Even Your Bones Would Do

by Claire Schultz

In this lyrically haunting horror novel, a woman takes her chance to get out of her small town, only to find that her husband’s home has secrets that can’t be locked away.

April Harker lives a small life in a small Massachusetts town, with small sums for the fairy stories she sells and small pleasures since her parents lost all their money in the 1929 crash. Until the day Julius Thackeray arrives. A man with an unsettling blue-black beard and excess wealth, Thackeray promises to marry April. To take her to his estate outside Boston, make her stories famous, show her the world.

But April should know from her fairy stories that a man promising the world on one’s doorstep is too good to be believed. Thornwood House is a sprawling mansion in the middle of nowhere, with hallways that lead different places on different days and silent-footed servants keeping house. And someone—something—else. Spectral presences who leave lipstick-stained teacups in the library and drop the temperature in empty halls. Who haunt her nightmares. Who know the truth of Thornwood House.

Drawn to one of these ghosts, a mysterious specter named Marie, April begins to find comfort in their presence. But when Thackeray entrusts April with the keys to a seemingly infinite number of rooms, the horrifying secrets at the heart of Thornwood House come to light. Trapped in a cycle of violence, April and Marie must escape their house of horrors—together or not at all.

Genres: Horror, Gothic, Adult, Queer, Fantasy, Lesbian, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication January 12, 2027

About the author

Claire Schultz was born and raised in New Jersey, moved to the UK to study children's literature, and now happily calls Scotland home. She holds a BA in English Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Chicago and an MPhil Education from the University of Cambridge. A PhD student by day, she works primarily in the overlap of fantasy, horror, and literary fiction, and also writes young adult fiction as Claire Rose. She lives in Edinburgh with her haunted cats.

Reviews

[bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone ever asks me for a sapphic gothic book recommendation, from here on out, this will be my go-to suggestion. It sits so snugly and firmly in the genre: complete with rich atmosphere, a sentient house overflowing with ghosts, and doomed sapphic yearning. And while the structure and setting perfectly echoes its gothic ancestors, Schultz leans BONES's writing style towards its fairytale parent/source text with a dreamy, fourth-wall breaking, repetitive voice that trills itself along the story. A magical, haunting, rich debut.

(Also shout out to Ophelia, the author's cat, who has done the lord's work forcing Claire to watch Crimson Peak so many times; the gothic house atmosphere is perfectly encapsulated here.)

Disclaimer: the author is a friend of mine and I was given an advanced copy by her. All opinions are my own.

CW: blood & gore, violence, domestic abuse, murder, fire, homophobia, sexual content, disordered eating, sexual assault, death in childbirth (mention)

[Erin Dunn · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

✨I think I’d have liked it more if I liked the FMC✨

I absolutely love the premise for Even Your Bones Would Do and I really enjoyed the writing style! The atmosphere was incredible too! I wish I had liked this one more though. The pacing was just a bit off for me and dragged in some parts. I also just didn’t like the FMC April and that made it a little harder for me to be invested. I liked Marie a lot though. An enjoyable read overall!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released January 12, 2027.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique premise! I do wish we could know a bit more about the antagonist, however, the protagonist is well fleshed out. The communication with the dead is creative and central to the plot. Characters stick with you. There is a large family but it was easy to keep track of everyone and the neighbor. The ambiance is quite dark and at times graphic. Great for a read that’ll suck you into the plot!
Thank you in advance to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a broken woman, a monstrous woman, but not in the way Carter had taught me to be. I was, after all this time, not incapable of wanting. I was not destined to be alone.

I'll take casual, unexamined acephobia that adds nothing to the characters, the themes or the plot for 10 dollars, I guess.

No seriously, what was that? MC April is a virgin at 25 when the book starts, she's never found anyone attractive, she doesn't even like being touched platonically, she half-hopes that maybe she'll be attracted to her husband when she meets him but that goes horribly wrong, so I spent the better part of the book wondering if she was going to turn out to be asexual and a lesbian or if this was going to be a story about a late-bloomer lesbian, but either way she never implied that she felt broken in her internal narration, and then once she encounters her love interest's magical healing vagina she trots the above line out and then the book never revisits this again.

