Synopsis: 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 deep into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the long-hidden truths about themselves.
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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. After graduating from Western Oregon University with an English degree, she enrolled in the publishing program at Rosemont College just outside of Philadelphia. She currently resides in Northern California, working as the children's buyer for Gallery Bookshop by day and writing by night. She is the author of Illusive, Deceptive, The Hearts We Sold, and The Bone Houses.
Rating: 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
My Review: "A goat emerged."
Emily has done it again. This time with one goat, a girl with an axe, and a boy with no memory and we can’t leave out the walking dead! This was a hit out of the park from the very first page. I was drawn in and I didn’t stop for almost 4 hours reading. Nope no bathroom brakes for this book!
The world in this title was fabulously done! I loved the concept of the bone houses and the mystery surrounding what was really going on. Emily weaved a story and world that came to life on the page and now I really want a movie. She has a way to make you fall for the most out of this world characters. This one of course being goat and later on bone goat! She was adorable and just when you think they have left her behind there she pops up to greet you and try to eat your food.
The rest of the cast was mainly just Ellis whom was so cute and I really loved his part of the story. This being kind of an overall POV at times it rounded out the story well and made it very well paced. Ryn in this one was great. She was strong and didn’t wait for others to help her. She did what needed to be done. Be it foraging for food, digging a grave, or of course beheading and burning one of the undead. She was a force of nature and I loved her for it!!
And of course my favorite character is the goat I was talking about. She steals the show right from the time she shows up in the story. I couldn’t get enough of this girl.
The ending to this as well as the overall story is one that I really don’t know what to say about it. Other than to go buy it and read it then come find me and talking about! I read this in one sitting and I couldn’t put it down. I love how Emily can do so much in a story. This being 355 pages. And being a stand alone. I’ve never read anyone else’s stories that work so well in so few pages. Without being a series. This is one title I won’t forget anytime soon. And now I really need to find a plush of a bone goat!!
Rating: 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
My Review: "A goat emerged."
Emily has done it again. This time with one goat, a girl with an axe, and a boy with no memory and we can’t leave out the walking dead! This was a hit out of the park from the very first page. I was drawn in and I didn’t stop for almost 4 hours reading. Nope no bathroom brakes for this book!
The world in this title was fabulously done! I loved the concept of the bone houses and the mystery surrounding what was really going on. Emily weaved a story and world that came to life on the page and now I really want a movie. She has a way to make you fall for the most out of this world characters. This one of course being goat and later on bone goat! She was adorable and just when you think they have left her behind there she pops up to greet you and try to eat your food.
The rest of the cast was mainly just Ellis whom was so cute and I really loved his part of the story. This being kind of an overall POV at times it rounded out the story well and made it very well paced. Ryn in this one was great. She was strong and didn’t wait for others to help her. She did what needed to be done. Be it foraging for food, digging a grave, or of course beheading and burning one of the undead. She was a force of nature and I loved her for it!!
And of course my favorite character is the goat I was talking about. She steals the show right from the time she shows up in the story. I couldn’t get enough of this girl.
The ending to this as well as the overall story is one that I really don’t know what to say about it. Other than to go buy it and read it then come find me and talking about! I read this in one sitting and I couldn’t put it down. I love how Emily can do so much in a story. This being 355 pages. And being a stand alone. I’ve never read anyone else’s stories that work so well in so few pages. Without being a series. This is one title I won’t forget anytime soon. And now I really need to find a plush of a bone goat!!
Go Into This One Knowing: Overall POV in multi characters, BONE GOAT!!
Quotes Me Goats:
"Pain doesn't make a person weak or strong. Pain just is-Its not a purifier its a part of living."
"Death doesn't frighten me- it never has. Losing people is what I fear. The uncertainty and the not knowing."
"I grew up thinking monsters could be slain." "I grew up thinking people were the monsters."
"Thats a tad morbid." Observed Ellis moment before returning to the lake. "Sorry I've never been the chipper sort." said Ryn. "I rather like it." said Ellis.
"Or, perhaps it went something like this. A goat ended the curse. It got tired of its human being distracted by hordes of dead soldiers, so it went into the mountains and ate the cauldron." Years later, Ryn would confront Ceridwen over that particular version of the story. Ceri disavowed all knowledge.
