Chest of Bone

Afterworld Chronicles #1

by Vicki Stiefel

As magical and mundane worlds entwine, empath and unawakened Mage Clea Reese must team up with the secretive James Larrimer to hunt her mentor’s killer and stop the forces of corruption from obtaining the Chest of Bone, the ultimate source of otherworldly power.

Larrimer is a predator who stalks endangered-animal traders. Or so it appears. And none are prepared for the fusion of Clea's and Larrimer's song, a wild resonance which can bind one to the other.

Powerful forces align against them, and only Clea, the singular Key, and Larrimer stand between these malignant entities and their ruthless quest.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Mystery, Magic

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2017

About the author

Author also writes under Sanna Brand

Award-winning author Vicki Stiefel now also writes as Sanna Brand, including Regency Romances, THE BOND (Book 1, The Secret Tales), THE DECEPTION, and now, THE SEER. Vicki’s s fantasy romance series, The Made Ones Saga, launched with ALTERED, continued with CHANGED, and climaxed with ASCENDANT.
Vicki continues work on her Afterworld Chronicles and her award-winning mystery/thrillers feature homicide counselor Tally Whyte.
Vicki tapped into her love of knitting to produce Chest of Bone The Knit Collection and co-write 10 Secrets of the LaidBack Knitters.
After running The Writers Studio with her late husband, William G. Tapply, Vicki taught fiction and modern media writing for six years at Clark University.
She grew up in professional theater and planned to become an actress. Instead, she slung hamburgers, managed a scuba shop, and became a college professor. She is a mom to two wonderful humans and a furry pack. Her passions for scuba diving, fly fishing, knitting, and horses pop up in her novels, as do chocolate, bourbon, and lobster. Currently, she's playing with her menagerie while working on THE UNSEEN (as SANNA BRAND) , the fourth book in The Secret Tales.

Reviews

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

Sometimes you're reading a novel and you're 30% through it and only then realize that you still don't have a clue about what the book is about. That happened to me with Chest of Bone.

I expected something more of a fantasy novel, but it was more or less a murder mystery with some fantasy elements thrown into it. This is not necessarily a bad thing of course, as I certainly like my murder mysteries from time to time. However, the writing was also quite strange. I can't really explain it but felt different, and I think it was one of the reasons why I couldn't get into the story for a long time.

The story itself was quite interesting (mostly the part about the 'exotic' food) but the main ideas have been done before, a number of times. The jury is still out whether or not to continue with this series in the future.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Marguerite (M)]

When you hate the writing, it's hard to like the book.
And this is what happened with Chest of Bone.

By all means, it was not a bad book ! I even think it would have been very entertaining if the writing didn't make me want to kill myself. I don't think it was awful or anything, I just couldn't read it. Was it because english is not my mothertongue ? I don't know, it just didn't feel right and fluid. It was kind of the way we take notes in college.

And the story was not particularly original. I also expected more elements of fantasy and something more epic. But overall, it was okay.

Thanks to Netgalley for procuring me this ARC.

[Chelon · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to be patient with this one, took 3 days to get to 20% but once you make it it's worth it. This one sneaks up on you, the first 28% made me crazy way to much going on, all happening at once. It is a crazy, convoluted, WTF kind of book because, she throws everything in here and I do mean everything.
But you end up caring about the characters and their relationships, and by the end I was eager for the next book. So don't let the unique writing style scare you off, take a breath and keep going it's worth it.

[Kara-karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more, but the reality is it didn't fully grab me.


The writing style is innovative, the world is very interesting and provocative, and I did love Clea's crazy hair, but for me, it just didn't flow as much as I would have loved. It does not in any way mean that you should stay away from Chest of Bone. It's a great story!


Clea is an FBI agent who for some unspecified reason is not signed back for duty. There are hints at previous incident, but not explained. When a person who is cherished by her is killed in a brutal and strange way, she is trying to work on the case but is repeatedly rebuked by her seniors or forced to work for Agent Larrimer while many unexplained and magical things are happening around her.


