The Bone Door

by Frances White

How far will you go to open The Bone Door?

When Hop awakens in an ancient labyrinth, he has no memory of his life or how, indeed, he got here.

He does not recognise the mysterious girl trapped with him.

And he certainly cannot identify the shadowy figure stalking him, whispering terrible things . . .

But there is one thing he is certain of.

He must escape.

The only way out of the labyrinth is through The Bone Door. But it lies behind a series of locked doors hidden across an array of realms.

As Hop travels deeper into the maze, he discovers that he and his companions may be more connected to the place and its horrors than he could ever imagine.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Adult, Science Fiction, Queer, Science Fiction Fantasy

528 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 7, 2026

About the author

Frances White is the award winning and internationally bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned, a magical queer murder mystery at sea.

She has a soft spot for writing unlikely, flawed, messy heroes and loves mixing humour and heartbreak.

Frances is passionate about bringing more LGBTQIA+ representation and fat positivity into fantasy.

When not writing, she can be found sewing costumes for conventions or researching obscure historical facts.

She has two cats, Apollo and Hermes, who she dutifully serves.

Reviews

[Mika (semi-hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come

[Frances White]

It's a common belief amongst authors that your second published book is the most difficult. That certainly held true for me. The Bone Door is the hardest book I’ve ever written. Maybe the hardest book I ever WILL write, though I do not put it past me to make my life more difficult, so perhaps not.

Like navigating a labyrinth, this story is not an easy adventure – it is one that demands something of readers, which, in these perilous times, is asking a lot.

The Bone Door is a story about trauma, friendship and hope enduring. At its centre is Hop—a boy who personifies all three of these things.

Hop is thrust into a hellish situation, an unsettling labyrinth where he must complete impossible tasks to survive. He is plagued by haunting shadows, and flickers of terrible memories. But despite all this, he constantly seeks the good. He befriends everyone without judgement (sometimes a poor choice!) and finds the light in even the darkest situations. Most of all he is kind, and I believe that to be a remarkable thing, whether you’re trapped in a labyrinth, or just scrolling social feeds. If even one reader takes that message away from The Bone Door, it will have been worth writing.

So yes, this may be the hardest book I’ve ever written, but if Hop’s and my journey has taught me anything, it is that sometimes the hardest things can be the most rewarding.

I really hope you enjoy The Bone Door, and thank you everyone who has taken a chance on it. It's a story that is very close to my heart, and I'm excited so share it with the world.

Please find an updated list of content warnings on my website.

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally published on Before We Go Blog

4.25 stars

I did not need to know anything about The Bone Door for it to become one of my most anticipated releases of the year, because after loving Voyage of the Damned so much, I just trusted Frances White blindly. Although maybe that was a bit reckless considering how much she made my heart ache with that book, because she wrecked me all over again here. This fantasy horror psychological mystery thriller blend is kind of giving Gideon the Ninth meets Piranesi vibes, except make all the characters pre-teen children, and add a truly unholy amount of trauma, and somehow that becomes a magical combination.

“Hop knew pain intimately. But that was pain that he controlled; pain he inflicted on himself. Pain for the greater good.”

I will say, this was not a love at first line situation for me like Voyage of the Damned was, but I was still immediately hooked by the addictive air of mystery as Hop wakes up in an ancient labyrinth with no memories, stuck with a skull who talks to him in his mind and a girl with no eyes, all while being hunted by something whispering horrors at him. Amnesia plots can be very hit or miss for me, but I think White did something truly exceptional here and it did not feel like a cheap gimmick at all. It felt wrong, and eerie, and intentional, and the way that the mystery slowly unraveled just had me in a chokehold, even when I was still a little unsure about other elements.

Like, I will be honest, a book where basically all the main characters are children is a hard sell for me, but sell me Frances White did. Hop is honestly the most aggressively hopeful little sunshine creature I have ever met, and while it took me a second to fully click with him because my brain honestly does not operate on that level of optimism at all, I can’t deny that I was charmed from the start. His whole motto is “fear is bad, find the good,” and he really commits to that even when there is absolutely nothing good to be found. It’s honestly so sincere it circles right back around to devastating.

“Okay, so you’re broken. But I’m not afraid of that. It just means there are more parts of you to love.”

For me, it also helped a lot that the other kids he meets are not just blindly on board with his energy. They roll their eyes, they push back, and they argue to no end, and I loved them for that. The friendships are so strong, the banter is so entertaining, the sprinkles of queer romance are so tender (GIVE ME MORE!!), and I just loved how this weird group of damaged, mutilated kids slowly and begrudgingly formed this messy little found family. Especially my fierce babe Amber and my prickly menace Thistle completely stole the show for me, and the way that Hop’s relationships with them developed made my heart ache in the best ways. Sometimes I did get a bit of emotional whiplash when they acted so young and silly one moment and so mature and wise beyond their years the next, but overall I thought White did such a great job of balancing their youthful innocence with the awful brutality of this hellscape of a world they find themselves in.

Because trust me, these realms are not whimsical fun fantasy worlds, at all. Like, the fact that the spider-filled entrance room is one of the least horrible places tells you everything. The labyrinth being built from memories honestly destroyed me because those memories are so damn brutal, and I loved how themes of abuse, generational trauma, cycles that keep repeating were all woven into the world in a way that felt so deliberate and so painful. You have monsters and the God of Death and all these big fantasy elements, but underneath it is just this constant ache about survival and grief and love and what people do to each other and what that leaves behind, and I was living for the emotional turmoil of it all. Thank all that is holy for the chapters in the Respite Room with Dolores the owl woman by the way, the characters (and I) deserved those wholesome breaks.

“You can’t help anyone, because you don’t want to see. Not everyone’s lives are flowers and sunshine and fucking smiles. Until you face that, you’ll never be able to help a single person who actually needs it.”

So many things about The Bone Door surprised me so much, but Hop’s inner journey and the unravelling of his backstory surprised me most of all. I loved seeing how he held onto his optimism even while being confronted with very ugly truths and haunted by shadows and flickers of terrible memories, but what I loved even more is that it is not blind optimism either. White really looks at what happens when positivity goes too far, to the point that it becomes something harmful, and I loved how she balanced that with all the weight of trauma and self-worth and everything else these kids are carrying. It is so much and it is handled so well, and I don’t quite know how to be normal about it.

Also, The Bone Door is truly the perfect reminder that having young protagonists absolutely does not mean a book is for children, not only because its content is way too dark for that, but also because it is honestly just as complex and labyrinthine as the maze itself. I loved how it starts off feeling almost like a dark fairytale escape room and then just keeps expanding into something so layered and ambitious as the structure gets wild. I was genuinely in a daze reading those final pages, just sitting there like… what is happening, how is this happening, how do these twists keep twisting??? And I do not think I followed every single detail perfectly, but I did not care because I was too busy being in awe and crying over the emotional gutpunches. I will just say… Skully!!