All that aside (And hey, it's an ARC, that segment might still get cut. Hope springs eternal.), the book starts with a strong premise, and then takes a complete nosedive.

The creepy atmosphere, the sentient house, the mounting dread, the benevolent haunting, these were all great. And then we get to the denouement, and the book just chooses the least possible interesting directions to take any of the things it had set up.

Add to that the characters: there's only two with any sort of depth: protagonist April, who starts out with some promise and then devolves into a wet sponge of a woman who has zero agency in her own story and makes no choices, and love interest and occasional pov character Marie, the one who actually gets shit done, and who beyond that is an asshole, and not a compelling one. Everyone else is a cardboard cut-out who, if lucky, got assigned a singular personality trait.

The love story is also a nothingburger, as it is entirely unclear why these two women love each other, beyond fate and conventional attractiveness. (Though April, in a move that would make Bella Swan proud, tries to convince us several time that she - a slim redhead with great tits - is average-looking, because she's too tall. Specifically, her legs are too long. I wish I were making this up.)

The prose is absolutely amazing, though. That and the strong start are why this book is getting two stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[✧.*Emma✧.* · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾!
This book really felt like a fairytale story (one of the grim ones). The prologue instantly set up an interesting ambience. Although the start felt slower for me, but when she left her home the story really started picking up.
The dual povs were just amazing. I loved how they got introduced later in the story and it really felt like puzzle piece getting together. I liked how you didn't know more than the FMC, which really got me keeping reading, because I wanted to know what exactly was going on. In that same way I liked the smaller details which made me as the reader uncomfortable, but in like the best way possible. It really got me feeling scared for her. It made me feel on edge the whole time, just waiting for something to happen.
The writing was really whimsical and also gritty. The combination of those two was really good. You felt like this fairytale was too good to be true. And in a sense it was. I loved the pieces of romance (although it were a few) and I wished so much more for the FMC. I felt a lot of empathy for her and the things she went through. And the violent scenes, omg. I just think there is so much more to explore in this story!
The ending felt on some place a bit weird for me (maybe a personal thing), but it was also a really good conclusion. Overall I really loved the unique ambience of this book and I definitely enjoyed reading it!

[Kay Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully disturbing gothic story about domestic abuse (so, trigger warnings be known now). I loved every single thing about this book. It felt like Crimson Peak and The Yellow Wallpaper mashed together with just a hint of a much darker Beauty and the Beast. This was atmospheric and emotional. It won't be an easy read, but one well worth the turmoil.

[Azhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

if i had a dollar for everytime i read a queer bluebeard retelling, i’d have two dollars, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.


thanking netgalley & publishers for the arc!!!

[BookishKB]

🕯️🖤 Even Your Bones Would Do 🖤🕯️

📖 Bookish Thoughts

My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.

✨What to Expect
• Gothic Horror
• Haunted House
• Creeping Dread
• Sentient House
_ _ _

📅 Pub Date: January 12, 2027
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Hannah Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

E-Arc received from NetGalley.

If you enjoy screaming into the void about how good a book could have been, this one might be for you. 😂

I picked up Even Your Bones Would Do because the premise immediately grabbed me: a young woman marries a mysterious, wealthy man, moves into his ominous ancestral home, discovers that his previous wives have mysteriously disappeared, and begins seeing their ghosts.

And as I read, I started seeing Beauty and the Beast everywhere.

It wasn’t marketed to me as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but the more I read, the more I realized how beautifully the story was twisting and distorting the familiar fairy tale into something much darker and more sinister. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite tales, so this ended up being one of my favorite aspects of the book.

The premise was fantastic.

SIGN. ME. UP.

