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Bound Gods #2
The Bones of the Earth
A mismatched band of mortals and their violent, secretive leader must stand against a pair of resentful gods to save their world in this second volume in Rachel Dunne's breathtaking dark epic fantasy trilogy, The Bound Gods, which began with In the Shadow of the Gods.
To win the coming battle for control of the world and the mortals who dwell in it, the cunning priest Joros secretly assembled a team of powerful fighters—Scal, a lost and damaged swordsman from the North; Vatri, a scarred priestess who claims to see the future in her fires; Anddyr, a drug-addled mage wandering between sanity and madness; and Rora and Aro, a pair of twins who have secretly survived beyond the reach of the law.
But the war is only beginning for these disparate warriors and victory is far from certain when the enemy is a pair of vengeful gods. As the bound Twins strengthen in force against their parents—the Divine Mother and Almighty Father—who exiled them, a shadow begins to spread across the land, threatening to engulf all in its wake.
As deadly magic takes hold, the tenuous bonds tying these uneasy allies begins to unravel. If they cannot find a way to keep their band together, each of their lives—and the entire world—will be lost to the darkness, leaving nothing but the bones of the earth. . . .
To win the coming battle for control of the world and the mortals who dwell in it, the cunning priest Joros secretly assembled a team of powerful fighters—Scal, a lost and damaged swordsman from the North; Vatri, a scarred priestess who claims to see the future in her fires; Anddyr, a drug-addled mage wandering between sanity and madness; and Rora and Aro, a pair of twins who have secretly survived beyond the reach of the law.
But the war is only beginning for these disparate warriors and victory is far from certain when the enemy is a pair of vengeful gods. As the bound Twins strengthen in force against their parents—the Divine Mother and Almighty Father—who exiled them, a shadow begins to spread across the land, threatening to engulf all in its wake.
As deadly magic takes hold, the tenuous bonds tying these uneasy allies begins to unravel. If they cannot find a way to keep their band together, each of their lives—and the entire world—will be lost to the darkness, leaving nothing but the bones of the earth. . . .
464 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 11, 2020
THIS SERIES HAS ITS HOOKS INTO ME HARDCORE!!
The first book was great, but THIS one. MAN! Not often does a "middle child" of a trilogy bring its A-game as hard as this one does. Every POV character is fascinating, every conflict is nail-biting.
I'm moving right on to #3!
The first book was great, but THIS one. MAN! Not often does a "middle child" of a trilogy bring its A-game as hard as this one does. Every POV character is fascinating, every conflict is nail-biting.
I'm moving right on to #3!
July 12, 2018
Nope.
December 3, 2018
A grossly underrated series. Reminiscent of Bakker. Highly recommended. 5++
November 8, 2017
So this follows the typical second book pattern. The first established our role and our characters. The second develops it further.
I loved the prologue - the description of Etarro in the prologue knowing that he is acting is fantastic. The mention that Avorra, too, spent hours with a mirror and the statute of Sorrora, trying to mimic her expression, is a great detail. It really sets the scene for the rest of the story.
We ended the second book with Scal wounded while the rest of the gang drags him for shelter.
I don't understand healing works here. The description of Scal's and Anddyr's wounds at various times, seem life threatening, but somehow they have plot armour and survive them. Scal also appears to heal much faster than I would expect. (Anddyr's is semi-explained: he's a mage, and has innate magic that helps him survive.) But my difficulty is whether Scal's abiltiy to heal is a facet of the worldbuilding or an unknown power? It's immensely dissatisfying. (Somehow: when they are heading for shelter, the gang also hike through the snow and survive - it's not clear how they obtained food.)
I felt that this was a solid book. The writing is pleasing - the best word I can think of it is "nifty". It's a very easy read - the writing flows. I liked how tension was written and maintained.
At the same time, I don't know if it deserved three stars. I just didn't engage with it that much. (And so, I can't say I liked it, which I feel is the requirement for three stars.) At times, I felt that Jaros' plans kept failing, and failing, and failing - which I understand is part of the grimdark genre, but not something I might want to keep reading. The storyline felt a little predictable - I knew where it was heading. It didn't feel fresh. It's 2.5 stars, probably - the quality of writing is there, and it's passable, but I don't think I (subjectively) enjoy it enough to call it 3 stars.
I loved the prologue - the description of Etarro in the prologue knowing that he is acting is fantastic. The mention that Avorra, too, spent hours with a mirror and the statute of Sorrora, trying to mimic her expression, is a great detail. It really sets the scene for the rest of the story.
