The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Hurst

The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Hurst is an innovative fantasy novel set in a world where magic can only be controlled through bones. The Bone Workers are rare, but these adepts can use bones to create moving constructs, foretell the future, and create heroic actions such and great speed and strength.

Genre:  Fantasy

Publisher: Harper

Released:  2021

Stars:  4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

Kreya is one of the five heroes who vanished the evil manipulator of bones, Elkor, but she lost her husband in the final battle. Over the years she has discovered some of the dark magic Elkor used and is able to resurrect her husband but only for brief intervals. After almost getting killed, she shallows her pride and seeks out her old friend and former hero, Zera. Together, in a quest to resurrect her dead husband, they discover Elkor may not be as dead as they thought.

The friends suffer great assaults and survive dangers which would stop a hundred men, but with the use of Zera’s bone magic they survive and try to reassemble their team. However, Elkor has beat them back to the Capital and all but controls the Bone Worker Guild.

This later part of the novel is where the reader leaves the more standard fantasy fair behind and instead follows the heroes while they use intelligence and charisma over violence and strength while the attempt to counter Elkor stranglehold on their home. I enjoyed this part a great deal. I found when Elkor foiled the heroes plots again and again it built up more tension than many battle scenes.

This is a powerful novel of friendship and love. It does take a strong hard left away from mainstream fantasy. If you need elves and dwarfs this might not be for you, but I think almost every fan of fantasy will enjoy the wild journey Kreya goes through. Love, loyalty, emotional scars, and friendship mix to give this one a powerful punch.

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