Giant fire-breathing lizards? Check. Sharp-tongued raiders with bones on their armor? Double check. The Bone Raiders is chaotic, heartfelt, and full of teeth—literal and emotional—and it kicks off Jackson Ford’s new fantasy series with a bang.

At the heart of this blood-soaked ride is Sayana, a raider scout with a reckless streak and a plan that no one in their right mind should agree to: tame the wild, fire-breathing Araatan beasts to ride them into battle against a growing imperial threat. The odds of being burned alive are high, but so is the potential payoff. Teaming up with Tuya, an animal-whisperer with a mysterious past and zero patience for Sayana’s nonsense, the two form an uneasy alliance as sparks, of several kinds, start to fly.

This is not your typical epic fantasy. The tone is irreverent, the dialogue crackles with sarcastic wit, and the pacing never lets up for long. It’s got a found-family vibe that works beautifully, especially in the quieter moments between the chaos. Sayana and Tuya’s dynamic is a particular highlight: reluctant trust, moral tension, and a slow-burn connection that feels earned rather than forced.


It’s not perfect—some secondary characters could’ve used more development, and the humour occasionally veers a little too close to snark, but the sheer energy and originality carry it through. The final act delivers a fiery payoff and sets the stage for an even more ambitious sequel.

This action packed epic fantasy is absolutely fantastic!! It kept me hooked all the way through, is full of complicated characters and is such a female empowerment book with POVs from three female characters. There is lesbian rep too, but let’s be clear the romance is the smallest bit of the plot. There is no spice. I loved how Ford didn’t take his adventure too seriously in his writing style and had sarcastic banter, lots of sass, but also maturely handled anxiety, personal growth, grief and other subjects. This book was the absolute PERFECT epic fantasy to me and I loved the aatarangs! Princess for the win!

DNF at 30-ish%. I really struggled with the lack of world building which it made it quite difficult to picture anything. “Grass” and “cliff” simply aren’t enough for me to grasp the world that I’m in. I also felt quite disconnected to the characters. However, the humour in this book is on point, but that isn’t enough for me to carry on reading.

This book is definitely for someone but sadly that someone is not me.

Rated 3 stars because I didn’t finish.

The Bone Raiders is a fast-paced, chaotic adventure packed with wild twists and sarcastic humor. Jackson Ford brings his signature voice to a world full of cursed relics and offbeat characters.

While the premise was fun and the action nonstop, it wasn’t quite my cup of tea. The humor felt a bit over-the-top at times, and I struggled to connect with the characters amid the constant chaos. Still, fans of quirky, high-energy stories will likely enjoy the ride.

I always love books with strong female characters. and this book is FULL is badass strong female characters.
So well written and such a fun ride.
Loved it!

Thank you so much for the ARC!

For the first 20% of the book I wasn’t too sure if I would enjoy this story as much as I did. I struggled a little bit with the multiple POVs at the beginning, however as the story progressed I began to enjoy the multiple POVs.

I really enjoyed the Rakada clan and watching the trials that they went through and how they dealt with them. The humor throughout the book really helped me connect to the characters a bit more and made the story seem more “believable”.

The aspect of training a massive fire breathing lizard was also really enjoyable to follow the journey!

4,5 Stars // With The Bone Raiders, Jackson Ford presents the explosive start to a new fantasy saga that is angry, funny, emotional and uncompromising all at the same time. I mean, the very first sentence "You are so fucked." - awakens the feeling that nothing here will be harmless. And this is confirmed in the best possible way.

At the centre are the Rakada - a group of tough women who refuse to give up their nomadic way of life. Instead of bowing to the new Khan, they bet everything on one last, crazy idea: a fire-breathing monster - the Araatan - is to be tamed in order to confront the empire. Chaos, blood and a surprising amount of heart follow.
Ford achieves something special: an all-female main cast that is credible, complex and never stereotypical. Instead of cringe "women written by a man", we meet angry, funny, vulnerable and strong personalities - first and foremost Sayana, a former princess, and Tuya, the animal-whispering outsider. Their cautious relationship remains morally credible and emotionally comprehensible. Secondary characters such as Hogelun and Erhi - a deaf warrior in a relationship - also provide depth and lovely queerness.
The plot is fast-paced, exciting and humorous. Even though the middle section flattens out briefly, Ford soon picks up the pace again - towards a furious finale full of fire, blood and surprising emotions. The Araatan, these fire-breathing beasts, are more than just monsters - they are the symbol, weapon and centrepiece of the story.

Points of criticism? A few minor characters become a little blurred, and some readers might wish for a little more worldbuilding. However, this hardly matters in view of the successful characters, the clever messages and the great mix of action, humour and emotion.

The Bone Raiders is a powerful, clever, captivating fantasy novel with fire, heart and attitude. For anyone who loves character depth, moral grey areas, snappy dialogue and fire-breathing lizards - a must-read. And the next volume can't come soon enough.

