The Bone Houses
Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sky in the Deep in this bewitching historical horror novel, perfect for fans of Holly Black and V.E. Schwab!
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don't always stay dead.
The risen corpses are known as "bone houses," and legend says that they're the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?
Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the deeply-buried truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairy tale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page.
An instant IndieBound bestseller!
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don't always stay dead.
The risen corpses are known as "bone houses," and legend says that they're the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?
Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the deeply-buried truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairy tale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page.
An instant IndieBound bestseller!
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Community Reviews
I really enjoyed The Drowned Woods, so I was confident I would like this and I wasn't wrong. I think I might have liked The Drowned Woods a little better, just because it spent a little more time with more characters while this one is very heavily focused on the main two and their adventure. I do kind of wish neither book had a romance, but it's not because the romances were bad at all. I just think I wasn't in the mood for a romance element, but the romance is fairly minimal anyway. I highly recommend either of these books if you like T. Kingfisher's writing, and visa versa. Both authors do fantasy stories and character journeys in a way that is satisfying but also easy to digest. I also recommend any audiobooks narrated by Moira Quirk, she's excellent.
I LOVED THIS BOOK.
So maybe read this review with a grain of salt.
Also, I've had a whole coffee travel mug filled with mulled wine. It is Christmas, after all. But this means I have SO MANY FEELINGS.
First off, I adore the feel of this book. I don't think I can explain it. There are just some books that have that lyrical quality that feels more supernatural, fairy-like than other books. It makes me think of Ash by Malinda Lo, the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black and Wild Beauty by Anne-Marie McLemore. Gorgeously written novels that simply suck you in to another world that feels timeless and ethereal. Faerie. Ugh. I love it.
Secondly, this novel drew heavily on Welsh mythology. I recognized it from the get-go, but the author confirmed it when the opening paragraph of her thank-you page was dedicated to Lloyd Alexander, the author of the Chronicles of Prydain series. God, how I loved those books as a kid. I loved them so much, I read the first one to my first group of 5th graders, 8 years ago. And that was exactly the mythology she drew on for this one: Arawn, Gwydion, the Black Cauldron... It was familiar and comforting and beautiful. I loved it.
Thirdly, the author, Emily Lloyd-Jones, had a beautiful way of keeping you completely enraptured. I knew what was coming (and I rarely do, so that means it wasn't very subtle), but I didn't care one bit. The ending still brought me to tears and I still have so many feelings and as I was gasping over in my new reading chair, my husband said, "You're going to have major book hangover from this one, aren't you?"
Yes, my darling. Major book hangover.
Sigh.
Can I have another one? Please? Sigh.
So maybe read this review with a grain of salt.
Also, I've had a whole coffee travel mug filled with mulled wine. It is Christmas, after all. But this means I have SO MANY FEELINGS.
First off, I adore the feel of this book. I don't think I can explain it. There are just some books that have that lyrical quality that feels more supernatural, fairy-like than other books. It makes me think of Ash by Malinda Lo, the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black and Wild Beauty by Anne-Marie McLemore. Gorgeously written novels that simply suck you in to another world that feels timeless and ethereal. Faerie. Ugh. I love it.
Secondly, this novel drew heavily on Welsh mythology. I recognized it from the get-go, but the author confirmed it when the opening paragraph of her thank-you page was dedicated to Lloyd Alexander, the author of the Chronicles of Prydain series. God, how I loved those books as a kid. I loved them so much, I read the first one to my first group of 5th graders, 8 years ago. And that was exactly the mythology she drew on for this one: Arawn, Gwydion, the Black Cauldron... It was familiar and comforting and beautiful. I loved it.
Thirdly, the author, Emily Lloyd-Jones, had a beautiful way of keeping you completely enraptured. I knew what was coming (and I rarely do, so that means it wasn't very subtle), but I didn't care one bit. The ending still brought me to tears and I still have so many feelings and as I was gasping over in my new reading chair, my husband said, "You're going to have major book hangover from this one, aren't you?"
Yes, my darling. Major book hangover.
Sigh.
Can I have another one? Please? Sigh.
I really enjoyed this book! Great read, easily captivated me from the beginning. Done-before-idea but with a new twist that made me a fan of Emily Lloyd-Jones’ writing. I cannot wait to read her other books! 10/10 for me
A fun take on the undead uprising in a fantasy setting, but the timeline was difficult to understand after the surprise twist. Things didn't match up.
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