Bone Crier's Moon

Helaas is het mij vorig jaar niet gelukt om al mijn oude Owlcrate-boeken te lezen, maar met nog maar 3 boeken over, wordt 2024 het jaar, te beginnen met deze Bone Crier's Moon.

Ik kan me nog herinneren dat toen dit boek uitkwam, het behoorlijk wat aandacht kreeg. Ik denk dat de prachtige cover van Charlie Bowater er iets mee te maken had, maar ook het verhaal klonk interessant. Bij nader inzien kan ik me niet herinneren dat ik er daarna veel meer over heb gehoord, dus ik zou dat kunnen opvatten als een indicatie dat het niet één van die YA-boeken is die lang na hun aanvankelijke hype voortleven.
Dit was echter niet iets waar ik aan dacht toen ik dit begon te lezen. Ik startte met een open geest in dit verhaal, hopende op een boeiende mythologie en een hartverscheurend verhaal over gedoemde geliefden.
En tot op zekere hoogte voldeed dit boek aan die verwachting.

De mythologie was fascinerend en uniek, maar ging helaas niet zo diep als ik had gewild.
Hetzelfde kan gezegd worden voor de wereld in het algemeen, die aanvankelijk goed bedacht was, veel inspiratie haalde uit het middeleeuwse Frankrijk en dat folkloristische gevoel opriep. Maar dit voelde na een tijdje als slechts oppervlakkig fineer, gedragen door het gebruik van een Frans geïnspireerde woordenschat, die soms wat geforceerd aanvoelde.

Wat de gedoemde geliefden betreft, dit was naar mijn mening het zwakste deel van het boek.
Tegenwoordig is dit iets waar ik vaak problemen mee heb in YA-boeken. Ik heb moeite met het geloven van de relaties, omdat alles zich te snel ontwikkelt, zonder de juiste connecties over te brengen.
Hier was dit vast en zeker het geval. Ik geloofde de gevoelens tussen deze twee gewoon niet. Er was geen vonk, geen hunkeren of verlangen. We werden simpelweg verteld dat ze elkaar het ene moment haatten en het andere moment niet zonder elkaar konden leven. Meh.

De schrijfstijl was wel mooi, meeslepend en soepel.
Afgezien van een paar zinnetjes waar ik last van had (“My heart pounds out of my chest” werd een paar keer herhaald. Niet it feels like, maar gewoon zo, alsof hun hart LETTERLIJK buiten hun borstkas zit.) las het vlot en gemakkelijk weg.

Al met al was dit boek gewoon plezant.
Als ik de dingen die ik niet leuk vond of me irriteerde kon negeren, kon ik me wel in het boek verliezen. Het grootste potentieel zit hem in de mythologie en mijn fascinatie en wens om daar meer over te leren waren wat mij voortstuwden om steeds te willen verder lezen. Uiteindelijk is dit ook de reden dat ik voldoende geïntrigeerd ben om het vervolg te willen lezen.

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 3
Atmosphere: 2
Writing: 1
Plot: 4
Intrigue: 4
Logic: 5
Enjoyment: 3

I just could not get into this book. It seemed very convoluted and I did not feel like each character truly had their own voice. I feel like more world-building and explanations were needed to help actual explain the world and get a better understanding of the characters. The premise was interesting but the execution was poor.

Enchanting story that I kept thinking about after I put it down. The writing was so atmospheric that I could almost feel the environment of the story as I was reading it. Even though the characters were flawed, it was easy to become invested in their story. I can't wait for the sequel because the story ends with no real conclusion. Loved it!

DNF @ 55%


This is one of the biggest letdowns of the year. I had such high hopes for this enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance. Such high hopes... 

To start positively, I really like the concept of the book and I like how the Crier's get their powers from the bones of animals – pretty cool. Although they had to kill the animals which... wasn't great :/ 

The thing is, I need to like characters I'm reading about, I need to connect with them or at least care about their journey. Here, I couldn't. I was trying so hard, but they just annoyed me. Like they'd be hurt someone didn't trust them because they did one good thing, yet they were actively trying to kill them soooo why would they trust you, fool?! They were just so, so foolish. Many of their actions frustrated me and made no sense except to prolong the book. We also never got development or time for learning about them, or at least it felt this way. 

I could keep going because I'm so, so sad by not liking this book, but I'll stop here. 

Review originally posted on Geeky Galaxy

The World

I think the world-building and the setting Kathryn Purdie has created is the best thing about this book. The whole idea of women ferrying the dead to their rightful place is great, but there's so much more depth to the lore. I think there's more to come and more to be revealed, I feel like we're only scratching the surface of the possibilities of this magic system that's been built so seemingly effortlessly

The lore is where Bone Crier's Moon really excelled. Kathryn Purdie was inspired by the French folklore of Dames Blanches. I really recommend you check out the myth of Dames Blanches because once you know that, you can see all the connections with Bone Crier's Moon and how cleverly Kathryn has weaved it into her world.

The Plot

I read this in pretty much one sitting, getting annoyed with anyone who disturbed my reading. Bone Crier's Moon started well, introducing the lord of the woman in white on the bridge, inspired by French folklore, and building from there. We're introduced to the key characters quickly, but in a way that doesn't feel rushed. The pacing is perfect. There are ups and downs. The ups are high tension that were fun to read and ensured I didn't want to tear my eyes away from the book. The lows were usually sweet and interesting, revealing more about the lore of the world or the personalities of the characters.

The ending! I can't say anything without spoilers, but February 2021 can't come quick enough!

The Characters

The characters all felt unique with their own personalities, motivations and character arcs. When I sat down to write this review, I could clearly identify each character's reason for being there and what each character went through and why. Nothing happened just because, everything and everyone was there for a reason. And I love that. No character seemed like a spare part. Bone Crier's Moon is told in multiple POVs, which I didn't know going into it. Usually, I'm not a fan of multiple POV books because I tend to prefer one character, and get bored of hearing from characters I don't like. This didn't happen here because I genuinely loved hearing from all the characters.

Our main character is Aliesse. She's a strong protagonist with a great and enjoyable arc throughout. You follow her as she learns the truth about herself and her family and you can see the changes in who she is throughout.

Aliesse's best friend is Sabine. She has arguably the most growth through the novel. From someone who lives in Aliesse's shadow to a strong woman on her own. If you love reading about someone finding their strength, you'll like Sabine!

The last person I'll mention is Bastien, and I'm going to mention him because of a single quote that was super cute to read and is one of the many reasons I loved him.

“You're not missing from me. I'm not missing from you.”

Bastien - Bone Crier's Moon, Kathryn Purdie