Helpful Score: 3
It takes a lot for me to dislike a book. Not to say that I didn't like this book, but the majority of the backstory is pretty much a repeat of "Memoirs of a Geisha". Without discussing the differences (yet), here are the similarities I noticed:
*a young girl being "adopted" into a house
*an older, stern "mother" who doesn't think said girl has *potential, also a financial guru
*young girl needs to earn her keep by doing chores
*young girl will debut at some point
*young girl will go to "school" and learn the arts of her trade
*young girl provided a wardrobe specific to her, which she will pay back once she earns money
*will eventually "buy" her freedom once she pays back her house
*even the main dance (you all remember that scene, right?) is in this book!
If you've read/watched "Memoirs of a Geisha" that sounds familiar, right? That is why I was particularly disappointed with the backstory details. It is for this reason alone that "The Bone Witch" deserves a 3 star rating.
For the FULL review please visit:
https://quitterstrip.wordpress.com/2016/12/30/do-not-let-the-prejudices-of-a-few-people/
*a young girl being "adopted" into a house
*an older, stern "mother" who doesn't think said girl has *potential, also a financial guru
*young girl needs to earn her keep by doing chores
*young girl will debut at some point
*young girl will go to "school" and learn the arts of her trade
*young girl provided a wardrobe specific to her, which she will pay back once she earns money
*will eventually "buy" her freedom once she pays back her house
*even the main dance (you all remember that scene, right?) is in this book!
If you've read/watched "Memoirs of a Geisha" that sounds familiar, right? That is why I was particularly disappointed with the backstory details. It is for this reason alone that "The Bone Witch" deserves a 3 star rating.
For the FULL review please visit:
https://quitterstrip.wordpress.com/2016/12/30/do-not-let-the-prejudices-of-a-few-people/
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.
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.
I really enjoyed the previous two books by Chupeco that I have read (The Girl in the Well and The Suffering). I was excited to read this beautiful book (the cover is stunning). This book is much more traditional fantasy than other books I have read by Chupeco, however the story still has heavy Asian overtones to it. I ended up loving the detailed world building and our heroine. The story was also intriguing.
I really liked the way this story was structured; there are parts with Tea in her current exiled environment alternating with the story of how she came to be the Bone Witch. I found the mystery behind how Tea ended up as the exiled Bone Witch really drove this story forward for me; you are constantly seeking hints in the telling of her past to figure out how she became what she is in the current time.
The book has a very strong Asian influence. The asha are very similar to geisha, but they have magic and are warriors as well as entertainers. The Tea of the past is a somewhat naive but intelligent girl that is determined to protect her friends and loved ones. The Tea of the present is something completely different; driven by revenge and with an absolute disregard for the individuals she harms in her big picture. The contrast between the two is poignant and you are constantly striving to see elements of Tea the Bone Witch in Tea the asha trainee.
This is just the first part of the story and the ending had a number of rapid twists and turns that didn't match well with the deliberate pace of the rest of the story. This was really my only issue with this book. Aside from that, it was easy to read and very engaging. This is obviously only the beginning of the story. We never get to the part where Tea is exiled in this book.
Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot. I loved the detailed world-building and a lot of the characters. I also love the story about the dark asha and the evil forces that they are doomed to hold in check. It was a wonderful fantasy story with heavy Asian influence. I would recommend to fans of YA fantasy who enjoy Asian culture and don't mind a dark tone to their fantasy.
I really liked the way this story was structured; there are parts with Tea in her current exiled environment alternating with the story of how she came to be the Bone Witch. I found the mystery behind how Tea ended up as the exiled Bone Witch really drove this story forward for me; you are constantly seeking hints in the telling of her past to figure out how she became what she is in the current time.
The book has a very strong Asian influence. The asha are very similar to geisha, but they have magic and are warriors as well as entertainers. The Tea of the past is a somewhat naive but intelligent girl that is determined to protect her friends and loved ones. The Tea of the present is something completely different; driven by revenge and with an absolute disregard for the individuals she harms in her big picture. The contrast between the two is poignant and you are constantly striving to see elements of Tea the Bone Witch in Tea the asha trainee.
This is just the first part of the story and the ending had a number of rapid twists and turns that didn't match well with the deliberate pace of the rest of the story. This was really my only issue with this book. Aside from that, it was easy to read and very engaging. This is obviously only the beginning of the story. We never get to the part where Tea is exiled in this book.
Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot. I loved the detailed world-building and a lot of the characters. I also love the story about the dark asha and the evil forces that they are doomed to hold in check. It was a wonderful fantasy story with heavy Asian influence. I would recommend to fans of YA fantasy who enjoy Asian culture and don't mind a dark tone to their fantasy.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
I love this book! For me, Chupeco is an author where I do not have to know what the next book is about to know I want to read it. THE GIRL FROM THE WELL is one of my all time favorite books as both it and THE SUFFERING were so scary and so good! This is a different direction altogether from those earlier books. THE BONE WITCH is pure fantasy at it's best in my opinion. I was reminded at times of THE KINGKILLER CHRONICLES as well as A GAME OF THRONES (though there are 8 kingdoms in this world) and I hesitate to make such a comparison because this is a unique fantasy world on it's own. Tea and her "sisters" are wonderful characters in a tale of magic, monsters, and family traditions and ties. There's a bit of a twist at the end that leaves me wanting to read the next one to find out where it leads us.