This was such a blast to read! Full of chaos, charm, and genuinely brilliant banter. The pacing is relentless in the best way, and the worldbuilding is super fun without ever feeling overwhelming. Jackson Ford nails that perfect balance of humour, action, and heart. Can’t wait to see what comes next in this world.

DNF. From the cover I thought this was going to be hilarious like Kings Of The Wyld or The Devils.

Unfortunately this was full of stilted dialogue and really simplistic prose. If it wasn't for the swearing, I would've thought it was for a much younger audience.

I did like the Deaf representation - it's not something I've seen in many fantasy books!

Rating: 3.5 rounded up.
Thank you Orbit and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The world described in this book, the Tapestry, is harsh, and living in it is not an easy thing. Being a Rakada means being free but this freedom has a cost, such as raiding and killing when necessary. We follow a group of strong women, capable of surviving even the worst situation. By chance, one of them discovers that the giant fire-breathing lizards, Araatan, can be ridden, an idea so crazy that no one had ever tried it before, and from there the story takes off. The characters have all different background but they're all in the same boat after all, and we learn more about them as the story goes on. I appreciate the disability representation (Erhi is deaf, a novelty for me) and queer representation.
If you like wild, harsh worldbuilding and the humor of Jay Kristoff, Jackson Ford's The Bone Raiders is the book for you.

4.5 stars
My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Net Galley for a free DRC of “The Bone Raiders” by Jackson Ford.
An action - packed Epic Fantasy with an amazing group of female characters, a fearsome band known as the Bone Raiders.
Get lost in the wild land known as the Tapestry where the life of nomads and raiders is becoming harsher and more challenging than ever before under the oppressive rule of a new Khan.
Follow the adventures of our main protagonists in this Tapestry and beyond.
Learn to both fear and respect wild animals, building relationships with them and with our cast of characters.
The novel throws the reader straight in the middle of action, charms with its funny dialogue and wins you over with the gradual depth of the character development.
While “The Bone Raiders” is the first in a series, you can still have a great time with it as a standalone. The ending is both satisfying and leaves some potential threads for future installments.
I did wished some resolutions getting a bit more time towards the end, but I really appreciated how the relationships were handled and how much focus was put on consent.
I also need to give credit where credit is due. The cover art is what sold me on this book in the first place, so well done to the artist, Thea Dumitriu.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I enjoyed this! I loved the beast taming elements most of all, but also the found family and how each of the raiders felt very unique and well developed. I think the pacing was good overall but I do wish that the time jump in the epilogue had been explored in the book itself. Looking forward to the next instalment!

DNF @ 30%. Absolutely not for me, sorry. Much, much room for improvement. :) 1.5⭐️

The beginning was rough for me because the narration style is not something I prefer. The tone was very teenage-flavored ironic/edgy/snarky, with (what I consider) a very limited vocabulary, for an adult epic fantasy. It used “… but you know what?” in the narration, unironically. And a lot of parentheses. There’s a lot of swearing though, maybe that’s why this book was labeled as adult fantasy.

Moreover, the characters REPEATEDLY think/talk about concepts such as injustice/freedom/imperialism in this vapid, vague manner and most simplistic language possible. What’s the purpose of repeating it every five pages if it’s the same vague sh*t. Empire = bad. Unplanned city = bad. Palace politics = bad and boring. Disrupting the ecosystem = bad. Raiding = freedom. But we don’t kill unless necessary because we’re not bad people.

My impression, so far as I read it, is that it’s a turn-your-brain-off action fantasy. However, past the initial skirmish things got very repetitive and the pace went sluggish. Maybe it will pick up later, who knows. Two of the POV characters were dumb as bricks and it was not fun reading them interact and converse and make decisions. This book did got a couple of chuckles from me but that’s it.

eARC provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for early access to this arc.

I really wanted to love this book and thought it would be five stars, I loved Bloody Rose because of the comedy and badass fmc’s however this fell a little flat for me. The first 30% was slow despite so much happening and the characters didn’t have as much depth as I would have liked.

Overall, not a bad book and good if you just want something to breeze through if you don’t care about getting attached to characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

AHHHHHH THIS BOOK IS EPIC!!

I adored the raiders and their dynamic, Khun without a doubt being my favourite of them (she’s such a menace I adore her)!!

The way they bonded with the araatan? So cool to follow along with, and that ending? I can’t wait to dive further into this epic series, what an awesome opener!!

(More in depth thoughts to come!!)

The Bone Raiders throws you headfirst into the wild chaos of the Tapestry, a land of bone-collecting female rebel warriors and giant fire-breathing lizards. Sayana, a former princess turned raider scout, is on the verge of losing everything when a near-death encounter with an araatan changes her fate. What follows is a fast-paced, high-stakes story full of grit, heart, and dark humour.

The worldbuilding is broad and immersive, drawing inspiration from nomadic cultures with a fantasy twist. Told through multiple POVs, the plot moves quickly and offers a layered perspective on the world, character dynamics and its conflicts.

