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Witch Hall #1
Daughter of the Bone Forest
Two girls reluctantly bound by fate must weather a dangerous courtship as a prophesied war grows ever closer in Jasmine Skye's high-stakes, queernormative dark fantasy debut, Daughter of the Bone Forest.
Rosy is a bone familiar, gifted with the power to shift into animals marked with exposed bone. She spends most of her days in the magical Bone Forest, caring for her feral grandmother and hiding her powers to avoid conscription by the Witch King’s army. Until the day that Princess Shaw, a witch known as Death’s Heir, visits the Forest. When Rosy saves Shaw’s life, the princess offers her the chance to attend the prestigious school, Witch Hall, as payment. Though Rosy is wary of Shaw’s intentions, she cannot pass up the opportunity to find the cure for her grandmother’s affliction.
But at Witch Hall, Rosy finds herself embroiled in political games she doesn't understand. Shaw wants Rosy for her entourage, a partner to help lead the coming war. All Rosy wants is to stay out of trouble until she can graduate and save her grandmother, but she can't deny her attraction to Shaw or the comfort Shaw’s magic gives her. Will Rosy give in to her destiny, or will the Bone Forest call her home once and for all?
Rosy is a bone familiar, gifted with the power to shift into animals marked with exposed bone. She spends most of her days in the magical Bone Forest, caring for her feral grandmother and hiding her powers to avoid conscription by the Witch King’s army. Until the day that Princess Shaw, a witch known as Death’s Heir, visits the Forest. When Rosy saves Shaw’s life, the princess offers her the chance to attend the prestigious school, Witch Hall, as payment. Though Rosy is wary of Shaw’s intentions, she cannot pass up the opportunity to find the cure for her grandmother’s affliction.
But at Witch Hall, Rosy finds herself embroiled in political games she doesn't understand. Shaw wants Rosy for her entourage, a partner to help lead the coming war. All Rosy wants is to stay out of trouble until she can graduate and save her grandmother, but she can't deny her attraction to Shaw or the comfort Shaw’s magic gives her. Will Rosy give in to her destiny, or will the Bone Forest call her home once and for all?
432 pages, Hardcover
First published February 27, 2024
66 people are currently reading
10943 people want to read
About the author
Jasmine Skye
2 books158 followersJasmine Skye is a queer-romantic, grey-ace, bigender fantasy author who earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Program. S/he especially loves to create magical worlds where LGBTQIA+ heroes persevere through hardships to claim their own happy endings.
Jasmine has a small menagerie of pets and a collection of hobbies including cosplay and figure skating. When s/he’s not writing, Jasmine does STEM outreach work with high schoolers across Texas.
Jasmine has a small menagerie of pets and a collection of hobbies including cosplay and figure skating. When s/he’s not writing, Jasmine does STEM outreach work with high schoolers across Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews
June 22, 2025
Why haven't you picked this up already!?
[this is me, bringing attention to one of my most underrated faves]
A Sapphic Dark Fantasy with an animal-based magic system that challenges the idea of (soul)mates by focusing on compatibility. This is a fast-paced coming of age in the darkest times, with an academic setting as the force catapulting our characters into the people they could be, only if the decide to.
I think this is, up until this point in time, the best example of a high fantasy novel that can be incredibly queer without feeling like it's pandering to the imaginary readers. Imagine a world where everyone is assumed bisexual and any variation of gender expression and expectation is accepted not in a companies-rainbow-washing-July, but with total normalcy instead.
I'm crossing my fingers, hoping this gets a big enough audience to one day find tiktok edits of Rosy x Who's Afraid of Little Old Me and Shaw x The Prophecy
Now to the out of context memes
Rosy
Our biggest enemy for the first month of class
Shantie: If my calculations are correct you have to drink three times you body weight before it even started affecting their magic. And at that amount, some of the ingredients in here can become fatal
Rosy:
The glass familiars' table
Rosy switching from mouse to horse in 2.5 seconds
that one final specter
everyone by the end of chapter 33
[this is me, bringing attention to one of my most underrated faves]
A Sapphic Dark Fantasy with an animal-based magic system that challenges the idea of (soul)mates by focusing on compatibility. This is a fast-paced coming of age in the darkest times, with an academic setting as the force catapulting our characters into the people they could be, only if the decide to.
I think this is, up until this point in time, the best example of a high fantasy novel that can be incredibly queer without feeling like it's pandering to the imaginary readers. Imagine a world where everyone is assumed bisexual and any variation of gender expression and expectation is accepted not in a companies-rainbow-washing-July, but with total normalcy instead.
I'm crossing my fingers, hoping this gets a big enough audience to one day find tiktok edits of Rosy x Who's Afraid of Little Old Me and Shaw x The Prophecy
Now to the out of context memes
Rosy
Our biggest enemy for the first month of class
Shantie: If my calculations are correct you have to drink three times you body weight before it even started affecting their magic. And at that amount, some of the ingredients in here can become fatal
Rosy:
The glass familiars' table
Rosy switching from mouse to horse in 2.5 seconds
that one final specter
everyone by the end of chapter 33
February 29, 2024
This is the first in the Witch Hall series, and what an amazing start it was. Witches and Familiars attend school together to learn how best to use their abilities and find their match. Jasmine Skye did an amazing job world and charater building. Greatly anticipating book 2!
May 8, 2024
3.5⭐️
COMO VA A TERMINAR ASI ME VOY A MATAR
COMO VA A TERMINAR ASI ME VOY A MATAR
March 8, 2026
In that moment, Shaw knew she would fight an army alone, if it meant that she could keep Rosamund Holt at her side for the rest of their lives. She would do anything to keep that fragile trust alive.
REREAD 2026. 4.5 stars. I remember being really impressed by this when I first read it, and though the intervening years have perhaps brought it down a little lower in my favourites ranking, it was still wonderful. Super creative sapphic YA fantasy, with the kind of romantic subplot that taps directly into themes I love. Every year I enjoy YA less and less, so I wasn't surprised to find myself now clicking with the characters as much this time around. It's to be expected. But I still really enjoyed it, and I'm really curious to see where everything with the war goes. It seems to be set up in a way where we won't get a typical HEA for the couple, but I'm willing to dream. Very excited to finish the duology soon!
--
Because Shaw looked at me the way a predator looked at potential prey. Like she was trying to decide if I would be worth the effort to hunt.
4.5 stars. I'm almost mad that I read this so soon after it came out, because now I have to wait for more than a year for the second book in the series. T__T I read the synopsis and I thought I would like this, but I didn't expect to like it THIS much? And now I'm chomping at the bit for more. This is a sapphic YA fantasy with witches and familiars, shapeshifters, magical school setting, enemies to lovers vibes, but it's kinda one-sided because one of the girls falls first and she falls HARD. And I kinda ate it up. I definitely had my ups and downs with it, and it took a while for me to really settle into the world, but I ended up really falling in love with the magic, the world-building, the characters and their dynamics.