Thornwood House was easily my favorite part of the book. The house felt like a character in its own right, with hallways that rearranged themselves, hidden rooms, creepy stone angels, and an overall sense that the walls were watching. The gothic atmosphere was deliciously creepy, and April’s discovery of the wives’ tomb/torture chamber was one of the moments that genuinely stuck with me.

The idea that the previous wives are trapped in a repeating version of the same fairy tale—and that April might be the one who finally breaks the cycle—was THE INTERESTING BIT. I desperately wanted more of it.

Unfortunately, this is where my frustration begins.

This book was suffering from a severe case of literary edging.

Every time I thought, HERE WE GO. GET TO THE JUICY BITS! the story would slow down again. There were so many moments where I felt like so much was happening while nothing was happening. The writing itself is good, and I actually enjoyed the author’s style. The dual POV between April and Marie was especially effective because it allowed the past and present to bleed into each other in a really interesting way.

But the pacing…

My god, the pacing.

April has been married for two months and is bored, isolated, and increasingly confined at Thornwood. And honestly? I WAS BORED AND CONFINED WITH HER. 😂

I understand what the author was doing—putting us inside April’s monotonous existence so that we could feel her frustration and desperation—but eventually I stopped wondering “Is this intentional?” and started yelling “PLEASE MOVE THE PLOT FORWARD.”

And then there was the love story.

I didn’t hate April and Marie’s relationship. In fact, I think their connection added something important to the story, particularly as April begins to understand her own sexuality in a way she hadn’t been able to before. Her realization that she is a lesbian felt natural and meaningful, and I appreciated that aspect of her character arc.

But did we need quite so much of it?

No.

I would happily have traded a significant portion of the romance for more of the previous wives’ stories, more exploration of Thornwood, and more information about the mythology surrounding the house. The six previous wives were fascinating, and I desperately wanted to know who they were, what happened to them, and how their individual stories connected to the larger curse.

Instead, I got more ghostly romance.

Ma’am. There is a supernatural murder house. Prioritize accordingly.

Thackeray, meanwhile, was fascinating. The more I learned about him, the creepier he became. He isn’t simply a man corrupted by power—he is essentially evil for evil’s sake, born from the desperate wish of a woman who wanted a child. The revelation of what he truly was made him even more disturbing.

And honestly, the fact that he kills his wives simply because he can is horrifying in its own right. I do think the story could have given him a more complex motivation, but there is something deeply chilling about a creature who doesn’t need a reason beyond his own cruelty.

They should have killed him when he was born with a full beard.

I said what I said.

April herself was a character I liked, even though I didn’t necessarily connect with her on a deeply personal level. I understood why she agreed to the marriage—particularly her desire to protect her younger sister and secure her future—and watching her slowly realize that she had essentially traded one kind of confinement for another was compelling. Her journey toward fighting for her freedom was one of the stronger aspects of the story.

And can we talk about the marriage?

Because, “It felt, at times, like being married to a rather sexually demanding wall.”

The emptiness of April’s marriage was genuinely uncomfortable, particularly the way she has to disassociate from herself to endure the nightly sex. That aspect of the story effectively communicated just how powerless and trapped she was.

Ultimately, Even Your Bones Would Do feels like a book with an incredible premise that I wanted desperately to love. The gothic atmosphere? Fantastic. The house? Fascinating. The Beauty and the Beast elements I discovered along the way? Original and wonderfully twisted. Thackeray? Horrifyingly compelling.

But the pacing and the disproportionate focus on the romance kept pulling me away from the parts of the story I actually cared about.

The payoff did come, but by the time it arrived, I was so frustrated—and the resolution moved so quickly—that it didn’t feel worth all the buildup.

So, 2.5 stars.

Beautifully written. Deliciously creepy. An incredibly creative dark fairy-tale interpretation. And yet somehow I spent a significant portion of this book screaming internally, “GET TO THE GOOD STUFF.”

I don’t regret reading it.

