Name: Candyce Kirk's review of The Bone Charmer by Breeana Shields
Item: The Bone Charmer
Rating: 4
Author: Candyce Kirk

Breeana Shields

"Tomorrow, my future will be decided by my dead gran’s finger bones. It’s how my whole life has been determined—with bones and blood and snapping flames." "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.

The Bone Charmer

Candyce Kirk

Sheila Goicea

See this full review along with others on my blog at foalsfictionandfiligree.com

I received an ARC of this book from Page Street Kids via Netgcalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication. 



Content Warning: Death, Murder, Overall morbid vibe with the theme of bones


  Tomorrow my future will be decided by my dead gran’s finger bones. It’s how my whole life has been determined--with bones and blood and snapping flames.

The Bone Charmer is a twisty little devious book---and I absolutely loved it! To be completely honest, I’ve never read anything quite like it. The Bone Charmer is creative, exploratory, and crafty. You’ll notice that my review for this book will be shorter than my normal reviews, because I just don’t want to spoil anything for anyone (which, should be everyone) who picks up this book! It’d be very difficult to talk about certain topics without it becoming spoilery, so I just won’t. 

Saskia is the protagonist. Living in the town of Midwood, in a world where the bones of ancestors hold sway for everything, life looks very different. 

  ”Masons craft the bone flutes that Watchers use to control animals and the weapons that Breakers use to protect our country. Mixers blend bone potions that Healers use to treat patients. And, of course, Charmers perform readings on us all.”

Saskia comes from a family of Bone Charmers--those who have the ability to read the past, present, and/or future depending on their sight ability. First sight is past, second sight the present, and third sight is the future. In this world, Bone Charmers are the most esteemed--as they are the “guides” for people of the community. When adolescents reach the age of seventeen, they are matched with their future apprenticeships through the Kenning--as well as their future partner. 

Not having much experience with the Sight herself, Saskia’s afraid that her abilities will cause her to do harm instead of good. Her mother has the third sight, and can see into the future, which obviously causes issues for Saskia’s future. She and her mother have differing opinions of what she should pursue. After her Kenning, Saskia disagrees with her mother about the path that was chosen for her, and she ends up breaking a bone that was used in the reading of her future--also done by her mother. When the bone breaks, Saskia also has to live out the two different paths--the one her mom chose for her, and the one she chose for herself--until her fate is decided. 

While I absolutely loved this concept, I had issues with two aspects. First, I have no idea what the characters looked like. It was really hard to feel attached to characters because they simply weren’t fleshed out. Secondly, there was very little world building, which I was so disappointed about! There are several elements of this world that sounded amazing from the few descriptions given, but that was it! I want so much more!!!. 

Despite this, I really enjoyed this book. The ending is set up for a sequel, so I will anxiously be looking forward to that!

Vulgarity: None that I recall.
Sexual content: Minimal.
Violence: Quite a bit--considering there is a murder scene.

My Rating: ★★★★

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“I was absolutely swept away by the world of The Bone Charmer.” – Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series A deft exploration of the weight of grief and cost of revenge, Breeana Shields’s Bone Charmer duology reaches its spine-tingling conclusion in this high-octane fantasy-thriller. Saskia returns to Ivory Hall to train in bone magic, determined to stop Latham from gaining the power of all three Sights—past, present, and future. But danger lurks within the fortress’s marrow. Trials are underway for the apprentices, and the tasks feel specifically engineered to torment Saskia, which is exactly what Latham wants. As she grows increasingly more suspicious, her thirst for revenge becomes all-consuming. Together with the friends she can trust and the boy she loved in another lifetime, Saskia traces clues from Latham’s past to determine what he’ll do next. Their search leads them across Kastelia and brings them to a workshop housing a vast collection of horrors, including the bones Latham stole from Gran, and the knowledge that the future isn’t all that’s in jeopardy—but the past as well.

The Bone Thief

1) The Bone Charmer: ★★★★

I'm excited to be a part of the THE BONE THIEF blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club from May 20th - May 26th, 2020!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Page Street Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication. 