Rosy is the main character and the main POV, and she's a little bit hard to like, but I ended up really loving her, and she's just the kind of protagonist that this book needs. She's staunchly anti-war, because of the way the army has treated her grandmother. As a bone familiar, she's hiding the fact that she's a wolf shifter (one of the most dangerous and sought after shifters) from almost everyone, so she can avoid recruitment. She's also talented in that she has a dozen or more unique shifts. When Princess Shaw visits tier forest, Rosy ends up saving her life, and securing herself a position to study at Witch Hall, which she reluctantly takes so she can help her grandmother. Some parts of this reminded me very favourably of The Locked Tomb, but only in that the witch/familiar bond reminds me a lot of the necromancer/ cavalier bond, and I LOOOOOVED that. I loved the politics and courtship of it all, how Shaw had never been tempted by any other familiar, and how she thinks she's just using Rosy, trying to figure out her secrets, but it all becomes way deeper than that for her, very soon. I love magic systems where two people have to link or bond to fight together, where there needs to be loyalty and compatibility for things to work. It's very complicated for these wo, especially since Rosy is fighting her attraction tooth and nail, but the moments where she gives in, even a miniscule amount, make me feral. (Ahaha.) And I do love that there actually wasn't much compromise from her, and when it came, it came naturally and slowly, not at the same pace as Shaw. Rosy stuck to her guns, even in moments where she shouldn't have. That might not have worked for me, and there was one big moment where it was really frustrating, but this IS a YA book, and she IS 16, and I can get why she made that decision.
The romance is very slow burn, which meant that I loved it, of course. Every little moment, every little step forward, was immaculate. There were several moments that we glossed over, or didn't get as much detail as I'd have wanted, like some of their first 'dates' and stuff. That was a bit of a disappointment. It ended up feeling like enough in hindsight, but I just loved their dynamic so much, I wanted more of it. The ending especially was really good, and really cemented how much I love them together. I'm rooting for them so hard. T_T Fantasy politics aren't my favourite, even less so when it's at a school with a bunch of teens, but I did get REALLY invested in all of the side characters and the intricacies of their friendships and relationships. There were a couple side ships that I really fell in love with. I loved the casual queerness of the entire world. And in a society where everyone is expected to find a witch/ familiar bond, I'm glad we started getting a look at witches who fall for other witches, familiars in love with familiars, etc. I expect it'll come into play even more in the next book, and I'm really excited about it. We ended with some pretty big stuff, and it looks like the kind of book that will pick up exactly where we left off, and I'm excited about that.
A little spoiler cut just to ramble more about things I liked.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Lindsay Dorcus, and it was amazing. Parker had the bulk of the narration, because she did Rosy's POV, and her voice was fantastic as always. And I loved Dorcus as much as I always do. I don't always like when we get first person POV for one character, and third person for another, because it can read sorta clunkily? But I had no problems with it where. This was a REALLY great first book, and I can't wait for what's coming next.
Content warnings:
“I won’t be their weapon, but I will be yours.”
“I never wanted a weapon,” Shaw murmured. “I wanted a partner.”
December 2, 2024
This is outside of my preferred genre but I still really enjoyed it. With the way it ended I hope the wait for the sequel isn’t too much longer.
The romance isn’t my favorite since it’s almost a fated kind of romance. Honestly, the romance is very light / almost nonexistent here.Rosy spends most of the book fighting her feelings and as such, she and Shaw don’t spend a whole lot of time together. Aside from the witch/familiar aspect, it was a little hard for me to buy into a relationship where they literally have to pledge their life to the other, basically? But I’m really hoping we get more on that front in the sequel. I did like Shaw and it seems as though the next book will be her pov and I’m looking forward to that.
I don’t feel qualified to speak on the magic and other stuff like that since this is out of my wheelhouse. I was simply here for the ride.
The romance isn’t my favorite since it’s almost a fated kind of romance. Honestly, the romance is very light / almost nonexistent here.Rosy spends most of the book fighting her feelings and as such, she and Shaw don’t spend a whole lot of time together. Aside from the witch/familiar aspect, it was a little hard for me to buy into a relationship where they literally have to pledge their life to the other, basically? But I’m really hoping we get more on that front in the sequel. I did like Shaw and it seems as though the next book will be her pov and I’m looking forward to that.
I don’t feel qualified to speak on the magic and other stuff like that since this is out of my wheelhouse. I was simply here for the ride.
Read
August 5, 2023Ahhh! Okay! What! Ahhhh! Wait!
March 29, 2026
I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up, but I LOVED it!! Sapphic dark academia fantasy novel with interesting world-building, politics, and a queer-norm world, plus writing that sucked me in and kept me engaged throughout. It's a truly fantastic debut. I missed this when it came out a couple of years ago so I'm really glad the publisher send me a copy and I decided to try it out. Book 2 just came out and I need to get my hands on it!
Rosy is a powerful bone familiar who has been hiding what she is in order to take care of her family and avoid being conscripted in the Witch Kings army or being forced to attend the school Witch Hall. When she saves the life of a princess and reveals one of her less powerful forms, the princess pays her way to Witch Hall in thanks. Pretending to be new to these powers, Rosy attends the school and upends the social order by refusing to accept unjust and classist behavior. She intrigues the princess and is drawn into a web of politics, conspiracies, and powerful alliances just as war is on the horizon. Both a slow-burn sapphic romance with loads of tension and a fresh take on political fantasy and a magic school, this left me on a cliff-hanger and I am going to get book 2 for sure. This was such an unexpected hit!
Rosy is a powerful bone familiar who has been hiding what she is in order to take care of her family and avoid being conscripted in the Witch Kings army or being forced to attend the school Witch Hall. When she saves the life of a princess and reveals one of her less powerful forms, the princess pays her way to Witch Hall in thanks. Pretending to be new to these powers, Rosy attends the school and upends the social order by refusing to accept unjust and classist behavior. She intrigues the princess and is drawn into a web of politics, conspiracies, and powerful alliances just as war is on the horizon. Both a slow-burn sapphic romance with loads of tension and a fresh take on political fantasy and a magic school, this left me on a cliff-hanger and I am going to get book 2 for sure. This was such an unexpected hit!
February 10, 2024
I’d like to start this review off by thanking NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC. I received it in exchange for an honest review.
Now that that’s out of the way, this will probably be a short review. I DNF’d this book at 47%.
From the beginning, it never really grabbed me. I liked the magic well enough but I just didn’t care much for the characters. I liked that this society is queer normative . There was no homophobia and that was amazing. It didn’t matter the gender of a person’s partner. Just their social status.
The main character has a cousin of color (weird way to describe her but I’m not sure I can call her Black or any other brown race. She has dark skin, somewhat curly hair. So yeah, cousin of color).
I liked the way the society was built. That the Queen or King’s familiar would also be a King or Queen. It was an interesting twist on the way a King or Queen’s partner is usually seen. Sure they get a title but all the power tends to only be with one of them, not both.
The writing was competent enough. It wasn’t awful but nothing pulled me in. I was a bit bored, even with something interesting was happening. I tried changing the time of day I read, reading in small bursts to leave myself wanting more. Nothing really helped.
But the biggest reason I DNF’d is because of the romance. It’s supposed to be a sweet fake dating situation. I saw other reviews calling it a sweet romance.
No.
Here’s the thing. Shaw, the princess gets Rosamunde, the familiar she’s interested in, to agree to a FAKE courtship. That’s important. Fake.
Shaw then decides to go back on it. Thinking to herself that she wanted Rosamunde “entranced enough by it [her society and station in it] that she wouldn’t realize the courtship was real until it was too late.”
Direct quote.
That’s disgusting to me. This girl agreed to fake date. And yes, I know fake dating leads to real emotions. I’ve read my fare share of fake dating romances. It’s one thing when they both agree to a fake relationship and start falling for each other as time goes on.