But I do regret how much of its potential was buried underneath the literary edging. 😂

[Magdalena (magdal21) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the author came up with a great concept for this retelling, and I really enjoyed the overall premise and atmosphere. It started off strong and immediately caught my attention, but unfortunately, the execution never quite delivered on its early promise. To be frank, I don’t think it was a particularly good read, which is a shame because there was so much to work with here.

One thing I genuinely loved, though, was the writing. The prose elevated the book for me – it was lyrical without becoming overly descriptive or feeling unnatural. It’s obvious that the author is very talented and has a strong command of her craft. The beautiful prose alone was enough to bump my rating up to three stars.

The story follows April Harker, a young woman from a small town who agrees to marry Julius Thackeray, a mysterious and wealthy art collector, to save her family from the financial ruin they’ve faced since the Great Depression. After moving into Thornwood House (Thackeray’s haunted mansion), April encounters a ghost named Marie and gradually begins uncovering her husband’s dark secrets. Since this is a Bluebeard retelling, Thackeray is obviously our villain, while the sapphic twist turns Marie into April’s love interest.

I was particularly let down by how Thackeray was handled. At the beginning, I found him extremely intriguing and compelling, and I was excited to see what the author would do with him as the villain. Unfortunately, he never became someone we should genuinely fear. He’s absent for much of the story, and most of what we learn about him comes through Marie’s memories in her POV chapters. He had all the ingredients of a truly unsettling gothic villain, but his character never quite got there.

The romance with Marie didn’t work much better for me. We’re mostly told that April and Marie love each other and that meeting Marie leads April to discover her sexuality, but I never really felt that connection developing on the page. This ties into one of my main issues with the book in general: it often tells us what the characters feel or what their relationships mean instead of showing us enough to make those emotions believable.

The ending didn’t help matters either. The pace suddenly picks up and becomes much more dynamic than the rest of the novel, only for everything to fall into place almost too easily. After such a long buildup, I expected a more impactful payoff. The conclusion felt rushed and somewhat underwhelming.

In the end, this was one of those books where I liked the ideas behind it much more than what actually ended up on the page. The beautiful prose and gothic atmosphere kept me interested, but the characters and their relationships needed far more depth for the story to have the emotional impact it was aiming for. There’s a lot here that could’ve worked for me, which only made the final result more frustrating. For such a long novel, it somehow still left me wanting more.

Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Giggles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley for the arc ❤️

I absolutely loved this to the point i didn't want to put it down, i was hooked.

The way the author described things especially Thornwood house was amazing.

I loved all the characters
Bel was just adorable
April i loved her so much I just wanted to give her a hug after everything

Some of the chapters where longer than what i normally like in a book but because i was hooked, i didn't mind at all

Marie's Pov was by far my fave part of the book. She gave me goosebumps in some of them.

The ending was amazing & once again gave me the chills & i actually teared up at one point.

The Author done a really good job with this one & i can't wait to get a copy when it comes out 🖤

[Lyann · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

I really thought we were going to get some ace representation, but I guess she just had to find the right.. ghost.
The writing was fine, the premise too, everything else not so much. I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters, which, to be honest, were just April and Marie. I did enjoy Marie's povs at first, but then as we got more of her, I actually grew to dislike her, and that didn't change till the end. The romance between the two.. was there, I suppose. Why was it there? I can't tell you. I'm not sure they even knew why they loved each other, except for the fact that they found each other attractive and had great tits.
The antagonist was barely in the book, and I was not a fan of the way the only crumbs we got about him or the house were shared through Marie. Should we maybe ask the other ghosts/wives? No? Okay. Then he came back, and the story ended. Quickly and without much struggle at all.
2.5 stars mostly just for the prose.

[Cindy (leavemetomybooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

* thanks to Berkley for the ARC (pub date Jan 12, 2027)

I tend to not love books described as “gothic” because it usually means they are s-l-o-w-w-w burns and I start getting twitchy — but I couldn’t pass up a chance to read a book described as “Bluebeard, but with lesbian ghosts” — and I’m so glad I did! Great pace, sympathetic characters, lots of female rage — loved!

