can graduate and save her grandmother, but she can’t deny her attraction to Shaw or the comfort Shaw’s magic gives her. Will Rosy give in to her destiny, or will the Bone Forest call her home once and for all?

My Review

I got totally lost in this book. It’s the first in a series, but I kept forgetting that as I read it. I loved both main characters– Rosy and Shaw. Rosy’s scenes are told in first person point of view, and Shaw’s are in third person, so I immediately felt closer to Rosy, which I think was the point. Shaw is so closed and carefully measured and controlled.

The romance arc in this one was honestly pretty perfect for me. I think a higher percentage of the girl/girl romances I’ve read have either had an insta-love vibe, and that’s really not my favorite kind of romance to read. This one is much more in the slow burn lane, which has (especially lately) been a favorite flavor of romance for me. So DAUGHTER OF THE BONE FOREST knocked it out of the park for me as a reader in terms of its romance elements.

I also find the magic system really intriguing and different. There are magic users (witches) and shapeshifters (familiars) who often bond with one another for magic and life benefits. I can’t remember all the different magic classes, but I know there was bone magic, which the main characters use. There’s also flower magic and maybe ice magic?

Most of the story takes place at the magic school (Witch Hall) so the book also has a magic boarding school vibe to it, too. I see that more often in middle grade books, so it was really fun to get to read a young adult novel with that element for a change.

All in all, I would absolutely call this one a win for me. I really look forward to where the series goes. I’m already excited for the second book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
I don’t remember there being a lot of physical character descriptions. One character is nonbinary. Another is bigender. Some minor characters are in same-gender couples. The two major characters (both girls) enter a courting relationship with each other.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Kissing between two boys.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic of certain types. Other characters have the ability to shapeshift into one or more animal forms. Often, a witch (magic user) will bond with a familiar (shapeshifter), and both receive a power boost.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and battle violence. In one scene, men light a group of unarmed students and a young villager on fire.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of DAUGHTER OF THE BONE FOREST in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: The Prince of Nowhere by Rochelle Hassan

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The Prince of Nowhere
Rochelle Hassan
HarperCollins
Published May 3, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Prince of Nowhere

Roda isn’t afraid of the monsters that roam the wilds of the Aerlands. She’s safe in her small town, surrounded by a wall of freezing, enchanted mist that keeps the beasts away. So when Roda rescues an injured crow on the instruction of her secret pen pal, Anonymous – whose letters arrive without warning and correctly predict the future – she’s surprised to learn she’s brought one of the so-called monsters home. Because her crow is really a shape-shifting boy named Ignis.

Ignis doesn’t remember where he was going before he crashed. But Anonymous brought him and Roda together for a reason – and the only way to find out what Anonymous wants is to follow the trail of baffling clues in Roda’s letters. Their perilous journey leads them into the mist and beyond, to a mysterious place called Nowhere. But Ignis has secrets, and the farther they get, the more Roda doubts she can trust him.

As a nefarious force closes in, they’ll have to put aside their differences and work together. For they might be each other’s only defense against an enemy who threatens their past, present, and future.

My Review

One of the things I’ve been really interested in finding are books that bridge the transition between middle grade and young adult books. Every reader is different, and some leap forward into YA without looking back. Others take longer to make that transition, even though they may feel like middle grade books become too young for them. At any rate, I feel like this book is exactly the kind of thing I have been looking for in terms of still having some middle grade themes, but written in a more mature way that I think will appeal to older readers.

I loved both Ignis and Roda. Most of the story is in Roda’s point of view. She’s smart and determined and I couldn’t get enough of her. She and Ignis tend to bicker a bit, but it feels like the way you argue with a best friend or sibling, so I found it endearing.

The plot kept me turning pages and reading chapter after chapter. I really didn’t want to put it down. I read the whole book in less than 24 hours. Some of the things that happened were things I’d been hoping for– other things took me completely by surprise.

It looks like Rochelle Hassan’s next book (which comes out next year and is titled THE BURIED AND BOUND) will be a young adult novel. I definitely want to read that, but I hope she writes more middle grade, too.

Readers who enjoyed THE STORM KEEPER’S ISLAND by Catherine Doyle or SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF by A. F. Steadman definitely need to put this one on their reading lists!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Roda has pale skin. Ignis’s skin is gray.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Ignis can shapeshift into a crow. Other characters have the ability to use magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle scenes causing injury. Not graphically described.

Drug Content
A woman is apparently poisoned and unconscious.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE PRINCE OF NOWHERE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa

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Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2)
Julie Kagawa
Harlequin Young Adult
Published June 25, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Soul of the Sword

One thousand years ago, a wish was made to the Harbinger of Change and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. It had one task: to seal away the powerful demon Hakaimono.

Now he has broken free.

Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: to take her piece of the ancient and powerful scroll to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the Harbinger of Change, the great Kami Dragon who will grant one wish to whomever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. But she has a new enemy now. The demon Hakaimono, who for centuries was trapped in a cursed sword, has escaped and possessed the boy she thought would protect her, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan.

Hakaimono has done the unthinkable and joined forces with the Master of Demons in order to break the curse of the sword and set himself free. To overthrow the empire and cover the land in darkness, they need one thing: the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross once again, the entire empire will be thrown into chaos. 

My Review

I’m pretty sure that immediately after I finished the last few words of the last chapter of SHADOW OF THE FOX, I rushed to my copy of SOUL OF THE SWORD and started reading. I really needed to know what would happen to Yumeko and Tatsumi and their friends.

