The Bone Maker: A Novel

by Sarah Beth Durst

"Durst consistently defies expectations."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, a standalone epic fantasy set in a brand-new world of towering mountains and sparkling cities, in which a band of aging warriors have a second chance to defeat dark magic and avenge a haunting loss.

Twenty-five years ago, five heroes risked their lives to defeat the bone maker Eklor—a corrupt magician who created an inhuman army using animal bones. But victory came at a tragic price. Only four of the heroes survived. 

Since then, Kreya, the group’s leader, has exiled herself to a remote tower and devoted herself to one purpose: resurrecting her dead husband. But such a task requires both a cache of human bones and a sacrifice—for each day he lives, she will live one less.

She’d rather live one year with her husband than a hundred without him, but using human bones for magic is illegal in Vos. The dead are burned—as are any bone workers who violate the law. Yet Kreya knows where she can find the bones she needs: the battlefield where her husband and countless others lost their lives.

But defying the laws of the land exposes a terrible possibility. Maybe the dead don’t rest in peace after all.  

Five warriors—one broken, one gone soft, one pursuing a simple life, one stuck in the past, and one who should be dead. Their story should have been finished. But evil doesn’t stop just because someone once said, “the end.”

• ISBN10: 0062888633
• ISBN13: 9780062888631
• Publish Date: 9 March 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Harper Voyager
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 496
• Language: English

Reviews

[riv @dearrivarie]

The Bone Maker reminded me why I enjoyed Sarah Beth Durst's previous novels so much because the storytelling is so incredibly immersive. After the defeat of the bone maker Eklor, the heroes of Vos have retired to their separate corners in luxury, family, and madness. The story opens with Kreya, the group's leader, living in exile as she tries to revive her dead husband using illegal bone magic. When her resources are depleted, she turns to her old companions for help in obtaining the remaining bones from the war. The journey that follows reveals more about their battle against Eklor and the disturbing truth that their victory may not have completed the job.

One of the biggest highlights of this novel is the group dynamic and it was made even more endearing and special because these characters have decades of history together. I surprisingly enjoyed reading from the perspective of an older group of heroes (all in their late 30s-40s?) because they had experienced so much of life already and were now called by their own sense of duty to finish what they started. On top of the character relationships, The Bone Maker has such a fascinating magic system and for a fantasy standalone, creates such a fleshed out world for the reader. Combined together, this made the story exciting and addicting to read.

originally posted on dearrivarie

[Angie]

Proceed With Caution:

This book contains death, blood, gore, and murder.

The Basics:

The Bone Maker follows the Five Heroes of Vos, twenty-five years after they saved the people from Eklor, a mass murder. Our main narrator is Kreya, who has been studying Eklor's journals in order to resurrect her dead husband. She reunites with her old best friend and teammate to gather the final ingredient, but what they find isn't a wasteland. Eklor's army is still functioning, which means their leader can't be far off.

My Thoughts:

Sarah Beth Durst always comes up with such imaginative stories! The Bone Maker is a darker version of those movies where they get "the old gang" back together and no one is quite as epic as they once were, but they're exactly what the world needs at that moment. Kreya and Company saved the world once before and it'll be up to them to save it again, because no one believes there's any danger!

The Bone Maker is all about second chances. Kreya feels like she failed her team when she just abandoned them to deal with her grief alone, not even considering their own troubles from after the war. She also needs that second chance to be with her husband. Even Eklor is looking for redemption! He's turned over a new leaf! He wants to make things right with the people that he harmed in the past! But does he really?

The one thing that I didn't like about The Bone Maker was how predictable it was. I definitely enjoyed it and loved the magic system here, but I called each "twist" before it happened. It all seemed very obvious. The details may have eluded me but the big picture was clear. I wish there had been an added sense of anticipation and surprises. At least for me. Maybe you won't figure it out. Or maybe you like being right! I like to be shocked.

In the end, I did really like The Bone Maker. It was nice to see older characters having their adventure! It's not just for the young folks! I'm also a fan of necromancy, so I really enjoyed those scenes and learning about how that magic worked. I especially adored Kreya's little creations!

[ross91]

The concept and the first two chapters were seriously intriguing, but the overall execution felt lacking and I really didn’t grt why, but the characters tried so hard to be funny and edgy... that was totally unnecessary.