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Hills of Heather and Bone
The bones of the dead hold stories.
On the fringes of Errigal, Morana longs to exchange a life of hiding for a peaceful one with her husband, Percy. While Percy's bloodgift lets him grow plants and heal broken bodies, Morana's a boneweaver, despised and feared because she can hear bones and raise the dead. Morana doesn't want to be seen as a villain from the old stories and instead spends her time gardening, writing the stories of the dead, and fending off a spiteful chicken.
Morana and Percy's lives are shattered when a group of Failinis tasked with capturing boneweavers and rogue bloodgifted find them. On the run and battling the elements, ancient creatures, and the loss of all they called home, Morana and Percy search for any sanctuary left in Errigal. Morana must choose between the call in her blood or the family she holds so close to her heart if she and Percy are to survive.
Please be aware that this book contains some scenes of violence, death, depression, mentions of miscarriage, birthing scenes, suicidal thoughts, suicide, and cannibalism.
On the fringes of Errigal, Morana longs to exchange a life of hiding for a peaceful one with her husband, Percy. While Percy's bloodgift lets him grow plants and heal broken bodies, Morana's a boneweaver, despised and feared because she can hear bones and raise the dead. Morana doesn't want to be seen as a villain from the old stories and instead spends her time gardening, writing the stories of the dead, and fending off a spiteful chicken.
Morana and Percy's lives are shattered when a group of Failinis tasked with capturing boneweavers and rogue bloodgifted find them. On the run and battling the elements, ancient creatures, and the loss of all they called home, Morana and Percy search for any sanctuary left in Errigal. Morana must choose between the call in her blood or the family she holds so close to her heart if she and Percy are to survive.
Please be aware that this book contains some scenes of violence, death, depression, mentions of miscarriage, birthing scenes, suicidal thoughts, suicide, and cannibalism.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2023
34 people are currently reading
3686 people want to read
About the author
K.E. Andrews
15 books217 followersSpfbo 9 Finalist, Indie Ink Award Finalist, Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist, 2023 Page Turner Awards Finalist, & 2025 Indie Author Project runner up. K.E.Andrews has always been an avid reader, which sparked her passion for writing at an early age. Most days, she spends her time daydreaming about stories and making mood boards. When she's not writing, she tends to her plants, plans out her next crafting project, and binge-watches shows on Netflix. She currently lives in Powder Springs, Georgia with her family and cats.
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May 15, 2024
My review of Hills of Heather and Bone is published at Grimdark Magazine.
Hills of Heather and Bone is the dark yet delicate fantasy by K.E. Andrews, which finished a (very) close second place in Mark Lawrence’s ninth Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO9). The story revolves around a young married couple who possess magical powers over the living and the dead. Percy is a rootsower, gifted with the ability to grow and manipulate plants. His wife, Morana, is a boneweaver who can connect to the deceased through their skeletal remains and even raise them from the dead:
“Fresh deaths are always the strongest—the loudest, the most painful. Memories are more vivid in their final moments. The body remembers what the soul leaves behind.”
Boneweavers like Morana are misunderstood and feared by the general population. The couple’s peaceful life is upended when Morana’s abilities are discovered and they are forced to abandon their home and live a life on the run.
The world of Hills of Heather and Bone has a rustic cabincore feel inspired by the Scottish countryside. The novel also features one of my favorite animal sidekick characters: Morana’s cranky and judgmental pet chicken, the aptly named Morhenna.
The nature-based magic system created by K.E. Andrews is a perfect fit for the pastoral setting of the novel. Boneweavers and rootsowers are just two types of the so-called bloodgifted, who possess supernatural connections to the natural world. A few other categories of bloodgifted include: beastcharmers, who can speak with and control animals; earthcarvers, with the ability to move and shape the earth; fleshmenders, who can heal flesh; waterdancers, who can manipulate water; and windsingers, who can summon and shape the wind.
The core of Hills of Heather and Bone is the loving relationship between Morana and Percy. The maturity and genuine love expressed in their relationship, through both words and actions, is a welcome contrast to the shallowness of romantic entanglements found in many romance and romantasy books.
Morana and Percy share a healthy and positive relationship, but they also face many realistic problems:
“A fragment of a memory jolts through me, a baby held in roughened hands. Tears sting my eyes. Percy looks at me, his brow wrinkled with a question I don’t want to answer.”