It’s another thing entirely when the rules are set, a fake relationship, and one of them decides to manipulate the other into a position that they can’t get out of.
Shaw knows that Rosamunde does NOT want to be in a relationship with her. She’s doing this fake relationship out of necessity. It isn’t something she wants. And Shaw is aware of that. The girl literally told her to her face. Shaw even has a girl who can see the future in some capacity, still not sure how, who tells her that Rosamunde isn’t into her.
And tells Shaw that she’s only interested in her because the girl tells her no. And Shaw calls it “playing hard to get”.
This would be disgusting if adults did it. It would be disgusting if it was a heterosexual couple or any flavor of queer couple.
When I read this is made me squirm. A relationship that starts on disrespecting someone’s boundaries “this is a fake relationship” cannot be one that is healthy in the end.
So that’s why I DNF’d this book. If I had to give it a review, I’d give it a 2 for solid writing ability and that’s all.
Now that that’s out of the way, this will probably be a short review. I DNF’d this book at 47%.
From the beginning, it never really grabbed me. I liked the magic well enough but I just didn’t care much for the characters. I liked that this society is queer normative . There was no homophobia and that was amazing. It didn’t matter the gender of a person’s partner. Just their social status.
The main character has a cousin of color (weird way to describe her but I’m not sure I can call her Black or any other brown race. She has dark skin, somewhat curly hair. So yeah, cousin of color).
I liked the way the society was built. That the Queen or King’s familiar would also be a King or Queen. It was an interesting twist on the way a King or Queen’s partner is usually seen. Sure they get a title but all the power tends to only be with one of them, not both.
The writing was competent enough. It wasn’t awful but nothing pulled me in. I was a bit bored, even with something interesting was happening. I tried changing the time of day I read, reading in small bursts to leave myself wanting more. Nothing really helped.
But the biggest reason I DNF’d is because of the romance. It’s supposed to be a sweet fake dating situation. I saw other reviews calling it a sweet romance.
No.
Here’s the thing. Shaw, the princess gets Rosamunde, the familiar she’s interested in, to agree to a FAKE courtship. That’s important. Fake.
Shaw then decides to go back on it. Thinking to herself that she wanted Rosamunde “entranced enough by it [her society and station in it] that she wouldn’t realize the courtship was real until it was too late.”
Direct quote.
That’s disgusting to me. This girl agreed to fake date. And yes, I know fake dating leads to real emotions. I’ve read my fare share of fake dating romances. It’s one thing when they both agree to a fake relationship and start falling for each other as time goes on.
It’s another thing entirely when the rules are set, a fake relationship, and one of them decides to manipulate the other into a position that they can’t get out of.
Shaw knows that Rosamunde does NOT want to be in a relationship with her. She’s doing this fake relationship out of necessity. It isn’t something she wants. And Shaw is aware of that. The girl literally told her to her face. Shaw even has a girl who can see the future in some capacity, still not sure how, who tells her that Rosamunde isn’t into her.
And tells Shaw that she’s only interested in her because the girl tells her no. And Shaw calls it “playing hard to get”.
This would be disgusting if adults did it. It would be disgusting if it was a heterosexual couple or any flavor of queer couple.
When I read this is made me squirm. A relationship that starts on disrespecting someone’s boundaries “this is a fake relationship” cannot be one that is healthy in the end.
So that’s why I DNF’d this book. If I had to give it a review, I’d give it a 2 for solid writing ability and that’s all.
February 28, 2024
Thank you to Macmillain Audio and Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!
This was such a fresh trip down a familiar memory lane, and I loved every second of it! It felt like you were right back in the midst of a magical boarding school, but the whole world was so unique that every second was new and exciting. I loved the depth that the worldbuilding goes into and the ways that the familiars are woven into it to make such a vivid picture of everything. Combine that with all the intrigue and secrets that grip you from the start, and I didn't want to put the book down!
I really admire Rosy and her strength, which she finds in herself in so many different ways. This truly is a story of her discovering herself along with her world and learning to love who she is, and I really connected with her on that level. Her romance is so sweet and there was never a moment where it felt like she was giving up a part of herself for it, and I really appreciated that.
I cannot wait to see where this series goes, I know that it's going to be spectacular!
This was such a fresh trip down a familiar memory lane, and I loved every second of it! It felt like you were right back in the midst of a magical boarding school, but the whole world was so unique that every second was new and exciting. I loved the depth that the worldbuilding goes into and the ways that the familiars are woven into it to make such a vivid picture of everything. Combine that with all the intrigue and secrets that grip you from the start, and I didn't want to put the book down!
I really admire Rosy and her strength, which she finds in herself in so many different ways. This truly is a story of her discovering herself along with her world and learning to love who she is, and I really connected with her on that level. Her romance is so sweet and there was never a moment where it felt like she was giving up a part of herself for it, and I really appreciated that.
I cannot wait to see where this series goes, I know that it's going to be spectacular!
April 12, 2026
RTC 🦴
April 26, 2026
Loved It, 4.5 Stars
I had a fantastic time with this book. Daughter of the Bone Forest takes some of the classic themes and tropes of YA fantasy and dresses them up in a new way. I thought this was compelling, interesting, and at the same time comforting and familiar.
In this, we follow Rosamund, a bone familiar, who is able to shift into bone animals, with her preferred and first form being the bone wolf, a massive wolf with exposed bone. Rosy's grandparents had served the former Witch Queen and fought in her army. Her Pops died, and her Gran went feral and is banished to the Bone Forest. She is very distrusting of the monarchy and as a result, Rosy is very much anti-war and hides her powers the best she can in order to avoid notice by the army. One day, Princess Shaw, a bone witch, and the daughter of the current Witch King and heir to kingdom, visits Rosy's small town, and Rosy ends up saving her life. In return, Shaw funds Rosy's tuition to the prestigious Witch Hall where familiars and witches train their powers and prepare for the prophesied coming war. Rosy wants nothing to do with war, but Shaw was born into it and needs a familiar at her side to lead with her. She sets her sights on Rosy.
I really loved the Witch / Familiar dynamic in this book and the layers that added. If a witch and a familiar bond, their magics are both deepened and strengthened. I thought that the courtship rituals were interesting, and I hope to see more of them in the next book. I also really enjoyed the magic system in this book and the way that the witches and familiar interacted. We have glass witches and familiars who seem to tend toward rune magic and desert dwelling animals and snakes, ice witches and familiars who tend toward prophecies and birds, flower witches and familiars who tend toward healing and water-dwelling creatures, and bone witches and familiars who tend towards necromancy and forest (?) animals. This is a queernorm world, and while we get many different pairings, it seems that the unusual relationships occurs in familiar/familiar or witch/witch romantic pairings rather than pairings based on sexual preference or gender identity.
Overall, the overarching plot is a very familiar one in which our unassuming Rosy enters the school and immediately becomes one of the most talked about people due to her powerful shifts (the two that she shared with the school out of necessity), the princesses interest in her, and her total lack of willingness to participate in the politicking and clique-yness of the school. She befriends an outcast, stands up to bullies, and starts to find a place with the princess and her group. She is unexplicably captivating to the princess who falls hard and fast, but she herself doesn't want to admit that she also is intrigued by the princess. So the plot beats are rather tried and true, but I greatly enjoyed the world building around it and I was invested in the characters even though they could definitely be better developed.