“Perhaps the opposite of death was not life, but love.”

So yeah, I am very glad I did not let my biases get in the way at the start, because this book just snuck up on me and then quietly wrecked me in the best way. It is messy and chaotic and unhinged and horrifying and tender and so achingly beautiful all at the same time, and I honestly could not be more impressed with White’s wildly imaginative mind. I don’t think The Bone Door will be a book for everyone, not least because of its heavy trigger warnings, but I personally cannot recommend this unique genreblending gem highly enough. This is how you write a damn good satisfying standalone.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Bone Door is scheduled for release on 7 May 2026.

[Emma Sterner-Radley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frances (being a total sweetheart as always) let me read this book early on to give an author blurb, and I was absolutely hooked!
(Here’s how I blurbed it:
The Bone Door is a unique, emotional read that tackles trauma, empathy, human cruelty, and grief, but that also makes you laugh and appreciate the beauty of love and of being alive!)

[Val~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss+ for this DRC of The Bone Door by Frances White, to be published on May 12th, 2026.

The cover is so beautiful! I loved the idea of the story, but somehow I couldn’t connect with the narrative :( I’m sure somebody else can enjoy it more than me!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of THE BONE DOOR from the author, and am absolutely blown away by this intricate, twisty, dark fantasy. THE BONE DOOR is like an escape room, if each "room" constituted an entire realm, complete with its own lore, rules, and mysteries to unravel, and our crew is an unruly bunch of youngsters, led by the most adorable kid who ever donned rose-tinted glasses, Hop. Without spoiling all the jaw-dropping moments, which kept me re-evaluating what I knew, or thought I knew, about the world, the characters, and what could possibly happen next, I can just say that THE BONE DOOR is perfection. Highly recommend for all fantasy lovers, mystery lovers, and those who want to have their minds blown, repeatedly.

[Irrivarti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bone Door is a story for adults, even though its main characters are children.

An eleven-year-old boy wakes up in a dark room — no memories, no name. First he finds a talking skull, then a blind girl who also has no name and no memories.
Once they escape the first room, they learn they are trapped inside a labyrinth of other people’s memories — and the only way out is to pass four trials, open four doors, and finally go through the Bone Door.

This is a strange little book — part mystery, part fantasy, with a hint of psychological thriller. And it hooked me almost immediately. I love a good question that pulls you through the whole story, and here it was simple:
what happened to these children? why are they here?

Some twists weren’t impossible to guess, but the author always held back one detail that clicked into place at exactly the right moment. I really appreciated how the puzzle came together without loose or useless pieces.
But honestly, the real star of this book isn’t the plot.
It’s the characters.

Hop is pure sunlight. The kind of gentle, bright child that almost hurts to look at. He believes in people — even the worst of them. He always reaches out a hand. Always gives another chance. But, as often happens in life, that optimism comes from a place of necessity. As if smiling is the only way to keep the darkness from catching up and swallowing him whole.

The other children are just as layered: fear, anger, hope, pain, kindness all tangled together. I won’t say more because spoilers, but Hop and Amber’s friendship, and the development of Hop and Thistle relationship… yeah. That hurt. In a good way.

Thistle especially — I just wanted to protect him. Honestly, all of them.

I knew this book would make me cry. Stories about hurt children always do. But what I loved here is that even in the darkest moments, the author leaves at least a small ray of light. And that contrast works. It breaks something fragile every time.

This is also the second book by this author where I’ve really liked their approach to healing. It’s not instant, not easy, and not the same for everyone. The characters actually listen to each other. They see each other. Their emotions feel real, even when they’re messy or ugly. That honesty really worked for me.

That said, you know me, I’m a picky reader.
So this is a 4⭐ read for me.
The build-up to the climax was strong, the tension kept rising, and I honestly expected something emotionally devastating at the peak — the kind of moment that just wrecks you. The setup was there. The opportunity was there. But for me, it didn’t quite hit as hard as it could have.

Still, the story lands, the pieces fit, the character arcs work, and I’d absolutely recommend this book, especially if you like emotional fantasy with a touch of mystery and a lot of heart.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for honest review

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Hop wakes up in a labyrinth with no memories, no idea who he is or how he got there, he just knows he's being stalked by a dark, shadowy figure and he's not alone. The Bone Door is a twisted, dark fantasy that encompasses a lot of things and will keep you guessing until the end. Although the story is about children it's not for children.

In order to escape the labyrinth Hop needs to solve multiple rooms puzzles in order to finally open the Bone Door. Along the way he meets other children who also have no idea who they are or where they came from. I love how Frances has done such a wonderful job in this story fleshing out each character, as Hop gets attached to them so do we. And Thistle! I want to wrap him up in the coziest blanket and keep him safe.

Hop is somehow one of the most positive characters without being insufferable. Their huge heart and need to never give up on anyone was the kind of light this dark story needed. It was impossible not to root for them until the very end.

It's not often a book makes me cry and I spent the last few chapters of the book in tears. This is story about all kinds of love, about forgiveness and about second chances. The story worked so hard to break the reader down and then put them back together beautifully. Absolutely loved this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Allyce]

DNF at 57%

After having high hopes for this book from the first chapter alone, this book unfortunately fell off for me very quickly after that because of the outlook of our main character, Hop. For the first quarter of this book I struggled a lot with the tone of the book - there were unsettling things happening in the plot but Hop’s attitude to everything is all sunshine and rainbows and positivity and so I wasn’t feeling any sense of there being any stakes or danger in the plot. Also all of the main group of characters are children of varying ages, who all come across very juvenile and I couldn’t understand why the book was marketed as an adult fantasy horror.

Whilst the book definitely grows much darker as things progress, and to some extent Hop’s positivity feels like it gets less in-your-face, my issue then became more to do with the world that the book takes place in. What starts out as quite dark fairytale-esque, morphs into something much more complex and layered by the halfway mark and I found it hard to follow. I think I’m looking for logic in a book where that isn’t the point of how the story is being told and whilst I was interested to find out why the children had ended up there to begin with and get answers about the dark pasts of them being hinted at, I am ultimately not connected enough to the characters or story at this point to get much enjoyment out of continuing on to the end.

I think if you are hooked by the description of this one, are looking for a found-family type situation, and can connect Hop’s earnest and optimistic POV (I guess I’m a bit too cynical!) then I would still recommend you give it a go.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew two things before going into The Bone Door- it was a fantasy novel, and also a horror story. And both of those things are very true. Whimsical rolling fields and fireflies, a magic labyrinth, a talking owl….oh, and the horrifying, decaying monsters.