She is surrounded by a score of remarkable individuals. Bernadette, Larrimer, Lulu, Dave - they are all a little bit off just like Clea herself, but it's never expanded enough to get a good backstory. Well, Larrimer, gets it after all and so is Clea, but not the rest. Even dead Dave needed a little bit more background.



Basically, it's a bunch of crazy, but it's GOOD crazy, with some super vivid scenes and fascinating characters who I think needed to be expanded and revealed at a much slower rate as the various details of the world-building were a bit crammed into the narrative.


Overall, recommended. Will read more. Definitely, an author to watch out for.


* * *


Мне очень хотелось, чтобы эта книга понравилась, но вот не захватила она меня, и читалась с трудом.


Инновативный авторский стиль, интересное построение мира, и мне жутко понравились сумасшедшие волосы Клеи, но вот повествование не текло, а читалось прерывисто. Что не значит, что я эту книгу не рекомендую. Это фантастическая история!


Клея - агент ФБР, которая почему-то не задействована в бюро после какого-то таинственного инцидента, который читателю не обясняется. Когда её учитель и приёмный отец убит зверским и странным образом, она пытается помочь расследованию, но её руководители постоянно её сдерживают, пока необъяснимые, магические вещи не случаются вокруг неё и её невольного партнёра, Ларримера.


Она окружена невероятными личностями. Бернадетт, умерший Дэйв, Лулу и Ларример - ярки и довольно странны, также как и сама Клея, однако их истории не разъясняются читателю. Клея и Ларример наращивают биографии по мере сюжета, однако опять же не очень они разработаны.


В общем, накручено по-сумасшедшему, но по-сумасшедшему хорошо. Очень яркие сцены, завораживающие персонажи, но напихано в них очень много и быстро. Мне казалось, что развивать и раскрывать их надо было гораздо медленнее.


Рекомендую, буду читать дальше.

[Ahanika Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

A magical murder mystery packed with suspense, romance, action and thrills!

Chest of Bone is an incredible blend of fantasy, suspense, mystery, crime, romance, action, and a little bit of sci-fi. I've never read a book that had so much going on all at once! it's quite the page-turner. The story is fast-paced, with non-stop action. There was never a dull moment, I was constantly mulling over the events in the book wondering what was next. The plot is complex and intriguing with unpredictable twists.

The story revolves around Clea, an FBI special agent, as she tries to unravel the mystery of the death of her mentor and friend, Dave. she's forced to partner up with a mysterious agent, James Larrimer. Clea was a strong character, she's brave, determined, witty and a total badass. she doesn't wait around to be rescued. Along the way, she discovers her own magical abilities and recovers memories crucial to her identity. I loved James Larrimer! He was intense, fascinating and so so swoon worthy. I liked the slow build up of romance between them, how Clea breaks down his walls slowly. They had crackling chemistry and made an excellent crime solving team. His protectiveness towards Clea was super sweet! The mystery was perfectly done in the book, kept me interested and curious throughout the book. I enjoyed the author's writing style and her description of magic was beautiful.

I can't think of anything that I didn't like. This was definitely a captivating read and totally my kind of book! I'll be waiting for the next book in the series. I wanna see more of this magical world explored further!

[Lynnette E Karnes trahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be very honest I am giving this a 5 star on feed back...It isn't at all what I was expecting!! I will start by saying if your one of those who judges a book by it's cover. You will be missing one he'll of a read. Would I have read it based on the cover. NO its titled Chest of Bones and for the record I HATE SCARY ANYTHING. PLAIN AND SIMPLE I DON'T DO SCARY!! I HATE SCARY !! I'm currently on chap. 33 of 44 and I just started reading it yesterday. How did I get her books?? Well Vicki Stiefel is an awesome person and author and she was part of 12 days of Christmas giveaway with some of my other new authors reads and I'm glad I entered to contest and won by chance her package of goodies!! I have enjoyed this book a lot and haven't put It down more than long enough to eat and well sleep lmao I feel asleep reading last night and I won't be a spoiler y'all need to pick up her books and read them !!! I finished this first book in 2 days from start to finish and I am getting ready to read the 2nd book starting tomorrow. Awesome book if you get a chance pick up Chest of Bone not at all what one would expect!!! I love all the characters except sometimes I wanted to smack James it was like he was a smart A$$ and it just made me want to smack him although the way him and Clea got to each other was always pretty good loved it can't wait to read the second book

[Flossie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story with a lot of action. I loved the heroine. She was believable and yet could kick ass whenever necessary. I can't wait until the sequel comes out!