I thought that the setup for the coming war was a bit darker than I typically see in YA, but it was setup well. There is a lot more death than I would expect in a story like this, and I am so interested to see where it goes. I feel like there are a lot of loose threads, and I'm curious to see how they get tied up in just one more book. I am a bit nervous just because I am hopeful that it can break out the tropey-ness but I am a bit worried it might fall prey to some of that. I will just have to read the next one to find out!
Overall, I think this was an excellent start to a YA duology, and I am very much looking forward to book 2!
I had a fantastic time with this book. Daughter of the Bone Forest takes some of the classic themes and tropes of YA fantasy and dresses them up in a new way. I thought this was compelling, interesting, and at the same time comforting and familiar.
In this, we follow Rosamund, a bone familiar, who is able to shift into bone animals, with her preferred and first form being the bone wolf, a massive wolf with exposed bone. Rosy's grandparents had served the former Witch Queen and fought in her army. Her Pops died, and her Gran went feral and is banished to the Bone Forest. She is very distrusting of the monarchy and as a result, Rosy is very much anti-war and hides her powers the best she can in order to avoid notice by the army. One day, Princess Shaw, a bone witch, and the daughter of the current Witch King and heir to kingdom, visits Rosy's small town, and Rosy ends up saving her life. In return, Shaw funds Rosy's tuition to the prestigious Witch Hall where familiars and witches train their powers and prepare for the prophesied coming war. Rosy wants nothing to do with war, but Shaw was born into it and needs a familiar at her side to lead with her. She sets her sights on Rosy.
I really loved the Witch / Familiar dynamic in this book and the layers that added. If a witch and a familiar bond, their magics are both deepened and strengthened. I thought that the courtship rituals were interesting, and I hope to see more of them in the next book. I also really enjoyed the magic system in this book and the way that the witches and familiar interacted. We have glass witches and familiars who seem to tend toward rune magic and desert dwelling animals and snakes, ice witches and familiars who tend toward prophecies and birds, flower witches and familiars who tend toward healing and water-dwelling creatures, and bone witches and familiars who tend towards necromancy and forest (?) animals. This is a queernorm world, and while we get many different pairings, it seems that the unusual relationships occurs in familiar/familiar or witch/witch romantic pairings rather than pairings based on sexual preference or gender identity.
Overall, the overarching plot is a very familiar one in which our unassuming Rosy enters the school and immediately becomes one of the most talked about people due to her powerful shifts (the two that she shared with the school out of necessity), the princesses interest in her, and her total lack of willingness to participate in the politicking and clique-yness of the school. She befriends an outcast, stands up to bullies, and starts to find a place with the princess and her group. She is unexplicably captivating to the princess who falls hard and fast, but she herself doesn't want to admit that she also is intrigued by the princess. So the plot beats are rather tried and true, but I greatly enjoyed the world building around it and I was invested in the characters even though they could definitely be better developed.
I thought that the setup for the coming war was a bit darker than I typically see in YA, but it was setup well. There is a lot more death than I would expect in a story like this, and I am so interested to see where it goes. I feel like there are a lot of loose threads, and I'm curious to see how they get tied up in just one more book. I am a bit nervous just because I am hopeful that it can break out the tropey-ness but I am a bit worried it might fall prey to some of that. I will just have to read the next one to find out!
Overall, I think this was an excellent start to a YA duology, and I am very much looking forward to book 2!
December 7, 2024
we love an inventive magic system in a queernormative world. more of this please!!
February 11, 2026
The worst thing about this book is that it ended like that and I have to wait for the next one to come out.
I get why people got Grishaverse vibes from this, and it had a hint of a scholomance vibe to me personally, but was also entirely it's own thing. Rosy is such a good protagonist - I think this story could have easily dragged, but she's like the one player character in a ttrpg who the DM adores because they always, always keep things moving, even if they aren't always making the best possible choices. If Rosy goes more than 48 hours without doing something rash, she'll probably explode, and it worked so well.
I wasn't sure what I thought of the magic system, at first, but Skye's willingness to point out the flaws in this world's conventions surrounding witches and familiars really won me over. That was how I felt about a lot of plot points - the magic, the society, war as a concept, it was all handled with more complexity and nuance than I expected. Everything about this book was compelling, even with occasional moments of prose clunkiness (did we need to switch between 1st and 3rd pov like that?). It's going to be one of my favorite reads of the year, guaranteed.
I get why people got Grishaverse vibes from this, and it had a hint of a scholomance vibe to me personally, but was also entirely it's own thing. Rosy is such a good protagonist - I think this story could have easily dragged, but she's like the one player character in a ttrpg who the DM adores because they always, always keep things moving, even if they aren't always making the best possible choices. If Rosy goes more than 48 hours without doing something rash, she'll probably explode, and it worked so well.
I wasn't sure what I thought of the magic system, at first, but Skye's willingness to point out the flaws in this world's conventions surrounding witches and familiars really won me over. That was how I felt about a lot of plot points - the magic, the society, war as a concept, it was all handled with more complexity and nuance than I expected. Everything about this book was compelling, even with occasional moments of prose clunkiness (did we need to switch between 1st and 3rd pov like that?). It's going to be one of my favorite reads of the year, guaranteed.
December 10, 2025
This is Jasmine Skye's debut. And what a masterpiece it is. This has one of the most unique magic rules/fantasy world/world building that I've seen since I read Shadow and Bone for the first time. The family dynamics actually exist instead of killing off parents for a tragic backstory.
As far as the main romance goes (and I consider this a regular YA fantasy and not a romantasy), I still agree with my previous review: "it would appear that Jasmine Skye went to the Leigh Bardugo Six of Crows school of slowburn romances."
Also I can't believe I have to wait til February for the sequel/conclusion of the duology
As far as the main romance goes (and I consider this a regular YA fantasy and not a romantasy), I still agree with my previous review: "it would appear that Jasmine Skye went to the Leigh Bardugo Six of Crows school of slowburn romances."
Also I can't believe I have to wait til February for the sequel/conclusion of the duology
February 4, 2024
5 solid stars.
The biggest problem being a reviewer for NetGalley, is receiving an AudioARC like this one! It's SOOOOOO good, but you know throughout the listening to it, that it is going to end suddenly and the next book will be at least a year in coming - hopefully with answers rather than more complex questions!! That said, I wouldn't have missed this one for the world, and will be eagerly anticipating the next volume in the series.
I chose this book from the synopsis alone, knowing nothing beforehand of the author. Honestly, it gives me "Grisha Verse" vibes, and hope that this series will reap just as much success as Leigh Bardugo's. However, what's even better about this particular magical, somewhat-dark academia style story, is its wonderful inclusivity. There are characters from the full range of gender possibilities. Further, there is representation from a vast range of partnership preferences (including Ace, which is so refreshing in a YA series). I adore that zero drama/fuss is raised whatsoever for which gender or sexual preference any character identifies with. Further, space is made for all and acceptance is normalized. I am also very fond of the set-up of witch-familiar bondings, magical types, and storytelling style. I absolutely thrive on this flavour of world-building. The ease with which it was done astounds me in a debut novel.
Honestly, it has been a very long time since I wanted to stay up all night long, for not wanting to stop listening to a compelling tale. Though, unlike many of the YA books that I find ridiculous in their unrelenting frantic pace, this book allows the listener to rest into the deepening of the characters' development, and slow-burn love stories, intermingled with various uproarious action. I am not sure how many books this series plans for, but it is obvious throughout that this story couldn't be contained in a single tome.
