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The Bonemender #3
The Bonemender's Choice
When Dominic's children are kidnapped by raiding pirates, Gabrielle and Feolan find themselves drawn into their most frightening adventure yet, a sea journey into unknown lands. The adventure takes a deadly turn when the Gray Veil, a plague that slowly chokes its victims, strikes the harbor town where the children have been taken. Gabrielle's healing powers are needed as never before. In the end everything hangs on one choice.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
8 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Holly Bennett
27 books32 followersI was born and grew up in Montreal before moving with my family to Markham, Ontario as part of the “great Anglo exodus,” that strange era when head offices were moving out of Quebec in a panic to avoid having to do anything in French. I finished high school in Ontario and went on to study English and Native Studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. I wasn’t done with Quebec though, going back for two summers in Quebec City to study and work in French.
After graduation I moved with my husband John to Toronto, where I worked as a researcher for a social research company and as school secretary at the Wandering Spirit Survival School, while completing my M.Ed in adult education at OISE.
Eventually we moved back to Peterborough in search of cheap housing, and I worked as a youth employment counsellor and on a number of aboriginal research projects before landing a junior editor job with Today’s Parent magazine. It was an instant, perfect “fit” and I was there for over 25 years, ending up as editor-in-chief of Special Editions. Now I work from home as a freelance writer and editor, including as editor of Education Canada magazine, and work on my fiction whenever I can find the time.
Along the way I’ve raised three boys and have read untold numbers of wonderful books with them. But I’m not sure what flipped the switch and turned me from a person who loves reading stories to a person who loves writing them. In any case, once I got started, I became instantly addicted. Now, if I'm not working on a story, I'm looking for one!
In my “non-writing” spare time I enjoy singing in choirs, gardening, birdwatching, reading in the bathtub, and hanging out at the cottage. I volunteer with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. And I’m a very good Scrabble player.
After graduation I moved with my husband John to Toronto, where I worked as a researcher for a social research company and as school secretary at the Wandering Spirit Survival School, while completing my M.Ed in adult education at OISE.
Eventually we moved back to Peterborough in search of cheap housing, and I worked as a youth employment counsellor and on a number of aboriginal research projects before landing a junior editor job with Today’s Parent magazine. It was an instant, perfect “fit” and I was there for over 25 years, ending up as editor-in-chief of Special Editions. Now I work from home as a freelance writer and editor, including as editor of Education Canada magazine, and work on my fiction whenever I can find the time.
Along the way I’ve raised three boys and have read untold numbers of wonderful books with them. But I’m not sure what flipped the switch and turned me from a person who loves reading stories to a person who loves writing them. In any case, once I got started, I became instantly addicted. Now, if I'm not working on a story, I'm looking for one!
In my “non-writing” spare time I enjoy singing in choirs, gardening, birdwatching, reading in the bathtub, and hanging out at the cottage. I volunteer with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. And I’m a very good Scrabble player.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 21, 2023
Best book of the series. I'll blog about the entire series in my author blog.
Honestly the first two books of the series feels more connected and this one seems like it ups the ante as well as going into more adult themes. Not the sort of fantasy that pushes the limits but follows the pack, I think this series is a good choice for younger female readers who are just starting out in the genre.
Honestly the first two books of the series feels more connected and this one seems like it ups the ante as well as going into more adult themes. Not the sort of fantasy that pushes the limits but follows the pack, I think this series is a good choice for younger female readers who are just starting out in the genre.
December 18, 2017
Great end to a great trilogy. Love the strong characters and the plot line.
June 20, 2020
Bennett paints her world in color. Choice: heal one, other dies. Pirate kidnaps children for slaves. Fatal Gray plague attacks. Foreign dancer and blacksmith connect.
April 27, 2024
I'll admit, when I picked up the first book of this series, I wasn't expecting anything awesome (especially with that cover - eek! (Yes, I'm a horrible human being and judge books by their covers)). I was pleasantly surprised. And now that I've come to the end of this series, I'm really glad that I decided to pick it up.
The characters may not be the most fabulously developed, but by the third book they feel familiar and they feel real. I especially liked how they interacted and worked together in this book: I never doubted that these were characters who knew one another and cared about one another - which is the first mark of a well-written tale in my estimation.
You could argue that the world also lacked development, but I can't say that I really minded while I was reading. Bennett told us what we needed to know and - especially because the books are so slim - it didn't seem necessary to go into very much detail.
The plot of this book was probably my favorite of all three. I love high fantasy, but sometimes I get a little weary of every plot revolving around some kind of war or world-ending scenario (as good as that can be). The focus of this book was a lot more personal and it was more fun to read. That doesn't mean the plot was predictable and dull, however. Sure, some of the twists could be guessed, but it felt fresh. This was probably partially due to Bennett's prose which, while nothing very glamorous, had a simple, appealing feel to it.
Content: a few curses (one sh-t near the end which is harshest language used in the whole series). Madeline is leered at by her captors and one attempts to rape her (he only gets as far as some mildly-described groping). Yolenka has some very sensual dances.
The characters may not be the most fabulously developed, but by the third book they feel familiar and they feel real. I especially liked how they interacted and worked together in this book: I never doubted that these were characters who knew one another and cared about one another - which is the first mark of a well-written tale in my estimation.
You could argue that the world also lacked development, but I can't say that I really minded while I was reading. Bennett told us what we needed to know and - especially because the books are so slim - it didn't seem necessary to go into very much detail.
The plot of this book was probably my favorite of all three. I love high fantasy, but sometimes I get a little weary of every plot revolving around some kind of war or world-ending scenario (as good as that can be). The focus of this book was a lot more personal and it was more fun to read. That doesn't mean the plot was predictable and dull, however. Sure, some of the twists could be guessed, but it felt fresh. This was probably partially due to Bennett's prose which, while nothing very glamorous, had a simple, appealing feel to it.