Definitely recommending we stock this, have already passed off my copy to my coworker to read, and will be hand-selling!

[megs_bookrack]

ARC received! Thank you, Berkley!

[Elyse · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

NetGalley ARC.

[Federica]

This was not it…

https://youtu.be/Ncgv7ruZ6HU?si=MjC9n...

I’m a bit disappointed

[Elizabeth Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing was BEAUTIFUL. Claire Schultz has such a strong way of describing surroundings and environments, and Thornwood House was brought to life so vividly. The atmosphere was so immersive, and the setting felt rich, eerie, and incredibly detailed throughout.
Marie’s POV was probably one of my favourite parts of the book. Reading from her perspective felt so unique and emotionally raw, and I became weirdly maternal towards her. I felt protective of her in the same way she felt protective of April, which I was not expecting at all.
Mr Thackeray was also such an interesting character. I actually loved how little we knew about him because it made him feel even more unsettling and mysterious.
The female cast in this book was genuinely so empowering, and I wanted to give basically all of them a hug.
And THE YEARNING.
Not just romantic yearning either, but yearning for freedom, life, friendship, safety, connection, everything. It was written so beautifully and gave the whole book this constant ache underneath everything else.
The ending absolutely destroyed me. I cried.
There are so many quotes and moments I want to talk about, but I really do not want to spoil anything because I think this is one of those books that is best experienced without knowing too much. Everything about this was chef’s kiss. I need this book engraved into my bloodstream.
Absolutely 5 stars, and I will 100% be following Claire Schultz and reading whatever she writes next.

[444.ariesbaby_reads✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘if you hear an echo of a waltz from somewhere deep in Thornwood House, it might be me, trying to remember what it was like to breathe.’

•even your bones would do- claire schultz•

this was.. beautiful. morbid? yes, but beautiful.

the writing style was lyrical, i definitely got lost in the pages with this one. thornwood house was calling to me like a siren song. even stepping away from the book (to adult🙄) i couldn’t stop thinking about it, it was calling to me.

the stories behind these women, trapped and abused & unalived was honestly awful. their pain and suffering broke my heart. to be trapped even in the afterlife and having to rewatch history repeat itself again and again and again… heartbreaking. devastating. horrifying. until the newest wife comes along…

a house that has a mind of its own, that listens to the call of its master parading as a human/husband/lover but it couldn’t be further than his true form. a monster.

one of the best reads this year for me, personally. i loved every. single. minute.

100% recommend adding this one to your tbrs!

pub date: jan 19th, 2027✨

thank you to @netgalley & @daphnepress for the arc approval💫

[Samantha Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel has so much potential, but personally it did not deliver.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. The plot is really good, and the author is excellent at describing certain surroundings, and for those reasons I've given 3 stars.

The setting I loved. The sentient house I adored. Enraged ghosts coming together to exact revenge? Yes please!

The romance was okay, but we're led to believe the mfc is asexual so the upcoming relationship feels too easy and doesn't quite fit the narrative. The antagonist is too tame; I would have enjoyed being more fearful of him.

The main issue I had is that this is a relatively short tale stretched out beyond its means. The writing is extremely repetitive, and what could have been a clever gimmick lost its desired effect within the first few chapters. I felt like the writer was pulling her ace card over and over and over again. The narrating characters would make a point, end the paragraph, then elaborate on that point for another page or two which is entirely unnecessary. There are entire sections in brackets that don't need to be. Furthermore, they would reiterate topics again and again throughout the story like we didn't get it the first time around. It's over-explained and leaves nothing left to ponder on. A horror without mystery is a bad call in my book. It's extremely lacking in short, punch sentences. This gave the book a dreary pace from start to finish, and honestly I would have loved this book if it was brutally edited and cut down to half of its size.

Overall I found it lacking in mystery and brutality, and though this is quite a negative review I have the author's best interests at heart, and hope that with editing this novel can be turned around into a four star read.