I particularly enjoyed the found-family dynamic within the Rakada clan, it adds emotional depth and had me more invested in the characters and the plot as a whole.

It’s brutal, quirky, and full of surprises, but also has softer, more emotional moments that I enjoyed.

While I realised early on this book wasn’t quite the right fit for me, it’s well written, dynamic, and packed with badass women - so there’s still plenty to love!

Huge thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mind blown, this book was a ride and so worth it! This is a top reads for 2025 and needs to be on your shelf and TBR like yesterday

I have a hard time reviewing this book - because where do I start?

In the beginning where you are thrown right into action and a rough & gritty world and we have one of the best characters introductions ever?

Later on when we meet the crew properly - all strong, flawed women with big hearts, trying to protect their sense of self while having to make hard decisions and having to deal with their deeds in order to survive?

At the finale where you get a most chaotic, action-packed showdown and where plot lines get wrapped up - but there's still so much more that I want to read in this world?

Or maybe with firebreathing lizards, beasts from the mountains, with much more to them than meets the eye (even though the eye is already met with a lot)

Oh, or with the deaf rep and the PTSD rep...

....or the sapphic relationships?

Ah I know, I should start with the fact that this male author is writing women as they should be written - complex, strong, with a focus on their inner worlds and not their bodies.

I can't decide - so maybe just read it for yourself. This story is rough, it's fun, it's fast paced, and it swept me off my feet from the very first chapter.

5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @LittleBrownBookGroup_UK for the eARC!

#TheBoneRaiders #Netgalley #Bookstagram

3.5⭐, rounded up because there are great ideas here. Thank you NetGalley & Orbit for the ARC.

This is my first ever Jackson Ford novel. Frankly, I was morbidly curious to see how a white man from South Africa is going to handle a fantasy story led by Asian-coded women. So let's get it out of the way: speaking as a reader who's a queer Asian woman, this was inoffensive. There's no Women Written By A Man syndrome. And now that the bare minimum has been achieved, we can focus on the plot.

In a nutshell, this is How To Train Your Dragon but make it sapphic. The fire-breathing lizards are essentially wingless dragons. You have our main protagonist Sayana attempt to tame a lizard—albeit with the begrudging help of animal whisperer Tuya—in order to ride it. Said lizard was injured due to Sayana's reckless actions in prior chapters. After feeding it, tending to its injuries, and spending time in close proximity, she discovers that the lizard is actually NOT a mindless beast that only operates on pure instinct. There is more intelligence in these creatures that she and everyone else gives them credit for. So, like I said. Very much HTTYD.

Luckily, I love that movie and this plot point only endeared the book more to me after a so-so first half.

With a band of raiders making up of five in total—Sayana, Holegun, Khun, Erhi & leader Chimeg—there was only so much page time you can devote to developing all of them. There was barely just enough backstory and characterisation that sufficed to get me to care whether any of them live or die. It does whet the appetite for more. I appreciate the disability representation, particularly the intersectional one that exists in Erhi, who is Deaf and in a sapphic relationship with Holegun. Additionally, Khun suffers from heavy PTSD—and while the rest of the gang doesn't always understand her ramblings, ultimately there is compassion offered. I would like to know how other Deaf readers respond to Erhi, especially with how her arc pans out in the end. Is it subversive that she is the dominant one in the relationship wherein she talks over Holegun and make decisions for her?

I definitely did not expect a second sapphic relationship brewing in the form of Sayana & Tuya. Forced proximity in the form of trying to tame a creature that could eat you is prime environment for feelings to develop. That said, while I am not necessarily invested in them as a couple, I do really appreciate how their romantic arc concluded because it just made sense. I think it's great that neither compromised on their morals and beliefs just for the other, given how Tuya fundamentally disagrees with Sayana's killings. And because they literally knew each other for all of two weeks, tops.

The humor is so very much MCU-coded at times (iykyk), especially in the first 20%. I'm glad it wasn't as heavy-handed after that point on as that would turn me off. The final act was a chaotic, fast-paced battle, and the ending was a great set up for future adventures that I would be keen to follow. Not bad, Mr Ford.

The Bone Raiders had a really interesting premise and I loved how the characters were so diverse, each one bringing something unique in terms of personality and strengths. The story kicks off right in the thick of the action, which I really appreciated. It grabs your attention straight away. There’s a ton of worldbuilding woven in too, and the setting feels rich, detailed, and clearly well thought out.

The characters themselves are super likeable and it was easy to get invested in their individual journeys. They each felt distinct and I liked how their different strengths came into play across the story. That said, I felt like the worldbuilding, while impressive, sometimes overshadowed the actual plot. The pacing slowed down a lot after the opening and there was a lot of talking and internal reflection, which pulled focus away from the story’s momentum.

I would’ve liked it to maintain the fast-paced energy it started with because that beginning really hooked me. Overall, it had a lot of potential and elements I enjoyed, but I just wish the plot had been given more space to shine alongside the world it was set in.