I enjoyed parts of this especially as it was set in Venice around a time that really interests me. However I wasn't sure who the book is aimed at. It reads like middle grade fiction in terms of the writing and the behavior of the characters but some of the content seemed more appropriate for older teenagers and it was very dark in places. The book was also much longer than it should have been and I lost interest and struggled to stay focused.

Set in Venice in 1740 this is a tense, scary read with dark deeds and murder around every corner. Not for the fainthearted reader, the descriptions of torture made me shudder. I enjoyed the mermaids, who were very sassy and thought the main characters were strong, although their apparent lack of surprise when magical things happened was a bit unbelievable. I would recommend The Wishing Bones for any 11+ youngster who likes to be a bit scared when reading under the covers!

3.5
This was way darker than I was expecting especially since the description says its for 9+ year olds. There is murder, desecration of corpses and more murder. I loved that about it, I was pleasantly surprised on how dark and creepy the atmosphere was in the beginning, unfortunately it got less dark near the end. Lily was a really good main character, I liked how resourceful she was and how she wasn't broken by what happened to her throughout her life. There is a scene near the beginning when she was a child that is very heart wrenching. Unfortunately she became more a background character for awhile in the middle and came back a bit near the end but she wasn't quite as interesting as she was in the first half. Darling was awesome, she was so stubborn and out spoken but again I slowly lost interest in her as the book drew nearer the end. It was fun that it had a young Casanova even though I didn't really see the point of having him in there, he was a bit of nice comic relief though. I really liked Ivo's character, he was the most complex of them (besides Lily), he's done dark things to survive a dark world but isn't beyond redemption.
I thought I would like the mermaids more than I did since I love mermaids but I found them a bit too preachy, I like my mermaids drowning people rather than helping children. The Madonna was a nice surprise, I loved her sass.
Overall I enjoyed it but the ending is definitely the weakest part of the book, it all tied up a bit too neatly (though I suppose it is a kid's book so it's not too much of a negative) and there was more planning and build up than action which happened off page. I did really like that the author included historical notes at the end, you don't see that much in children's fiction.

A very good book that kept my 10yo entertained. My daughter wasn't scared but she said that perhaps is not suited to younger readers as it's quite tense. She absolutely loved it and was able to spot the social themed running along with the plot.

This is an excellent book set in the 1740's Venice. There is a certain darkness settling over the city as a family of sinister women are trying to control the city and its inhabitants. There are murders, thefts, mermaids and giant eels to contend with throughout the story.
I was hooked from the first scene and loved learning more about the interconnectedness between the characters, the sinister sisters and the danger for the city of Venice.
Venice is a city steeped in tradition, history and a love of Saints. This is all brought to life so wonderfully.

I would recommend this for a slightly older reader, perhaps 12 and above due to some of the content but it is hugely enjoyable.