We ended the second book with Scal wounded while the rest of the gang drags him for shelter.
I don't understand healing works here. The description of Scal's and Anddyr's wounds at various times, seem life threatening, but somehow they have plot armour and survive them. Scal also appears to heal much faster than I would expect. (Anddyr's is semi-explained: he's a mage, and has innate magic that helps him survive.) But my difficulty is whether Scal's abiltiy to heal is a facet of the worldbuilding or an unknown power? It's immensely dissatisfying. (Somehow: when they are heading for shelter, the gang also hike through the snow and survive - it's not clear how they obtained food.)
I felt that this was a solid book. The writing is pleasing - the best word I can think of it is "nifty". It's a very easy read - the writing flows. I liked how tension was written and maintained.
At the same time, I don't know if it deserved three stars. I just didn't engage with it that much. (And so, I can't say I liked it, which I feel is the requirement for three stars.) At times, I felt that Jaros' plans kept failing, and failing, and failing - which I understand is part of the grimdark genre, but not something I might want to keep reading. The storyline felt a little predictable - I knew where it was heading. It didn't feel fresh. It's 2.5 stars, probably - the quality of writing is there, and it's passable, but I don't think I (subjectively) enjoy it enough to call it 3 stars.
June 27, 2017
The second in a planned trilogy, The Bones of the Earth is an able follow up to Dunne’s grimdark debut. Dunne continues to build on her strengths. But if you were frustrated by In the Shadow of the Gods, you will probably remain frustrated by The Bones of the Earth.
In the Shadow of the Gods was going to be a tough act to follow. Not just because of how good it was, but structurally as well. Dunne spends a lot of time in her first book building out the backstory of the main characters and putting through a Trauma Conga. How does she repeat or build on that? Dunne does, in fact, manage to continue to traumatize her characters greatly, and without having to resort to flashbacks. It leads to some great character development.
That character development does come at some expense to the overall story. The Bones of the Earth has a more satisfying conclusion than In the Shadow of the Gods, but it is still a slow burn. Character development is great! But it should always be in service of the story. But we may be left waiting until book 3 for a full payoff.
Dunne’s prose remains a highlight. Most of the main characters were together by the end of the first book, but they are quickly separated in book 2. Some storylines interested more than others, but almost every chapter had me wishing I could keep reading that storyline. I had a tight turnaround to get this review up today, but I didn’t have to push myself at all to get through it.
If In the Shadow of the Gods was Skal’s book, The Bones of the Earth is Rora’s. I miss the snow from the first cover—and The Bones of the Earth will certainly still make you feel a summer chill!—but the choice to put Rora on the cover is certainly appropriate. And they do a good job. She is represented as slight, and you can even see a broken blue stone on one of her daggers.
Disclosure: I received an unsolicited review copy from the publisher.
In the Shadow of the Gods was going to be a tough act to follow. Not just because of how good it was, but structurally as well. Dunne spends a lot of time in her first book building out the backstory of the main characters and putting through a Trauma Conga. How does she repeat or build on that? Dunne does, in fact, manage to continue to traumatize her characters greatly, and without having to resort to flashbacks. It leads to some great character development.
That character development does come at some expense to the overall story. The Bones of the Earth has a more satisfying conclusion than In the Shadow of the Gods, but it is still a slow burn. Character development is great! But it should always be in service of the story. But we may be left waiting until book 3 for a full payoff.
Dunne’s prose remains a highlight. Most of the main characters were together by the end of the first book, but they are quickly separated in book 2. Some storylines interested more than others, but almost every chapter had me wishing I could keep reading that storyline. I had a tight turnaround to get this review up today, but I didn’t have to push myself at all to get through it.
If In the Shadow of the Gods was Skal’s book, The Bones of the Earth is Rora’s. I miss the snow from the first cover—and The Bones of the Earth will certainly still make you feel a summer chill!—but the choice to put Rora on the cover is certainly appropriate. And they do a good job. She is represented as slight, and you can even see a broken blue stone on one of her daggers.
Disclosure: I received an unsolicited review copy from the publisher.
June 27, 2017
The Bones of the Earth by Rachel Dunne
This novel is based on the mythology of parent gods disavowing their twin children the same as the last Dunne novel (In the Shadow of the Gods) as both are Bound Gods novels.
There is a dichotomy in some of the characterizations. The book has multiple main characters, each of whom has their own story. The methodology of some character lines is so different from others that it is almost like multiple authors. That isn't a problem but the diverse character lines led to some confusion.
Many of the same characters are in this book, Scal and Rora were still the characters that successfully grabbed my interest. Joros continues to be the most despicable of the characters.
