Books & Bone

Tombtown #1

423 pages

English language

Published Dec. 11, 2019 by Witch Key Fiction.

ISBN:
978-1-9161009-0-9
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4 stars (3 reviews)

A Librarians-and-Necromancy Fantasy with Small Town Charm in a City of the Dead

The others believe in blood and bone. Ree believes in books.

She manages the libraries and draws maps for the denizens of her hometown, a secret society of necromancers hiding in a sprawling underground crypt. Though they look down on her for not practicing their craft, Ree has bigger ambitions than raising the dead. She’s going to resurrect therianthropy, the ancient magic of shapeshifting. Or at least — she’ll do it if it really exists. And if she can find the books that prove it.

But Smythe, a chatty historian from the world above, stumbles into the crypt and takes a curse meant for Ree. Now she has to find a way to save him, keep the townsfolk off her back, and convince her necromancer parents that shapeshifting is a viable career path.

Ree is certain that …

2 editions

Gloomy neat

4 stars

I did not had any expectations for this book (except that it was warmly recommended by a dear friend), so I start reading with the only intend to spend time, vaguely thinking "ho, necromancers, we usually don't hear much from those folks". I grew fond of almost all of the characters: Ree, the daughter of a necromancer and healer who wants to belong while forging her way towards something else that her community envision. Smythe, Third Rank Scholar (basically the biggest nerd in the room) who seek power and validation while being an extremely decent human towards their friends. The writing is so good I even grew attached to a mindless minion who does not have a single line of dialog!

I think this book came at the right moment. It's about romance, belonging and struggling to find our place. It's about wanting to help our community while rejecting part …

Review of 'Books & Bone' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Characters are delightful and engaging, with many flaws. The plot is a roller coaster that tears forward from one disaster to the next, with few pauses. I have some quibbles with the way the narrative is structured, but it's a good book.

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