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A review by fangirljeanne
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
5.0
This ain't your momma's White Western Witch Book!
How can I express how much I enjoyed the book? I could do an interpretation dance, scream from a mountain top, or just use my words. Ugh fine. I'll explain.
This sorry is told from two different 1st person perspectives in two different timelines. Sounds complex? It's really not, because we're being told a story. Not like the contemporary style of storytelling, but the kind your grandmother or auntie did you were little. Where there's an old beggar tells an innkeeper a story for a meal. Or kidnapped princess tells a story to her captor in order to stay alive.
The story itself takes place in a world that is at once familiar and unlike anything we've seen. The cast and cultures as diverse as any I've seen in YA to date. This is an interconnected world of different cultures and people who coexist, though they also are embroiled in wars. In this way it feels both timeless, and also like a historical fantasy.
SO MANY WOMEN! Like seriously, while the most important relationship in Tea's life is the one with her older brother Fox, almost every other relationships are with other women. Mentors and contemporaries. Lots of older women, who aren't caricatures or villains, so rare to see in YA.
I loved the world building, especially how distinctly NOT Western European (or Colonial American) it is. I loved the style of the narrative and the characters. Yes, it has a love triangle...kind of, but that's not a deterrent for me. And in this book the romance is more a subplot. The main story is about The Bone Witch and Tea's coming of age story as she learns magic and her place in this world.
It ends on a sort of cliffhanger, but not really. It is a complete story, but this is very obviously the first book in a series. I didn't mind being left with questions and wanting more. I can't wait for the next book.
I highly recommend this book to fans of Uprooted, The Devourers, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Into The Badlands.
PS I have a difficult time grasping why anyone would claim this is a typical YA Fantasy Romance. The romance is barely in the book, it's a very minor subplot. This is a coming of age story for a magic user so those elements are pretty standard for fantasy, be it YA or adult.
While Tea is a very specific and powerful magic user she is far from a Chosen One. The use of magic and its many limitations and styles was unlike anything I've seen in YA, and is very reminiscent of the complexity and diversity of the magic in Avatar the Airbender. Other than that, the lead is a girl of color, as is most of the characters in the story. That alone makes this not a typical YA Fantasy novel.
So I don't get this criticism beyond a lack of perspective and familiarity with non-Western white narratives. 🤷🏽♀️
How can I express how much I enjoyed the book? I could do an interpretation dance, scream from a mountain top, or just use my words. Ugh fine. I'll explain.
This sorry is told from two different 1st person perspectives in two different timelines. Sounds complex? It's really not, because we're being told a story. Not like the contemporary style of storytelling, but the kind your grandmother or auntie did you were little. Where there's an old beggar tells an innkeeper a story for a meal. Or kidnapped princess tells a story to her captor in order to stay alive.
The story itself takes place in a world that is at once familiar and unlike anything we've seen. The cast and cultures as diverse as any I've seen in YA to date. This is an interconnected world of different cultures and people who coexist, though they also are embroiled in wars. In this way it feels both timeless, and also like a historical fantasy.
SO MANY WOMEN! Like seriously, while the most important relationship in Tea's life is the one with her older brother Fox, almost every other relationships are with other women. Mentors and contemporaries. Lots of older women, who aren't caricatures or villains, so rare to see in YA.
I loved the world building, especially how distinctly NOT Western European (or Colonial American) it is. I loved the style of the narrative and the characters. Yes, it has a love triangle...kind of, but that's not a deterrent for me. And in this book the romance is more a subplot. The main story is about The Bone Witch and Tea's coming of age story as she learns magic and her place in this world.
It ends on a sort of cliffhanger, but not really. It is a complete story, but this is very obviously the first book in a series. I didn't mind being left with questions and wanting more. I can't wait for the next book.
I highly recommend this book to fans of Uprooted, The Devourers, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Into The Badlands.
PS I have a difficult time grasping why anyone would claim this is a typical YA Fantasy Romance. The romance is barely in the book, it's a very minor subplot. This is a coming of age story for a magic user so those elements are pretty standard for fantasy, be it YA or adult.
While Tea is a very specific and powerful magic user she is far from a Chosen One. The use of magic and its many limitations and styles was unlike anything I've seen in YA, and is very reminiscent of the complexity and diversity of the magic in Avatar the Airbender. Other than that, the lead is a girl of color, as is most of the characters in the story. That alone makes this not a typical YA Fantasy novel.
So I don't get this criticism beyond a lack of perspective and familiarity with non-Western white narratives. 🤷🏽♀️