The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Rating: 5/5
What It’s About:
Since the death of her parents, seventeen-year-old Ryn has been scraping together a meager existence as a gravedigger in a remote village at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead.
The risen corpses are known as bone houses and legend says they’re the result of a decades-old curse. After Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the corpses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And, more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?
Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a quest that takes them deep into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both long-forgotten magic and the deeply buried truths about themselves.
emilylloydjones.com
What I liked:
YOU GUYS…I LOVED THIS BOOK. The Bone Houses is probably more of a 4 star book but it helped me get out of my reading slump so I gave it 5. I read it every chance I got. I experienced so many emotions reading this book. It made me laugh, bite my nails, cheer, and cry. This book felt like an almost perfect historical fantasy adventure with a light touch of horror. I enjoyed following the main characters, Ryn and Ellis, through their journey to try to stop the bone houses. I liked how brave and strong hearted Ryn was. She was tough and independent in a unique way.
I’m not really a fan of zombies but the way they were woven into this story was entertaining. It was interesting that the past experiences of the bone houses kind of effected how they behaved as the undead and how dangerous they were. For example, a bone house that had been a skilled solider was more dangerous and deadly than a bone house that was a farmer. My last favorite thing about this book was the sidekick animal, Bone Goat. Bone Goat was the real MVP. I don’t want to give away more and spoil the story.
What I didn’t like:
The story took some time to gain momentum, but it was fun once it did. The romance between the main characters took awhile to lead up to anything and was a little unsatisfying. There were also alot of fight scenes between the main characters and the bone houses that became repetitive. I just skimmed through them and was still able to enjoy the story.
Overall Thoughts
I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in awhile. It was a great adventure and I’m so happy that I read it. It was nice to get excited about a book after being stuck in my reading slump. Like I mentioned earlier, I was reading whenever I had a chance and even my husband noticed how much I was reading.
You might like this book if you are interested in:
- historical fantasies
- dark fantasy
- medieval adventure
- Welsh folklore
- undead/zombies
And a mood board for extra fun!
