Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop
I received this book in exchange of an honest review from NetGalley.
Like all great mixtures of fantasy this book took you to a new world and yet it had enough similarities of current time that it didn’t feel too foreign. I’m from Michigan and even I found it difficult to understand which pieces of land they were talking about for a while. Luckily the author includes a map (as all good authors should) and an explanation for days of the week and months. This is a very long book but I felt myself drawn to the characters to see what the end result would be. I can see this being popular for teens and adults, especially those who love dystopian fiction mixed with a little taste of fantasy (were animals, spirit creatures, perhaps ancient deities?).
The detail that was spent creating this novel is evident. The vividness of Lakeside draws you into this small location but it’s the personal connections with the people that make you want to stay and listen. I love that Bishop used humor and wit to explain small details such as the wolves that were thought to be peculiar but to the wolves the humans overlooked everyday logic. Because of some of the vividness of poor human behavior (abuse, prostitutes, death) I wouldn’t suggest this for children.
I give this 4 stars.
