A.K. Wilder

Raise. Your. Phantom. In a world on the brink of the next Great Dying, no amount of training can prepare us for what is to come... A young heir will raise the most powerful phantom in all of Baiseen. A dangerous High Savant will do anything to control the nine realms. A mysterious and deadly Mar race will steal children into the sea. And a handsome guide with far too many secrets will make me fall in love. My name is Ash. A lowly scribe meant to observe and record. And yet I think I’m destined to surprise us all.

Crown of Bones

Raise. Your. Phantom. In a world on the brink of the next Great Dying, no amount of training can prepare us for what is to come... A young heir will raise the most powerful phantom in all of Baiseen. A dangerous High Savant will do anything to control the nine realms. A mysterious and deadly Mar race will steal children into the sea. And a handsome guide with far too many secrets will make me fall in love. My name is Ash. A lowly scribe meant to observe and record. And yet I think I’m destined to save us all.

Well, this was fun and definitely took me by surprise! I've really enjoyed my time in Amassia so far. Crown of Bones is a young adult, high fantasy, epic land and sea adventure filled with non-stop action, a harrowing and dangerous quest, friendships, kingdoms on the brink of war, hidden agendas, ancient prophecy, and a swoony, heart melting romance.

This story drew me in from the very start! I was incredibly intrigued by the magic system and unique spin on the 'familiar' or 'animal/human bond' with the Savants and Phantoms! It reminded me of His Dark Materials in that way, but definitely with it's own distinct twist. The characters were spunky and witty and at times, completely unexpected. The dialogue, both inner and outer, were fast-paced and filled with banter. I love Ash and Kaylin and their unique connection!! And the twists! And that cliffhanger! I didn't see them coming! I also really enjoyed the themes of sky and earth.

Excited to continue this adventure with Curse of Shadows!!

Thank you to Entangled Teen for the e-copy.

Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures

Well, this was fun and definitely took me by surprise! I've really enjoyed my time in Amassia so far. Crown of Bones is a young adult, high fantasy, epic land and sea adventure filled with non-stop action, a harrowing and dangerous quest, friendships, kingdoms on the brink of war, hidden agendas, ancient prophecy, and a swoony, heart melting romance.

This story drew me in from the very start! I was incredibly intrigued by the magic system and unique spin on the 'familiar' or 'animal/human bond' with the Savants and Phantoms! It reminded me of His Dark Materials in that way, but definitely with it's own distinct twist. The characters were spunky and witty and at times, completely unexpected. The dialogue, both inner and outer, were fast-paced and filled with banter. I love Ash and Kaylin and their unique connection!! And the twists! And that cliffhanger! I didn't see them coming! I also really enjoyed the themes of sky and earth.

Excited to continue this adventure with Curse of Shadows!!

READ THIS IF YOU LIKE:

— multiple POVs

— YA epic fantasy

— phantoms x bone magic

— land & sea realms

— thrill of adventure

— kingdom & political intrigue

— prophecy x ancient warnings

— quests, training, academia settings

— cliffhangers!

Thank you to Entangled Teen for the e-copy.

laura

*I got this book for review from the publisher*
I have mixed feelings on this read. On one hand I really loved the found family elements in this read. I also overall loved the characters and the various POV that we got in the read.But i really struggled with the writing style and the world building and the pacing of this read. I did enjoy the magic system, but thought it was not as clear as could have been for the audience. I am prob going to add this book to re-read list when book 2, comes out and give it another shot. But I liked it, but did not love it!

Karolina

Synopsis

The story said from four points of view. A young heir destined to raise the most powerful phantom in all of Baissen. A young non-savant and a friend of the heir who has a hidden power in her that no one knows about. A handsome sailor with many secrets who will guide them all to safety. And a mysterious Mar who’s stealing children into the sea. 

Marcus and his group of friends are heading to the hidden land of Akku to receive training of controlling his phantom of the strongest savants. They meet a lot of obstacles on their way and that’s how they meet Kaylin. He saves their lives and guides them safely to Akku. However, he doesn’t do it from the goodness of his heart. He starts to have feelings for Ash, a young non-savant girl and a friend of Marcus. When they finally get to Akku, they have no idea that danger is coming their way. 

Book Review

To be honest I read all this book just for Ash and Kaitlyn. Marcus’ part of the story was kind of boring. As you can expect from a prince, he’s very selfish and arrogant but not in a fascinating way. His only worry is if he will get on time to Akku, even if it means that it will hurt his crew on the way. He’s a close friend with Ash for years but I think feels more than that. When she starts getting closer with Kailyn, he gets jealous, but he calls it being protective of Ash. From the time they met, Kaitlyn’s only goal was to keep Ash safe. Moreover, he saved their lives more than once, so I think it’s time to change the attitude. 

Besides Ash, Kaitlyn, and Marcus, none of the characters were standing out. They were there but they didn’t try to get your attention. They were not important for the story. They are kind of characters that you forget the names of right after you finish reading the book. I remember that their names started with P and B but that’s all I remember. 

My favorite character in this book was Ash. She’s the only non-magical person in the group but it doesn’t bother her. She’s strong, smart, and very brave. She has values that she doesn’t break even if it can cost her much. She never leaves anyone behind and fights however she can. She’s the smartest person in the whole group, so this is already a big achievement. What’s also fascinating about her is the power that is inside her. From the beginning of the book, I felt that she can still surprise us with her power and I wasn’t wrong. This is the moment that pushes me to read the second book. 

Another part of this book that makes me want to read book two is the relationship between Kailyn and Ash. They are so adorable. From the time they met to the last page of the book, you can feel the chemistry between them. I’ve read a lot of books with the character falling in love with each other at first sight but in this book, it was so beautifully represented. Especially for Kailyn who broke all the roles just to keep Ash safe. He didn’t care what will happen to him after. He just wanted to make sure nothing happened to her. Even before they started getting close, he was protecting her. 