The book has an interesting premise but I had some difficulty in maintaining my interest.
web site: http://racheldunne.com/
This novel is based on the mythology of parent gods disavowing their twin children the same as the last Dunne novel (In the Shadow of the Gods) as both are Bound Gods novels.
There is a dichotomy in some of the characterizations. The book has multiple main characters, each of whom has their own story. The methodology of some character lines is so different from others that it is almost like multiple authors. That isn't a problem but the diverse character lines led to some confusion.
Many of the same characters are in this book, Scal and Rora were still the characters that successfully grabbed my interest. Joros continues to be the most despicable of the characters.
The book has an interesting premise but I had some difficulty in maintaining my interest.
web site: http://racheldunne.com/
January 31, 2021
Rachel Dunne has done a remarkable job in setting the stage for book #3. The motley crew assembled in book one continue to evolve and their respective roles begin to sharpen and, in some case, evolve into something or someone quite different. Big and little surprises throughout the novel as the believers and defenders of their respective faiths move to protect some gods while others seek to free chained gods. The gods that they have chosen to follow determine their paths...As with any quest of this nature, there is blood, loss, and darkness.
Oddly, my greatest criticism of this work is the book cover. It doesn't match the gravity of this story. In my opinion, it presents this second novel as a YA work and diminishes the work.
On to book three.
Oddly, my greatest criticism of this work is the book cover. It doesn't match the gravity of this story. In my opinion, it presents this second novel as a YA work and diminishes the work.
On to book three.
January 7, 2022
Didn't disappoint. Some trilogies are meant to binge. This is one of them. The author keeps the same build (world, characters, and plot) with great intensity keeping us interested. We follow several characters that end up grouping and regrouping in the quest to gather the Twin God's limbs or trying to stop this from happening. There is not a single character that I dislike following and at the same time, they have different goals and motivations, and personalities.
It ticks all my favorite things: children who become warriors to survive, large groups of adventurers on a set quest, a bit of darkness and creepiness, and a great story.
It ticks all my favorite things: children who become warriors to survive, large groups of adventurers on a set quest, a bit of darkness and creepiness, and a great story.
August 3, 2017
Excellent followup!
Once again we are pulled through this book as readers not at all sure what we want to happen. There are characters that I cheer for, hoping that their lives will go well. But in this world Rachel Dunne has created of warring gods and their followers, you are not really sure what to hope for for them.
I really love how she uses words so very well to create pictures and feelings for me. Can't wait to find out what book 3 has in store!
Once again we are pulled through this book as readers not at all sure what we want to happen. There are characters that I cheer for, hoping that their lives will go well. But in this world Rachel Dunne has created of warring gods and their followers, you are not really sure what to hope for for them.
I really love how she uses words so very well to create pictures and feelings for me. Can't wait to find out what book 3 has in store!
June 1, 2023
Perhaps the best book in the trilogy, but I was still left feeling there was so much more that could have been accomplished for this story. Sooo much potential, yet fell sooo short.
At least in this book we got to see some character development and some more "epic" scenes, which still left me yawning due to their stale narrative and predictability. The author still made me cringe with her writing style, but at least her writing matured from her first novel.
At least in this book we got to see some character development and some more "epic" scenes, which still left me yawning due to their stale narrative and predictability. The author still made me cringe with her writing style, but at least her writing matured from her first novel.
July 17, 2017
Received a free copy though Goodreads Giveaways.
If there is one standout of the book, it definitely has to be the depth and imagination of the world's creation mythology. However, I don't feel like the characters are very likeable. Not terrible, but hard to get behind. I'm interested to see where things go in the next book. Particularly, with respect to Scal.
If there is one standout of the book, it definitely has to be the depth and imagination of the world's creation mythology. However, I don't feel like the characters are very likeable. Not terrible, but hard to get behind. I'm interested to see where things go in the next book. Particularly, with respect to Scal.
September 14, 2017
Series went from mediocre to worse. The characters complain a lot and do dumb things all the time. The first book was okay in setting up the world, but there is nothing redeemable in the follow-up. I won't be reading the third book
August 25, 2020
This 2nd book captured me more than the 1st. I'm glad I read it. Looking forward to reading the 3rd. I like that the characters are all wandering, and unsure of themselves...everyone just trying to do what they believe is right.
July 20, 2017
Very interesting series. Looking forward to the next one.
March 7, 2018
A book that would please most fans of Fantasy. It has depth, mystery, interesting characters, violence and introspection. Fun to read.
