The Bone Witch is a young adult fantasy novel written by Rin Chupeco. It is the first book in the series titled "The Bone Witch". Published in 2017, the book follows the story of Tea, a young girl who discovers she has the power to resurrect the dead. The story is narrated in two timelines. The first timeline is set in the present, where Tea recounts her journey to becoming an asha, a powerful witch. The second timeline takes place in the past, showing Tea's training under Lady Mykaela, an experienced bone witch.
The series may get better as it goes but I don’t have any immediate interest in continuing the trilogy. It has some redeeming qualities and obviously going forward there’s going to be more action than party training (hopefully).
This way of telling the story seemed unique to me and it keeps you hooked wanting to know what will happen, I also adore the voices of the characters in both timelines, but especially in the present because we see a more mature and grown Tea that has gone through a lot and there is a certain darkness in her voice that caught me, I also believe that these chapters although they re short, manage to capture the essence of the story and give us a super poetic and mysterious moment. The writing style deserves a thousand stars, it s beautiful, poetic and shocking, you ll surely love it it has many action and shocking scenes, that will surely leave you with many feelings.
The second timeline takes place in the past, showing Tea's training under Lady Mykaela, an experienced bone witch. Tea's power as a bone witch is rare and feared by many. She is taken to the city of Ankyo to train as an asha, where she must learn to control her abilities and master the art of raising and manipulating the dead.
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (Book Thoughts)
Thanks to Wyrd & Wonder for hosting a read along for The Bone Witch! This book had been on my TBR for a while since it was pretty popular on Bookstagram. Overall I was disappointed in the read but don’t regret checking it out.
While the weekly discussion posts included spoilers, these are my spoiler free thoughts on the entire novel.
Bookish Quick Facts:
- Title: The Bone Witch
- Series: The Bone Witch #1
- Author: Rin Chupeco
- Publisher & Release: Sourcebooks Fire, 2017
- Length: 432 pages
- Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐ ✨ for fans of slow moving fantasy
Here’s the synopsis via Am*zon:
A story of scorned witches, sinister curses, and resurrection, The Bone Witch is the start of a dark fantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Serpent & Dove and The Cruel Prince.
Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price…
When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox, 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 Thoughts:
I wanted to hit two stars for most of the book and came so close to DNFing.
The one thing I will truly give the book credit for is keeping all content appropriate. There’s one use of the word ‘ass’ and nothing “physically romantic”, so I would let kids read this no problem.
There were a lot of potentially cool elements like resurrection, dark magic, and undead horses. I wanted to like it more but the second quarter lost me irredeemably.
It was hard not having an antagonist or clear conflict throughout. I don’t come to necromancy to read about clothes and dancing, and I’ve already read Memoirs of a Geisha.
At the end, the antagonist that FINALLY popped up felt tossed into the story with no clues, lead up, or prior thought regarding the person. This caused the ending to not be rewarding at all. The antagonist revealed a bunch of new-to-the-reader things that had apparently been ongoing in book land and I found it all very frustrating. Why should r eaders accept this since it has apparently been happening for weeks now but there was no mention of any of it?
Anyway, the story is framed by Tea telling the events of the past to a bard. I kind of liked this because it gave a degree of separation from the teenage first person point of view. Something exciting is building up in the present as Tea bored me to tears with the past. I was expecting the time lines to meet up in book one, although the story that Tea is telling the bard at the end of The Bone Witch is still well behind the events happening in real time. I thought the frame would only frame one book but apparently not, and that’s what I found the most disappointing.
I also think that we wasted a lot of time learning about clothes and Asha customs and it felt essentially like reading Memoirs of a Geisha, to the point that I set it down for a week wondering if I should just go read that book again instead. Basically most of the “Asha Training” was boring as hell and the book left all actual plot and storyline with consequences to be damned until the last quarter or so. I can’t get this to 3 stars.
