The Bone Charmer
The Bone Charmer
Select a format:
Publisher's Hardcover ©2019--
To purchase this item, you must first login or register for a new account.
St. Martin's Press
Just the Series: Bone Charmer Vol. 1   

Series and Publisher: Bone Charmer   

Annotation: Told in alternating chapters, each featuring one of Saskia's potential futures, THE BONE CHARMER is reminiscent of SLIDING DOORS set in a rich and totally unique fantasy world.
Genre: [Fantasy fiction]
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #192620
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Copyright Date: 2019
Edition Date: 2019 Release Date: 05/21/19
Pages: 391 pages
ISBN: 1-624-14737-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-624-14737-1
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2018958702
Dimensions: 22 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

For Saskia and her people, bones are the source of magic. For Saskia's kenning, her mother, a Bone Charmer, will read their ancestral bones to determine Saskia's future apprenticeship, and the last thing Saskia wants is to be a seer like her mother and grandmother before her. But Saskia's kenning goes awry when an argument with her mother ends in a broken kenning bone. Her future is split in two, and Saskia's story follows two different realities simultaneously. She and her mother scramble to repair the split, unaware of what's happening in her other life. Danger lurks on each path, and Saskia must face the threat before one of her realities disappears forever. Told in the alternating voices of both Saskias, this is an engaging exploration of fate versus free will. High-fantasy fans will delight at the unique magic and intricate plot that demands close attention and promises an equally suspenseful sequel.

Kirkus Reviews

When Saskia's future fractures in two, can she survive either path?On the day of her kenning, when her vocation and possibly her mate will be revealed by bone magic, 17-year-old Saskia's Bone Charmer mother, Della, views multiple futures and picks the one with the greatest chance of happiness and fulfillment. At a crucial moment, Saskia balks and snaps one of the bones; two futures spin off. In one she has the job she feared was her fate, Bone Charming, and a dark, brooding mate, Bram. In the other she has the job (Tutor) and mate (charming and funny Declan) she would have chosen. If Tutor Saskia and her mother can't knit the broken bone back together, both futures will vanish. On top of that, both futures are in danger from a dark magic-wielding Charmer intent on amassing more power. Shields (Poison's Cage, 2018, etc.) creates a dark and interesting world peopled with recognizable (and ostensibly white) characters, but her ultimate message that you can't fight fate and shouldn't try might not sit well with free-minded teens. Saskia narrates her own stories in alternating chapters, first one future then the other. A sequel is a certainty, as the somewhat muddy, downer of an ending leaves Saskia in danger.An enjoyable read as long as logic is not applied strongly. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)
Kirkus Reviews
Reading Level: 6.0
Interest Level: 9-12

" I was absolutely swept away by the world of The Bone Charmer . " - Kendare Blake, #1 NYT Bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns On the day of Saskia's kenning--a special bone reading that determines the apprenticeships of all seventeen-year-olds--her worst fear comes true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, a seer, like her mother. Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose the one she knew Saskia wouldn't want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones, with the devastating result of splitting Saskia's future. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously: one where she's forced to confront her magic, and one where she tries to run from it. But when both paths become entangled in the plot of a rogue Charmer, Saskia learns that no future is safe, and some choices have unimaginable consequences. Only one future can survive. And Saskia's life is in danger in both.


*Prices subject to change without notice and listed in US dollars.
Perma-Bound bindings are unconditionally guaranteed (excludes textbook rebinding).
Paperbacks are not guaranteed.
Please Note: All Digital Material Sales Final.