Basically, I LOVED this book, and can't wait until the next one in this series comes out (which is unfortunate, given that this one won't even be released for sale for another month)!!! I just hope that the publisher doesn't force the author to draw it out for commercial reasons ... which would ruin the fantastic pacing.
The only thing that I really don't like about this audiobook, is the cover. I don't think that it matches the vibe of the book, at all. Even though there IS that saying, as an artist, I probably choose books based on their covers at least 85% of the time!
The audiobook is very well read by the narrator.
Huge Gratitude to the publisher, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley, for an AudioARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.
The biggest problem being a reviewer for NetGalley, is receiving an AudioARC like this one! It's SOOOOOO good, but you know throughout the listening to it, that it is going to end suddenly and the next book will be at least a year in coming - hopefully with answers rather than more complex questions!! That said, I wouldn't have missed this one for the world, and will be eagerly anticipating the next volume in the series.
I chose this book from the synopsis alone, knowing nothing beforehand of the author. Honestly, it gives me "Grisha Verse" vibes, and hope that this series will reap just as much success as Leigh Bardugo's. However, what's even better about this particular magical, somewhat-dark academia style story, is its wonderful inclusivity. There are characters from the full range of gender possibilities. Further, there is representation from a vast range of partnership preferences (including Ace, which is so refreshing in a YA series). I adore that zero drama/fuss is raised whatsoever for which gender or sexual preference any character identifies with. Further, space is made for all and acceptance is normalized. I am also very fond of the set-up of witch-familiar bondings, magical types, and storytelling style. I absolutely thrive on this flavour of world-building. The ease with which it was done astounds me in a debut novel.
Honestly, it has been a very long time since I wanted to stay up all night long, for not wanting to stop listening to a compelling tale. Though, unlike many of the YA books that I find ridiculous in their unrelenting frantic pace, this book allows the listener to rest into the deepening of the characters' development, and slow-burn love stories, intermingled with various uproarious action. I am not sure how many books this series plans for, but it is obvious throughout that this story couldn't be contained in a single tome.
Basically, I LOVED this book, and can't wait until the next one in this series comes out (which is unfortunate, given that this one won't even be released for sale for another month)!!! I just hope that the publisher doesn't force the author to draw it out for commercial reasons ... which would ruin the fantastic pacing.
The only thing that I really don't like about this audiobook, is the cover. I don't think that it matches the vibe of the book, at all. Even though there IS that saying, as an artist, I probably choose books based on their covers at least 85% of the time!
The audiobook is very well read by the narrator.
Huge Gratitude to the publisher, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley, for an AudioARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.
April 9, 2024
This was so engaging. The magic system was super interesting, the way the community is built up with how things work and how they find their place is so interesting. Love the sapphic aspect and how gender and love worked out in this. Def reading book two!
March 22, 2024
4.5/5
This is a world where magic and destiny intertwine as witches and shifting-magic familiars seek companionship to build their power. There are numerous schools of magic and each has a witch and a familiar. It is a very unique magic system and I was enamored from the start.
Rosy is a bone familiar and has the ability to shift into animals marked with exposed bone. Unlike most familiars, she has numerous forms instead of just a few - including a wolf, prized for its fighting capabilities. She lives with her family on a bone horse ranch near the magical Bone Forest, where her wolf-familiar grandmother is held captive. Rosy cares for her feral grandmother while hiding her powers to avoid conscription by the Witch King's army. However, when Princess Shaw unceremoniously enters her life, Rosy's world is forever changed. Saving Shaw's life leads Rosy to an unexpected opportunity: attending the prestigious Witch Hall to find a cure for her grandmother's affliction.
As Rosy navigates the halls of Witch Hall, she becomes embroiled in school and otherwise politics. She is something of an outcast and immediately befriends the only scholarship student there. Shaw, with her own hidden agenda, seeks to court Rosy when all she wants is to be left to her learning.
Skye weaves a rich tapestry of magic and academia, with a queernormative world that adds depth and diversity to the story. The dynamic between Rosy and Shaw is beautifully portrayed, filled with tension, longing, and denial. The two characters are incredibly charming and so different. I loved the occasional missteps due to their different backgrounds and the corrections they made to build a stronger relationship. Even if ONE of them is in denial. The secondary characters are incredible and I adored them. The author was able to give me soft moments and then rip my entire heart out the next. It takes talent to make readers feel these intense emotions.
The ONLY complaint I have is that pacifism seemed like such a big part of Rosy's character and it just turned out to be a plot device to create tension. I hope that Rosy is allowed to lean into this aspect in the upcoming conflict. Violence isn't always the answer and I hope that she gets to explore that.
Skye sets the stage for an epic continuation, as war looms on the horizon and unresolved secrets that promise to make things even more complex. In "Daughter of the Bone Forest," Skye delivers a spellbinding tale that will enchant fans of fantasy and sapphic romance alike.
Thanks to netgalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends. This review is based on a complimentary pre-released copy and it is voluntary.
This is a world where magic and destiny intertwine as witches and shifting-magic familiars seek companionship to build their power. There are numerous schools of magic and each has a witch and a familiar. It is a very unique magic system and I was enamored from the start.
Rosy is a bone familiar and has the ability to shift into animals marked with exposed bone. Unlike most familiars, she has numerous forms instead of just a few - including a wolf, prized for its fighting capabilities. She lives with her family on a bone horse ranch near the magical Bone Forest, where her wolf-familiar grandmother is held captive. Rosy cares for her feral grandmother while hiding her powers to avoid conscription by the Witch King's army. However, when Princess Shaw unceremoniously enters her life, Rosy's world is forever changed. Saving Shaw's life leads Rosy to an unexpected opportunity: attending the prestigious Witch Hall to find a cure for her grandmother's affliction.
As Rosy navigates the halls of Witch Hall, she becomes embroiled in school and otherwise politics. She is something of an outcast and immediately befriends the only scholarship student there. Shaw, with her own hidden agenda, seeks to court Rosy when all she wants is to be left to her learning.
Skye weaves a rich tapestry of magic and academia, with a queernormative world that adds depth and diversity to the story. The dynamic between Rosy and Shaw is beautifully portrayed, filled with tension, longing, and denial. The two characters are incredibly charming and so different. I loved the occasional missteps due to their different backgrounds and the corrections they made to build a stronger relationship. Even if ONE of them is in denial. The secondary characters are incredible and I adored them. The author was able to give me soft moments and then rip my entire heart out the next. It takes talent to make readers feel these intense emotions.
The ONLY complaint I have is that pacifism seemed like such a big part of Rosy's character and it just turned out to be a plot device to create tension. I hope that Rosy is allowed to lean into this aspect in the upcoming conflict. Violence isn't always the answer and I hope that she gets to explore that.
Skye sets the stage for an epic continuation, as war looms on the horizon and unresolved secrets that promise to make things even more complex. In "Daughter of the Bone Forest," Skye delivers a spellbinding tale that will enchant fans of fantasy and sapphic romance alike.
Thanks to netgalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends. This review is based on a complimentary pre-released copy and it is voluntary.
June 4, 2024
This book had it all for me. A main character that I loved, a great story and lots of intrigue. I have always been a YA fan and this book is an excellent example of why.
I highly recommend.
