I’m definitely finding duologies to be my favourite way of reading stories, and Bone Crier’s Dawn was one that I was delighted to have had the opportunity to wait for. Kathryn Purdie has a beautiful and haunting way of writing that really sticks with you. It’s lyrical and I couldn’t put this book down until I had reached the very end. Despite some darker themes, this book is still a lovely story that portrays bonds of all kinds and weaves them through with magic and a mythology you can’t help but want to know more of. There was a bit more chaos in this book, which makes the resolution of this book even more satisfying. Just a quick note that this book does feature killing of animals, death, and violence, so if you are sensitive to these topics and triggers, please read this with caution.
Before we start, I just want to give my standard spiel about not spoiling yourself for the ending of a first book as this is the review of a sequel!
As we learned in Bone Crier’s Moon, the Bone Criers are women who ferry the souls of the dead to the underworld, but the cost of their power comes at the death of their soul mate. Ailesse and Sabine are two Bone Criers who are defying their fate by challenging it all. They are attempting to break Ailesse’s soul bond so that she may live, otherwise, she and her love will both die. Sabine is struggling to maintain her new role as the matrone of her famille, which was destined for Ailesse originally, especially while also trying to keep control of her jackal grace. Bastien faces trouble as spirits from the underworld threaten his loved ones and his father. As Ailesse becomes trapped in her mother’s siren song, she’ll be forced to figure out how to help her friends from the underworld. No one is safe.
This story makes it incredibly easy to jump right back in and pick up where you left off and everything is falling apart from the get go, and the control that Sabine and Ailesse thought they had over their situations is gone. Both of them are facing some parallel issues, but are handling them differently. Sabine especially, is desperate to hold on to the control she thought she had over her power, and finding out the cost is much more than she might be willing to pay. Her arc is incredible because she’s also still in the process of finding her voice and who she is without standing in her sister’s shadow. Ailesse on the other hand is finding it really hard to accept that she might be more than just what her mother ever intended her to be. There’s also some light resentment brewing between the sisters as they struggle to save their loved ones.
Bastien is also struggling, but his story seems to take more of a backseat in favour of becoming more of a support to both Sabine and Ailesse. His perspective is still crucial to the story, but I’ll admit that I wasn’t as invested in his character as I was in the first book. There are some very sweet moments at the end of the book that I think readers will really love. But his biggest struggle remains the fact that he doesn’t want to lose Ailesse in any way. I think I would have loved the addition of Cas’ perspective in this story because it may have added a layer to this whole book that might have been insightful. However, at the same time, it might have altered the course of the story entirely.
Everything about this story is so intricately woven that you want to make sure you’re paying attention to every detail because there’s a lot going on that comes up again later. The magic system is still fascinating (even if it’s gruesome) and there’s an added element that I am glad was included in this book. I loved reading about the mythology of the world again and how Kathryn Purdie goes out of her way to incorporate all of these stunning details into it that just bring it to life. The imagery that is produced by Purdie in this book was even more incredible than in the first book (in my opinion).
I was really impressed with the way this book moves forward and its resolution, but I do wish there had been a little more time spent on the ending because while it doesn’t feel rushed, it moved pretty fast. I would have loved for it to have been a little longer. However, it’s still a very satisfying story, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to find out what happened with the characters I have grown to love.
Bone Crier’s Dawn is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Ailesse and her friends change the afterlife in the gripping conclusion to the fantasy duology that began with Bone Crier’s Moon from New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Purdie—perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber and Roshani Chokshi.
Love is a matter of life and death.
Bone Criers have been ferrying the dead into the afterlife for centuries, a dangerous duty only possible with the powers they gain from sacrificing their amourés, the men destined to love them and die. But Bone Criers Ailesse and Sabine—along with Ailesse’s love, Bastien—are working to chart their own course and rewrite the rules of the afterlife. If they don’t break the soul bond between Ailesse and her amouré, she could die—just as Bastien’s father did.
Sabine struggles to maintain her authority as matrone of her famille—the role always destined for her sister—even as she fights to control the violent jackal power within her.
Bastien is faced with a new dilemma as the spirits of the Underworld threaten the souls of his friends—and his father.
Ailesse attempts to resist her mother’s siren song as she’s drawn into her own version of the Underworld. How will she save her friends once she’s cut off from their world?
This pulse-pounding follow-up to Bone Crier’s Moon is a story of love, sisterhood, and determination as three friends find the courage and power to shatter the boundary between the living and the dead.