Content Warning: Death, Torture, Attempted Murder, Overall morbid tone

It’s both the blessing and the curse of being a Bone Charmer. Seeing people for who they really are and for who they could have been in a different life. Knowing the potential for good and evil in all of us.
First off, I must say that it’s very difficult to write a review for this book as it will certainly spoil book one, The Bone Charmer for anyone who hasn’t read it. Please, readers, beware reading this review if you haven’t picked up this duology yet!

When I read The Bone Charmer last year, I was blown away by, first of all, it’s uniqueness, and secondly, the plot twists. The Bone Thief in absolutely no way, loses pace in the plot as it picks up shortly after where book one ended. With her mother dead---murdered by Latham for her bones, Saskia is next. Now stuck in a different timeline where most everything is different, Saskia must uncover Latham’s true intent with her family’s bones before it’s too late. 
Revenge is a jealous master, Gran used to say. She meant it as a warning---a plea to always seek forgiveness instead of vengeance. But that was before Latham killed her. Before he killed my mother.
Now I've given my entire body---heart and soul---to my plan for revenge. I'm the handmaiden of vengeance.
There's no time for love.
Desperate to retrieve the stolen bones of her Gran and mother after she was murdered to stop him from gaining all three sights, Saskia quickly learns that Latham is onto her scheme to catch him when he sends her a book made from the skin of her mother. With time running out, Saskia must undergo incredible trials at Ivory Hall orchestrated by Latham himself. Purposefully designed to torment her, Saskia’s desire for revenge grows into something dark, hindering her from trusting her friends and putting others’ before her ambitions.
I’ve been making the same mistakes as Latham. His whole life was consumed by a burning desire for revenge. He had something lovely with Avalina, but he let his bitterness become more important than anything else. He was willing to let happiness slip through his fingers in pursuit of making those who had wronged him suffer.
Ultimately about how revenge can cloud one’s judgment, and the process of healing from the grief of losing a loved one, The Bone Thief is an intensely introspective end to the The Bone Charmer duology. Same as my thoughts for book one, I wish there had been much more detail in the characters’ appearance and overall world building. I feel like this is a world my gothic atmosphere-loving self would want to get lost in and just could get a good enough glimpse into. 

Vulgarity: None.
Sexual content: Minimal - kissing only.
Violence: Moderate.

My Rating: ★★★★

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I love when you stumble upon a book that really surprises you. The Bone Charmer is one of those books and I'm so glad I picked it up. A lot of the books I read are the same concept with a different executions, this isn't a bad thing, but happens. The Bone Charmer is definitely unique.

The Bone Charmer is told along two timelines. When Saskia had her kenning (a special bone reading), there were things she was hoping for. When things don't turn out how she wishes, the bone breaks and that's when things get interesting. Saskia's fate is split into two and in the end only one path can keep existing. 

Breeana Shields really knew how to get me sucked into this world. Her writing really makes it easy to picture the world and what's going on. I loved the concept with the bones. The magic system is really interesting (and even though I would've liked to have read even more) and fits this story perfectly. We get to read about both of Saskia's paths and I loved how this was set up. I loved all the twists and turns. The differences between these lives were really interesting and how everything came together was everything I was looking for.

The characters definitely added to the story. I loved how the characters I ended up loving seemed like they were hiding something and the ones I had my doubts about ending up being really genuine. The Bone Charmer is a book you don't want to stop reading and I'm so grateful I didn't read this until right before the sequel was released. I know this review is a bit vague, but I really think you need to experience this one from start to finish.

If you're looking for a unique book, amazing characters and interesting twists and turns, definitely read The Bone Charmer!

Chris DiFazio

Bone Charmer is a seriously great read. I picked up the book with no expectations aside from its cool cover and an interesting premise, and I was surprised by how quickly I became invested in the story. Shields manages to fit two equally compelling parallel stories in a single novel. Great worldbuilding, believable characters and a compelling plot. Highly recommended.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this book a bit ago and read it for the tour of the second book! Support your authors!