I highly recommend.
April 30, 2026
I was kinda scared that this wouldn’t hold up on the reread but I loved it just as much as I did the first time 😩 fcking diabolical that I can’t immediately start reading the second book because I have lectures tomorrow and need to act like a responsible adult and not stay up past midnight
January 22, 2024
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Daughter of the Bone Forest is a stunning debut. This queer normative bone and transformation magic story is my latest obsession. Let's just begin the emotional roller coaster of my love. Firstly, I loved how the forest is almost like it's own sentient character. The secrets, motivations, and darkness it hides. From the beginning, Rosy only agrees to go to the school to find a cure for her grandmother and to never be dragged into the war which ended in her grandmother's feral state and her grandfather's death. But we all know how intentions end.
What ends up ensuing in Daughter of the Bone Forest is a story about coming into our own power. About the ways royalty and nobility might use our powers as fodder, but also the very real people, friends, and loved ones who are lost in the crossfire. This dual POV story is about what we will do with our power. How much we will witness without saying a word.
Daughter of the Bone Forest is a stunning debut. This queer normative bone and transformation magic story is my latest obsession. Let's just begin the emotional roller coaster of my love. Firstly, I loved how the forest is almost like it's own sentient character. The secrets, motivations, and darkness it hides. From the beginning, Rosy only agrees to go to the school to find a cure for her grandmother and to never be dragged into the war which ended in her grandmother's feral state and her grandfather's death. But we all know how intentions end.
What ends up ensuing in Daughter of the Bone Forest is a story about coming into our own power. About the ways royalty and nobility might use our powers as fodder, but also the very real people, friends, and loved ones who are lost in the crossfire. This dual POV story is about what we will do with our power. How much we will witness without saying a word.
December 29, 2023
OMFG!!! This book is what every LGBTQ+ YA Fantasy reader is looking for!! This series follows the two main characters who identify as women, Rosy and Shaw. A child of a simple horse rancher and a princess bound by fate to save their country. Rosy is a powerful and gifted bone familiar. Rosy spends most her days tending to the horses and spending time with her exiled grandma in the Bone Forest. This peaceful routine and life is interrupted by a visit to their town by none other than Princess Shaw. The Princess’s visit was anything less than eventful and Rosy was forced to save her life. As Rosy’s reward Shaw offered Rosy free tuition to the Witch Hall. The Witch Hall is the most prestigious school in the Cursed Kingdom , it is where the upper class Witches and Familiars attend to train and ultimately prepare for service to their country. Within Witch Hall, Rosy faced political games and a fake courtship with Death’s Heir. Rosy is faced with the impending change of who she once was and who she is becoming and what that means for her future and ultimately her destiny.
This book was slow to start but was 10/10. The tropes were so well written and I felt that the yearning for each other was done perfectly. This books has:
-LGBTQ+ representation
-forced proximity
-fated bonded pair
-fake relationship
-secrets/betrayal
-political maneuverings
-SUPER unique magic system
-prophecies
The normalization of LGBTQ+ that Skye created in this world was utter perfection. It flowed perfectly. There were characters who were they/them and the conversation about pronouns was so effortless. I struggle to find the right representation in fantasy that doesn’t feel like forced diversity. This is up there with The Hollow Star Saga. The only downside of this book is that is it sort of ends in a cliffhanger which I hate. But I will 100% be reading the next book!!
I want to thank MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group- Fiewel & Friends and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was slow to start but was 10/10. The tropes were so well written and I felt that the yearning for each other was done perfectly. This books has:
-LGBTQ+ representation
-forced proximity
-fated bonded pair
-fake relationship
-secrets/betrayal
-political maneuverings
-SUPER unique magic system
-prophecies
The normalization of LGBTQ+ that Skye created in this world was utter perfection. It flowed perfectly. There were characters who were they/them and the conversation about pronouns was so effortless. I struggle to find the right representation in fantasy that doesn’t feel like forced diversity. This is up there with The Hollow Star Saga. The only downside of this book is that is it sort of ends in a cliffhanger which I hate. But I will 100% be reading the next book!!
I want to thank MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group- Fiewel & Friends and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 22, 2023
I read this ARC via Netgalley Shelf.
Rosy lives in the Bone Forest, where she can transform into the creatures who live there. Her family was exiled after her grandmother, in a state of grief over the death of her mate, attacked a member of the royal family. Rosy has refused to go to Witch Hall with her cousin, but a surprise visit from the princess, Shaw, to the forest leads to Rosy being outed. Once at the school, she shows no interest in fitting in, to the chagrin of her cousin, but finds herself courted by the princess, who is a witch. Rosy has no interest in being bonded, which would make her a warrior in an army fighting a war she doesn't care about. And she definitely doesn't want to show her wolf form, which would signal to everyone her power. But Shaw's interest goes beyond looking for a warrior to command, and Rosy finds herself being charmed.
I really enjoyed the opening scenes of Rosy's bone familiar magic, so it was a bit of a hard shift for me when Rosy went off to school. Minor details about the school situation felt oddly modern in comparison to the medieval fantasy vibe I'd gotten from the forest scenes, but I was quickly drawn in to the relationships between Rosy and Oluk, another outcast student, and Shaw, as well as the others. There were the usual school story tropes of bullying in the form of an entitled familiar Charles who thought the princess should court him and the bullying of scholarship students. Rosy and Shaw's relationship rode the border between enemies to lovers nicely, and Rosy's hard personality made it realistic that she might not admit even to herself how she felt about Shaw. As I drew close to the end I knew this would be a series, and one that I'd be interested in continuing.
Rosy lives in the Bone Forest, where she can transform into the creatures who live there. Her family was exiled after her grandmother, in a state of grief over the death of her mate, attacked a member of the royal family. Rosy has refused to go to Witch Hall with her cousin, but a surprise visit from the princess, Shaw, to the forest leads to Rosy being outed. Once at the school, she shows no interest in fitting in, to the chagrin of her cousin, but finds herself courted by the princess, who is a witch. Rosy has no interest in being bonded, which would make her a warrior in an army fighting a war she doesn't care about. And she definitely doesn't want to show her wolf form, which would signal to everyone her power. But Shaw's interest goes beyond looking for a warrior to command, and Rosy finds herself being charmed.
I really enjoyed the opening scenes of Rosy's bone familiar magic, so it was a bit of a hard shift for me when Rosy went off to school. Minor details about the school situation felt oddly modern in comparison to the medieval fantasy vibe I'd gotten from the forest scenes, but I was quickly drawn in to the relationships between Rosy and Oluk, another outcast student, and Shaw, as well as the others. There were the usual school story tropes of bullying in the form of an entitled familiar Charles who thought the princess should court him and the bullying of scholarship students. Rosy and Shaw's relationship rode the border between enemies to lovers nicely, and Rosy's hard personality made it realistic that she might not admit even to herself how she felt about Shaw. As I drew close to the end I knew this would be a series, and one that I'd be interested in continuing.
May 1, 2024
4.5 stars
When I say I am dying for book two... I literally might not make it. This was such a wonderful story, and the writing was beautiful, but the magic system and the sapphic enemies to lovers are what kept me invested.
When I say I am dying for book two... I literally might not make it. This was such a wonderful story, and the writing was beautiful, but the magic system and the sapphic enemies to lovers are what kept me invested.
