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The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
Young Adult Fiction
Sourcebooks Fire
March 7, 2017
Hardcover, Kindle, Audio CD
400
In the captivating start to a new, darkly lyrical fantasy series for readers of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir, Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price... 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. When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training. In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha--one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice. Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco!
Uniquely Mesmerizing…
The Bone Witch is the first book in an exotic new YA fantasy series by Rin Chupeco, author of the recently adapted to movie – The Girl from the Well. Set in Odalia, a kingdom that reminds me of medieval Japan, the story follows the life of Tea; a teen who unexpectedly discovers her ability to raise things from the dead when her favorite older brother is killed by one of the magical creatures roaming the world. This act earns her the title of bone witch, a person who is both revered and reviled.
The Bone Witch is a fabulous example of painting visual pictures to tell a 
story. Rin’s rich imagination permeates each line of the book and builds a unique experience for the reader. 
It was easy to follow the context of the story and understand all the new customs and objects and I was quickly swept into this foreign world. Rin tells the story from two perspectives; the minstrel – who finds Tea as an 19 year old banished to a bone laden beach and Tea – who shares with the minstrel her recollections of the events that led to her present state. Her writing style is so fluid and natural that I was easily able to immerse in the story and fascinating characters, even while jumping back and forth between these two settings.
Rin does a great job with the ending; there’s still so much to find out yet the reader doesn’t feel shorted or distraught in any way. The Bone Witch is the beginning of what looks to be a fantastic new YA series. It is appropriate for teens but so well done that adults will love it too.
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