Book: The Bone Charmer

Author: Breeana Shields

Book Series: The Bone Charmer Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Publication Date: May 21, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (bones, violence, slight gore, some quantum leap stuff with alternate time lines) 

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Pages: 400

Amazon Link

Synopsis: In Saskia’s world, bones are the source of all power. They tell the future, reveal the past, and expose secrets in the present. Each village has a designated seer who performs readings for the townsfolk, and in Midwood, the Bone Charmer is Saskia’s mother.

On the day of her kenning—a special bone reading that determines the apprenticeships of all seventeen-year-olds—Saskia’s worst fears come true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, like her mother, and even worse, a match-making reading that pairs her with Bram—a boy who has suspicious tattoos that hint of violence.

Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose one she knew Saskia wouldn’t want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones. Broken bones are always bad luck, but this particular set of bones have been infused with extra magic, and so the break has devastating consequences—Saskia’s future has split as well. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously. Only one future can survive. And Saskia’s life is in danger in both. 

Review: For the most part this book was pretty good. The characters were well developed personality wise and the pacing was excellent for the book. I was very invested in the plot of this book and while I’m not normally a fan of the love triangle, it was well done in this book.

However, I did think that the world building needed to be worked on and the writing needs to be more descriptive and not showy. I hope that in the second book, this is rectified.

Verdict: A great story, just needs worked on a bit more.

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Bone Thief

Author: Breeana Shields

Book Series: The Bone Charmer Book 2

Rating: 3.5/5

Publication Date: May 26, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, gore, romance)

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Pages: 384

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Saskia returns to Ivory Hall to train in bone magic, determined to stop Latham from gaining the power of all three Sights—past, present, and future. But danger lurks within the fortress’s marrow. Trials are underway for the apprentices, and the tasks feel specifically engineered to torment Saskia, which is exactly what Latham wants.

As she grows increasingly more suspicious, her thirst for revenge becomes all-consuming. Together with the friends she can trust and the boy she loved in another lifetime, Saskia traces clues from Latham’s past to determine what he’ll do next. Their search leads them across Kastelia and brings them to a workshop housing a vast collection of horrors, including the bones Latham stole from Gran, and the knowledge that the future isn’t all that’s in jeopardy—but the past as well.

Review: I was really excited to read this book (because, I mean, I look at the cover it’s gorgeous!) Anyways, the book was a lot better fleshed out for the character development then the previous book and I was so happy for that! The pacing is great and the plot is still so intriguing! I also felt like the world building had gotten better!

However, I still felt like there could have been more for the world building and I feel like that romance lacked in this one. The romance was there, but it wasn’t doing it for me. It felt a lot more cliché and tropey than in the first one and I got tired of it fast.

Verdict: It’s a great story!

Samantha Bass

You can view my other reviews/posts on my blog ladyandstar.wordpress.com

I find myself not reading the synopsis of books before I pick them up/read them, but I remember reading the synopsis when trading for this, and yet I still forgot it. So when I realized we were getting two alternative timelines for the same person I had to put the book down and scream.

In joy.

I don't think I've read a book that dealt with two different timelines, universes, whatever it may be called. And the way Breeana writes it is so clear and clever. Not only is each story supported by itself, but when put together they are still coherent and easy to distinguish. I have been blessed with an abundance of really good books and I'm so glad I have the ARC of book 2 available, because the ending killed me.

With two different timelines going on at once, I found myself wanting to merge them. Give us the moments in her village with her mother, but be around these people, and have this happen from this timeline, but not that. Of course, that's not how time works and we end up seeing the two play out until they finally merge into one.

So not only did I really like this book, but I love the growth of the main character. We see how each timelines version deals with their situation and grows differently, but ultimately we leave behind the resentful Saskia as she comes to an understanding with her mother and her power. I love how the relationship between Saskia and her mother changes from the beginning of the story. As Saskia grows, so does her mother, and the relationship that blossoms between them made me so happy.

