Item: Bone Weaver
Rating: 4.00
Author: quirkycat

by Aden Polydoros

"A heart-pounding adventure. Magic and monsters lurk in every corner as a headstrong trio search for their place in Aden Polydoros's haunting world." ––Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

From the author of The City Beautiful comes a haunting fantasy following Toma, adopted daughter of the benevolent undead, making her way across a civil war-torn continent to save her younger sister as she discovers she might possess magical powers herself.

The Kosa empire roils in tension, on the verge of being torn apart by a proletarian revolution between magic-endowed elites and the superstitious lower class, but seventeen-year-old Toma lives blissfully disconnected from the conflict in the empire with her adoptive family of benevolent undead.

When she meets Vanya, a charming commoner branded as a witch by his own neighbors, and the dethroned Tsar Mikhail himself, the unlikely trio bonds over trying to restore Mikhail’s magic and protect the empire from the revolutionary leader, Koschei, whose forces have stolen the castle. Vanya has his magic, and Mikhail has his title, but if Toma can’t dig deep and find her power in time, all of their lives will be at Koschei’s mercy.

Praise for The City Beautiful
"An achingly rendered exploration of queer desire, grief, and the inexorable scars of the past."
—Katy Rose Pool, author of There Will Come A Darkness

"Chillingly sinister, warmly familiar, and breathtakingly transportive, The City Beautiful is the haunting, queer Jewish historical thriller of my darkest dreams." —Dahlia Adler, creator of LGBTQreads and editor of That Way Madness Lies

I have another confession to make. I have a weakness for books with certain title themes. Apparently, books with "Bone [insert title]" REALLY catch my attention, especially around the Halloween season, which explains why I quickly picked up Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros.

The land of Kosa is on the verge of being torn apart by war and revolution as people fight for or against the ability to use magic. Not that Toma is all that aware of the battle. Or rather, she wasn't. Toma's life has been beautifully sheltered, living among the benevolent undead.

Toma's blissful ignorance won't last long, however, not once she meets two unlikely friends. Vanya (a commoner branded as a witch) and Mikhail (the dethroned Tsar). Together these three will have to find a way to put the Tsar back in his rightful place, restore his magic, and bring peace to the land.

So, I've learned that sometimes it is a good thing to have a weakness! Because picking up, Bone Weaver was SO worth it. This is a well-written and captivating novel; I'm almost struggling to find the right words to describe it.

Toma's character is quite endearing, if I may say so. Her involvement makes everything more enjoyable, though that may just be my bias showing through? Either way, I was happy to follow her along on this adventure.

There are two things that I really loved about Bone Weaver: the writing and the world. As far as the writing is concerned – there are so many lines that I would love to quote from this book. I won't because we'll be here all day. But I want to.

The worldbuilding is magnificent. There's eastern folklore woven into a creative narrative, all of which blend together to create this magical story. It's a delight to read. Oh! And bonus points for inclusion and representation. Thank you for that.

Long story short, I'm so happy to have taken the time to read Bone Weaver. It was worth it.

Thanks to Inkyard Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Bone Weaver

by Aden Polydoros

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Oct 21, 2022

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