Silver in the Bone

Silver in the Bone, Book 1

By: Alexandra Bracken

Narrated by: Sophie Amoss

Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant Number One New York Times Best Seller

From the critically acclaimed author of Lore comes a stunning contemporary fantasy inspired by Celtic lore—the tale of a teenage girl who seeks her destiny in the cursed ruins of Avalon, driven by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!

"Simmering with magic, peril, romance, and heartbreak." —Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Shadow and Bone

Born without a trace of magic, Tamsin Lark is no match for the sorceresses and Hollowers who populate the magical underground of Boston. But when the only parent she’s ever known disappears without so much as a goodbye, she has no choice but to join in their cutthroat pursuit of enchanted relics to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.

Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian found a powerful ring from Arthurian legend just before he vanished. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.

As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother....

©2023 Alexandra Bracken (P)2023 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Simmering with magic, peril, romance, and heartbreak. Bracken's stories plunge you into a world of legend and longing you will never want to leave." —Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Grishaverse series

“Nail-biting, gut-wrenching, action-packed, and devastatingly romantic, Silver in the Bone is absolutely legendary.” —Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games

“An exquisite fantasy, crackling with dark magic. Silver in the Bone is a heart pounding must-read perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to step inside of a myth.” —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

Didn't quite stick the landing

This is the first book I've read from this author and did so at the recommendation of a friend. This one took me a few chapters or so to really get into. In all fairness it may have been due to just finishing a series of books and I sometimes have this issue when switching gears after being focused on a single series for a bit.

I really like the world here and it's basis in Arthurian legend. If anything I would have loved more direct ties into that lore. I like the factions presented, the Hollowers essentially mercenary treasure hunters, the sisters, sorcerers, druids etc. Each are compelling and I want more backstory and info on each. I enjoyed the individual characters well enough but I kind of felt like character arcs\growth were a mixed bag in this one. My frustration mostly came from a sense of two steps forward 3 steps back type of situation. Knowing this is a first book in a series though I'll be curious to how this averages out in the long run.

I enjoyed the central mystery and the mystery in conflict really ramp up and take off during the last third of the book or so. The ending however is why I gave this 3 stars vs 4. I really dislike heavy handed cliff hangers in books. I want to come away feeling satisfied with each entry in a series not just wanting the next one so I can get my proper wrap up. Here things just seemed to rush to an end that while awesome in a bunch of ways felt super abrupt to me.

Narration was great, It pulled me in and kept me in the story as a good narrator should. Each character has a unique voice and the narrator does just does an all around great job here.

Will I read the next one? Definitely! That said I came away slightly unsatisfied as a whole with this as a self contained story. Had this not ended on a frustrating cliff hanger it would easily be one of my favorites reads of the year so far.

Modern Arthurian inspired fantasy

4.5 stars but rounded up to 5 stars.
what I loved: Arthurian inspiration. it is by no means a retelling but uses elements within the Arthurian tale to lemd support to this contemporary fantasy. it is full of sorceresses, priestesses, magic, curses and death. the characters have good development and have layers of complexity that I enjoy. the world building is done well and the ending is definitely a cliffhanger. i am excited for book 2 and really hope there are more than Tamsin's POV.

I LOVED THIS. Arthurian legend with a twist.

Amazing. This sat on my TBR shelf for a while. I didn’t want to read it until book two was closer to release. Then I just never started it. And book two was out. And I still didn’t read it. Finally. Finally I picked it up and read almost the whole thing in one day. (Audiobooks are awesome.) I devoured it. There is little to no spice. But the story line! Just when I thought I had something figured out, I realized it was wrong! It has kept me guessing. So many answers needed still. It’s Arthurian legend with a twist. Bad@$# women. Betrayal. Mystery. Magic. Familial angst. Friendship. Enemies to lovers? Monsters. A mix of modern world and King Arthur’s time. If it’s on your TBR list, move it close to the top! And the narrator is awesome!

took a while to get into

I think it took half the book for me to get into the story, but a lot of that had to do with the narrator being really campy. Most of the book sounded like she was telling a ghost story at a campfire, and not in a good way, if that makes sense. It's definitely heavy on the Y in YA, but I can live with that for this type of book.

Female Indiana Jones

What happens when a female Indiana Jones starts searching for Arthurian relics?
Hijinks.
Tamsin and Cabell Lark’s guardian went missing while searching for Arthurian relic that could break Cabell’s curse. Left with only each other, Tamsin and Cabell follow in their guardian’s footsteps, desperate to find a cure for Cabell until they catch a lead from a hag of the exact relic their guardian was looking for. But there are other people after the relic, one of which being her rival, handsome young Emrys. Following the path of her guardian, Tamsin finds herself in Avalon, a pastoral society under threat, confronting the corpse of her guardian, and the dead end of her last hope.
… Until the Nine Sisters of Avalon reveal a purification rite that would break every curse on the island. With this new path to her brother’s salvation, Tamsin is ready to face an army of the dead and their revenant leader, all to save the island and Cabell.

I really enjoyed a King Arthur story that focused more on the people around Arthur than on Arthur himself. I also really liked seeing Avalon post-Arthur, and how their society might have survived after they left our reality. I did have a few grumbles about the ending, but they’re personal quabbles. I still enjoyed it overall.

Alex doesn’t disappoint!

Alex shows us once again an incredibly imaginative story that is impossible to predict and totally worth the read!

ready for book 2

loved it. the book was a very easy listen and a ending to leave you wanting more.

Excellent story telling!

Just when I thought the book was ending there’d be another twist and more tension added. Superb story telling and the narration was spot on. I’m not one to love series—too short of an attention span—but I can’t wait wait for the next book!

WHAT?!

What?!
Seriously? That ending had me standing with my mouth open! Ugh… stupid cliffhangers 🤦🏼‍♀️

I’m not sure how to rate this book. The first 70% of the book was mostly interesting but I found myself getting distracted multiple times, that is probably my ADHD and my kids fault though.
BUT the last 30% had me on an emotional roller coaster and on the edge of my seat so for that I will give 4 stars. Overall it has everything a YA fantasy book should even a torturous cliffhanger!!!

Interesting

I enjoyed this. I think it’s different and interesting than what I usually read. Can’t wait to hear the next book.