There are a lot of cool things she could have done with an undead familiar. Fox could have been interesting but there were no consequences to his dead-ness until the third quarter when the author finally decided to characterize him. I also think Tea felt like a wet blanket. She didn’t really have an arc of growth or maturity, it was more about her excelling in “training” and coming through the novice Asha cough Geisha ranks. I can’t even say she’s more mature in present time yet, more powerful yes but the rest is to be determined.
Chupeco did bring out the action and make it all much more interesting in the last quarter but prior to that I hadn’t been compelled to continue reading at any point throughout.
Also I don’t think the author owes the copy editor and proofreader any favors. Some dialogue hinted at previous events that as far as I could tell never occurred. Kalen referred to himself as Kalen a few times in conversation like the author forgot who was talking while writing the conversation, or had originally intended a third person to be talking. This book had a LOT of those kinds of errors. One of my biggest issues was how much of this felt ripped off from other books, it wasn’t just Geisha.
My general lack of interest was the result of lots of small things adding up. In the big picture, the snail slow pace and lack of clear conflict didn’t align with a typical YA novel at all. I’d expect this pace for a slow burning and very long adult fantasy. Speaking of time it was also very hard to tell how much time was passing as the story went. At one point Tea was “almost 15” but I thought she was much older already. Then I couldn’t even remember two years having passed 🤷♀️
There were a few funny parts and some witty dialogue and overall it’s a good idea, but I don’t personally feel like the book delivered. Even at the end when things are heating up and I expected answers, we just got more questions pointing towards the next book.
The series may get better as it goes but I don’t have any immediate interest in continuing the trilogy. It has some redeeming qualities and obviously going forward there’s going to be more action than party training (hopefully).
I’ll say thanks but no thanks to reading onwards 🤷♀️
NOTE: It’s also worth noting that I happened to get this book from the library when Chupeco opened up about how they received hate and xenophobia when this book was first published. It sucks when authors and books receive hate for dumb reasons and things out of their control. I will always be honest in my reviews, but I don’t tolerate hate and bad ratings for books and authors purely because some people don’t like where the author is from??
Along her journey, Tea forms relationships with other ashas and encounters various challenges. As Tea trains to become an asha, she is guided by Lady Mykaela, who becomes her mentor. Lady Mykaela teaches her the ways of the ashas and helps her harness her powers. Tea learns about the myths and legends of her world, as well as the politics and rivalries between different kingdoms. The Bone Witch is a captivating and atmospheric novel that combines elements of fantasy, magic, and romance. The world-building is rich and detailed, immersing the reader in a vividly imagined world. The characters are well-developed and complex, with Tea's growth and transformation at the center of the story. Overall, The Bone Witch is a compelling start to a series that will keep readers engaged and eager to continue the journey with Tea. It explores themes of power, identity, and the consequences of using dark magic. With its unique premise and well-crafted storytelling, The Bone Witch is a must-read for fans of young adult fantasy literature..
Reviews for "The Bone Witch Book: The Exploration of Socio-Political Themes in Fantasy"
1. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "The Bone Witch" but was ultimately disappointed. The story started off promising, with interesting elements of magic and a unique world. However, as the narrative progressed, I found it difficult to stay engaged. The pacing was slow and the plot lacked direction. The characters also felt flat, with little development or depth. Overall, I found "The Bone Witch" to be a lackluster read that failed to live up to its potential.
2. Mark - 1/5 stars - I can't express how much I disliked "The Bone Witch". The writing style was overly poetic and flowery, making it difficult to follow the story. The plot itself was convoluted and confusing, leaving me feeling lost and disconnected from the characters. I also found the main character to be unrelatable and lacked any emotional connection to her journey. I struggled to finish this book, and unfortunately, it did not get any better as it went on. I cannot recommend "The Bone Witch" to anyone.
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - "The Bone Witch" had an intriguing concept, but the execution fell flat for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I found myself losing interest in the story. The dual timeline structure didn't work well, as it only added to the confusion and made it harder to connect with the characters. The world-building felt incomplete, leaving many questions unanswered. While the magical elements were unique, they weren't enough to salvage the overall reading experience. I wanted to enjoy "The Bone Witch", but unfortunately, it did not deliver for me.