The Bone Witch (Bone Witch, #1)

by Rin Chupeco

[layawaydragon]

People keep calling Tea a villain, but I don’t think so. She’s a one-woman rebellion against her oppressors. Of course, villains think they’re the heroes of their own stories….I’m still on her side. BURN IT DOWN AND MAKE IT BETTER, TEA!

Yes, it’s long and slow and not action-packed but it is beautifully written and built. It still hooked me instantly. I flew threw it in a day or so.

This is a unique fantasy world that feels far more real than most. Yet I still hunger for more details, more exploration.

This is a young woman protagonist who is strong and standing up for her beliefs. Not in a boy-save-me way or dragging her feet. Nope, she’s got power and plan, baby. Watch out.

This is just the setup of amazing things to come. The next installment will be an auto-buy for sure. I. Cannot. Wait.



Dual POV: Curent Tea and Past Tea.

Past Tea follows her journey as a young woman in a family of witches discovering her power and her tutelage as an Asha.

Ashas are talented magical women living in different clans in one district. They are taught to look pretty, dance gracefully, give good conversation, and basically be performing monkeys for pay.

At least, that’s what it looks like. They’re also taught history, politics, fighting, and of course, using their magic.

The trappings of being an Asha makes them controllable. It makes them palatable. It makes them compete against each other instead of rising up as one. An Asha must be all things as they never know what role they will need to play.

It also makes them great spies, queens, and hones them as weapons….

Current Tea is living on the cliff pictured on the cover. She’s telling her tale to a bard from another oppressive society while he’s asking questions. She wants him as a witness to what she is doing and about to accomplish.

She’s raising “monsters” that never stay dead long. The very monsters she was trained to kill to save people. The very task that killed her predecessors. The thankless job she’s stuck with as the last one of her kind and shunned for doing by society.

With her they are quite tame, though I don’t think they’ll ever qualify as cute. There is of course one that has stolen my heart. Take a guess what type of creature that is….

If I didn’t love Tea before, her confrontation with this beast would’ve done it.

Did I mention Tea’s signature garb is adored with a three-headed dragon? Of course I’m on her side! Go get ‘em TEA!!

Plot:

There is A LOT of background. There’s so much world building and detail, it’s amazing. Yes, a lot of it is dresses and beauty and etiquette and dreary chore details. But it’s ALL important. For understanding the world, the Asha, the politics, the rivalries, why Tea is on her crusade.

It reminds me of Robin Hobb’s Elderlings Realm, which at one point in the beginning details naming conventions. Why? Because, what’s in a name?

That seemingly insubstantial boring information solidifies the Dutchies society as well as their neighbors allowing them to be 3-D in a way so often over looked. Names shouldn’t be picked from a generator and willy-nilly thrown about.

Did I mention Tea’s name is different and remarked upon several times? Did I mention the Elderlings Realm is my all-time favorite fantasy series EVER?



Things still happen of course. She raises her brother from the dead, has a crush on a prince, meets a heart render, helps a boy become an Asha, destroys a building... to name a few.

Characters:

Tea is obviously my favorite. Second is her brother, the hilarious and protective soldier Tea brought back from the dead.

There’s Tea’s hardass, badass mysterious mentor and her hardass, badass mysterious mentor. There’s the trio of Ashas that help guide her. The boy who wants to be an Asha. The Russian bear of a man that designs and makes the best Asha dresses. (Shit, I forgot what they were called. Sorry.) The nameless? bard that gives a wider perspective on the oppression in other countries and the audience surrogate. The dashing prince. The jackass sidekick of the prince. The competing Ashas in all their glory.

The Ending:

For romance, there’s hardly more than flirting and crushing from afar. But the ending holds a bombshell of a revelation.

Oh gods, this ending. I don’t know where to start. It felt like jumping off a cliff, but really it’s a clean break for this arc and perfect spot for the continuation. Is it satisfying? In a find the answers, get more questions, heart pounding, OMFG way.

I really seriously need the next installment. I don’t know how ya’ll are panning this and sleeping on it.