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chest of Bone by Vicki Stiefel is a unique fantasy novel of where we are introduced to a range of characters who are each unique in their own way. In this story we follow a woman named Clea, who is a Special Agent with the FBI, as she tries to unravel the mystery of what happened to her dear friend Dave. Clea was on her way to work when a giant panther shows up in the middle of the road delaying her from getting to the Feed and Seed on time. When she gets there her friend Dave is dying on the floor in front of her. Clea can feel the dark energy that was there but her immediate concern is Dave lying on the floor. Dave gives her mysterious clues that there is something more about herself that she has to discover. With his dying breaths he tells her that there is magic within her and that she must accept and acknowledge it if she ever hopes to use it and harness it because he knows that she will need it and soon. He also tasks her with finding a chest that he tells her is important and with one of his last breaths release the lock on her magic.
Clea desperately wants to get back to work with the FBI, the doctor has cleared her for duty, but for some reason Bob, the ASAC, and the new SAC don’t want her back yet. They won’t tell her why and they won’t let her investigate the death of her friend on her own either. Instead they saddle her with another agent of Wildlife telling her that his investigation coincides with Dave’s untimely death and that she should work with him. What Clea doesn’t know is that there is more to Larrimer than meets the eye and that secrets are being kept all the way around.
Chest of Bone is the first book that I have ever read by Vicki Stiefel. I’ll admit that when I first saw this book that I was more than excited to dive on in after reading the blurb about it. Then when I started reading the book I got a little concerned that maybe I wasn’t really going to like this story and that it would end up disappointing me. Well, for me, this book is a fantastic read! It had me turning pages and hating whenever I had to put it down to do everyday tasks and work. Clea is a very strong character and stubborn but she is just one of many dynamic characters. I have to say that even the minor characters add a depth to the story and draw you in even more as you want to know what will become of them.
The author does a fantastic job creating a game of chess between Clea and the Master as she works to piece together this puzzle and figure out what it means, locate the chest that she has been told to find, keep Dave’s daughter Lulu alive and stay alive and out of harm’s way herself. I love the dynamics between the characters and I love the surprises that the author conjures up with each character that you literally do not see coming.
I am very happy that this book has minimal to no noticeable errors that would detract from the enjoyment of the story. This book is on a whole different level when compared to others in its genre. The storyline is nice and steady, it never falters or deviates in any form. You can just tell that the author put so much into this story and that they really made this a book that will draw the reader in and make them want to know more, weaving in surprises in all the right places. There are flashbacks, surprises, revelations, trust woven and trust broken, romance, pain, danger and tons of mystery and there is magic in just the right amounts.
I have to say that if you are looking for a good fantasy novel then add this book to your list and your TBR shelf. Chest of Bone is a must read and I am more than thrilled to know that there will be more books to follow this one. I am more than eager to read more about Clea and all those who are associated with her. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. This author has really created something special with this book and has got themselves a new fan in me. Great job and two thumbs up.

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

First, let me start by saying that I have to concur with some of the other reviewers - it did take me a little time to get into this book. It moved slowly for the first 20% or so, and at one point I did put it down, thinking I'd have trouble finishing it.

That said...when this book got going, it GOT GOING. Around the 25% mark, the action started and never stopped, and it quickly became a totally engrossing read. Every time I put it down I thought about it until I could pick it back up again. I loved Clea as a heroine (shout-out for vegetarian ladies!). She was smart, witty, and conservative with her words. I appreciated that there weren't pages and pages snarky back-and-forth throughout the book, which I think is a common (and increasingly annoying) trope in urban fantasy novels. She didn't speak unless she had something to say, and she didn't waste her time stomping around and seething about her love interest/partner.