April 12, 2024
A testament to why fantasy fiction is my favourite genre. This was incredible and I loved every single aspect of the book, from the writing to the magic system and politics to the characters. Also, it was extremely queer and diverse, and the representation was excellently done (shoutout to my aroace queen Madam Bai!) The (sapphic<3) romance was so good, and even though it was a central part of the storyline I felt that the story was very much plot-focused which I enjoyed. Plus, any story with a shapeshifter main character and a magical school is bound to be a favourite.
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full rtc but WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'TO BE CONTINUED' i need the next book now😭😭😭
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full rtc but WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'TO BE CONTINUED' i need the next book now😭😭😭
December 1, 2024
this book was so proudly queer and i loved it
August 18, 2024
Full RTC
March 13, 2024
Okay. So. I have a lot of thoughts. Most of them being that this book was fine. Nothing was like a major issue, but there were like a bunch of little things that bothered me.
1. Rosy's aversion to war made sense at first. Her grandfather was used and discarded by the Kingdom and then her Grandmother was punished for what seems to be a very natural reaction (familiars going feral when their bonded partner dies). But Rosy keeps acting like the kingdom just wants to go out and conquer land when at least by all appearances they are being attacked and need to defend themselves. Like, you choosing to not help defend your people when you have the ability to isn't going to stop the war from coming to you? I'm pretty anti-war but it felt like a weird take.
2. The kingdom has ALOT of politics regarding class systems, wealth, family bloodlines, etc but gender and sexuality isn't one of them. I love a world where homophobia doesn't exist, but it didn't feel like anything was solved/worked through, it felt like any problems that might arise were ignored. The princess is a powerful bone witch, from the bloodline of an extremely powerful bone witch. Where is her heir going to come from when she bonds with Rosy? Whether it's magic that helps them produce a baby together, or a donor is used, it felt like a weird omission when the King wrote to Shaw critiquing her courting choice.
3. In the same vein, no one was worried at all about the only potential heir dying in battle? There is no backup plan and this is crazy to me.
4. The use of the word terrorist so often just felt odd to me. This is a personal thing I think, but it's used so often with racist connotations in the real world, that it felt jarring to hear it in fantasy.
5. The prejudices against Shaw felt less like actual problems and more like a way to manufacture a slow burn relationship. Rosy's gran hated Shaw because a prophesy about her leading a war, but loved her grandmother the queen she fought under? And Rosy just inherited that prejudice and was a bitch to Shaw because of it? Like hate the King, sure, but Shaw has nothing to do with anything.
6. It was also a weird dissonance where, in a book where gender/sexual politics weren't an issue, we spent a very long time in Rosy's inner monologue reviewing the importance of not misgendering someone. Either it's a lesson we need to learn, or it's not a problem that occurs in this world. We can't both acknowledge and ignore it.
7. This book leans heavy into classism / wealth inequality but doesn't actually do anything to address it. The classism seems to exist solely so that Rosy can not care about status, because she's not like the other girls. Shaw tells Rosy she wants to offer scholarships to ALL witches/familiars that can't afford it when she's queen. Like that's great in theory but where is this money going to come from? What's the plan? It gives ethical billionaire vibes, and she's doing nothing to stop the bullying of less fortunate students at witch hall now. You're just suddenly going to do it when you're queen?
8. The ending where
1. Rosy's aversion to war made sense at first. Her grandfather was used and discarded by the Kingdom and then her Grandmother was punished for what seems to be a very natural reaction (familiars going feral when their bonded partner dies). But Rosy keeps acting like the kingdom just wants to go out and conquer land when at least by all appearances they are being attacked and need to defend themselves. Like, you choosing to not help defend your people when you have the ability to isn't going to stop the war from coming to you? I'm pretty anti-war but it felt like a weird take.
2. The kingdom has ALOT of politics regarding class systems, wealth, family bloodlines, etc but gender and sexuality isn't one of them. I love a world where homophobia doesn't exist, but it didn't feel like anything was solved/worked through, it felt like any problems that might arise were ignored. The princess is a powerful bone witch, from the bloodline of an extremely powerful bone witch. Where is her heir going to come from when she bonds with Rosy? Whether it's magic that helps them produce a baby together, or a donor is used, it felt like a weird omission when the King wrote to Shaw critiquing her courting choice.
3. In the same vein, no one was worried at all about the only potential heir dying in battle? There is no backup plan and this is crazy to me.
4. The use of the word terrorist so often just felt odd to me. This is a personal thing I think, but it's used so often with racist connotations in the real world, that it felt jarring to hear it in fantasy.
5. The prejudices against Shaw felt less like actual problems and more like a way to manufacture a slow burn relationship. Rosy's gran hated Shaw because a prophesy about her leading a war, but loved her grandmother the queen she fought under? And Rosy just inherited that prejudice and was a bitch to Shaw because of it? Like hate the King, sure, but Shaw has nothing to do with anything.
6. It was also a weird dissonance where, in a book where gender/sexual politics weren't an issue, we spent a very long time in Rosy's inner monologue reviewing the importance of not misgendering someone. Either it's a lesson we need to learn, or it's not a problem that occurs in this world. We can't both acknowledge and ignore it.
7. This book leans heavy into classism / wealth inequality but doesn't actually do anything to address it. The classism seems to exist solely so that Rosy can not care about status, because she's not like the other girls. Shaw tells Rosy she wants to offer scholarships to ALL witches/familiars that can't afford it when she's queen. Like that's great in theory but where is this money going to come from? What's the plan? It gives ethical billionaire vibes, and she's doing nothing to stop the bullying of less fortunate students at witch hall now. You're just suddenly going to do it when you're queen?
8. The ending where
December 16, 2023
This is my debut. It took 4 years & 7 major revisions to get to this point and while I know that in another 4 years I'll look back and see all the places it could improve, I'm still enormously proud of it.
This is a non-heteronormative secondary world and thus I decided against using modern words for sexuality and nonbinary genders. But for those who want to know the specifics, as I often do, in this book you will find depictions of:
- One main and several side sapphic (f/f) relationships
- One prominent and several less prominent achillean (m/m) relationships
- One prominent nonbinary character who uses they/them pronouns and other enby characters referenced
- Several aro- and ace-spectrum characters
- One explicitly ftm trans character and another explicitly bigender character
- And a slew of cisgender people and m/f relationships—in this world, no fuss is made about gender or sexuality whatsoever
This is not a patriarchal world. You will find women and nonbinary folks in positions of power alongside the men.
There is also racial and ethnic diversity in my kingdom and the surrounding nations involving Scandanavian (Viking-descent), Native American (Chinook), Chinese (Han), and British (English) peoples. I worked with sensitivity and authenticity readers and tried my best to respect that, even if racism does not exist with the same prevalence in my secondary world, I still want to be aware of the difficulties faced by the real-world cultures I drew inspiration from for these characters.
This is a book that deals with war and the consequences of it. If you are in need of content/trigger warnings, you can find a list on my website here. Despite these warnings, I would like to emphasize that I always write happy endings and hopeful narratives.
And finally, for those who are looking for a list of ao3-style tags to see if you'd be interested in reading my debut:
Sapphic Romance, Princess x Peasant, Semi Dual POV, Magic School, Witches, Human Familiars who can shapeshift into animals, Magical Bonds, Courtship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Necromancy, Bone Wolves, Horse Girls, Ride-or-Die Friend Group, Cousins who act like sisters, Feral Grandma, Fairytale references, Political Fantasy, Military Fantasy, Prophecies, War Games, Autumnal Setting, Halloween/Samhain Ritual
Thank you to everyone who will pick my debut up, regardless of whether you love it or ultimately decide it wasn't for you. Your support in Witch Hall is very much appreciated.
