The Bone Witch by RIn Chupeco (ARC review)

TITLE: The Bone Witch
AUTHOR: Rin Chupeco
RELEASED: March 7th 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire
GENRE: YA Fantasy

“Then perhaps we should carve a world one day where the strength lies in who you are, rather than in what they expect you to be.” 

MY THOUGHTS: The beginning of the book wasn't as great as I expected it to be - it was a bit tedious during the world and character building (too much telling, not enough showing); however, it got exponentially better and more interesting as the plot progressed and things started happening. I ended up loving this book because Tea was such a strong female MC who rose above the adversity she faced, not always with grace, but with solidity.

The female fighters, asha, are freaking amazing! They're a bit catty because women, but are also good in a fight...usually. They train their asses off - the bone witches, especially - to protect the people against evil, scary things called daeva (among other issues). Tea's interaction with most asha in her introduction to Kion and Lady Mykaela's asha-ka leaves something to be desired, but she overcomes it and becomes revered in her community.

I loved the heartsglass theme. Everyone wears their hearts on their sleeves, or, in this case, around their necks. And beware of giving your heart away, as that gives someone else power over you. I thought the idioms made physical things in this novel was kind of clever. 

Tea takes us on a journey that leads the reader to question whether you should turn your back on and let burn the society that has cast you out, whether it's better to go along with the standards of the times - even if they are unjust and immoral - so as to be accepted by others, or do you strike back against the kingdom that has exiled you and take down those in power to make them pay for what's been done to you? Do you strive for better things for your society?

I cannot wait to read the rest of the series as it releases. There were a lot of flashbacks to fill in the storyline as things developed and explain why Tea is raising daeva. This was slightly confusing for the first few chapters, but then begins to make a lot of sense later on. There are so many questions I have still, so I can't wait for book 2 (The Heart Forger - pre-order and add to Goodreads), which releases March 20th, 2018!!! 

GOODREADS * AMAZON

“You can be the most powerful witch in the land, but you will always have a weakness, and that will always make you believe you have no power when someone exploits it. There is no greater strength than the ability to understand and accept your own flaws.”

BLURB: You get two because I can't decide which I like better!!

An Amazon Best Book of the Month!
A Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated Young Adult Book of Spring 2017!

In the captivating start to a new, darkly lyrical fantasy series for readers of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir, Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price...

Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there's anything I've learned from him in the years since, it's that the dead hide truths as well as the living.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha―one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice.

Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco!

The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer.

Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human.

Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves.

"We can endure any amount of sadness for the people we love."

All quotes are taken from an ARC and may not match the final product. Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!