[Seph🌱 · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy received from Netgalley.
A beautifully haunting sapphic gothic story filled with ghosts, secrets, and a sentient house that feels like a character of its own. The yearning between the love interests is deliciously slow-burning, full of tension, longing, and unspoken feelings. One of the most unique aspects is the protagonist’s ability to speak to the dead, adding an eerie, fascinating layer to the story. Atmospheric, emotional, and wonderfully spooky, this book is perfect for anyone who loves gothic romance with a touch of the supernatural. 🖤👻

[Jessi ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an intriguing book! A gothic horror based on Bluebeard with a sapphic twist. I absolutely loved the split POVs. I think it really gave the book something interesting.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every single second of this book!

When a rich mysterious man asks for April’s hand in marriage she’s not exactly thrilled but it offers her a chance to leave her small town and disinterested parents. Soon, however, she finds that this opportunity exchanges one cage for another and with wild parties and other women being reflected in the mirrors she finds her new husband has more than just a skeleton or two in his closet….

I love the Bluebird story there’s something so haunting about where curiosity can lead you and this was done so well! We hit all the beats building this dread as we inch closer to the locked door and slowly peak back the layers of this horror story and those who weren’t lucky enough to make it out of the house , or marriage alive.

April is such a great character and trying to make the best of the hand she was dealt. With little choices you can see how she could be persuaded to say yes to a man she hardly knows and her love of stories giving her an edge as she finds herself in this dark and twisted tale. The moments are shared with the other wives and their tragic end and knowing they are watching and waiting for her to join them because the hope of her making it has lessened with each new wife. Marie knows exactly how April feels as she lurks finding herself reaching out to comfort and their relationship is beautiful and tragic in its own right.

Their shared story and how they find each other isn’t for the faint of heart but heart is all they have as they reach into the dark to make it so at least one of them has a future and I loved the moments where all of the women come together and you can see what happens when that community rallies behind someone to take on their abuser.

This is a ghost story and a love story and I can’t wait for you all to read it!

**special thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

[Savanha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even Your Bones Would Do by Claire Schultz had such a beautiful, haunting atmosphere. The writing was easily my favorite part of the book. Schultz’s descriptions brought Thornwood House to life and created an immersive gothic setting that pulled me in from the beginning. I also loved Marie’s POV; her perspective felt unique and emotionally raw. The female cast was genuinely empowering, and the book’s yearning for freedom, friendship, safety, connection, and love was written so beautifully that it gave the entire story a constant ache. The ending absolutely destroyed me. I cried.

Unfortunately, the execution never quite delivered on the promise of its concept. As a sapphic Bluebeard retelling, there was so much here that I wanted to love, but Mr Thackeray never became as terrifying as he could have been, the romance with Marie felt more told than shown, and the ending was rushed after such a long buildup. Still, Schultz’s lyrical prose, immersive setting, and compelling concept elevated the book for me, even if the story itself didn’t fully work. Marie’s perspective and all that yearning were enough to bring this up to three stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Savannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um… well. I wanted to like this but it just wasn’t great

[Liz Chardon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even Your Bones Would Do by Claire Schultz is a beautifully written gothic horror novel that blends haunted house chills, fairy tale influences, and emotional depth into an atmospheric read. Set within the eerie Thornwood House, the story follows April as she uncovers the terrifying secrets hidden behind her mysterious husband’s wealth and charm, while forming an unexpected connection with one of the house’s ghosts.

The haunting atmosphere and lyrical prose were easily the highlights of this book, creating an immersive experience that kept me invested in the mystery. I also enjoyed the gothic elements, the emotional themes, and the unique take on the classic Bluebeard tale.

I rated this 4 stars because, while I enjoyed the overall story, I felt that several sections were unnecessarily extended. At times, the pacing slowed considerably, and some descriptions and scenes could have been tightened without losing the impact of the story. Even so, the intriguing premise, memorable setting, and haunting tone made it a worthwhile read.
Thank you Net Galley and Berkeley Publishing for the arc.
Publishes 1-12-27

[Trisha]

Sounds so good and I LOOOOVE this cover! Can't wait to read it!!