What really made this novel was the fact that our protagonist, Hop, was so cheerful, at times being delusionally so. Infected with positivity, his catchphrase is “fear is bad, find the good.” And find the good he does, even when it appears that there isn’t any left.

When Hop awakens, he has no memories. Not even his own name. He’s in a labyrinth, covered in blood, talking to a skull. But after he encounters a strange girl who has no eyes, he discovers he’s not alone in here after all, and the two (3 counting Skully!) embark on a quest to get through four rooms. At the end of the journey their only chance of escape awaits- The Bone Door.

But this labyrinth is magical, and every room is based on memories, some crueler and darker than others. As Hop’s group gains more and more friends, and their own memories slowly begin to appear, can Hop keep true to his mantra?

Thank you to Hanover Square Press and Netgalley for the e-arc! The Bone Door releases on May 12!

[Ed Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Certain philosophical questions come back time and time again to haunt us. If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If an ancient ship has all its wooden parts replaced one by one over time, is it still the same ship? And, of course, if a book is a puzzle box wrapped in a mystery where even explaining the plot is almost a spoiler, how can we review said book? I’ll leave the first two to Google, but as for the third, the answer is, of course, emotions and vibes and possible expletives, and given the extreme emotional toll that The Bone Door from Frances White—out on May 12 from Penguin Michael Joseph (UK) and Hanover Square Press (US)—took on me, I am ready for all three. This is White’s second book, after her excellent debut Voyage of the Damned. That book was a fantasy murder mystery; this book is a fantasy horror mystery—there is murder in it for sure, but there is more horror, and young children, and the confluence of the two is a daring mix. But boy does it work; this is a contender for my favourite book of the year, and if I’m able to explain why in the next four paragraphs then that is one more philosophical riddle solved.

What can we say about the plot of The Bone Door then? A boy called Hop wakes up in a maze, with no memory of his life before or how he got there. To get out of the maze he has to get through the Bone Door, but to get to that ominously named aperture, he must get through a series of other doors in several strange realms, completing tasks before the time runs out. Along the way he comes across other children, equally amnesiac, who will help him, and may be more connected to him and the land than any of them realise. And that is all you’re getting I’m afraid; vagueness is your friend.

So if I can’t talk about plot, let’s talk about tone. The obvious talking point about this book is that the characters are all kids, and yet it is unrelentingly, deeply dark in its plotline and the history to the eventual world we discover. The trigger warnings alone—amputation, sexual abuse, self harm, grief, the list goes on—seem almost incompatible with the early chapters, featuring the irrepressibly cheerful and good natured protagonist Hop, who bounces around like a Duracell bunny and just wants to help everyone. But what White has realised is that it is not just eminently possible to balance such dark themes in a horror fantasy with a cast of kids, but incredibly fitting. Hop’s relentless good nature faced with such horrors—along with White’s gift for witty dialogue—is our lifeboat in such choppy waters, and allows us to cling to the important messages she has to impart without drowning.

We can also talk about theme. Certain themes recur from White’s debut—dealing with trauma and low self-esteem, and how love can overcome a history of violence. But this feels like White is playing on an even wider scope thematically, as not only do we consider the consequences of toxic positivity as well as, separately, low self-esteem and trauma, but we are also, through a breathtakingly ambitious multi-timeline plot that somehow works, asked to consider the harm that generational trauma can bring, and how attempts to end harm beget more harm, and the ways in which friendship and love can seek to end this toxic cycle. It is ambitious, but White is playing for keeps here, and for me, it worked, spectacularly so.

Finally, let me mention, in the most non-spoiler way I can, the endgame. The last fifth of this book is a series of exquisite twists, almost endless in nature, that reveal the plot to be as carefully constructed and labyrinthine as the maze Hop found himself in. It should not by all rights be workable to have about ten twists in a row and have them all hit as hard as a cement boxing glove, but White manages it, and I spent these last few pages in a sort of narrative-driven trance, amazed by the revelations. And, at the risk of mixing metaphors, my trance was also a river of tears, because the emotional beats, made less saccharine and more real by all the horrors before us, are utterly devastating. The bit that really made me cry probably won’t be the bit that you think made me cry, but the key takeaway here is that if you’re not leaking at a rate of knots from both eyeholes at the denouement then you may have had your heart stolen by a raccoon—I’d check that out.

Overall, The Bone Door is a remarkably ambitious fantasy horror that delves its hand into that perilous box labelled “children + trauma” to produce one of the most emotionally stirring and powerfully messaged books of recent times, replete with a stunningly well executed, twisty, multi-layered plot and an emotional finale that destroys and nourishes in equal measure. This book is an enema of the emotions, and frankly a true speculative fiction classic in the making.

[hanbag · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been putting this review off because it almost feels like there’s too much to say. I hated it, in the way where you love it. I felt pain in my heart the entire time, but the sort of pain that relieves a pressure, makes you feel seen, and is sprinkled with hope.

The Bone Door begins with the most optimistic and naive young boy you’ve ever encountered waking up with no memories and no name in a dark room full of skeletons. In here he finds a girl with lumps of amber for eyes, who also doesn’t remember her name, life or why she’s here. He finds a little girl who appears to be about 5 years old; she has no tongue. Together they go through a door, thrusting them on a journey through a labyrinth filled with other people's memories where they must complete tasks to ultimately escape to the real world.

Now, hear me out, as much as I loved this, I can recognise it will not work for everyone. I was buddy reading with two friends who both DNF’d, and I understood their reasoning. The conundrum with The Bone Door is that the elements that made this such a visceral reading experience for me are the same elements that were offputting for my friends.

The world is chaotic. It often feels like there’s no rhyme or reason and bad things are popping up all over the place - you don’t know where to look or what needs your attention most. In so many stories, this wouldn’t work, but for me it served as a reminder that these are kids. The early rooms especially felt like my 3 year old niece trying to tell me a story, her ideas bouncing around from one scary monster to the next and back again. I just rolled with it, because kids are a mess, especially when they’re carrying trauma. This was their world and I was in it with them.

From about the half way mark, the layers of complexity started building rapidly. We were nudged slowly towards certain conclusions, and puzzle pieces were brilliantly withheld until the perfect moments, making the reveals feel earned and constantly ‘changing the game’. Having said that, even though the peeling back of layers was a definite slow-burn, I could never have predicted near the beginning quite *where* we would end up. It was, for want of a better term, bat-shit. In that sense it felt so very ‘Frances White’ and definitely stirred up similar ‘what the fuck did I just read’ feelings that I got following Voyage of The Damned.