Percy, whose full name is Percival, is such a cinnamon roll. His personality reminds me of Sir Percival, one of the Knights of the Round Table, who has a childlike innocence which protects him from worldly temptation. Morana and Percy also defy the usual physical representation of couples in romance books. The axe-wielding Morana is much taller and stronger than her delicate, scholarly husband, and she also suffers from chronic pain:
“My arthritis has been with me since I was five. I felt like an old woman shuffling around when the pain got bad, struggling to keep up with my siblings or walking the hills with the cows.”
I was already a fan of K.E. Andrews from reading her previous SPFBO8 semi-finalist, The Assassin of Grins and Secrets, but she has really leveled up with Hills of Heather and Bone. Her prose, told from Morana’s first-person perspective, recalls that of Sarah Chorn in its dark but eloquent beauty. Reading Hills of Heather and Bone feels like listening to a Midlake album with its charming melancholy.
Hills of Heather and Bone is also much darker than one might assume by its cover, featuring plenty of necromancy. With this book, I’d argue that K.E. Andrew has essentially invented a new subgenre of “cozy grimdark” fantasy. There is even a reference to the Dripping Bucket, Michael R. Fletcher’s interdimensional grimdark tavern that has been embraced by a multitude of dark fantasy authors.
Hills of Heather and Bone also has strong mental health themes, including overcoming grief and depression:
“I wrap my arm around him and stroke his damp hair. His shoulders heave with quiet sobs. We cling to each other while the world continues to turn.”
Overall, Hills of Heather and Bone strikes the perfect balance between darkness and hope. K.E. Andrews has written a rustic gem of a novel, a deeply emotional story built around a realistic, loving couple who resonated deeply with me as a reader.
Hills of Heather and Bone is the dark yet delicate fantasy by K.E. Andrews, which finished a (very) close second place in Mark Lawrence’s ninth Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO9). The story revolves around a young married couple who possess magical powers over the living and the dead. Percy is a rootsower, gifted with the ability to grow and manipulate plants. His wife, Morana, is a boneweaver who can connect to the deceased through their skeletal remains and even raise them from the dead:
“Fresh deaths are always the strongest—the loudest, the most painful. Memories are more vivid in their final moments. The body remembers what the soul leaves behind.”
Boneweavers like Morana are misunderstood and feared by the general population. The couple’s peaceful life is upended when Morana’s abilities are discovered and they are forced to abandon their home and live a life on the run.
The world of Hills of Heather and Bone has a rustic cabincore feel inspired by the Scottish countryside. The novel also features one of my favorite animal sidekick characters: Morana’s cranky and judgmental pet chicken, the aptly named Morhenna.
The nature-based magic system created by K.E. Andrews is a perfect fit for the pastoral setting of the novel. Boneweavers and rootsowers are just two types of the so-called bloodgifted, who possess supernatural connections to the natural world. A few other categories of bloodgifted include: beastcharmers, who can speak with and control animals; earthcarvers, with the ability to move and shape the earth; fleshmenders, who can heal flesh; waterdancers, who can manipulate water; and windsingers, who can summon and shape the wind.
The core of Hills of Heather and Bone is the loving relationship between Morana and Percy. The maturity and genuine love expressed in their relationship, through both words and actions, is a welcome contrast to the shallowness of romantic entanglements found in many romance and romantasy books.
Morana and Percy share a healthy and positive relationship, but they also face many realistic problems:
“A fragment of a memory jolts through me, a baby held in roughened hands. Tears sting my eyes. Percy looks at me, his brow wrinkled with a question I don’t want to answer.”
Percy, whose full name is Percival, is such a cinnamon roll. His personality reminds me of Sir Percival, one of the Knights of the Round Table, who has a childlike innocence which protects him from worldly temptation. Morana and Percy also defy the usual physical representation of couples in romance books. The axe-wielding Morana is much taller and stronger than her delicate, scholarly husband, and she also suffers from chronic pain:
“My arthritis has been with me since I was five. I felt like an old woman shuffling around when the pain got bad, struggling to keep up with my siblings or walking the hills with the cows.”
I was already a fan of K.E. Andrews from reading her previous SPFBO8 semi-finalist, The Assassin of Grins and Secrets, but she has really leveled up with Hills of Heather and Bone. Her prose, told from Morana’s first-person perspective, recalls that of Sarah Chorn in its dark but eloquent beauty. Reading Hills of Heather and Bone feels like listening to a Midlake album with its charming melancholy.
Hills of Heather and Bone is also much darker than one might assume by its cover, featuring plenty of necromancy. With this book, I’d argue that K.E. Andrew has essentially invented a new subgenre of “cozy grimdark” fantasy. There is even a reference to the Dripping Bucket, Michael R. Fletcher’s interdimensional grimdark tavern that has been embraced by a multitude of dark fantasy authors.
