The Bone Charmer by Breeana Shields is a phenomenal exploration of a young woman’s desire to take fate into her own hands, and how it can go so devastatingly wrong. I was hooked from the start, with these brooding characters full of secrets and lies. Our heroine is left to tease out the way to her salvation with nothing but her wits, and the bone magic in her veins. This was exactly the kind of book to get me out of my reading slump. What makes this even better is that the world in this story has been split into two realities, and despite what you may be hoping for…you can be sure fate is the most unpredictable thing of all.
In Saskia’s world bones are the source of all power and she and the women of her family come from a long line of Bone Charmers; seers that can reveal the past, present, or future paths for the people of Midwood. On the day of Saskia’s kenning (the bone ritual that will reveal her apprenticeship), her worst fears are realised. Not only will she become a Bone Charmer like her mother, but she’s also been matched with Bram, a young man with tattoos on his hands and a seemingly violent past. Unhappy with the turn of events and knowing her mother deliberately chose the path Saskia didn’t want, she argues with her mother, resulting in the breaking of the bone used in her kenning. A bad omen to be sure, and one with catastrophic consequences. For now instead of one future, Saskia’s future has become split in two, and she must now live two lives simultaneously. Unfortunately for her, there are dangers awaiting her. She needs to figure out how to fix it before it’s too late and there’s no future for her at all.
With that summary out of the way, let’s talk about this book! I was definitely sceptical of how this story would play out with two separate paths happening simultaneously, but it honestly flows so well. You know as much as both Saskia’s know, and as the story goes on the pieces come together the way a puzzle would. The world building is simple and adequate, nothing too elaborate going on. The magic system is something that I would have loved a little more elaboration on because while I got the general gist of all the types of bone magic that exist in the world, I wanted to delve a little more. This is definitely an aspect I would love to see explored more in the following book. That being said, I quite loved the air of mystery that permeated throughout the book, even through the end.
Character-wise, I would definitely say that I felt that Saskia had the most to grow and learn in the story. She’s very naive and brash, and driven by her emotions. As you can guess, this definitely gets her into more trouble than actually helping her solve her problems. Her love interests Bram and Declan I wanted to get to know a little better than we did. There is a lot of potential for growth for both of these characters, and I think we’re building to that, but that makes the romance in this story a definite slow burn. In both worlds, you get to see the same characters, but maybe in a different light than before. And the villain! I loved that there was some vulnerability there (however brief it may have been), giving us some hint as to what was motivating his actions. I also didn’t see the villain coming, so needless to say I felt quite betrayed by my own reader’s intuition.
There’s such a melancholy that Saskia has about seemingly having this predetermined life when there are so many paths that could have been chosen. That was something I loved to see explored. The relationship between mother and daughter is very thoughtfully looked at and examined. However, themes of free will or a predestined fate as well as family are what really made this such an interesting read for me. I loved the implications that magic has on these themes. Especially how bone magic affects the narrative of free-will vs. predestined fate. The realizations that she makes throughout the story help the reader come to the understanding that the future is malleable, despite our best efforts and knowledge, we’re only in control of how we choose to react to those situations.
Honestly, there wasn’t much I didn’t love about the book. Maybe a little more world building and a better explanation of the magic system, but other than that I fell in love with this book and it’s characters…especially Saskia and Bram. I need to know what happens next! I’m rating this book a 9/10! Not only did it get me out of my reading slump, but gave me lots of things to think about. Pick it up if you get the chance and let me know your thoughts! I’d love to know what you think.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
In Saskia’s world, bones are the source of all power. They tell the future, reveal the past, and expose secrets in the present. Each village has a designated seer who performs readings for the townsfolk, and in Midwood, the Bone Charmer is Saskia’s mother.
On the day of her kenning—a special bone reading that determines the apprenticeships of all seventeen-year-olds—Saskia’s worst fears come true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, like her mother, and even worse, a match-making reading that pairs her with Bram—a boy who has suspicious tattoos that hint of violence.