The world was also richly-detailed and slow-growing, which made every exposition surprising and puzzling (in a good way). With every detail we got about Mages, Fae, Shifters, and others, I felt like I was collecting the pieces of a puzzle. Instead of dumping in an expository chapter about her world, Stiefel carefully crafted her narrative around Clea's search for information about her friends, family, past, and partner. It made the discovery of new details about Clea and the magical world feel fresh and exciting.

I have only two complaints about the novel, and they are more nit-picky than anything else: first, while the artwork is beautiful, the page breaks (sometimes three per page) did start to bother me, especially when I felt like they didn't accurately break up the scenes. The second complaint I have isn't Vicki Stiefel's fault; it's an issue with PNR/UF that has started to dig at me for a while now. Clea is supposed to b 28 years old (I think). Yet, somehow, she has a bachelor's and master's degree, served in the Army, AND is a recognized and respected interrogator/profiler with the FBI. I can see any two of those things being possible at her age, but not all three. UF seems to want to cast characters who are in their mid- to late-twenties, but also have them be world-weary, experienced, and respected in their community. If I were not a regular UF reader, it wouldn't have bothered me at all while reading Chest of Bone, but I've been noticing it in a lot of the books I read.

Overall: this was an exciting, detailed read with a promising new UF heroine, and while I'm sure I'll have to wait a year for a sequel (x_x), I will happily follow this author until it comes out! <3

[Jordann (thebookbloglife) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read more of my reviews at - www.thebookbloglife.com

I found this book on NetGalley and I loved the premise of the book, the description really hit me. I wanted to read it and I managed to get accepted! However, I found it to be lacking. The payoff wasn’t there and I struggled to get all the way through the book.

I don’t quite know what to say about this book because I’m still not sure what actually happened. I read this whirlwind and really struggled with the plot. Nothing seemed to make any sense or was deemed important enough to have any explanation. I have literally no idea how the magic system works and why.

I guess my biggest problems with this book is the lack of direction. It was all over the place and it just lacked any kind of logic. Everything happened all at once and too much was happening all at the same time. I was lost and confused and not in a good way.

I usually have a favourite and least favourite character but I can’t genuinely choose one. I think I wanna talk about the main character and the fact there was a huge crisis happening and instead of focusing on that we spent time wondering whether we could sleep with our partner. It made me feel icky and awful, it was one of the worst and most problematic things about this book.

And can I just talk about the ridiculousness of James? I mean come on, the whole storyline was awful and unbelievable. It was hard to read sometimes. Not my favourite part of the book by any stretch of the imagination. I just think he could have had a better back story and the relationships he formed could have been better written.

Lulu was written as though she and Ronan were a lot younger than in the book, I thought their voices could have been more distinct and not quite as whiny. I didn’t think there was enough of a reaction from Lulu about her father’s death – more about blustering Clea’s ego with the overuse of the word ‘badass’. I don’t know. She didn’t sit well with me and I just wanted a little bit more development.

In terms of recommending a book, this has to go on my nope pile. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me, it happens sometimes!

[Marie -The Reading Otter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review:
2.5 Stars
I received this book from NetGalley for review.

I didn't seem to enjoy this book as much as everybody else that has read this book so far. The writing was really strange, not bad, just strange. And that made it really difficult for me to fall into this book the way I would have liked.

I also think I was expecting a different kind of story. From the synopsis, I was expecting more of a fantasy element than there was. It took a minute for that part of the plot to really show up. It was mostly a murder mystery. And while I don't mind that kind of story, I actually like those kinds of books. I just prefer to know that is the kind of book I'm reading before hand.

There was also a lot about this book that was rather cookie cutter in my opinion. The base of the plot of this book wasn't really that unique. "Protagonist thinks they are a mostly normal human; until they suffer a loss/tragedy and learn they are more than they thought they were. Their guardian/parent/mentor kept the secret they were different from them for unknown reasons. MC goes on a journey to find out why the secret was kept and what happened to their mentor/guardian/parent. Shenanigans ensue."

