Name: The Bones Beneath My Skin
ISBN: 9781732399914

T.J. Klune

The Bones Beneath My Skin

Cassidy Nolan

You won’t understand. At least not right away. And that’s okay. You may even think I’m a liar, and that’s okay too.

All I ask is that you listen until the very end before passing judgment. I have a story to tell you.

Of a place under a mountain. Of the minds of men. Of what it means to be human, to make a home out of a place where one should not exist.

And of what the future holds. For you. For me. For all of us.

Something about taking a sad song and making it better.

After, he laughed until he could barely breathe.

“Nate, just take it for what it is. Kindness. Sometimes people need it, even if they don’t know how to ask for it.”

There was the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked.

Something hard pressed against the back of his head, digging into his scalp.

A voice said, “You’re going to set the flashlight on the ground. And then you’re going to bring your hands up slowly. Lace your fingers on the back of your neck. If you try anything, if you reach for something I cannot see, or if you don’t do 

 as I’ve said, I will put a bullet in your head. Without question.”

“Howdy, partner,” the girl said. “My name is Artemis Darth Vader. It’s nice to meet you, I reckon.”

“It’s fine,” Nate muttered, wondering what he’d done in his life to get to this point. “They were old.”

“Not all old things need to be thrown away.”

“I knocked over a lamp by accident,” Art said. “It broke. I am supposed to feel bad because it didn’t belong to me, but I thought it was ugly and was going to break it yesterday but I forgot. So I accidentally did it today.”

“He will,” Art said. “He’s starting to like you, even though he normally doesn’t like anyone besides me. You can tell by the way he hasn’t pointed the gun at you in over ten minutes.”

Alex nodded stiffly. “We need to talk.”

That . . . was surprising. “Are you breaking up with me?” Nate asked before he could stop himself.

Alex, massively intimidating and scary Alex, began to braid the little girl’s hair.

“I’m keeping her safe,” he said, not looking up at Nate.

She tilted her head at him as she studied him. Her eyes were bright and knowing. He didn’t flinch as she reached up and cupped his face. Her hands were warm. “Sometimes you need to take things on faith,” she said quietly. “Even if you think you have no faith left, I promise you, you do. All of you do. It’s easier, I think, to stay lost. But when you’re found, when you open your eyes, you can finally see the truth for what it is.”

“I’m glad you found us,” she whispered, her breath on his face. “I think we needed you to.”

Alex looked at Nate, and there was almost a 

 in that stoic mask he wore, something that looked strangely vulnerable, but it was gone only moments later.

“Time for lunch, huh?” she said. “I think we should probably have more bacon, just to make sure this morning wasn’t a fluke.”

The fourth morning, the mug had been ready and waiting for him, still steaming, sugar mixed in.

Nate chuckled. “It sounds like you’re breaking up with me again.”

He swore he saw the smallest of smiles on Alex’s face, there and then gone again.

He didn’t understand her. Or her shadow. He didn’t know where they’d come from, where they were going, what was going to happen next.

“They must have been listening,” Art said, shrugging slightly. “The sun is shining, and maybe they just needed some encouragement. The earth is like that, you know. It needs to hear that someone is waiting for it. People are like that too, I think.”

“You don’t understand,” Art lamented, throwing herself on the couch. “What will we do? Are we going to 

He remembered the way Alex had braided Art’s hair, gentle and soft, snapping near her ear for the scrunchie.

How Alex had been embarrassed to ask for a razor.

You have to believe me when I say I would rather die than see anything happen to her. I’m doing everything I can to help her. Everything.

The way they’d both looked back at him after playing a game of Old Maid, asking if he was going to come outside with them, because nothing smelled as good as the air after it rained.

God, the field looked like it’d been so fucking 

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It's not. Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears. Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

Eira Grey

TJ Klune does an excellent job at warm and fuzzy writing. I was surprised by how much action this book had, but I really enjoyed it!

As with all of his books that I’ve read, Klune wrote about what it means to be human in a cozy, adventure packed story. He is an auto read author for me at this point that always pulls me out of a reading slump. 

Abigail F

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It's not. Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears. Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her. The Bones Beneath My Skin is a gripping, heartfelt story by bestselling author TJ Klune.

I liked this! more than green creek, not as much as his other standalones like under the whispering door. I think the concept is kooky but I liked it, and I thought the characters were fun! good soup

fris🐝

A spine-tingling standalone novel by bestselling author TJ Klune—a supernatural road-trip thriller featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely protectors on the run from cultists and the government.