The world-building in this book is quite complicated. Few things were confusing for me but maybe it’s also because I had an issue focusing on this book at the beginning, so I missed some things. However, I enjoyed very much the connection of the main story with the side story of a Mer. I was wondering where this side story will lead us and when the time of reveal came, I was enjoying it a lot. It made the story much more interesting than it was before. Overall, I thought I will get more involved in this book and I will enjoy it more, but it didn’t happen. If not Ash and Kailyn, I’m not sure if I would finish reading it that fast. However, I think the second book will be based more on Ash so hopefully, it will be better than this one. 

I would like to thank NetGalley, A.K. Wilder, and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! I enjoyed it very much and I hope to read the next book soon!

Danie Swick

Thank you so much to Entangled Teen and A.K. Wilder for giving me a free ARC for my honest review.

I am so grateful for the ARC and the chance to read Crown of Bones before it’s released, and I do believe that many readers will love this book... but I’m just not one of them.

I WANTED to love it. The concept is absolutely amazing, the world is complex and built well, and the magic is a stunning new concept.

But, I was often bored, to the point that I debated not finishing. The pacing was off, I felt that we were often told what should have been shown and shown what should have been told, I didn’t connect to the characters, who felt flat to me, and I wasn’t surprised at all by the anticlimactic ending. Truth be told, I ended up skimming the last 100 pages just to get to the end.

There were definitely some cute moments between the love interests that made me smile, but insta-love isn’t really for me so it wasn’t enough to save the book.

Unfortunately, this book is a 2-star read from me and I don’t see myself reading the sequel.

Kathryn

Thank you @entangledteen for my arc of this book! 

I loved the concept of this book! The idea of phantoms/savants was really refreshing and entertaining to read. It gave me The Golden Compass meets Legend of the Seeker vibes and I’m not mad about it! I do wish we got more backstory for the cast of characters, especially for Samsen and Piper, but it didn’t distract me from the story itself.

I think this book has something for everyone: pirates, world building, self discovery, instalove etc. I wish I read a book like this when I first started to read YA fantasy! 

I will definitely read the sequel to see how it all turns out. I still have many questions that need answers. 

3.75/5 ⭐️

Lauren James

Full review on my blog, Storied Adventures!

I really really really liked this book!!! Adventure? Check! A loveable heroine? Check! A swoon worthy book boyfriend? Check! Interesting plot, interesting magic, fantastic writing. Loved it. Highly recommend!

Ashton Reed

This book is at the pinnacle of high fantasy. What a ride!

My Synopsis:
Amassia is on the brink of war. Ash, a wordsmith and non-savant (someone who can’t raise her phantom), works under Master Brogal at the Sanctuary of Baiseen. Her best friend and Heir to the Throne of Baiseen, Marcus, has seen the growing tensions and violence between his nation and its neighbors. He feels the full weight of possessing a warrior phantom - one of the greatest his land has ever known and the protection his people need - yet he has not been able to hold his phantom in form, and he’s running out of time. When he finally holds his warrior to form, he has little time to spare before the gates of Aku close and his chance to train at the sanctum of the world and earn his yellow robes is lost forever and he loses his claim to the throne.

Thus, he wastes no time gathering his troupe. With him on his journey to Aku come Baiseen, another warrior from Tangeen; Piper, a healer; Samsen, a caller; and Ash as his recorder - a nonnegotiable choice but an unprecedented one, for typically, non-savants are not allowed with such esteemed responsibilities as recording for sacred paths. 

The Bone-Throwers can tell much. But they can’t foresee the journey the group is about to endure, the obstacles they will have to face. For war is coming, and they are travelling right through the midst of it. They won’t escape unscathed.

Can I start by stating the obvious?? This cover is breath-taking. Ferociously and captivatingly stunning. Take a moment to admire.

Ok then, let’s begin.

This book completely ignited my fantasy-loving heart. With a great squad of characters (all of whom I loved and who’s chapters each felt masterfully unique) and a perilous, cross-country journey, the story is fascinating and intricate from the start. But it doesn’t remain there for long - no, it gets more complicated as secrets begin to seek the light of day, and our characters begin to ask questions no one else seems to dare ask themselves. As the mysteries begin to unravel and war threatens even the safest of havens, not even the reader knows who can be trusted. Plus (y’all knew this was coming), the romance!! Yep, there’s romance, and it’s some of the most pure-hearted and well-developed romance I’ve seen in a good long while. There’s no denying these characters’ paths were meant to cross in love, but the question is if the bones wish them to stay that way...

This book reminds me of another series I read a couple of months ago - Shadow Frost and God Storm. A great squad of characters, going on journeys and uncovering truths about their kingdoms, only to come home and have to take on burdens they shouldn’t have to bear. These are the kinds of books that sneak up on you. You think they’re slow. But in truth, the author has invented another world, and you probably didn’t even realize it. The waves beating against the ship, the sweeping forms of the mountains on the horizon, the rustle of leaves as the wind shifts through the trees and onto your face - those are the kinds of worlds you get with authors like A.K. Wilder. The ones that are so real, they feel like you could hop on a ship of your own and find it.

What an incredible journey I got to go on with these characters! It was one of adventure - and one of internal growth. It isn’t one I’m going to forget anytime soon, and even now my hands are anxious to hold the sequel; I can’t wait to see where it will take me next.

Many thanks to Entangled Teen for sending me this free ARC copy along with some fun goodies, in exchange for an honest review! All opinions here are my own!





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Crown of Bones

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