Content: a few curses (one sh-t near the end which is harshest language used in the whole series). Madeline is leered at by her captors and one attempts to rape her (he only gets as far as some mildly-described groping). Yolenka has some very sensual dances.
January 31, 2015
Biggest complaint: The title of the book comes from a conflict that lasts about a half a page. don't title the book Bonemender's Choice if her choice is so inconsequential. Call it Bonemender's Journey or Bonemender's Challenge or something.
Second biggest complaint: The final pirate scare. I like that Bennett showed the understanding of her characters utilized in this plot-point , but the whole bit with Matthieu was totally unnecessary to the story. It felt like Bennett was trying to squeeze some extra pages that she didn't need out of everything.
Conclusion: I still liked it. I probably won't read it again. If a fourth book were to come out, I'd maybe roll my eyes and be all, "Another one?" but read it anyway. I may read Bennett's non-bonemender book one of these days. If the teaser intrigues me. And I can find a copy in a library somewhere. We'll see.
Second biggest complaint: The final pirate scare. I like that Bennett showed the understanding of her characters utilized in this plot-point , but the whole bit with Matthieu was totally unnecessary to the story. It felt like Bennett was trying to squeeze some extra pages that she didn't need out of everything.
Conclusion: I still liked it. I probably won't read it again. If a fourth book were to come out, I'd maybe roll my eyes and be all, "Another one?" but read it anyway. I may read Bennett's non-bonemender book one of these days. If the teaser intrigues me. And I can find a copy in a library somewhere. We'll see.
June 9, 2016
I certainly enjoyed this third book in the series, which occurs seven years after the end of book 2. In Bonemender's Choice, Dominic's children, Madeleine and Matthiew are kidnapped by pirates. A small group of characters assembles to rescue them and bring them back home. The children are taken to the pirate stronghold where Madeleine becomes ill from a deadly plague sweeping the island. This brings us to Gabrielle's choice, two of those she loves are ill and who does she heal first,knowing that it may mean the death of the other.
I thought that the characters in this third book were interesting and well developed. However, I do wish that there had been more interaction between Gabrielle and Feolan , but regardless of that, I certainly enjoyed the fast paced storyline, which does a good job of wrapping everything up at the end.
Jack Murphy
I thought that the characters in this third book were interesting and well developed. However, I do wish that there had been more interaction between Gabrielle and Feolan , but regardless of that, I certainly enjoyed the fast paced storyline, which does a good job of wrapping everything up at the end.
Jack Murphy
March 30, 2013
Reactions: This is the follow of Bonemender's Oath and seven years have past since then. The style is the same so we're seeing from different points of view the same sort of scenarios or totally different places. We are journeying to knew lands in this book with new horrors and new troubles.
Disease strikes the strange land where Dominic's children are first stolen and then transported. Gabrielle faces a tough challenge when she needs to decide who lives and who dies.
This book keeps your attention to the last page! My belly did flip-flops all throughout.
Disease strikes the strange land where Dominic's children are first stolen and then transported. Gabrielle faces a tough challenge when she needs to decide who lives and who dies.
This book keeps your attention to the last page! My belly did flip-flops all throughout.
August 10, 2016
I'm almost disappointed, because this book seemed to be the end of the series! And it was just as good as the others.
It was a hard one to put down! Though I was a little iffy about the storyline- I would have preferred to have more emphasis on Gabrielle and Feolan than the kids and Derkh- It turned out to still be a wonderful read. All the books read quickly, but they still have the substance, storyline, and characters to prove they're aren't just a light, empty-feeling story.
It was a hard one to put down! Though I was a little iffy about the storyline- I would have preferred to have more emphasis on Gabrielle and Feolan than the kids and Derkh- It turned out to still be a wonderful read. All the books read quickly, but they still have the substance, storyline, and characters to prove they're aren't just a light, empty-feeling story.
February 28, 2013
This book was really adorable. A lot of people don't like these books but I don't see why they wouldn't-the characters are amazing, the plot is believable, and Holly Bennett gives you happy endings for the last in a trilogy instead of going crazy like some authors (Suzanne Collins!!)
February 17, 2009
By this third book in this series, I truly fell head over heels in love with the characters. Because these books are so short, perhaps I didn't have time to do that in the first of the series. I hope Ms. Bennett continues to write stories involving these characters, it would definately be worth the short read for me...
March 26, 2010
The third book in the series. Dominic's children, Madeleine and Matthiew are kidnapped by pirates. A small group assembles to bring them back home. The children are taken to the pirate stronghold where Madeleine becomes ill from a plague that is sweeping the island. Their would be rescuers face a double deadly challenge as they attempt to save the children.
July 10, 2009
We all have had tough choices to make in our lives. The main character is a healer and she comes upon the hardest choice of all to save her dying niece or husband...but she can only do one!!! In this book you will find that once you pick it up you might not be able to put it down.
January 14, 2010
Finding out what happened the elves was very fun! However I thought that there were some adult themes in this book. I would recommend it for mid to late teens, but definitely not for children. A marvelous story made better by the fact that we really care what happens to the characters. . .
October 1, 2017
This book focused on Dominic's side of the family - primarily on his children, as well as Drekh's budding romance. I don't feel that anyone grew or changed, but at the end of the day, you're reading it just for the narrative voice.
April 8, 2010
This was a good ending for the series... though i would like to know about the child
July 27, 2011
Another good one. Just like the rest of the series. I actually think I liked this one a little more than the second.
April 21, 2012
The bonemender has to make the choice to save her young niece or her husband to save from the mysterious plague that is running rampant thru the country. Great
November 18, 2010
3rd book in Bonemender series this book finishes out the series nicely!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews