Book Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

"Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there's anything I've learned from him in the years since, it's that the dead hide truths as well as the living. "

- The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco, Chapter 1

These two sentences might be one of the strongest openings I have ever read. It immediately gives the atmosphere of the setting, provides clarity to Tea's voice, and draws the reader into a world of magic, monsters, and wonder.

The book contains a dual plotline, one I have labeled Past-Tea and Future-Tea, though the argument can be made that Future-Tea is the world's modern day. Future-Tea is seventeen, exiled from society, jaded, and what many would consider evil. Past-Tea takes place over three years: starting at the age of twelve when she first discovers her Dark Asha powers, and going until she passes her Asha training at the age of fifteen. Future-Tea is telling her story to a Bard who was called to her exile in a dream, and interestingly enough proves to be an unreliable narrator about her own story at times. The use of these asides and glimpses into the future is essential to keep the story moving and the reader interested, as Past-Tea's story turns into a two-hundred-page training montage. I understand this is the context for the rest of the trilogy, but sometimes it felt like nothing was happening or chapters were repeating themselves with lessons Tea had to learn.

The worldbuilding of the book sets up multiple countries and their cultures - and as Tea's training has her research the world, we learn a lot about all of them. However, my favorite thing about the worldbuilding is fashion is considered literal magic. Spells are woven into clothing and accessories for all kinds of reasons: to look prettier, to amplify magic, or even to protect from magic. It's a fun way to look at society, as well as expose society's flaws. As a whole across all the kingdoms the rich are vain - but it's amplified by the magic they wear so they look perfect. Future-Tea's story shows she has learned this about society, and it is something she's willing to expose and destroy.

Overall, I feel like this book has a lot of strong concepts - and as the Goodreads ratings jump up for the second and third books in the series, sets up a heartbreaking story. However, this book series is not for me - and that is okay! It has lyrical prose, a narrator who tells stories in the style of oral storytelling and sets up a political and war-filled masterpiece that will rival the Game of Thrones series (and to be honest - I had the EXACT same issues with A Game of Thrones as I did with The Bone Witch).

So in the end, if you love vast political stories, oral storytelling, and scary monsters - this is definitely a book for you!

The Bone Witch is available through Amazon