There's nothing more human than a broken heart.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his only brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington, DC.

With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon, to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It's not.

Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

i have never met a TJ Klune book i didn’t love with everything i have

A mix between Stranger Things and The Last of Us with queer MCs. I liked the premise of this as well as the character personalities. 

I do however feel like the plot got lost along the way. Klune’s work also tends to get a little preachy/long-winded as his stories progress. 

Floofyflower

A mix between Stranger Things and The Last of Us with queer MCs. I liked the premise of this as well as the character personalities. 

I do however feel like the plot got lost along the way. Klune’s work also tends to get a little preachy/long-winded as his stories progress. 

“It means having your heart broken. There is nothing more human than a broken heart.”

Yet another brilliant, impactful 5 star read from T.J. Klune! 

This story has the usual Klune suspects—found family, amazing queer representation, precocious children who defy imagination, and so, so much humor.

There’s an overarching theme to this story about the nature of saying good-bye; goodbye to lost loved ones, good-bye to your childhood, good-bye to the versions of yourself you shed as you grow and change. And the meditations throughout on what the word “human” really means, were striking. 

Nate and Alex’s romance had me giggling and kicking my feet to the point that my category ten clinger of a dog left me and went to sleep in another room. Take that as you will. 

This one is for the star watchers and comet wishers. For the people who grew up watching ET and pressing their tiny index fingers to a staticky screen.

For those of us who dare to believe that—not only are we not alone in this vast and spiraling universe—but that when they do finally show themselves, humanity is capable of doing it right. If there’s a brave few willing to make the first step. 

(I do recommend looking up the trigger warnings for this book, because there’s some pretty heavy material to be found here.)

*Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Catherine

“It means having your heart broken. There is nothing more human than a broken heart.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yet another brilliant, impactful 5 star read from T.J. Klune! 

This story has the usual Klune suspects—found family, amazing queer representation, precocious children who defy imagination, and so, so much humor.

There’s an overarching theme to this story about the nature of saying good-bye; goodbye to lost loved ones, good-bye to your childhood, good-bye to the versions of yourself you shed as you grow and change. And the meditations throughout on what the word “human” really means, were striking. 

Nate and Alex’s romance had me giggling and kicking my feet to the point that my category ten clinger of a dog left me and went to sleep in another room. Take that as you will. 

This one is for the star watchers and comet wishers. For the people who grew up watching ET and pressing their tiny index fingers to a staticky screen.

For those of us who dare to believe that—not only are we not alone in this vast and spiraling universe—but that when they do finally show themselves, humanity is capable of doing it right. If there’s a brave few willing to make the first step. 

(I do recommend looking up the trigger warnings for this book, because there’s some pretty heavy material to be found here.)

✨OUT ON FEBRUARY 4TH, 2025✨

*Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ariel Himboi

Stunning. Breathtaking. The usual.

Klune has a way with words. His story telling is human, and warm but also filled with so much heart it's hard to not feel everything at once. This story especially was something that hit hard. Chosen family, aliens, and craziness that kept coming. I was in love with the characters- who wouldn't be? He has a way of writing strange Dynamics, characters and relationships that take you on an ADVENTURE.

I absolutely adored this story. I can say quite honestly that I have spent the past three hours reading this non-stop. I needed to know what would happen. You never know if Klune is going to leave you with a broken heart! ( In most cases .. he won't ) 

From start to finish I knew Klune was creating a story I wouldn't forget. A man trying to survive his past family, a girl alien thing finding home and safety, and a man who saved them both and himself. 

I especially love that Klune focus on family, wether they are found such as these characters and Ox from Green Creek, or born with such as Sam of Wilds from Verania. There is never a cliche or overly written familial relationship between any of the characters. 

They all feel real, these stories feel real and I can't wait to see what Klune does next. I will always support his books and the direction he's going. I hope that all of you can support him too. These books are important.

Jo H

4.5 stars. 

The thing is, TJ can write. Like no one else that I've ever come across I think. I'm sure I could pick up a book and not know he wrote it, but soon figure it out pretty quick from the prose. 

This book is typical TJ in style, but there was a little something missing that stopped it being a 5 star read like all of his other books I've read bar one. And maybe, like that book (Murmuration, which even now months later I'm still not sure if I even liked it) I'm not totally sure I get it. 

That being said, Artemis Darth Vadar has to be one of the most interesting characters I've ever come across and her personality foibles, given her background, are just so adorable.

The Bones Beneath My Skin

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