THANK YOU For the arc!!

[Hayley · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

A gothic romance that’s rooted in the stuff of both fairytales and nightmares, this was a perfect book to start my spooky season reads with! Described as a lesbian reimagining of Bluebeard, Even Your Bones Would Do caught my attention thanks to its haunting title and intriguing premise especially since it puts a sapphic spin on things. When small-town schoolteacher and aspiring writer April Harker receives a visit from a mysterious man named Julius Thackeray, her life changes course in a way she could never have dreamed. April agrees to a purely transactional marriage in exchange for the wealth and opportunity Thackeray promises both her and her family, including the chance for her younger sister Bel to go off to college to study astronomy and April’s slowly blooming writing career to flourish. However, it doesn’t take long for April to realize that all is not as it seems, that the sprawling estate she’s entered into has secrets of its own and that the others who were once in her place never fully left.

I enjoyed the narrative of the book being in first person and felt this also helped draw me into the story, especially since a key part of its protagonist’s struggle is so heavily internalized. April doesn’t understand the reason she feels so wrong inside until she discovers what feels right. And while I knew from the start it wouldn’t have a “ride off into the sunset” kind of ending, that didn’t stop me from holding out hope for April and Marie, whose dynamic is unsetting yet lovely! Sapphic storytelling feels uniquely suited to gothic romance because of the horror the patriarchy represents for young women whose attractions fall outside of societal expectations, so the addition of unsettling supernatural elements makes it all the more compelling.

Deliciously dark and richly imaginative, with vivid prose that easily conjures images of Thornwood House and its inhabitants, Even Your Bones Would Do is a book that is sure to linger in the back of your mind long after reading, much in the same way that strains of music linger on after the final notes of a piano concerto are played. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes stories that are beautifully poetic yet macabre, as well as queer representation and complex relationship dynamics. It was also a fun surprise to read the author’s bio at the end and find out she lives in my city, so here’s hoping she’ll do some kind of event here for the book when it launches!

Thank you to Daphne Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

No don’t fall in love with tbe ghost of your husbands ex wife it’ll only end badly…

Lesbian ghosts in a bluebeard retelling? Say less! I loved the atmosphere, even reading this in a humid poolside I was transported to the twisting, claustrophobic hallways of Thornwood Manor, it’s hidden dark wounds at the centre and the inevitable horror awaiting April once she enters as Julius Thackeray’s latest bride.

thank you Daphne Press for the early review copy!

From start to end, this is an unflinching look at women as items to be used, owned, abused and killed. April’s fate is set due to the time period, her parents desire for money at the expense of her freedom, and her desire to see her sister to college. From here, it’s only downhill as April realises that her new husband is far more vicious than she could have imagined, and her path is set to a gruesome end, a pattern that’s happened over and over again.

I loved the dual perspective, though I think at times our chapters from Marie’s point of view were a bit heavy handed on the foreshadowing aspects. The shock of bad things happened was lessened when we are warned without fail that this would occur. However I did enjoy the tension that these created in that we are never sure whether April is being played two-fold: in a dreadful cat and mouse game with her husband and also by the woman she’s beginning to take solace - his hauntingly present ex wife. That said, adding tbe house as an additional character and extension of Thackeray’s intention was great: I love when a setting is also an active participant.

There is a much-needed tenderness between April and Marie, but I would have liked a little more from the other wives present. I will say, the very end felt a little anticlimactic in terms of April’s do or die struggle to escape the manor - after the inevitable challenge and high stakes the wrap up immediately after this felt a bit too convenient.

However, I enjoyed the constant push and pull between April and Marie, the sneaking suspicion as to Marie’s honest intentions and genuine feeling, combined with the knowledge that these women would do whatever was needed to finally take down their husband. Their oppressor and murderer.

