The Bone Houses
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- £5.49
Publisher Description
Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sky in the Deep in this bewitching historical horror novel, perfect for fans of Holly Black and V.E. Schwab. Seventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don't always stay dead. The risen corpses are known as "bone houses," and legend says that they're the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good? Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the deeply-buried truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairy tale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page. An IndieBound bestseller!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With her mother dead and her father missing, Aderyn, 17, has become a gravedigger for the town of Colbren, which borders on a forest where the dead walk at night. When Ellis, 18, arrives in Colbren seeking to map the nearby mountains, Aderyn takes a job as his guide to help repay urgent family debts. Then the dead attack the town, and Aderyn and Ellis head into the forest accompanied by an undead goat in hopes of finding Annwvyn, once home to the legendary Otherking, and thereby ending the threat of the dead at its source "the cauldron of rebirth." Lloyd-Jones (The Hearts We Sold) creates an evocative world of magic and haunted forests rooted in Welsh folklore. Although some plot twists are overtly telegraphed, she skillfully builds tension and plays with the conventions of fairy tales and horror, adeptly leading to a rewarding conclusion. The appealing main characters are notable for their persistence Aderyn through ever-mounting obstacles, and Ellis through his chronic pain. The story serves as a meditation on the complicated relationship between the living and the dead, combining fear, humor and enchantment in equal measure, and alloying them with humor. Ages 12 up.