It's all been done before, many times. And I have read books where this plot was also done better.

It's not a bad book by any means, it just wasn't' what I was expecting, and I think that hurt my perception of it.

[Tiffany Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start off saying that murder mysteries are not my go-to genre. But mix in some fantasy and romance, and you’ve caught my interest. Vicki Stiefel’s writing style, I admit, took me a little time to get into. It had a noir, detective feel to it, but I continued reading and everything else fell away and all that remained was the story and the characters.

Chest of Bone was full of action, magic, suspense and deception. The characters, mainly Clea and Larrimer, rarely had a moments rest. And sadly, they took quite a few beatings. The magic was mysterious and intriguing, and the way it was described was beautiful.

The romance was a slow burn, with several moments where I wanted to just scream ‘Do it already!’. I loved James Larrimer. He was an interesting character and a tortured soul. His entire making was enthralling to me. I loved his moments of possessive protectiveness toward Clea. He was, in the beginning, the very definition of hot and cold — for good reasons — but he was one sex-ay man! Who doesn’t looooove scars!




I noticed there were also some very personal touches to this book in regards to the author which I found to be very sweet, as well.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you’re a lover of the fantastical with loads of mystery and lots of explosive kisses! I can’t wait to see what happens next! 4.5 Stars

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chest of Bone is an outstanding magical mystery. It is an action packed romance. If you love magic, mystery, lots of action and romance this is the book for you! I picked it up and could not put it back down. It is a page turner!!! Each chapter left me wanting to read on to the next and now I'm looking forward to the next book. The writing is absolutely beautiful. The story is complex. The characters are compelling. I was delighted to find Chest of Bone and follow this hot twisting tale of intrigue. Well done!

[Pilar Seacord · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love Clea and James Latimer!!! If you like suspense this story is is for you. There is a lot of action,violence,magic and the the government sticks its nose in the mix. Plenty of bad guys to hate and believe me there are plenty.Thre is a lot going on in the story and occasionally I got lost. The story is well written with great characterization and humor. Ms. Stiefel has a superb writing style

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don't read this genre but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in the series!

[Shh I am Reading Leticia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this eBook from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Visit me at Shh, I am Reading for reviews and more!

I wanted to enjoy this book so much. It sounded so interesting from the synopsis. But it was really tough to get into.
The writing style, alone, makes it difficult. It is an unusual style. It kind of broke up the fluidity of the story and it made getting to know the characters much more difficult.
There are other issues as well, like everything in the story is thrown at you. All at once, too.
I did receive it as an ARC, however, there were so many errors in this book. I really hope the finished piece is much more polished.

The novel actually starts out more in the Murdery Mystery and Thriller genre, where we’re introduced to Clea Reese and her significant loss of a mentor. Clea is a tough bird, and works for the FBI as an interrogator. She had some interesting tricks to get criminals to talk. I enjoyed the uniqueness of that.
But that fantasy element was missing for a long time and it didn’t really make a major appearance until the middle of the book when Clea begins to explore her mentor’s death with her partner James Larrimer.

Even without the romance, this novel would have done well. But I understood where the author was going. It was part of Clea finding her magic, connecting to someone like Larrimer.

I did, in the end, find that I did have a favourite character which was Bernadette. She was Clea’s rock. A mixture of the perfect grandmother and no-nonsense ass kicking warrior. I loved when she would bring out her gun and tell everyone it was her duty.

The novel actually touches on several genre’s, which can make it very confusing. It was hard to tell where the author was trying to take this.
Another issue was there was a lot of details that were left out which made a lot of the decisions in the book very disjointed. But there was also a surplus of details that involved a back story that the reader doesn’t ever really learn of. Again, this adds to the lack of flow and disjointed feel of the book.

