Review
I’ve had this one sitting on my shelves for a couple years now and every spooky season, I hope to squeeze it into my tbr. This year, I’ve actually managed it! I listened to it on audio on a particularly long work trip and I loved the narration of this one. It was so easy to get lost in this magical, lyrical story.
As well as the absolutely gorgeous story telling, there is so much to love about The Bone Houses. The characters are so full of life and personality, which contrasts nicely with the theme of death and reanimated corpses. Ryn is one of my favorite characters of all the books I’ve read this year. She is brave, funny, smart, and committed to doing everything in her power to protect her family and village. But the real star of The Bone Houses was the goat haha.
On their journey through the mountains, Ryn and her map-maker companion, Ellis, meet so many interesting characters and learn so much about the curse on the dead surrounding their village. I think there was a lot of beauty in how the story handles grief and the loss of a loved one. There is a broad range of reactions to the Bone Houses and it was interesting to discover more about them on Ryn’s journey.
I loved that there were stories within stories. We got to hear the lore behind the mysteries of the mountains and the lost elven city. Everything weaves beautifully together and I loved how everything came together in the end to wrap it all up.
Ultimately, this is one of my favorite reads of the year. I am kicking myself for putting off for so long!
About the Book
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn (“Ryn”) only cares about two things: her family and her family’s graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead.
The risen corpses are known as “bone houses,” and legend says that they’re the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?
Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the deeply-buried truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairy tale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page.
About the Author
Emily Lloyd-Jones grew up on a vineyard in rural Oregon, where she played in evergreen forests and learned to fear sheep. She has a BA in English from Western Oregon University and a MA in publishing from Rosemont College. She currently resides in Northern California, where she enjoys wandering in redwood forests. Her young adult novels include Illusive, Deceptive, The Hearts We Sold, The Bone Houses, and the forthcoming The Drowned Woods. Her debut middle grade, Unseen Magic, will release in 2022.