This review is already very long and I haven’t covered what I think is probably the most polarising element of the novel so strap in. Hop. He’s our protagonist; a deeply traumatised 11 year old boy who is so well trained in the art of repressing trauma that even the most horrific experiences get painted over with sunshine, rainbows, shortbread and strawberry jam. His exaggerated childlike naivety in sickening situations could easily be read as jarring, sapping suspense from scenes and feeling annoying or unrealistic. When you view that positivity for what it is though, it’s gut-wrenching. Every word that leaves that boy's mouth and thought that passes through his head is a trauma response; a conditioned repression because he’s experienced things so awful he can’t allow himself to acknowledge darkness anymore, so he paints over it.

The wider cast of children read like personifications of other ways in which trauma manifests. They range from angry, defensive, and self-isolating, to fearful, disconnected, or hiding beneath false bravado. Throughout the story, each of them goes through a journey of healing in a way that feels realistic and raw. Similarly to VoTD, White handles trauma and healing in a way that isn’t linear or one note, and looks different for each character. She also allows it to just exist. Trauma often won’t leave you entirely, but you can still have hope. It also doesn’t necessarily make you stronger, but you can be strong in spite of it. The way the characters learn these lessons from each other, helping them process their own experiences and support one another towards a brighter future was masterfully done.

The Bone Door was a brave project, and I want to thank White for embarking on it, and having the courage to show all the ugly. It won’t land for every reader, it is far from safe, but it will stick with me for a very long time. For the people to whom it makes sense, it’s an important story to exist. I’m not these children, and I’ve never been tasked with claiming a dragon’s egg, but I think I have a little bit of each of them in me and The Bone Door helped me feel more okay about that.

Thank you to Frances White, Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for allowing me to read and review an ARC copy of The Bone Door.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I wake up in a giant ancient labyrinth with no memory, surrounded by bones and vibes that scream “you are about to unpack generational trauma,” I am not being brave about it. I am not being kind. I am filing a complaint with the cosmos and then lying down.

Hop, however? Hop wakes up in The Bone Door and decides the correct course of action is radical empathy.

I would die for him. I would also like to shake him gently by the shoulders.

Frances White does not ease you into this story. She shoves you through a metaphorical trapdoor and says good luck, babe. Hop has no memory of who he is, why he is in this labyrinth, or why a shadow is following him around whispering things that feel way too personal to be random. He meets a mysterious girl, later called Amber, who is missing her eyes. He gathers a rotating squad of other children who are missing limbs, ears, noses. It is giving body horror daycare. It is deeply unsettling. It is not for the faint of heart.

And yet. Hop is out here making friends. He is assigning names. He is collecting fun facts about flora like that is going to save him from the bone themed nightmare maze. His optimism is almost offensive at first. I was like, sir, read the room. The room is haunted.

But that is the trick of this book. What feels like naive sunshine slowly reveals itself as something else entirely. Hop’s kindness is not ignorance. It is resistance. It is him refusing to let the labyrinth define him. And when that clicked for me, I had to physically put the book down and stare at the wall like I had just been emotionally outmaneuvered by an eleven year old.

The structure is pure fever dream escape room. Each locked door leads to a new realm with its own rules, horrors, and moral landmines. There is an owl who works for the master of the labyrinth and speaks like she has quarterly performance reviews. The tasks are not just physical challenges. They are ethical ones. They force these kids to confront who they are, what they are willing to do, and what parts of themselves they are trying to outrun.

And the shadow. The SHADOW. It is the kind of psychological menace that does not need jump scares because it is already inside your head. The whispers feel intimate. Accusatory. Like the labyrinth is less a place and more a reckoning.

I will be honest, the first chunk is disorienting. You are dropped in with minimal context and a whole crew of children who initially feel like archetypes. Sunshine boy. Angry one. The one who bites. The tiny one you want to protect with your entire body. I had a brief moment of, am I confused or am I just not galaxy brained enough for this? The answer is both. But if you trust the process, the back half starts snapping into place in a way that feels intentional and earned. Seeds that felt random bloom into full emotional devastation.

This book does not flirt with trauma. It marries it. It is graphic. It is uncomfortable. It deals with abuse, grief, identity, and the kind of existential weight that makes you question whether you are emotionally hydrated enough to continue. But beneath all of it is this relentless insistence that kindness matters. That broken does not mean worthless. That hope is not stupidity, it is defiance.

By the time we reach the Bone Door itself, the story has shifted from survival quest to something mythic and almost cosmic. It swings big. It gets weird. It absolutely will not work for everyone. Some readers are going to close this book and say what just happened. I closed it and said how dare you, and then immediately started thinking about it again.

Four stars. Ambitious, strange, emotionally bruising stars. It is not a neat little maze adventure. It is a labyrinth made of memory and pain and stubborn love. I did not always feel steady on my feet, but I was fascinated the entire time.

Would I survive this labyrinth? Absolutely not. Would I follow Frances White into another one? Unfortunately, yes.

Huge thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC and for trusting me with this beautifully unhinged emotional obstacle course. I am still recovering, but in a fun way.

[Y.N.]

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the eARC

Between the cover and the title, I was intrigued. The concept seemed cool, quite huge and tricky to tackle. And indeed, it was. i can't I am wholly convinced about the execution, but I still had a good time.

First thing first : this is a book told through a young boy perspective (11 years old), with protagonist ranging from 6 to 14 years old. It is still very much an adult book given the themes of trauma and stuff that happen on page and in the kids' lives.
This contrast of a young persepective and heavy themes was interesting and quite well handled. I'm not sure I buy that Hop's has an 11 years old psychology, but I don't' have much experience with kids and teenagers beside my own, so I can't really be sure. Wether he has or not, I found him quite enjoyable. A bit irritating a times because of his whole "positive thinking always" thing going on, but that's something the story is built around, and it does get some nuance in the long run. His gentleness was... well, nice. It's not flat, though I would have liked to have a little more grit and contrast in his character.

That's true for the other characters as well. They are quite heavily identified by one trait (Amber and her mistrust and anger, Bear and his timidity and fear, Thistle prickliness). And that's fine, they are more fleshed out that just that. Still, I would have liked to have a little more pores and textures to them.

Now, for the story itself. Let me preface this by saying I LOVE weird stuff, stuff that makes little sense or stretch your mind's boundaries. I have seen some review saying that this book is weird. It wasn't. Not for me, at least.
'The bone door' takes some well known elements (labyrinth, concept incarnated as people/gods, Death as a "bad" thing, souls...) and uses them in an attempt to create something new, but does not quite achieve it. That may be only a problem if you have read extensively around death, souls and stuff. It probably is, honestly. But it means that in the end, it was quite conventional for me. Interesting at times, made me wonder if I had the right hunch, which is great. But in the end, quite tame and familiar.
Note that a book being tame and familiar isn't a bad thing, but I had hoped for something that played a bit more, to be a little surprised.

