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The Bone Bride: A Short Story
Grimm's Fairy Tales meet Dark Epic Fantasy.
A high-born girl learns she’s been sold as a bride to a dead goblin prince.
Being betrothed to a goblin prince is bad enough—they’re all ugly and horrid and live in dark tunnels underground. But being betrothed to a dead goblin prince? That’s an immediate death sentence!
Nineteen-year-old Rowan attempts to flee when she learns about her arranged marriage. But there’s no escaping a contract signed by the dreaded Goblin King.
Now, all the dark magic in the Realm is against her. The gruesome King of Death himself will be looking for her soon.
Rowan’s only hope is to convince the fair Nicholas—the boy she planned to run away with—to destroy her marriage contract. But it must be done before the sun rises.
And already, the sky is brightening with light.
Please note this 30-minute short read is a Dark Fantasy with Grimdark elements and unreliable narrators.
A high-born girl learns she’s been sold as a bride to a dead goblin prince.
Being betrothed to a goblin prince is bad enough—they’re all ugly and horrid and live in dark tunnels underground. But being betrothed to a dead goblin prince? That’s an immediate death sentence!
Nineteen-year-old Rowan attempts to flee when she learns about her arranged marriage. But there’s no escaping a contract signed by the dreaded Goblin King.
Now, all the dark magic in the Realm is against her. The gruesome King of Death himself will be looking for her soon.
Rowan’s only hope is to convince the fair Nicholas—the boy she planned to run away with—to destroy her marriage contract. But it must be done before the sun rises.
And already, the sky is brightening with light.
Please note this 30-minute short read is a Dark Fantasy with Grimdark elements and unreliable narrators.
52 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 24, 2022
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 9, 2022
This is a really cool read!
It is atmospheric and dark. It reminded me of old Irish ghost stories in mood and the way it was told, and I was drawn in from the start.
The story has several viewpoint characters and I liked reading them all. I was eager to find out what would happen and if Rowan would escape the marriage her father arranged for her.
The story ends in a way that has me eager to get my trotters on the next book. You bet I'm stalking Destefano's facebook page
It is atmospheric and dark. It reminded me of old Irish ghost stories in mood and the way it was told, and I was drawn in from the start.
The story has several viewpoint characters and I liked reading them all. I was eager to find out what would happen and if Rowan would escape the marriage her father arranged for her.
The story ends in a way that has me eager to get my trotters on the next book. You bet I'm stalking Destefano's facebook page
May 3, 2022
Too short to be good
This is an extremely short story that could have been a good novella or even novel. With more length and depth, the feelings and motivations of the characters could have developed naturally and realistically. Instead, because it’s so short, the author just tells you that the seemingly very real feelings of love or hatred someone felt a page ago are now different. It feels very much like an adult reading a child a story and saying “Red Riding Hood was sad, but then she decided she had to be brave again.” It’s just not my cup of tea. I want to watch the characters grow and change, not just be told that they did. It feels more like a novel synopsis to me than a good stand alone short story. Assuming the rest of the stories are like this I have no interest in further items in this series, which is apparently going to delve into a war between the living and the dead that will change the world. It sounds very apocalyptic, but the characters so far are so
shallowly developed that I don’t care about them, and they aren’t “real” because their deep feelings dramatically change on a dime with a short directive from the narrator.
This is an extremely short story that could have been a good novella or even novel. With more length and depth, the feelings and motivations of the characters could have developed naturally and realistically. Instead, because it’s so short, the author just tells you that the seemingly very real feelings of love or hatred someone felt a page ago are now different. It feels very much like an adult reading a child a story and saying “Red Riding Hood was sad, but then she decided she had to be brave again.” It’s just not my cup of tea. I want to watch the characters grow and change, not just be told that they did. It feels more like a novel synopsis to me than a good stand alone short story. Assuming the rest of the stories are like this I have no interest in further items in this series, which is apparently going to delve into a war between the living and the dead that will change the world. It sounds very apocalyptic, but the characters so far are so
shallowly developed that I don’t care about them, and they aren’t “real” because their deep feelings dramatically change on a dime with a short directive from the narrator.
September 13, 2022
This is a story that starts in a rather unexpected way, and that ends up being a large part of its charm. Merrie Destefano is an accomplished storyteller. This one has a fairytale premise, the middle has a twist and the ending leaves things open for a much larger tale. There is a rather large unanswered question, an unresolved character, so I gave it a 4 rather than a 5. Even with that, it has the makings of a good beginning for future writings.
May 5, 2022
I enjoyed this story and the world building has me intrigued. My main complaint is that it's too short and I want more. It felt like a short-story teaser for a longer series, but I don't see anything else continuing the storyline. There were also a few spots that felt out of order and I'd have liked at least one more scene showing them fall in love rather than saying it happened.
August 8, 2022
What an amazing read! It's a quick read but I was sucked in immediately and couldn't turn the pages fast enough! There is suspense, intrigue and drama in this eerie story of a goblin prince and an arranged marriage with Rowan. I definitely need the next book! I received a complimentary copy of this book and I am leaving an honest review.
May 10, 2022
A romance in the flavor of Dracula and Frankenstein.
This prequel left me wanting to know more in the Raven Heart series - which is exactly what a prequel should do.
This prequel left me wanting to know more in the Raven Heart series - which is exactly what a prequel should do.
July 26, 2022
A very quick yet highly entertaining adventure filed with witty and engaging charters and undeniable passion. Exciting read from beginning to end.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews