Thank you for my eARC of this book. Though I mostly enjoyed this, I struggled with the pacing at times and found myself drifting away from the story a bit which I found frustrating. I did the same with Lore so it may be this authors writing style.

Having previously loved Alexandra Bracken's novel, Lore, I was really looking forward to this book and was extremely happy when I was given an eARC. The Greek mythology used in Lore was amazing, and I was hoping that Silver in the Bone would have a similar vibe, but this time using the tales of King Arthur. Although the mentions of Arthur and Avalon were great, I was expecting a little more.

One thing I will say is that I really enjoyed the characters and the world building within Silver in the Bone. It was unlike other books I've read recently and that made a nice change. However, the pacing of said world building was slightly off for me, and it did feel as if there was a lot of information given at the start.

The second half of the book picked up, both plot and character wise, and the last one hundred pages definitely turned this book into a page turner I couldn't put down. Reveals and secrets and everything in between kept me reading, and even on the slower sections, I still wanted to know more.

After an ending like that, I'm excited to read the final book in the duet.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Children's Books for giving me an advanced e-copy. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this one more than I did. I have loved the author’s previous work but I just didn’t connect with the characters well here. For the record this features Arthurian folklore, it is not a retelling (which was a point in its favour tbh). The concept was great but something didn’t land for me in the execution. The second half of the book is definitely more engaging than the first half but it doesn’t feel like a slow burn set up so much as a bit off balance structure wise. As far as the MC goes, it’s fine that she’s not likeable but I also didn’t find her interesting. So overall this was just ok for me.

sometimes you read a book and you know instantly - this is going to be huge. whether it's the quality of the writing, the freshness of the premise, the way it piggybacks onto something already immensely popular, or just a case of right time/right zeitgeist - you just know.

and this book is going to be a star.

File didn’t download in a readable format.

Will give more feedback once I’ve read my hardback copy.

Very enjoyable. Fast paced Arthurian fantasy. Unique concept and a mix of likeable and unlikeable characters. Interesting magic system. The barely there romance angle was totally predictable. That being said the book was a lot of fun with a subject that has been done to death, and made into something new and exciting. Looking forward to the next one.

Silver in the Bone delivered on world building, dark magic and perilous quests.
I enjoyed the cross between a modern day world and Arthurian legends, and the Avalon setting with a feel of Dawn of the Dead. Avalon was definitely not what I was expecting, but I enjoyed how the action sped up, and how there were several plot twists that took me by surprise.
As for the characters, can I just say that I liked Tamsin, and felt absolutely betrayed by Emrys. Looking forward to the sequel to see how he can redeem himself!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my e-Arc in exchange for my honest opinion and veiws.

This book was good, not really my cup of tea so I took awhile to read it. Arthurian stories aren't my go to when I read fantasy books; well written with interesting lead and support characters with a good world building.
I just didn't get pulled into the story as I thought I would, it was great escapism and I enjoyed the journey, I would recommend this book for fantasy readers and I will acquiring a copy for my library.
Good read just not for me.

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I'm a sucker for anything Arthurian, so this was pretty much guaranteed to pique my interest. It was a bit slow to get going, but paid off in terms of character development, and had a great twist ending. Not up to the heights of Marion Zimmer Bradley or Mary Stewart, but a solid new twist on Arthurian legend and I'm invested enough to want to read the next book.

I really enjoyed this.

I haven't read too many books that center around arthurian legends, so I don't know how similar this is to "the actual thing", I found the setting really interesting though.

The heroine, Tamsin, was really likable to me and I enjoyed her POV a lot.
The plot was fast paced and just really fun.

For some reason I thought this was a standalone though (that's absolutely on me), so I wasn't too happy about the ending. But at least there's more to come.

Dramatic and angsty, this Arthur-adjacent adventure was both frustrating and fascinating. There were times that I wanted to reach into the pages and shake these characters, or yell advice like they could possibly hear me. I tried to put it down and go to sleep, but ended up staying awake far far too late. Only to get to a conclusion of epic dramatic reveals and cliffhangers and that’s the part where I started cursing and looking up details about book two.

Alexandra Bracken, what have you done to me

As I utterly loved Lore, I was so excited for Silver in the Bone and my god, did Alexandra Bracken not disappoint. Absolutely loved it and she has very quickly become an auto buy author for me!

With a unique take on Arthurian legends, in Silver in the Bone, Bracken delivers a fast-paced, engaging novel with quality banter and a protagonist you can't help but root for.

On the whole, I did enjoy Silver in the Bone. I don't have much experience with Alex Bracken's work, so I was going into this book with very few expectations.

Tamsin, the protagonist, was the standout for me; I loved how stubborn and aloof she was, caring only for herself and her brother, Cabell. She's the type of character who's prickly on the outside but on the inside, is dealing with a lot of past traumas and fears, and just needs a big hug. Tamsin's dynamic and banter with Emrys, her love interest, was also amazing. I loved all of their scenes together (they were so funny!), and you can tell Alex Bracken had the best time whilst writing this. The side characters were also great, and I've got a particular soft spot for Neve.

