The Bone Witch: Volume 1

Rin Chupeco

Mar 2017 · The Bone Witch Book 1 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

"A high-fantasy Memoirs of a Geisha, Chupeco's latest excels in originality" —Kirkus Reviews

A story of scorned witches, sinister curses, and resurrection, The Bone Witch is the start of a dark fantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Serpent & Dove and The Cruel Prince.

Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price...

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox, from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha—one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice.

Riveting and atmospheric, The Bone Witch is perfect for readers looking for

• witch novels for adults and teens
• stories with diverse representation and multicultural influences
• dark fantasy YA books and series
• original worldbuilding and captivating writing

Praise for The Bone Witch:

"A fantasy lover's fantasy" —Foreword Reviews

"Mesmerizing. Chupeco (The Suffering) does a magnificent job of balancing an intimate narrative perspective with sweeping worldbuilding, crafting her tale within a multicultural melting pot of influences as she presses toward a powerful cliffhanger."—Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

"Chupeco delights us with a fascinating world and a rich atmosphere for a story that is exceptionally written from beginning to end."—Buzzfeed

"Readers who enjoy immersing themselves in detail will revel in Chupeco's finely wrought tale. Game of Thrones fans may see shades of Daenerys Targaryen in Tea, as she gathers a daeva army to unleash upon the world. Whether she is in the right remains a question unanswered, but the ending makes it clear her story is only beginning." —Booklist

The Bone Witch Trilogy:

The Bone Witch (Book 1)

The Heart Forger (Book 2)

The Shadowglass (Book 3)

Ratings and reviews

The Bone Witch is a fantasy about a world where witches called asha are trained to be refined women, and the society is threatened by a league of dark ones called the Faceless that seek to control the demons called daeva and wreak havoc. Tea is a Dark asha, a bone witch in less-than-nice terms, who can raise creatures and people from the dead, and whose duty it is to periodically kill the seven daeva so as to protect the general populace. The book begins with her on a distant beach, getting interviewed by an as of yet unnamed Bard and from this flows the story of her life until that point. The prose style is much like a biography, told in retrospect, and lush with details about her life as a novitiate, an apprentice asha and then when she finally defeats her first enemy. But coming back to the present (the one with the bard) we also learn that she defected from her sister-witches and is now seeking vengeance. The slow developing of the story gets us from her coming into her powers to that moment where she is in exile, but not quite - there is still a gap from the last moment of the past (in this book) to the present, which I suppose will come in future books. The world of The Bone Witch is created splendidly with details - a continent of 8 kingdoms, each with distinct cultures, most of which resemble Asian cultures, but still have a diverse array of characters of color. The author goes onto describe clothes, customs, food, appearances - all of which show an eye for detail, but also to show the readers that it is a vastly dreamed world. However, this extreme level of elaboration also means that we get a lot of information into what they are wearing and eating on a nearly daily basis, which often makes the plot drag. The pace suffers because we are lost learning about their foods, and their customs, and I feel a better balance between the two could have struck. I loved the level of detail but wished it didn't make this book feel like it took eons to read. The magic of the world is, I feel, an excellently based one, but I don't see what it has got to do with training the asha in a manner similar to geishas - particularly because the abilities to draw runes (reminded me so much of onmyoudou, that one) is not limited to women. Even men can have powers in this world, but they are relegated to being soldiers. In the form of Likh, this notion is being challenged but it remains to see where this notion of patriarchy will be taken in future books. As for the romance, I was constantly on the look out for who was going to be the love interest, but the author delivers a nice surprise at the end. I was delighted, and very interested in how he came to be the one she loved, but that mystery is not solved in this book. Overall, it is a well-constructed book but I wish it were better edited to balance out the meticulous details with progression in the plot. 3.5 stars for this book, and high hopes for the sequel.

It’s taken me a while to get through this book, but now that I’m done, I find that it’s occupying all of my thoughts. I’ve been thinking of Tea, Fox, the daeva, the rest of the Asha, the Willows and the asha-ka so often, it’s only slightly discerning. Basically, The Bone Witch is a deep, gorgeous fantasy filled with exquisite power, dark creatures and a characters that will stay with you long after they’re gone. “The perhaps we should carve a world one day where the strength lies in who you are, rather than in what they expect you to be.” Tea Pakhlavi used to be nobody. Until the day she raised her brother from the dead, on the day of his own funeral. In the kingdom of Odalia, Bone Witches are ones to avoid. They can raise the dead and compel the living and are the only witches that can control the daeva, creatures made out of nightmares that want nothing but death and destruction. Tea is taken away from her home, and her country to live with other Asha – the most powerful of witches. As a Dark Asha with immense power, Tea is quickly introduced to a world of scheming, darkness and power that is hidden under a mark of beauty, grace and perfection. And the world will never be the same for it. “This is my new family. This is my new identity. I will be the bone witch the kingdom fears, and I will make them pay.” One of the things I loved the MOST about the book WAY the story was told – the first with Tea where she began as an Asha Novice, and to where she is now, an exiled bone witch with immeasurable power in the Bay Of Skulls, plotting her revenge against everyone that wronged her. It was such an intense feeling, seeing her begin as someone who didn’t know what she was capable of to a force to be reckoned with and IT MADE ME LOVE HER ALL THE MORE. While this book was the start of her path, I CANNOT WAIT for Rin Chupeco to fill in the blanks. Another thing I loved was the ATTENTION TO DETAIL. Whether it was politics, secondary characters, the plot or the magic, this book HAD IT ALL. There were so many characters and places and kingdoms that overwhelmed me at first but WOW did it all come together and make me fall in love. One of the things I DISLIKED was the slow pace of the beginning, and it took FOREVER (about 30%) of the book for me to even feel like I was enjoying it. However, the only thing that REALLY bothered me was the relationship between Prince Kance and Tea. It felt like SUCH A CLICHÉ PLOT POINT AND I WANTED TO ROLL MY EYES. Apart from a few interactions, we SUDDENLY hear that OH DAMN “Stay away from the Prince” and “You’re a danger to him.” And I a) WAS NOT FEELING IT and b) could not FATHOM the romance between then and c) WAS NOT FEELING IT. Will I be reading the sequel? HELL YES. Will I be hoping to see more Dark Magic? UHM YES. A deeply woven, must-read fantasy book for all lovers of the genre (and an anti-hero.) 4 stars.

This book absolutely took my breath away. I loved the author's style, although intially it was difficult to get through. The portrayal of the main character is also very interesting. 10/10 recommend.

About the author

Despite uncanny resemblances to Japanese revenants, Rin Chupeco has always maintained their sense of humor. Raised in Manila, Philippines, they keep four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. They’ve been a technical writer and a travel blogger but now make things up for a living. They are the author of The Girl from the Well, The Suffering, The Bone Witch trilogy, and the A Hundred Names for Magic trilogy. Connect with Rin at rinchupeco.com.