I would also have liked to have a world with a bit more phisicality and grounding. Not in the sense of being realistic to our Primary World standart, but grounding in it's own way, more flesh to dig into, a world that would really stand under scrutiny. I know this isn't the kind of fantasy with very extensive and huge worldbuilding, but it still fells a little surface level, and I wanted more.

Still, despite the things I wished where there, it was an enjoyable read. At no point was I tempted to skip a few words, which is a good sign.
I hope this story will find it's reader ! If you liked "Voyages of the damned", you might like this one, even though it handles heavier subjects.

[Sol✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Frances White, and Hanover Square Press for access to this advanced reader's copy! This is my honest and unbiased review.
---
"He felt bereft of something he wasn't aware he had ever possessed. As if someone had plucked a star from the sky, and now the constellations looked all wrong."
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Okay, listen: before I start yapping about this one: are you comfy? Do you have a warm blanket? Would you like some tea? Because I'm afraid that this book will be your ruin. But it will also help you off the ground, dust off your reddened knees, and give you a tender little forehead kiss.

The Bone Door is none of what I expected but in the best of ways. Hop's tale is a harrowing one so dark and twisty that it is so, so easy to forget that they are, at the end of the day, just children trying to survive in a hostile world. This story is a reminder that the world is unkind and cruel, but there is still beauty to found in it for those brave enough to seek it out. For Hop, this was fireflies and flowers. For me, it was somewhere in the way this book weaves a fragile balance of fear, trauma, love, and hope.

The Bone Door explores the boundaries of what it means to be good and evil. But, more than that, it explores what it means to be human when a person is stripped down to nothing but bone and sinew. There is little reprieve from the onslaught of violence and cruelty that Hop and his friends face with increasingly tightly held hands. The horror of the story is softened by the beauty of friendship and the hysterical commentary of Hop and his friends. (Storm, I'm looking at you!) The bonds that Hop and his friends forge on their journey is absolutely heart wrenching, including a few twists that left my mouth agape in a mixture of shock and horror.

I adored Hop with his easy smiles and manufactured naivety. He was so soft and kind and gentle as a hero, merely wanting to save anyone or anything within his reach. His kindness is both his greatest flaw and greatest strength. His friends, too, though they are pushed into situations far more adult than they should ever be forced tor handle, are extremely lovable. My heart is still bleeding for precious Thistle.

I loved this book from start to finish, but this is where I suggest you clutch your blanket and cup of tea tight. There is a LOT of dark content in this book. It is not meant for young readers, and I suggest that you know your own triggers before reading this tale of a journey to the darkest reaches of the human condition. If you're feeling brave, then I cannot recommend this story enough. Just keep an eye on those trigger warnings, lovey. That being said, bravo, Frances! I wish I could give this book a constellation of stars, but we'll settle for five until I can track down the moon.

[Bees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler free review.

The foreword of the book is “For those who have the strength to be kind, even when the world is not.” and I think this really encompasses the whole story. It’s beautiful, but it’s not an easy read to begin with. When I started reading it, I didn’t think I was going to like it, but by the end I was devouring it, and it has become one of my favourite books of all time. And I don’t say that lightly.

At the beginning there is an author’s note on the themes of trauma and childhood abuse, which is kind and understanding. Due to these themes, some of it is very heavy, but it is handled in a way I thought understood the seriousness and the consequences and was very respectful. And it was about having worth through that and finding a way to love yourself.

At the start of the story you are immediately met with both pain and kindness as you're introduced to a boy and a skull. The characters, all children, are interesting and distinct. The world is intriguing, different to anything I've read before, but it felt familiar. Or maybe familiar but the characters interact with it differently. It caught my interest immediately. The main character, Hop, is so sweet and good. All these horrible things are happening and he's a light in the darkness. And I was just cheering him on because he acts like I want the main character to act in those situations.

The story starts as a mystery with little titbits of information, even the characters don't know who they are, or even their own names. And mystery is woven throughout, in the characters’ backstories, and in the world/labyrinth each individual room has a story and mystery that slowly unravels. The pacing is satisfying, fast enough that I was always finding out more and adding pieces to the puzzle, but not too fast so I always wanted to know more, and the final piece doesn’t fall into place until the end. I think Frances White has the mind of a genius, the way the story slots into place and fits together, and all the twists and turns along the way are so clever.

I think it’s a very special book. It is very dark and very heavy at times, a hard but satisfying read that doesn’t pander to the reader but tells the story it needs to tell in the way it needs to be told. It's not an easy read, at least at first, and it's odd to have an adult horror book where the main characters are children, it takes a while to settle into the story. But it's like a seed that needs the cold of winter, so that in the spring it bursts from the ground, alive and green.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I will admit now that I didn't get on with Voyage of the Damned, but I do still have it on my Kindle to get back to. I could appreciate her storytelling but I just don't think it was the right time for me to read. But I will definitely be going back to it now I've read this.

This will be a shorter review than my normal ones because it's hard to review without spoilers, and this should be a book you go into fresh.

Firstly let me just say the cover is wonderful!

My ideal book length is about 300-400, sometimes 450 in some circumstances. So at over 500, that was already ringing alarm bells for me. I don't think long books are inherently bad, it's just in my experience, I find long books rarely need to be that long. So yes I was worried. But the pacing went slow and quick in this so the length never felt like too much of an issue.

There is no quiet introduction here; we are straight into the fire, as it were.

It reminded me of Susanna Clarke's Piranesi in terms of style; oddly, I didn't particularly like Piranesi but this was much better.

Even though I've just said it reminded me of another book, I felt it was very unique and fresh and unique in many ways. It's a fantasy yes, there's monsters and creatures and scary spaces, but at its heart it's about love, loss, grief, friendships, family, trauma, and empathy. It's got a lot more to it than I was expecting.

I'll be honest here and say I didn't always know what was going on. But in a bizarre way, that didn't really matter. The writing was so good, the characters and the atmosphere she's created is so good, that you are just as engrossed in it.

There are so many characters, human and otherwise, and they are all going through their own battle and looking for their own healing. Some are more likeable than others, and some are very much the villains. But overall I found myself liking them all (even the villains) because they're so well written with great characterisation and story arcs.

My one qualm I suppose was the audience. It was very dark and frightening in parts which suggests an adult book - as does the page count and overall themes. But the protagonists are both children (doesn't mean you can't have kids in an adult book) and so that makes the dialogue a bit juvenile, obviously, because they're kids. And at times I felt that was a bit at odds with the story it was telling. It's not a huge issue, it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of it, but I've got to be honest in this review.