I was surprised by the involvement of Arthurian legends in this book. I think I expected more involvement from King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table going into this, but what we got was an Avalon in ruin, magical priestesses and a dead King Arthur. Personally, I felt the Arthurian legends were a bit removed from the story, if that makes sense. The world Silver in the Bone takes place in could have been one all of Bracken's own making, and I don't think much would have changed. That being said, I did like her Hollower lore and magic system.

For that reason, I can only rate this book 4 stars. However, I was shocked by the cliffhanger ending, and will definitely be recommending this book and picking up the sequel when it comes out next year.

↠ 4 stars

Silver in the bone is a solid YA urban fantasy. Tamsin and Cabell are Hollowers, kind of mystical Indiana Jones' so to speak. They've only had each other since their guardian left them while out searching for an Arthurian relic and rely on cheap jobs just to keep a roof over their heads. Tamsin accidently learns about a magical ring that could bring them riches beyond their dreams and rid her brother of his curse which leads them to join forces with Emrys, Tamsin's nemesis and a young sorceress as they search for Avalon and the ring.

The world building was solid and although it borrowed from the Arthurian legends, they didn't feature as prominently as you'd think. As a proud Welshwoman I was a bit irked that Bracken focused on the resting place of Arthur being in England, however, a lot of the myths featured (Annwn etc) were Welsh. Just a little thing but it bugged me! The novel really gets going when they arrive in Avalon where the story gets much darker.

The best part of this novel was the cast of side characters. I loved the banter between Emrys and Tamsin and Neve was such a cute little character.

The ending shocked me! I seriously need to continue this series right now. A great start to a new YA fantasy series I truly enjoyed. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.

After reading many raving reviews about Silver in the Bone, I was really looking forward to reading it myself and it didn’t disappoint! A contemporary fantasy that features the legend of King Arthur and the mythical Isle of Avalon, together with curses, revenge, magic rings, a bit of romance, and tropes of enemies-to-lovers and found family.

There is only one person in the world who seventeen-year-old Tasmin Lark loves and cares about and it’s her brother Cabell. For the last seven years, they have been on their own, following the disappearance of their foster father, surviving on tarot card readings and working as Hollowers, hunting for magic treasures. Now, they are looking for a powerful ring that could break Cabell’s curse, but they are not the only ones.

I really enjoyed Silver in the Bone. I liked the magic system (initially I was slightly confused by it, but then I caught on) and I loved the unique and strong characters, especially Tasmin and Emrys, her former rival and now temporary ally. I loved their easy and witty banter and how their relationship develops throughout the story and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them in the sequel. The side characters are also interesting and entertaining, especially Neve whose cheerfulness managed to light up some of the sinister scenes.

The novel is very well-written, with tales of legends and myths that kept me immersed in the story and a fascinating world-building. There are many twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and a final unexpected surprise that made me wish that the second book was already out and in my hands. Dark, suspenseful, and full of surprises, Silver in the Bone is surely on the list of my favorite books of the year!

Great fantasy read. Loved the writing style from this author. Really hooked me in from the start and needed to know more and more.

The more books I have to read, the more practical I need to be with which books I devote my time to, and I'm sorry but I had to DNF this one.

I've tried 3 times to get into this, and this final time, I gave it proper dedicated time, no interruptions, I went back and re-read the parts I'd already read, but I'm over 12% in and it still hasn't hooked me. I'm not invested in any of the characters, I don't know where the plot is going, or what the world is about, or why things are the way they are, or anything, despite an awful lot of different things being mentioned. Sorceresses, Tarot readings, a library with doorways to different veins that lead to random places, various unpleasant male characters, hollowers, a werewolf, an absent parent figure, artifacts, searches for the artefacts as a means of making a living, but with no explanation of why that exists as a business. All of those things seem like they would make for a gripping fantasy story, but everything's still very disconnected, these things all happen to co-exist in the same book, but I haven't managed to pick up the narrative thread yet.

There are fleeting mentions of Arthur and a couple of famous sites in England that associate themselves with Arthur, but this is by no means an interweaving of Arthurian legend or myth, or even themes, as far as I can tell, the legend is just referred to, and possibly used because retellings are in, and King Arthur is well known, so therefore book sales? That's probably unfair of me, since I'm only an 8th of the way through, but so far Arthur is a token mention rather than an actual part of the story. I don't know, it just feels like a lot, and not very much at the same time so far.

Since I couldn't finish it, I have to give this a one star for now.

So nice to read Alex Bracken again!!
This wasn’t what I was expecting. In a good way! Modern world fantasy but along side the old arthurian world.
Loved the characters a lot. Single POV follows Tamsin who I liked from the start.
I was so nice to be taken by surprise several times reading this book. Normally you can see the plot twists coming but Alex had me surprised a few times! Loved it.
Can’t wait to get the next instalment!!

Thankyou to NetGalley and Hachette Children's Group, Quercus Children's Books for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review!

I want to start off and say that i really do not think i am the target audience! My tastes these days much more towards adult fantasy and this in my oppinion is VERY traditional YA (and that is not a criticism, as it does the YA tropes very well!)

The story did flow very well for me and i did enjoy the magical system, but felt that it was very simplistic (and well explained). I would say its a great starter book for those wanting to branch out into the fantasy drama, but dont know where to start!