Some things took me completely by surprise. There’s one relationship that emerges that I totally did not expect and absolutely adored. Yumeko certainly doesn’t shy away from breaking the rules, which made some of her choices oddly satisfying? It was like she just looked at the situation and instead of doing what she’d been told she SHOULD do, she wasn’t afraid to ask what would help the most or what would be best for the people involved, regardless of what anyone else would think.

Through SOUL OF THE SWORD, Yumeko continues to be a loyal, compassionate girl, but she also begins to understand and explore her own power, which was an awesome thing to be part of as a reader. She begins the series as this quirky girl who finds her own magic fairly useless. Then she joins forces with powerful warriors and feels like the most powerless or useless person in a battle.

Even before she discovers how to use her magic in more powerful ways, she uses her character– her cleverness and compassion– to change the outcome of battles her team encounters. I love that about her. And when she adds magic to her strength of character, look out. She’s truly a force to be reckoned with, and I loved that, too!

I love this series, and definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a story to get lost in. Here are the reviews for the other books in the series:

Shadow of the Fox review

Night of the Dragon review (plus Q&A with Author Julie Kagawa!)

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Characters speak Japanese in this fantasy series inspired by Japanese folklore. Two characters are gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some strong profanity and a few crude references used infrequently, mainly by one character.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys.

Spiritual Content
The story is filled with spiritual creatures and traditions. Some characters worship divine beings called Kami. Other magical creatures can shapeshift or possess other magic. One character is a ghost who seeks to help Yumeko’s party. Yumeko has been raised by monks in a temple.

Demons respond to the evil blood magic and cause havoc in the human world. Tatsumi has a sword which contains the soul of a powerful demon. He hears the demon’s thoughts and knows that if he’s not vigilant, the demon can take possession of him.

Violent Content
Some gory battle violence and references to torture and abuse/neglect of a child.

Drug Content
Some characters drink sake. Yumeko gets drunk and regrets it the next day.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: The Girl King by Mimi Yu

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

The Girl King
Mimi Yu
Bloomsbury YA
Published on January 8, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Girl King

All hail the Girl King.

Sisters Lu and Min have always understood their places as princesses of the Empire. Lu knows she is destined to become the dynasty’s first female ruler, while Min is resigned to a life in her shadow. Then their father declares their male cousin Set the heir instead—a betrayal that sends the sisters down two very different paths.

Determined to reclaim her birthright, Lu goes on the run. She needs an ally—and an army—if she is to succeed. Her quest leads her to Nokhai, the last surviving wolf shapeshifter. Nok wants to keep his identity secret, but finds himself forced into an uneasy alliance with the girl whose family killed everyone he ever loved…

Alone in the volatile court, Min’s hidden power awakens—a forbidden, deadly magic that could secure Set’s reign…or allow Min to claim the throne herself. But there can only be one Emperor, and the sisters’ greatest enemy could turn out to be each other.

My Review
Wow. Where to start! The Girl King has so much going on in it. I loved all three of the characters telling the story. Lu and her sister Min almost couldn’t be more opposite. Where Lu is bold and brash, Min is timid and constantly worries about disappointing or offending anyone. As Lu runs from home and the man who would kill her to secure his seat as emperor, she learns to depend on and value others. Left behind, Min gains a new boldness herself when her bitterness at being overlooked grows to overtake the shyness that’s kept her quiet until now.

And then there’s Nokhai, who wants to live a simple life in hiding, and instead has this huge task (saving the princess, saving his mentor, ultimately saving his people) thrust upon him. He’s smart and sweet and totally not charmed by Lu’s position or her temper.

Beyond the characters, The Girl King has a rich story world packed with history and conflict between ethnic groups. It felt very real and added lots of layers to the plot and the characters’ relationships.

For me the only struggle was with the amount of violence in The Girl King. I’m kind of a pansy where it comes to that sort of thing, and lots of the descriptions had me cringing. I might have skimmed over the aftermath of one particular battle late in the story. So I wish it hadn’t been so graphic in that way.

But I enjoyed the story and the characters so much. I felt like all three main characters grew so much through The Girl King, and the plot carried me away. Next year when the sequel comes out, I’m sure I’ll be looking for it.
If you like books by Leigh Bardugo (I loved Six of Crows, but I think Shadow and Bone probably makes a better comparison here, and I haven’t finished reading that one.) then you will want to check out The Girl King.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Most of the characters are described as having ochre or tawny skin. Lu’s empire contains lots of different ethnic groups. Some have been persecuted and killed.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently. I didn’t keep a tally, but I’d say probably a dozen times or so. Some of the instances are intense because one character uses a curse to dehumanize and belittle another.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl. At one point, it looks as though the characters will do more, but they stop themselves.
At one point, a soldier threatens to rape a boy.

Spiritual Content
Some tribe (called Kith) members have the ability to shape shift into an animal. Shamanesses and those who’ve studied under them learn to use magic.
A shamaness placed a curse on a family as a means for revenge. Her spirit continues to haunt one family member.

Violent Content
The Girl King contains quite a bit of graphic violence. Assassins chase the princess. Descriptions of the battle get pretty graphic. Later, a soldier threatens a boy, acting as if he means to rape him. He meets a pretty violent end.
After a battle in the sky (you had to be there), soldiers and participants fall to the ground, leaving bloodstains and carnage everywhere below. Some of the descriptions of that are pretty vivid, too.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.