This was a retelling of Bluebeard that I knew I wanted as soon as I started reading it, though I thought the pacing of the first half was a touch too slow to unfurl its jaws. But it beautifully explores ownership, subjugation, male violence, domestic abuse, all wrapped up in a gory and violent fairy tale feel.

All in all, lesbians, ghosts, gore and a terrible time had by all!

[Érica’s chapters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to meet this story earlier!
No matter what, all my opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I was DEEPLY and gutturally invested in this book everytime I opened it and read a few words. It’s like Crimson Peak but sapphic. Like Monster House and the book She is a haunting. AND even tho it’s based on a fairytale, and I do connect it to three pieces of media I love, this book it’s its own unbelievable thing. I am intrigued and surprised. How can humans write books like this? Art is BEAUTIFUL. This is beautiful. And heartbreaking.

I do not want to spoil nothing of the book. Just read the fairytale and enter into the story. Just read chapter after chapter and feel yourself become a permanent member of the mansion. It’s so addictive and so spectral that it feels like you are a ghost watching everything happen. You are one of the wife’s seeing it. You are one of the wife’s gaining physical presence slowly (VERY SLOWLY). And you are just like them: stuck in this house, but hey, at least you are just reading the book, and not a victim.

It’s a truly marvelous book. The horror in it? PERFECT. How we go from seeing a family that was deeply affected by the crash of Wall Street (a true event and situation in history) to wondering what is Julian if not real or human? Amazingly blended and credible.
The love story that blooms in the book? Sapphic yearning is truly SUPERIOR! We only had some chapters of them but it felt like millions of them.

And the prose and ambiance? It’s the best thing in the book. It’s truly a masterpiece. The author builds this surreal and very engaging and specific narrative and setting that it’s so easy for us as readers to perceive the house and the antagonist, etc, and imagine it. It’s such a clear vivid imagery and for books like this, or you have the writing ability to create images with words, or you lose the amazing factor that is the depth of the mise-en-scene.

My only critique is that the book was way too long and in various chapters, it got monotonous. And then it gained intensity. And lost it again. And we get some monotonous chapters. And then chapters with important information. Followed by more monotonous chapters. I think the book would be equally great with less description of every action of April or thought. It needed to be more plot-driven.

[Stefany Krantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

👻 Book Review 👻

A young woman, never married, accepts the hand of a wealthy stranger who promises to help the woman’s destitute family if she marries him. She agrees, moves to enormous home, only to soon find out that the house is haunted. Not just by any ghosts, by the ghosts of his 6 wives, whom he has murdered. He himself isn’t an ordinary man and Thornwood House isn’t an ordinary house. This was sad, unsettling, atmospheric, with a dash of real emotional fortitude from our MC and the ghost women of the house. If you enjoy gothic horror with a haunted house, add this to your TBR! Release date: January 12th, 2007

Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for the ARC!

Summary:

April Harker lives a small life in a small Massachusetts town, with small sums for the fairy stories she sells and small pleasures since her parents lost all their money in the 1929 crash. Until the day Julius Thackeray arrives. A man with an unsettling blue-black beard and excess wealth, Thackeray promises to marry April. To take her to his estate outside Boston, make her stories famous, show her the world.

But April should know from her fairy stories that a man promising the world on one’s doorstep is too good to be believed. Thornwood House is a sprawling mansion in the middle of nowhere, with hallways that lead different places on different days and silent-footed servants keeping house. And someone—something—else. Spectral presences who leave lipstick-stained teacups in the library and drop the temperature in empty halls. Who haunt her nightmares. Who know the truth of Thornwood House.

Drawn to one of these ghosts, a mysterious specter named Marie, April begins to find comfort in their presence. But when Thackeray entrusts April with the keys to a seemingly infinite number of rooms, the horrifying secrets at the heart of Thornwood House come to light. Trapped in a cycle of violence, April and Marie must escape their house of horrors—together or not at all.

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