March 18, 2020
Man I devoured this book in about 2 days and then had to wait a month to get the third one.
Just as amazing as the first.
Just as amazing as the first.
January 13, 2022
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
December 3, 2018
Another great book by Rachel Dunne Very gritty bloody the only drawback I find in her writing is it takes a lot longer to get to the point I wish she would just cut some of the details out but overall the story is well written and she did a good job there’s been another great book in a series looking forward to her last and third book in this installment
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May 22, 2017DNF at pg 343. I should specify that this was an ARC so it's possible parts of it will change by final printing.
I just lost interest. I was down to one character I cared about in a large cast with several points of view, and I didn't care enough about her to wade through the rest. And it was not the same character I cared about in book 1. In fact I have no idea what Skal is even still doing in this book, but suddenly Rora is the only interesting one.
A bit too much maundering, a bit too much introspection (I feel like I got the characters' motivations after book one, I didn't need them repeated in every chapter). And all of the Keiro chapters can just go, maybe be summarized real quick before the climax of the book, wherever that might be.
I just lost interest. I was down to one character I cared about in a large cast with several points of view, and I didn't care enough about her to wade through the rest. And it was not the same character I cared about in book 1. In fact I have no idea what Skal is even still doing in this book, but suddenly Rora is the only interesting one.
A bit too much maundering, a bit too much introspection (I feel like I got the characters' motivations after book one, I didn't need them repeated in every chapter). And all of the Keiro chapters can just go, maybe be summarized real quick before the climax of the book, wherever that might be.
July 16, 2017
The Bones of the Earth is a standard follow-up to 'In the Shadow of the Gods'. Though this novel is much slow paced than its predecessor, there is notable character development in the storylines. As in the first book, the story is narrated through the 4 major characters - Keiro, Joros, Rora, and Scal. Here, the crux of the plot is the revival of the bound twin gods by their followers, and the attempt of Joros and his unlikely rag-tag band to thwart them. (I find the cover a little bland. It's not a female-character centred book. Alongside Rora others also needed a place, maybe a group like GOTG of Marvel).
Rachel Dunne mixes the elements of epic and grim dark to create her own world filled with brutality and clash of faiths and beliefs. The two separate mythologies told by the followers of the Parents and the Twins run central to the story. The length of the novel is short, but Dunne manages some notable character development here, although it is at the cost of the story. I liked the way Miss Dunne handled the characters, though they are frustrating at times. Andyyr the half-mad mage, Rora who is petulant and fiery, Aro naive but with a hidden power of his own are interesting in their own way. But, amongst them, Scal is by far the most conflicted and complex character in the novel. Scal is likely the rogue-hero who has difficulty in coming to terms with his own self and the people around him. This novel narrates the experiences of Keiro amongst the plain-people and his finding of the twins, and the clumsy efforts of others to follow or antagonise what's inevitable.
The Bones of the Earth is a novel that is readable and a little monotonous at the same time. Dunne's writing is brilliant and filled with flashes of astute observations, and precise philosophical musings. Readers expecting a action-packed story will be disappointed. Dunne takes the reader into the story through the journeys of her characters, and their own foils and foibles. There is no good or evil here, the atmosphere and motive of everyone is shrouded in a cloak of grey. Events takes a momentum in the last 100 pages of the novel, and it's satisfying. Believe me it's worth a read.
Rachel Dunne mixes the elements of epic and grim dark to create her own world filled with brutality and clash of faiths and beliefs. The two separate mythologies told by the followers of the Parents and the Twins run central to the story. The length of the novel is short, but Dunne manages some notable character development here, although it is at the cost of the story. I liked the way Miss Dunne handled the characters, though they are frustrating at times. Andyyr the half-mad mage, Rora who is petulant and fiery, Aro naive but with a hidden power of his own are interesting in their own way. But, amongst them, Scal is by far the most conflicted and complex character in the novel. Scal is likely the rogue-hero who has difficulty in coming to terms with his own self and the people around him. This novel narrates the experiences of Keiro amongst the plain-people and his finding of the twins, and the clumsy efforts of others to follow or antagonise what's inevitable.
The Bones of the Earth is a novel that is readable and a little monotonous at the same time. Dunne's writing is brilliant and filled with flashes of astute observations, and precise philosophical musings. Readers expecting a action-packed story will be disappointed. Dunne takes the reader into the story through the journeys of her characters, and their own foils and foibles. There is no good or evil here, the atmosphere and motive of everyone is shrouded in a cloak of grey. Events takes a momentum in the last 100 pages of the novel, and it's satisfying. Believe me it's worth a read.
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