Book Review: The Bone Houses

For the spooky month of October, I decided to read and review a spooky book. Now, this is a case of “judge the book by the cover.” When I saw the cover, I knew I needed it. The intricate details creating a skull is phenomenal.

This Welsh, fairytale-style horror story was a wild ride. We’ve got Aderyn “Ryn” who is a grave digger in a small town called Colbren. She lives with her brother and sister following the disappearance of her father and death of her mother. Colbren is near a magically enchanted forest that no one dares to enter, though Ryn flirts with the edges, scavenging for food. The magic causes the dead to rise at night, called bone houses. Determined to map the forest, and the nearby mountains said to hold an ancient castle once occupied by a Fae King, mapmaker Ellis ventures through and ends up getting lost. Before a bone house can get rid of him, Ryn comes in and saves the day. The two then try to understand the curse of the bone houses and try to stop them before Colbren is taken over.

I enjoyed this book a lot. While it wasn’t full blown horror, I liked the spooky aspects and a few of the creepy things sprinkled in. The main obstacle, being the bone houses, was a constant threat hanging over them and their behavior reminded me of zombies, but scarier as most of them were only skin and bones. The environmental descriptors are beautiful, showing lush settings that come to life. Between the town of Colbren, the magical forest, and the mountains that lay beyond, everything felt alive.

I related to Ryn a lot as we’re both older sisters and would do anything to keep our siblings safe. Also, I’ve never seen a YA protagonist be a grave digger before (or a mapmaker) so it was a nice, fresh occupation to see. And the animal sidekick, the Goat who has no name, was a delight. And the final, big reveal had a good lead up, sprinkling hints throughout so it was satisfying to see the conclusion. However, one of the small reveals didn’t have as big of reaction from the characters as I hoped. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but it was a big part for a character and they acted like it was a mundane thing despite the circumstances. And, the book felt a bit short. There were parts that I craved more and wanted more detail, but this is a small criticism. 

Still, I give The Bone Houses 4.5/5 cauldrons. A great read for October if you’re in the mood for something spooky.

Get the book here.