This is a non-heteronormative secondary world and thus I decided against using modern words for sexuality and nonbinary genders. But for those who want to know the specifics, as I often do, in this book you will find depictions of:
- One main and several side sapphic (f/f) relationships
- One prominent and several less prominent achillean (m/m) relationships
- One prominent nonbinary character who uses they/them pronouns and other enby characters referenced
- Several aro- and ace-spectrum characters
- One explicitly ftm trans character and another explicitly bigender character
- And a slew of cisgender people and m/f relationships—in this world, no fuss is made about gender or sexuality whatsoever
This is not a patriarchal world. You will find women and nonbinary folks in positions of power alongside the men.
There is also racial and ethnic diversity in my kingdom and the surrounding nations involving Scandanavian (Viking-descent), Native American (Chinook), Chinese (Han), and British (English) peoples. I worked with sensitivity and authenticity readers and tried my best to respect that, even if racism does not exist with the same prevalence in my secondary world, I still want to be aware of the difficulties faced by the real-world cultures I drew inspiration from for these characters.
This is a book that deals with war and the consequences of it. If you are in need of content/trigger warnings, you can find a list on my website here. Despite these warnings, I would like to emphasize that I always write happy endings and hopeful narratives.
And finally, for those who are looking for a list of ao3-style tags to see if you'd be interested in reading my debut:
Sapphic Romance, Princess x Peasant, Semi Dual POV, Magic School, Witches, Human Familiars who can shapeshift into animals, Magical Bonds, Courtship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Necromancy, Bone Wolves, Horse Girls, Ride-or-Die Friend Group, Cousins who act like sisters, Feral Grandma, Fairytale references, Political Fantasy, Military Fantasy, Prophecies, War Games, Autumnal Setting, Halloween/Samhain Ritual
Thank you to everyone who will pick my debut up, regardless of whether you love it or ultimately decide it wasn't for you. Your support in Witch Hall is very much appreciated.
February 18, 2026
I want to start by saying I am shocked I haven’t seen any of the book boxes pick this title up. Because this book is FANTASTIC, and has a lot of diversity along with a queer normative storyline. Srsly, I LOVED it and it deserves all the SEs.
I was hooked early in, and ended up binge listening to “Daughter of the Bone Forest” by Jasmine Skye, narrated by Lindsey Dorcus and Jeremy Carlisle Parker. First, props to the narrators - they did an outstanding job. I will absolutely listen to both of them again in the future.
The book begins with world and relationship building for Rosy, her family, and the bone forest that they live near. It is obvious Rosy and her family has a lot of love and loyalty for each other, but that there is also resentment and anger by members towards government/leaders. A surprise visit by the nation’s Princess and her entourage leads to some secrets being leaked and Rosy leaving home for Witch Hall, a magical academy for witches and familiars. Rosy enters as a nontraditional student, but the knowledge and skills she possesses is beyond all expectations. As Rosy and Shaw (the Princess) develop a complicated relationship, the school begins to see some changes and other relationships ships blossom while others fail.
Fast forward to the cliffhanger ending though and whoa! The stakes were always high but now they are so much higher, and people may need to make some major decisions to save themselves, their loved ones, and their country (and magic) in the next book. Truths will come out, lies discovered, and I feel like the entire country, along with Shaw and Rosy, are going to see some major changes.
There are a lot of things I love about this book so just to list a few: dual POV, queer normative storytelling (!!!), family-love-and-loyalty, witches and familiars/shifters, fake courtship, elemental, necromancy, magic, politicking, and more! It’s also book one of a duology, and I love knowing I will get more of Rosy, Shaw, and their worlds!
I strongly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys YA. Also I recommend this book specifically for fans of Nicki Pau Preto’s “Bonesmith”.
Thank you 🙏🏻 for the @macmillan.audio, @mcmillanusa, @jasmineinthrskye and @netgalley for this FABULOUS ARC audio.
I was hooked early in, and ended up binge listening to “Daughter of the Bone Forest” by Jasmine Skye, narrated by Lindsey Dorcus and Jeremy Carlisle Parker. First, props to the narrators - they did an outstanding job. I will absolutely listen to both of them again in the future.
The book begins with world and relationship building for Rosy, her family, and the bone forest that they live near. It is obvious Rosy and her family has a lot of love and loyalty for each other, but that there is also resentment and anger by members towards government/leaders. A surprise visit by the nation’s Princess and her entourage leads to some secrets being leaked and Rosy leaving home for Witch Hall, a magical academy for witches and familiars. Rosy enters as a nontraditional student, but the knowledge and skills she possesses is beyond all expectations. As Rosy and Shaw (the Princess) develop a complicated relationship, the school begins to see some changes and other relationships ships blossom while others fail.
Fast forward to the cliffhanger ending though and whoa! The stakes were always high but now they are so much higher, and people may need to make some major decisions to save themselves, their loved ones, and their country (and magic) in the next book. Truths will come out, lies discovered, and I feel like the entire country, along with Shaw and Rosy, are going to see some major changes.
There are a lot of things I love about this book so just to list a few: dual POV, queer normative storytelling (!!!), family-love-and-loyalty, witches and familiars/shifters, fake courtship, elemental, necromancy, magic, politicking, and more! It’s also book one of a duology, and I love knowing I will get more of Rosy, Shaw, and their worlds!
I strongly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys YA. Also I recommend this book specifically for fans of Nicki Pau Preto’s “Bonesmith”.
Thank you 🙏🏻 for the @macmillan.audio, @mcmillanusa, @jasmineinthrskye and @netgalley for this FABULOUS ARC audio.
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January 13, 2026
4⭐️
📖Read:
May 2, 2024 - May 3, 2024
📝Review:
Rosy and Shaw are literally so cute! I loved getting to know them. 🌀✨
Rosy and Shaw represent contrasting types of cultural expectations. They did this well, being highly fascinating, well-rounded characters that held their differing values close to their hearts. But somehow, despite all odds, they were able to come together, crashing and burning at times, but also fueling each other’s flames, proving that they’re stronger together. ❤️🔥 They influenced each other in the best of ways, learning how to better themselves and being empathetic for the best in the unfortunate, brutal fates that were laid out for them before they even existed.
I’m very enticed to read the sequel when it releases. The world-building and character development in this story was highly intriguing, and I’m curious to see how the plot fleshes out since we were left with a major plot shift.
📖Read:
May 2, 2024 - May 3, 2024
📝Review:
Rosy and Shaw are literally so cute! I loved getting to know them. 🌀✨
Rosy and Shaw represent contrasting types of cultural expectations. They did this well, being highly fascinating, well-rounded characters that held their differing values close to their hearts. But somehow, despite all odds, they were able to come together, crashing and burning at times, but also fueling each other’s flames, proving that they’re stronger together. ❤️🔥 They influenced each other in the best of ways, learning how to better themselves and being empathetic for the best in the unfortunate, brutal fates that were laid out for them before they even existed.
I’m very enticed to read the sequel when it releases. The world-building and character development in this story was highly intriguing, and I’m curious to see how the plot fleshes out since we were left with a major plot shift.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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