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Book Review of The Bone Witch (Bone Witch, Bk 1)

The Bone Witch (Bone Witch, Bk 1)
reviewed on + 1452 more book reviews


This is a tale of witches, curses and necromancy beginning an interesting dark fantasy trilogy. Key character is Tea, a young woman of a family of witches. Her sisters have talents of mundane areas like fire, forest, water and wind. But Tea's unknown talent puzzles not only herself but all around her. She is a necromancer, one who can raise the dead which she discovers when she wakes her brother, Fox, in his coffin. People of the community fear those with this talent so an older wiser bone witch named Mykaela takes Tea and her brother elsewhere to train. Mykaela is an outstanding teacher who becomes a mother figure for Tea while Tea becomes an asha (master of her talent). Ashas, she finds, manage elemental magic.

Bone witches, for that's what Tea is, are rare and the training is long and marked by danger. However, as a bone witch she can destroy the resurrected monsters who could destroy all she knows. With the coming of Daeva or demons, Tea must overcome many obstacles. Her bond with her brother is so close that they make an unbeatable team as they face danger. A character known as the False Prince creates Daeva with death magic, demons that come to life periodically. Bone witches can defeat the demons. However, because monsters are created with death magic, bone witches are likewise feared.

In Tea's world people wear heartglasses. While heartglasses have a dominant color, they do reflect how people feel: green = sickly; blue = worry; orange = disinterest; yellow = fear; red = healthy and happy; pink = romantic; black = punishment; silver = can draw runes and fight. Silver heartglasses are key to survival. Tea wears a silver heartglass but one must never lose or give up a heartglass or disaster will strike.

Don't miss this fascinating and creative tale. It's so very good.