This book was // 5 star read for me. I loved Breeana's writing style, the plot, the character development, and the ending. Even if I wanted to scream at the end.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. You can view my other reviews/posts on my blog ladyandstar.wordpress.com

It has taken me a while to write this review because I wanted to get my thoughts in order. I loved the first book and I loved the second book, but there was ONE thing in this book that makes me not want to rate it 5 stars like I did The Bone Charmer.

For those of us that did read The Bone Charmer, we know that Latham is our bad guy, he's a super bad guy. We don't know why he's going after Saskia and the mystery of this is what made me love this series. Obviously we find out why he is doing what he's doing and let me tell you, I wasn't impressed with the reasoning. I thought it could have been a stronger motivation. You'll understand once you read it.

Besides that issue though, everything is great. The ending felt a little too easy in a way, but I'm just here for the drama and the happy endings.

I enjoyed getting to see Saskia learn and grow from Bram a second time, although I just wanted them to just fall in love already! We meet up with some old friends and the story is like watching a movie from your childhood as an adult. There are certain things you remember, things you thought occurred but didn't, and things that occur you don't remember at all. It's kind of a fun mind trick.

Besides my slight disappointment with the ending, I would still rate this book a 5 // 5 stars. Honestly, the creativity of this series and the growth we see in all of the characters outweighs my thoughts on the ending.

If you haven't ordered a copy of The Bone Thief please go do so! It's a great series and it's worth the read.

Jessica Nottingham

So very impressed with this book! It took me a few chapters to really settle into the way that Breeana Shields wanted to tell this story, but once I was there I was hooked. Saskia's life has has always been dictated by bone reading. Each moment painstakingly created so that she'll stay on the path to her happiest life. That is, until it's her turn to find her true calling. I can't remember if I knew that this book was about to split into two stories, or not, but I can tell you that it's a wonderful way to navigate Saskia's journey.

First off, let me be the first to assure you that there is no love triangle in The Bone Charmer. You have no idea how happy that made me, since that's one of my pain points in YA lately. Instead, there are two very seperate romances here. As Saskia's life splits off, one road leading to what she believed she wanted and one road leading to what her mother believed was best for her, these two romances grow in very different ways. I absolutely loved how Shields doesn't shy away from putting Saskia through all manner of trials. As she follows each of these paths, she learns more and more about herself, her mother, and the two boys who she has been matched two. The idea that we don't always know what is best for us, even if we are so sure of it, is heavily featured in this story. It's perfection.

It's honestly tough to say too much more about the plot without giving anything important away, so I'll start focusing on the world building instead. In Saskia's world, as I mentioned above, bone readings are part of life. Matches, both with jobs and with romantic partners, are an essential part of a person's future. It was fascinating watching the way that this played out, in a place like Midwood. Much like our own world, the people with the most money always seemed to have an advantage over those who were poorer. The fact that Saskia's mother, the bone charmer herself, was so upset about that made me smile. This book speaks of "wild magic" and how it used to grow without monetary interference. As I found my way through Saskia's story I saw how that could both help, and hurt, a civilization. There's a lot of deep thoughts in this book, hidden in a way that almost makes them invisible. I loved every minute of it.

Was this book perfect? Perhaps not. There were a lot of things I wished for more of. I wanted more time with Saskia's potential matches. I would have loved more background on Saskia's family, and especially on her amazing mother. While the magic system was fairly well fleshed out, I also wished there would have been more time spent with Saskia as she learned to grow her abilities. I do believe that this is the first book in a series though, so I have hope! There's still time for all of this to become a reality.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my read through of this book! I'd recommend it to those out there who love "sliding doors" stories, and are looking for something without a love triangle. You might just enjoy it as much as I did.

“Tomorrow, my future will be decided by my dead gran’s finger bones. It’s how my whole life has been determined—with bones and blood and snapping flames.” 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.

Candyce Kirk &
The Bone Charmer by Breeana Shields

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Candyce Kirk &The Bone Charmer by Breeana Shields

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Candyce Kirk &
The Bone Charmer by Breeana Shields