Which is entirely too bad because it was a great story idea. Despite the issues, I did enjoy it. I enjoy the odd murder mystery and the fantasy element added a new depth to the story. It just would have done better with some polishing and more flow to the story.

[Lynn Latimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Dark Fantasy, CHEST OF BONE is set mostly in the normal world, but with a magical one overlapping. Clea Reese’s reality comes crashing down when her mentor is killed, an action which unleashes her own personal magic. On leave from her job as a government interviewer of sorts, Clea has always known she had some unusual empathic capabilities. Once her magic is set free, Clea’s world seems to spiral out of control leaving her grasping to learn all the arcane rules figuring out how to use strange new abilities all the while trying protect those she loves. Special Agent James Larrimer blazes into that world with a mystical spirit that literally sings to her own soul. He is certainly something more than human with so many secrets Clea is determined to unlock. With Larrimer’s very powerful help, Clea sets out to find Dave’s killer, but in doing so, discovers a world of supernaturals with whom she has much more in common than she previously knew.

The enigmatic Chest of Bone is a beacon for those who would capture it to control both worlds as they begin to collide. Thea’s destiny seems tied to the Chest, but there is much she will have to learn including facts of her past in order to fulfill that role. Clea’s slowburn, but intense, relationship with Larrimer adds a nice balance to the action, adventure, and heart stopping tension.

Though at times very brutal, much of this story centers on the willingness of Thea and Larrimer to do what is right, in part out of love, despite the personal sacrifice and losses required. They are compelling and likeable characters which is what always transforms a good story into a great one. Ms. Stiefel’s unique and fascinating world will very much appeal to fans of Fantasy who like a strong element of romance. As this book is the first in the Afterworld Chronicles series, much of the world building occurs, but does not distract from the story.

[Kayla Pipkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this book to be honest.

Clea is on her way to visit her dear friend, Dave, when some unimaginable happens.
When she comes to after crashing her car, she is unsure about everything that transpired but continues on with her journey to see him.
Entering his shop, Clea immediately realizes something is wrong and finds Dave lying in a blood of his own blood.
Set on finding revenge, she goes about trying to complete the task giving to her by Dave and finding who is responsible for his death.

I just don't think this book was for me.
It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't horrible in my opinion either.

The biggest thing that set me off from this book is the writing style.
It felt monotone and stiff.

I did like the idea of the story.
It seem to have a good plot, but I just felt like it wasn't executed very well.

There were some errors throughout the book, but not enough to distract from the reading.
I had a harder time getting through the style than what errors were within it.

This is a murder mystery type book with a fantasty aspect.
I would still recommend it to others to read even if it wasn't for me.
I think it is important for readers to form their own opinions instead of basing them off of others.
I think this could be a really great story line and I could see myself being curious enought o read the second to find out more.

[Angel Hatfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clea was an F BI investigator and Empath. Dave was Clea’s mentor, friend, and only father figure Clea had ever known. When Clea got to the Mid Borough Feed & Seed- Dave’s store. There was a sense of wrongness. Clea felt if anyone had hurt Dave they were toast. Dave whispered Clea’s name but she did hear him and found him covered in blood from dozens of cuts slashed his legs, his arms. His torso and face. Then Dave told her he was a guardian her guardian. Dave told her to take the Storybook , green cover, she had bit. Then Clea found the book. Dave must have been in his twenties when he took Clea on as his project. Clea never knew why. He was a merry man. His tattoos fascinated Clea. He made up stories about his tattoos to entertain a kid starved for attention. Dave read to Clea for hours. Bernadette was Clea’s foster mother.
I didn’t care for this story. There was just too much going on I just was into the book about 10 percent and didn’t know what was going on. I couldn’t get into the writing style and finally gave up. I’m sure someone will have more patience than me and love this book.

[Shymsal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An interesting beginning. The main characters were well-developed, as were some of the secondary characters. The knitting/weaving theme in the magic was handled in a way I haven't seen before. Also, I don't think I've ever read a fantasy novel that had a companion book of knitting designs before - not that you need to see it to understand the story.