It's mystery and fantasy and thriller; it's dark and frightening and weird, but wonderfully addictive.

[Nikki Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bone Door by Frances White is the kind of fantasy that grabs you by the collar and drags you headfirst into its labyrinth — and you will thank it for the bruises.

From the first disorienting page, White drops us into a waking nightmare: an ancient labyrinth, a boy with no memory, a girl he doesn’t recognize but cannot ignore, and a shadow that whispers truths too terrible to dismiss. The premise is deceptively simple, escape, but what unfolds is a brilliantly layered descent through strange realms, each more imaginative and unsettling than the last.

Hop is a compelling anchor in a world built on uncertainty. His amnesia isn’t a gimmick; it’s a tension engine. As he struggles to piece together who he is, the reader is forced to question everything alongside him. Every locked door hides not just a task, but a moral dilemma. Every realm pulses with its own logic and menace. White’s worldbuilding is audacious and intricate without ever losing narrative momentum.

And then there’s the shadow.

The stalking presence that threads through the story is genuinely chilling — intimate, psychological, predatory. The whispers feel personal. The dread feels earned. This is fantasy that doesn’t shy away from horror, and the result is intoxicating.

What elevates The Bone Door beyond its inventive premise is its emotional and philosophical core. Beneath the shifting landscapes and impossible trials lies a story about identity, memory, choice, and the terrifying freedom of self-knowledge. As Hop draws closer to the titular door, the stakes transform from survival to something far more existential.

For those who wondered whether White could recapture the brilliance of Voyage of the Damned — the answer is no. And that is precisely the point. This is not a reconstruction of past magic. It is not a repetition of familiar triumphs. This is evolution. This is expansion. This is a deeper, darker, more intricate layer of storytelling — the kind of imaginative growth that proves White is not retracing her steps but carving entirely new corridors. Even the boldest characters of her previous work would be stunned by the scale of what she builds here.

By the time the final door opens, you will be breathless.

Five stars, without hesitation. I would follow Frances White into any labyrinth she dares to dream next.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one hurts, and not in a good way…

When you compare something to Gideon the Ninth and Piranesi, you have got to have a strong authorial voice and grasp on your purpose.

When children missing limbs wake up in a labyrinth with no memories, they are tasked with completing quests to escape.
This promised confronting, coming to terms with, and overcoming trauma.

After loving the quirkiness, the fun characters, and the blend of genres in the Voyage of the Damned, I had high hopes.

First of all, the plot is nonsensical until about half way through. It definitely has the confusing part of Piranesi and Gideon the Ninth nailed, but it never pulled off the somehow still satisfying experience.

The main characters are all children under 14, the tone oscillates between middle grade and darkly adult, the dialogue is childish.
This is my main gripe. It feels like it can’t decide between being a hopeful middle grade about the power of friendship (I kid you not, they use that phrase at least three times) and tackling disturbing and depressing themes.

‘If you asked Hop to swallow a mouthful of fire he would say yes if he thought it would make you friends.’
Hop wondered how fire tasted. Probably spicy.

‘If you’re scared, just whistle a tune and—’
‘How has nobody murdered you yet?’

Next, I want to touch on the missing limbs. That’s a key detail that often seems to be forgotten throughout the book. The blind girl is easily able to navigate the scenes with a few comments about not running from the blind girl as if reminding itself.
The mutism and deafness is never as issue except to ‘bond’ the children together in missing appendages.
Where was the sensitivity editing?

Finally, this is marketed as a queer fantasy. Yes, it seems like a queer normative world, but I wouldn’t think hints and then one page of romance is enough to make this into the marketing.

This might be one of my biggest disappointments of the year as I was so excited to see what the author wrote next.
This is ambitious and unique, but ultimately, crushingly disappointing.

Physical arc (and character art which is stunning) by Michael Joseph Publisher.

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[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
The Bone Door tells the story of Hop, who wakes up in a strange labyrinth with absolutely no memories of his life before waking up. Navigating the labyrinth and finding the Bone Door to escape becomes the task, with new friends he makes along the way

“Fear is bad. Find the good.”

I’ve been a massive fan of Voyage of the Damned ever since first reading it and learning of this book, it’s been on my radar ever since. I have been eagerly waiting for the moment I could jump in and discover this brand-new world and these new characters, and it was so worth the wait.
From the very first page, Hop stole my heart. I can stress this enough!! Hop is this ray of sunshine amidst the horror and darkness that is the labyrinth and the rooms he must conquer. And then the hints of trauma that simper through only made my heart ache for him!
The world building is both vast and eerie! I loved the atmosphere that was created and it fitted so well with the horror elements throughout the book. I also loved how all of it was somehow connected and how I learned a bit more about all of it with every step forward.
The found family aspect was beautifully written, heartwarming and precious. I loved how this band of misfits came together; how strong their bond grew and how they learned to love each other. The twins were a fun whirlwind, Amber the anchor, Bear the big softie, Little the feisty one, and Thistle the one that showed you can conquer your demons. Skully and Dolores were also amazing additional characters!
This book is one big rollercoaster of emotions! I don’t think I left a page blank when annotating this book haha. It honestly broke me multiple times, but in the absolute best way. It’s a book that reminded me why I love reading so much, because the words between the pages can make me feel so many types of emotions while going on this journey with the characters together. I absolutely loved every minute I spend with Hop and the rest!

Overall, The Bone Door is an absolute masterpiece of a book that both broke and healed me. It might not be anyone’s cup of tea, but it has my whole heart.
Thank you so so so much to Frances for sending my a proof copy of this book!!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an early copy of this book to review.

I read an ARC of Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, the author's previous book, because I just couldn't not after seeing it being advertised as a 'Gay Murder Cruise' - YES.

After absolutely adoring that book I couldn't not read her next book The Bone Door. Plus this one was sold as a more horror-vibes queer adventure style novel and that is also very much a YES for me.

Things I adored:
How this book treats trauma and survival of said trauma. I don't want to spoil too much, but these characters go through a LOT and as Hop is such a positive being of pure light, he always tries to find the silver lining or the positives that came out of something. But he's put in his place when he tries to do that about surviving abuse and trauma. That's not something that 'makes you stronger', you survive it because you're strong. It's okay for a terrible situation to not have 'something good' come out of it, it's okay for it to just be 100% terrible, and for someone to wish they hadn't had to reach for all of their strength to live through it.

I've had friends that have gone through a lot, just like these characters, and I saw them in this book, and I felt them being heard.