"Yes of course. Once I've drowned, you can float my bloated body across."
"Oh, com on." she said. "I'm not naked. There's cloth covering all the relevant bits."
"Bone houses." She said. "Attacked us. I think they got Hywel. too. I suppose it could have been bandits or maybe one of his chickens got hold of a blade, but I don't think so."
"He knew of the wild magics, of the lush beauty and dangers of the mountains. And he knew that such creatures did not speak the language of mercy. So he did not beg. Nor did he raise an arm to defend himself when the bone house brought the sword down across his throat. Atop the barn's roof, a loan chicken sat watching as figures began to emerge from the forest."
"How is he not dead yet?....."He is that's the problem."
"Want to tell me why death suddenly has an urge to wander?"
Quotes Me Goats:
"Pain doesn't make a person weak or strong. Pain just is-Its not a purifier its a part of living."
"Death doesn't frighten me- it never has. Losing people is what I fear. The uncertainty and the not knowing."
"I grew up thinking monsters could be slain." "I grew up thinking people were the monsters."
"Thats a tad morbid." Observed Ellis moment before returning to the lake. "Sorry I've never been the chipper sort." said Ryn. "I rather like it." said Ellis.
"Or, perhaps it went something like this. A goat ended the curse. It got tired of its human being distracted by hordes of dead soldiers, so it went into the mountains and ate the cauldron." Years later, Ryn would confront Ceridwen over that particular version of the story. Ceri disavowed all knowledge.
"Yes of course. Once I've drowned, you can float my bloated body across."
"Oh, com on." she said. "I'm not naked. There's cloth covering all the relevant bits."
"Bone houses." She said. "Attacked us. I think they got Hywel. too. I suppose it could have been bandits or maybe one of his chickens got hold of a blade, but I don't think so."
"He knew of the wild magics, of the lush beauty and dangers of the mountains. And he knew that such creatures did not speak the language of mercy. So he did not beg. Nor did he raise an arm to defend himself when the bone house brought the sword down across his throat. Atop the barn's roof, a loan chicken sat watching as figures began to emerge from the forest."
"How is he not dead yet?....."He is that's the problem."
"Want to tell me why death suddenly has an urge to wander?"
Praise for The Bone Houses:
* "With ghostly prose... filled with breathless moments and occasional humor... this melancholic horror novel digs its way into the heart."
―Booklist (starred review)* "...both exciting and imaginative. Inspired by Welsh mythology, this stand-alone novel is both a classic quest saga and a page-turning horror story....A required purchase for collections serving young adults, this fine novel will especially appeal to those who enjoy fantasy with more than a touch of terror."―VOYA (starred review)
"...a new and magical journey, filled with the best parts of a fairy tale. Monsters, curses, love--both slow-burn and familial--beautiful descriptions of an eerie mythical Welsh setting, and a streak of humor make this stand-alone novel a must-read."
―SLJ"[Emily] Lloyd-Jones (The Hearts We Sold) creates an evocative world of magic...and plays with the conventions of fairy tales and horror.... The story serves as a meditation on the complicated relationship between the living and the dead, combining fear, humor and enchantment in equal measure..."―Publishers Weekly
"Emily Lloyd-Jones has crafted a world of myth and magic, legend and lore, fantasy and fairy tale that has a quality of timelessness about it....readers who enjoy fantasy, adventure, horror, and/or folklore will certainly enjoy this novel with its engaging characters and unusual premise."―SLC
"Readers...who prefer their fairy tales touched with darkness, will find satisfaction here."―BCCB
"This Welsh-inspired story is haunting and compelling...A stand-alone dark fantasy that readers will want to sink their teeth into..."
―Kirkus Reviews"[A] gorgeously eerie, lushly written fairytale..."―Book Riot
"Centered around a truly epic journey, with a satisfying ending and slow-burn love story complicated by the walking dead, The Bone Houses is a horror-drenched fairytale. Emily Lloyd-Jones spins wit, longing, and loss into something just as magical as the creatures that haunt the night in Ryn and Ellis's world, and the result is a careful, beautiful examination on the impression love leaves behind."―Sarah Henning, author of Sea Witch and Sea Witch Rising
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FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored.
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