I felt Clea took a little too long growing into her power, but she did have strength and ability even if she sometimes plunged recklessly into danger. Larrimer's issues were terrible (even with all the cool perks) and made me want to kill the people who did that to him. I wanted Clea to protect him, even though all he wanted to do was protect her. It was good to see him wanting it, yet still stand by her side and not try to contain her.

Now the tougher stuff. Sentences were sometimes garbled - at least one yanked me right out of the narrative, staring and annoyed. The author's word choices were occasionally out of left field. (Some might have been spellchecker error.)

[Notes From 'Round the Bend · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, truly wanted to love this book, but I struggled with the first half to two-thirds—and I mean STRUGGLED. So much so that this was almost a DNF at a lot of points. I think the problem was that Chest of Bone didn’t quite know what it wanted to be, so it tried to be a little of everything; paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, crime thriller, romance.

Honestly, I can’t think of the last book that’s left me so… ugh, but trying to figure out if I accidentally fell down Alice’s rabbit hole! This one was off, from the bizarre writing style to the imbalance of details to the disjointed characters. I suppose the best way to describe it is this: Have you ever tried to read while you’re drunk? You know what each word means, but string them together more than two or three long and you just cannot make sense of them. That’s how the majority of Chest of Bone left me feeling.

You can read the full review at http://redhotbooks.com/2017/02/review...

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2018...)

My Rating: 3 stars

Library recommendation: Not recommended on its own merit. Assessment of subsequent books in the series will be required to finally determine whether or not this volume should be acquired, by whom, and for which genre.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.

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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Slow burn

Relationship dynamics: The FBI Agent with a Gun Collection (h) / The Mysterious Assigned Partner (H)

Sexual content: A smidge. Sex between H/h is romantic, both “onscreen” (and explicit) and “offscreen”

Triggers: Excessive violence against and violation of humans and animals; Excessive description of gore; Glorification of guns; Attempted rape (of h – not by H) with survivor trauma.

Grammar/Editing: There are some typos. It is difficult in some cases to decide whether some of the grammar/phrasing is problematic, or if there are regionalisms being used that I do not have context for. The slang in the book seemed quite regional, at least.

Review: The writing style used in this first person narrative will not be palatable to all readers. It can be characterized as staccato and, in places, semi-stream of consciousness. There also seems to be elements of drama style incorporated, particularly relating to how characters enter and leave scenes. The context of much of the action is left ambiguous. The writer has the heroine comment on this ambiguity, but the reader is kept as much in the dark as the heroine, which will also be frustrating for readers who aren’t adventurous with their preferences relating to writing style. Given all of this, the pacing is too fast and there are too many plot elements thrown into the story. It could leave the average reader uncertain of what they have missed and scrambling to re-read passages just read.

I did not find any of the characters particularly compelling or relatable in the beginning and it took a significant amount of time to develop any investment in them; far more time, in fact, than I think most readers would be willing to invest before putting a book aside. I think this is due to the degree of ambiguity maintained in the narrative: you have to read a significant amount of the book to learn anything of significance about any of the characters. Character investment is also not helped by the writing style, which makes some of the character dialogue seem almost terse and, in part, as if it were written in a code that the characters are privy to, but that the readers are not. However, I have to say that what we do eventually learn about the characters is interesting and gives the future books great potential for character development. It is at least clear in hindsight that the author has a plan for character development and that the plan was always been intended to be executed over multiple books.

I will be reading and reviewing the second and third books as well, and I hope that the problems in this first installment will turn out to be a blip on the radar for the whole series. I am also hoping for fewer triggers in subsequent books because the ones that appear in this book were particularly difficult for me, personally. If I hadn’t committed to reading the second and third books, I’m not sure that I would continue with the series after reading this book.

Old Spice Guy Version: Look down. Look up. What do I have in my hand? A gun. Look left. Look back at me. The gun is gone. Look away. Look back. Now I have 12 more. I love them. Who am I? I won’t tell you. Who are you? I won’t tell you. Look right. Look at me again. I’m a goat. What? You’re not ready yet.

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.