The sunshine baby boy that is Hop - seriously, I don't think I could have survived what this book puts this cast through if I wasn't inside his adorably loving and sweet mind. He sees the good in everyone, he's neverendingly positive, and he's determined to be there for everyone and everything with all the energy he has. Absolutely adorable and I loved him. No notes.


This book really questions what it means to be a monster, if we are our nature or if we can learn to change this. It covers the idea of agency, the consequences of thinking of the few over the many, and how hard it can be to stay good and true. (And it does all of this while being cute, and fun, and making you fall in love with this cast of misfit children trying to remember who they are)

Frances White is now a permanent fixture of my 'Authors I'll read anything by' list.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this gifted ARC!

This book hooked me in from the very beginning. It is so unique, so dark, so thought provoking and just so incredibly interesting. I've read Frances White before and enjoyed their writing so I knew it was a high chance that I would enjoy this as well, and it just did not disappoint.

The story is so interesting, I've never really read anything quite like it. It's a huge story on grief, dealing with trauma, anxiety, and friendship and love. It has an element of trials to it, different doors/realms that they need to get through to progress through their journey. The story is centered around children, it is very much an adult book though, but children are the center of this. It does get incredibly heavy and dark and brutal, so if you have a hard time reading about children in perilous/deathly situations, take care with this one.

There are so many messages throughout this entire book. Whether it's standing up for people who need help, remembering that it's okay to not smile all of the time, or being accepting of people who are different than you are, it was so impactful. It was so deep, and it just gets progressively more thoughtful as you get further into reading it.

I also massively connected to the main character, they demonstrate the same anxiety habit that I have. It was the first time I have ever seen it in a book, and honestly it was really great to read and have that connection. I could really feel how the character was reacting in those moments. This is not a light book by any means, it will make you think, it will horrify you in a lot of parts, but it will also make you remember that there is good in the world too. Heavy and thought provoking are probably the main ways I would describe this book. I absolutely recommend, but be mindful of your triggers if you have any. This releases May 12th!

*This ARC was given by Harlequin Trade Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

[Cassandra Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This ARC was provided to me by HarperCollins & NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

DNF @ 34%
This story follows our protagonist Hop, as he and his collected companions traverse bizarre and dangerous worlds in the hopes to escape. Missing names, memories, and various body parts, they have to work together to solve each room (room? world? are the worlds still in labyrinth? is the labyrinth where you go in between each world/room?) to reach The Bone Door and escape.

The premise instantly drew me in and with the comps this book got, I couldn't wait to read it. So I'm really sad this book didn't work for me like I was hoping!

Unfortunately, the main setback for me with this book is absolutely the dialogue. This is an adult book that handles adult themes and has adult horror elements, but the dialogue and writing was more in line with what I would expect to get in a middle-grade chapter book. It was extremely distracting and unrealistic in my opinion.

The general themes of suppressing trauma and overcoming hardships through the "power of friendship" (a phrase actually used), are delivered with a -very- heavy hand. There is zero nuance here, which further contributed to this reading as middle-grade more than adult.

Also, most of the time it does not feel like the characters have any problem navigating the scary and confusing world they're in, despite most having some sort of physical handicap or disability. I would straight up forget a character couldn't see or was missing a limb until the narrative reminds us on the page. They can traverse large distances in relatively short spans of time, face harrowing creatures, and seemingly overcome all obstacles. If only you have friendship and believe, you can do anything! Whenever they did face danger of any kind, I wasn't actually worried because it felt like there would always be a way out, or that the physical limitations of the group would just not exist for the moment.

Overall, I did not enjoy my time reading this so I have to DNF.

[Krystle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frances White, how dare you.

Huge thanks to the author for the ARC that destroyed me :) The Bone Door is a stunning accomplishment and it's going to take me a long time to recover.

There is so much to love in The Bone Door, but what stands out to me more sharply is the balance between the trauma of the book's concept and world building versus the core of tenderness and love that comes from the main cast of characters. It must have been an incredibly delicate balance to manage in the writing process, and White absolutely nailed it in the finished novel. Since we start the story with Hop not knowing anything about how he got into the magical labyrinth at the heart of the story, it's hard to explain the traumas that the cast of characters are burdened with without wading into spoilers, so all I can say is that these children carry my whole heart in their beautiful, damaged (but not broken) little hands. Yes, the cast are children, but as White lovingly reminds us the readers, this is definitely an adult fantasy/horror mashup. I commend her bravery and her tenacity to tell this story with such young protagonists. Their youth is exactly what makes their stories so heartbreaking, and their arcs so comforting.

Hop's arc specifically shattered me and then put me back together again. Learning how to make space in his soul for the heavy truths of his life without immediately resorting to the toxic positivity that he hid behind at the beginning of the book was unfortunately deeply relatable. The themes of abuse, of generational trauma, and breaking the cycles that so wounded us are nestled carefully among the world building of monsters, the God of Death, and themes of death, rebirth, survival, grief, and the various shades of love. The tenderness that I previously mentioned shines through in spite of the gore that tips The Bone Door into horror, making the entire experience surprisingly comforting.

White has provided content warnings in the form of an author's note at the front of The Bone Door, so that readers can go forth into the heavy themes on their own terms, so please do take a look at them if you are hesitant to engage with the darker aspects of the novel's framework.

Frances White, I applaud you for all that this story has tackled and accomplished, and I cannot wait to see what stories you have in store for us next.

[Jerrica · Rating 5 out of 5]

“‘If you’re scared of everything, you’ll miss so many beautiful things.’”

The Bone Door took me by surprise in the best, most emotionally unexpected ways.

After falling in love with Voyage of the Damned, I have been clawing at the walls with excitement for The Bone Door. Never in a million years did I think I would be gifted such an incredible opportunity to read it early!

We begin this journey with eleven year old Hop who has no memory of who he is, where he is or how he got there. He will, however, give you all the fun facts about flora. And he’ll immediately be your friend. In order to escape, he needs to complete several seemingly impossible tasks to get to the Bone Door- the only way out.

I did not expect this was going to be such a dark and emotional read. (But I was fully aware this is an adult book and bad things were going to happen!!) In my opinion, Frances White perfectly weighs the dark heavy themes with the humour and light. Balancing it in a way that half the time I was crying I would end up laugh-crying, but without taking away from the seriousness of whatever was happening.

“‘Okay, so you’re broken. But I’m not afraid of that. It just means there are more parts of you to love.’”

Hop is absolutely loveable, very relatable to me in certain ways, but I easily fell in love with the rest of the characters too. They have some of the most fun/humorous dialogue I’ve ever read! I feel like their personalities really shine through and you so desperately want to protect them from all the bad.

I went into The Bone Door with such high expectations that I cannot believe how much they were exceeded. I honestly can’t wait to read it again and expect I will very soon!

