BONE CRIER'S MOON by KATHRYN PURDIE
Series: Bone Grace #1
Publication date: March 3, 2020
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: YA fantasy
SYNOPSIS
Bone Criers have a sacred duty. They alone can keep the dead from preying on the living. But their power to ferry the spirits of the dead into goddess Elara’s Night Heavens or Tyrus’s Underworld comes from sacrifice. The gods demand a promise of dedication. And that promise comes at the cost of the Bone Criers’ one true love.
Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love.
Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death.
Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.
Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love.
Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death.
Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.
Praise for Bone Crier's Moon:
“Brimming with rich mythology, deadly romance, and fantastically flawed characters—absolutely spellbinding!”
- Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
“Beautiful, entrancing, deadly.”
- Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author
“A magical story of compassion, forgiveness, and self-acceptance. This book might break your heart, but it will also warm your soul.”
- Jodi Meadows, New York Times bestselling co-author of My Plain Jane
“Richly imagined, compelling, and darkly romantic, this book will leave you begging for more!”
- Sara B. Larson, author of the Defy trilogy
Praise for the Burning Glass trilogy: “Sonya’s first-person narration is filled with descriptions of the emotions of those around her. With this second installment, the Burning Glass trilogy hits its stride.”
- Kirkus Reviews
“Filled with mystery and intrigue, betrayal and passion, Purdie’s political debut will sweep readers away to a world that is not that different from their own.”
- School Library Journal
“Purdie expertly weaves a complex storyline with well-developed characters in a vividly described world to entrance readers with her words.”
- Deseret News
“Dark, intricate and utterly immersive, Burning Glass will take you on a journey you’ll never forget. Heart-pounding action meets deadly intrigue and aching romance, drawing you deep inside a story full of complex questions.”
- Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathryn is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the BURNING GLASS series. Her love of storytelling began as a young girl when her dad told her about someone named Boo Radley while they listened to the film score of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Kathryn is a trained classical actress who studied at the Oxford School of Drama. She also writes songs on her guitar for each of her stories and shares them on her website. Kathryn lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children.
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Bone Crier's Moon by Kathryn PurdieMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
The best thing about Bone Crier's Moon is the originality. I liked the fresh concept of the Bone Criers, or Leurress as they refer to themselves. This family completely composed of women who draw their extrasensory powers and physical strength from the animals they hunt and kill. The purpose of the bones are to be a strong enough fighter to "ferry" the chained and unchained souls to their final destination. All of this was great stuff.
What wasn't so great was their ritual killing or in their words, rite of passage. Unfortunately, they have to murder an innocent man in order to prove their dedication to the God of the Underworld. I don't know about you, but that's not exactly something I can root for. They way they casually speak about luring these men and stabbing them as if it's an honor is disconcerting. These men aren't even just random unfortunate souls, they're amourés, a predestined soulmate. They make a lot of justifications in order to feel better about what they're doing. After they call their amouré with the bone flute, they are linked by the ritual and will both die in a year if they don't kill him. So...they have to! It's self-preservation. Then there's the fact that they're committing their lives to nobly rid the world of these sentient souls who would harm the living if left to roam among them. This does alleviate some of the turmoil over the setup. At the same time, they're killing innocent men. No matter how I tried to rationalize it, you can't really do it.
“Without the Leurress,” she says, “the dead would wander the land of the living. Their unmoored souls would wreak havoc on the mortals we are sworn to protect. Our task is to keep the balance between both worlds, the natural and unnatural, and therefore it is our privilege to be born a Leurress and our great honor to become Ferriers.
There are three main characters in this story: Sabine, Ailesse, and Bastian. Sabine and Ailesse are best friends who are complete opposites. Ailesse is Odiva's daughter, the heir to the leadership role in the famille. She's a fierce warrior who pushes herself to become a woman her mother could be proud of. She has no compunction over any aspect of their culture and is excited to not only hunt animals but reach the level of Ferrier. For me, Ailesse's best trait was her loyalty and love for Sabine. Through internal dialogue, you realize that she doesn't have a catty or unsupportive thought towards her. Despite her mother (seemingly) inexplicably favoring her friend over herself, there is no bitterness or blame because of that.
Sabine was my favorite of the two female characters. She sees herself as weak because she's eaten up with guilt over hunting animals of any size. She has only been able to force herself to kill one of the three animals required before she's able to have her rite of passage. The paltry salamander bone she killed for its graces still weighs heavily on her conscience. She's equally loyal to her friend and puts her needs in front of her own on numerous occasions. She's sweet, though noticeably naive, and that creates issues later when she discovers that a woman in her circle is not as trustworthy as she makes herself out to be. More that once I thought to myself, this might as well be a neon sign proclaiming: Evil! Liar! Beware! She doesn't really like to listen to that inner voice telling her to stay away. At one point, she decides to deliver the sacred bone flute to the person she caught worshipping Tyrus, the God of the damned. Not the smartest move based on her confusion and suspicion over the woman's actions.
Bastian is a homeless thief out for revenge for the murder of his father. He witnessed the killing when he was a young boy and ever since then has researched the Bone Criers and plotted a plan of attack. After discovering Ailesse one night, he kidnaps her along with his friends Jules and Marcel. His plan hits a snag when he's told that killing her would kill himself at the same time since they are soulmates. Because of this soulmate bond and learning more about the "sacrifice" process, he quickly discards his hate for her and falls hard and fast.
She draws a breath and releases it. “What if you and I didn’t meet on a bridge? What if I was a normal girl who didn’t wear bones or see the dead? Would you feel anything for me if I never lured you with a song?” My mouth curves. “Would you feel anything for me if I wasn’t your soulmate?”
There were several action scenes where Ailesse, Bastian, and Sabine defend themselves against the departed souls. These were all generally very similar and I found myself fighting the urge to skim over parts that didn't really add anything to the story. I quite liked the addition of the mysterious owl, and how it would silently aid Ailesse and Sabine. It wasn't explained yet, but it seemed to be a sign of assistance and approval from the goddess Elara. I also liked the addition of the new character at the end who proves to add a new direction and depth to the plot.
There is a cliffhanger at the end, which is to be expected with a book in a series/duo. The antagonist lived to wreak havoc another day, and the three main characters are separated and in a dire situation. Bastian's feelings towards his friend Jules was left ambiguous at the beginning but it was hinted that he was planning to pursue more with her after he got revenge. Then he meets Ailesse and it's never referenced again. So I'm curious is this will crop up again, and I foresee more happening regarding the "possession" that occurred with her. That will undoubtedly cause more issues for the group in the future. In the end, I was left a little conflicted over my feelings about the characters, but I do think the potential is still there for the next book to put some of my issues to rest. I'll be interested to see how some of these loose ends are tied together.
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