The Bone Houses

[A quick note: I love it when a book features an animal that is more like a character, and gives that animal its own personality and unique traits. I almost always become more attached to the animal character than the actual characters. LOL! This was the case with The Bone Houses. It features a cute goat.]

When the walking dead emerge from the forest, Ryn isn’t afraid to chop them into pieces and burn their bodies. After all, she’s a gravedigger. She isn’t unfamiliar with dead bodies. But soon, the dead outnumber her and threaten her family and livelihood. With the help of a mapmaker named Ellis, she must venture through a zombie forest to a castle once occupied by fae to break the curse of the undead.

An axe-wielding MC, a quest to save her village, and zombies are the backbone that make The Bone Houses a fun standalone story. There’s action, romance, and the cutest zombie goat. Ryn is no stranger to responsibility. She’s been caring for her siblings ever since her parents died. She feels obligated to break the curse of the bone houses. But when the time comes, she discoverers that her understanding is flawed. Not all bone houses are aggressive killers. In fact, some are long lost loved ones. Breaking the curse is no longer a simple thing.

This was an easy, enjoyable read. I loved its atmospheric qualities with zombies, making it a perfect autumn read. But there were some things that fell flat for me, including the romance. The ending felt a bit anti-climactic after the build up. The plot twist was a bit predictable. And because this was more plot-driven instead of character driven, there wasn’t a ton of character growth, which makes the story overall less memorable for me. But I enjoyed it as a simpler read, and it did have a unique plot. I think it would have benefited from a bit more internal character depth.

One of the main themes throughout was loss. Accepting loss of loved ones. Making the choice to let loved ones go, even when the option exists to allow them to linger on in a half-dead form. Ryn and Ellis must make the decision to break the curse, knowing that many people who care for bone-house-loved-ones will lose their loved ones for good.

My favorite aspect was the zombie goat. I thought it had tons of personality. It’s loyalty had me smiling so often every time it saved the day. And I even got teared up when the Goat was finally freed from its curse and laid to rest. It was the only character I cried over that made me feel something.

𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝟑.𝟓/𝟓⭐️