I am forever grateful to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, HarperCollins, everyone and anyone who made this ARC opportunity possible! Most of all, I am grateful to Frances White for creating this incredible journey.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book a couple of day ago and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it.

A boy wakes up in a labyrinth not knowing his name or past and starts talking to a skull he pulls from a skeleton laying around the floor. He wanders for a bit and finds a girl, allegedly also with no memories or name, so he calls her Amber based on her orbs of amber in place of her missing eyes. They are about to pass through a door and escape when he hears a child calling for help so he runs back and grabs her and calls her Little - because she is literally small. They go through the door and end up in the house of an owl (with eyes full of galaxies) who tells them she works for the master of the labyrinth and if they pass through 4 rooms they can use the Bone Door to exit the labyrinth. This doesn't really make sense to me but sure, so they go into the first room and pick up some more children missing body parts - limbs/noses/ears. How weird thinks Hop (for that is the name to other kids have bestowed upon the main character due to his nature) that he's not missing any parts!

The writing feels like a children's book - I found it quite similar in style to The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - but the content is graphic, gory and disturbing.

It turns out in the end the children are the shells for God's souls to end up in so they go through the door, Hop stays behind to work as the new Death.

I didn't really get it. There were a lot of mysteries that were just people knowing things they said they didn't all along and manipulating the other characters for various reasons. As I said before the content was VERY graphic and involved many different kinds of abuse.

I went into it thinking this would be a horror-fantasy and it more like a mythical/fairytale retelling but with strange characters that didn't work well together and the main character having serious flashbacks to previous things he'd suffered through but not knowing the full details of the events.

[Svea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked a lot about The Bone Door. The ideas are really creative, the world building is intriguing and I really did want to figure out the mysteries. I also just enjoy Frances White's writing, even if it's more on the simplistic side. The story keeps you on your toes and while I did predict some of the reveals, they're still good and carry a lot of emotional weight. In theory at least.

The characters are the one thing that kept me from really engaging emotionally with this book. On paper they are complex people, but really, it's a lot of tell don't show. They're mostly very one-dimensional and it feels like White wants to portray a certain type of person and a certain type of struggle with each of them instead of making them organic, believable characters on their own. Hop, our protagonist, is the main culprit here. We are given reasons for why he acts a certain way, but they don't hold up when set against the narrative he finds himself in. It makes him look like a caricature at times, which is sad because he definitely has a lot of potential as a character.
Also, I am a fan of how White sticks to her Queer Chubby Guy protagonists, love that for them.
I also felt like the narrative voice White chooses doesn't always fit the story she's telling and the themes she's working with, and sometimes that really dragged me out of the story. The themes are great, though, and important to talk about, even if it's in a more heavy-handed way.

So really, this is a book full of great, creative ideas that I really enjoyed even though the execution of them wasn't always my cup of tea. With stronger characters I probably would have loved this more, but I still recommend you try this one out. It does have something to say and the world is special.

Many thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin and Netgalley for the arc!

[Kim Layman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic novel full of heart, horrors, grit, and friendships/found family.

Let me preface this by saying that although it is labeled an adult book, it falls more along the lines of YA-given that the MC’s are children & young teens.

The story starts with a boy who has no memory of who he is. He doesn’t even know where he is. But he quickly finds others in the same boat as him, and a door that leads him to a room, and a quest. It’s dangerous, and not easily conquered, but it’s the only way out. They have to get to the bone door.

Part fantasy, part horror, part science fiction, this novels leads the characters, and us, on a journey of deadly choices, and impossible situation. But our MC, Hop, radiates optimism from every fiber of his being, even as glimpses of his horrific memories start seeping through the cracks of his mind. He’s so upbeat that you’re almost annoyed by him (I mean, c’mon…no one’s that optimistic), but you can’t be. He’s just so lovable. But he’s not the only character you are rooting for-there’s a whole group of them.

As the story progresses, more of the truth is revealed, leading to paralyzing fear, self loathing, and the danger of giving up. The quest becomes more painful and heartbreaking, and you don’t know how much more the characters can take. But there’s also hope, and love, and healing that can only be provided once a trauma is faced head on, and you see the evil for what it is, and that it’s ok to shed tears for what has happened.

All the feels for this novel, and all the love as well.

Thank you NetGalley, and Hanover Square Press, for my arc. My opinion is my own.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice in Wonderland x healing generational trauma x Willy Wonka but make it darker, stranger, and a lot more disturbing.

I’ve truly read nothing like this, the characters, setting, and plot all feel unique, like you’ve been thrown into this labyrinth alongside them. There was not a single predictable moment, with so many twists and turns I eventually just surrendered to the ride.

This story follows a group of children who band together over shared circumstances, all trapped in a labyrinth, missing body parts and their memories. Each room of horrors unlocks more of their pasts and reveals pieces of the bigger story unfolding. All the characters are flawed, but watching their relationships grow as they work through challenges was a highlight. Hop especially stood out. Just a seemingly regular 11 year old boy, quirky, naive, who loves flowers and is determined to see the best in everyone around him. He brought such light throughout this story.

For the first half of the book, you’re lost in this world with them. The disorientation feels intentional, and once questions start being answered they feel earned alongside the characters.

The content is dark, and at times upsetting. I found myself uncomfortable more than once, putting the book down just to reflect on what I had read. Whimsy and humor throughout offset the heavier themes, making it easier to move through the darker elements.

This book is written like a twisted children’s tale, though it’s very much adult in its themes. Dark, unsettling, and completely original, an exploration of redemption, trauma, breaking cycles, and ultimately, hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review. Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for this opportunity!

This was horrific and sad but also so incredible. I spent my entire therapy session discussing how much this book helped me through some mental hurdles I had/have around my trauma etc.

I want to start by saying that I, like other reviewers it seems, struggled at the beginning with the main characters all being kids and especially the MC being so overtly positive all of the time. But trust me, get through the first 40-50% or so (when I say get through i don't mean that that chunk is bad, just that being in the mindset of children can be grating) and it will both get better but also make sense. Trust me.

Everything about this book was so phenomenal. The way the memories worked out, how things all connected in the end in ways I never expected. The twists and turns were perfectly timed and interwoven in the plot and characters' story. How it feels so fantastical yet connects so clearly to today's day and age was incredibly well done. I loved all of the kids, especially Amber and Thistle. The way everything unfolds in the end is just so masterfully done, I'm still in awe over it all.

Good for fans of The Maze Runner, The Magic Tree House (but like. horrific), or The Hollow (TV series).

Make sure to check TWs in advance. Lots of child death, non-detailed mentions of s/a, genital mutilation