Hills of Heather and Bone also has strong mental health themes, including overcoming grief and depression:
“I wrap my arm around him and stroke his damp hair. His shoulders heave with quiet sobs. We cling to each other while the world continues to turn.”
Overall, Hills of Heather and Bone strikes the perfect balance between darkness and hope. K.E. Andrews has written a rustic gem of a novel, a deeply emotional story built around a realistic, loving couple who resonated deeply with me as a reader.
Read
June 15, 2024This book came a very close second in SPFBO 9, out of the 300 entries this year.
& I've now read it!
Hills of Heather and Bone (HoHaB ... Hohab!!) is a grim-cosy book. Don't take this next analogy seriously, but it's a bit like if the bad guys in Mad Max were to pursue your favourite children's TV characters across those favourite characters' world.
Or more seriously, it achieves grim-cosy status by having vicious baddies invade a cosy set up and then chase them for the entire book in such a way that allows the main characters to have long cosy interludes where they can build houses, grow herb gardens, learn to bake, make friends, get new dresses, attend festivals etc ... then BANG! the baddies stomp all over it and the good guys have to run off and start again.
It's written from a single Point of View, in first person, and in present tense. I stopped noticing the presesnt tense (as I always do) after a few pages, and I like books from single 1st person PoV (rather like the first 6 books I had published).
Our main character is a very tall woman in her late 20s, who carries an axe (wood, not battle), possesses an innate form of necromancy, and has arthritis - the sort that starts very young. When a PoV in a book has a chronic illness (or serious injury) there's a fine and difficult line for the writer to walk. Tell us about it too often and we'll start to groan every time we hear (in this case) that their knees pop, joints ache, muscles are stiff etc. Tell us about it too infrequently and we'll forget about it. For me, we heard about it a little too often in this book.
A large fraction of the populace has blood gifts that give them one (or sometimes two) of about a dozen powers, the fairly generic elemental ones, the necromancy (bone weaving), beast mastery, healing, plant powers (rootsowing).
Our main character has a shorter husband (from the cover only 5 or 6 inches shorter - but in the book she feels quite a bit larger and picks him up on a number of occasions), who can heal (handy for her arthritis pain) and do considerable amounts of plant magic.
The other main "character" is a chicken. Terry Goodkind rather infamously had an evil chicken in one of his books. This one is closer to true neutral. She has a lot more personality than any chicken I ever owned had squeezed into its microdot brain.
Anyway - we see a lot of cosy homemaking with these two, shot through with worries that spring from the fact that boneweaving is considered evil and the country's 'police' keep hunting down suspects.
Our couple and their chicken need to flee, and that protracted running away is essentially the book.
During the running away they visit various places, set up various homes, encounter various monsters in the wild. And have a bunch of fights with the 'police' (numerous and magically powered). The fights / threat of discovery is the grim. The stoppovers are the cosy.
It's well written and has a lot of charm, and you can't help but feel the tension as our optomistic husband plants yet another garden, and our realist wife wonders how long before the 'police' (led by a nasty guy who we keep running into) show up.
I did have a little niggle about some of the encounters where many days / weeks pass and then just as one unlikely thing happens, another unlikely thing happens to offset it, but readers of fiction should harden themselves against authorial coincidence-wielding. We all do it, and it's just a case of degree.
There's excitement in the conflict, variety in the magic, pathos in their attemps to set up and live a normal life.
The wider world is only seen through the lens of the character's desires/goals. We don't learn who runs the country or a lot about why the boneweavers are hunted so fiercely. There are 11 (!) gods but we don't dip far into the religion or learn many of their names. It felt sufficient to me, though people who live for worldbuilding might feel shortchanged - it's not that sort of book.
The story comes to a nice dramatic peak and we get action, pay-off, satisfaction, some sadness.
It's a good book, and if it sounds like something you might like, then definitely give it a try.
Oh - the husband makes painful plant-based puns. They're supposed to be painful. They are. They did make me hate him a little peas.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
Check out this year's contest here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
See this year's finalist table here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Read up on the SPFBO in general here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
& I've now read it!
Hills of Heather and Bone (HoHaB ... Hohab!!) is a grim-cosy book. Don't take this next analogy seriously, but it's a bit like if the bad guys in Mad Max were to pursue your favourite children's TV characters across those favourite characters' world.
Or more seriously, it achieves grim-cosy status by having vicious baddies invade a cosy set up and then chase them for the entire book in such a way that allows the main characters to have long cosy interludes where they can build houses, grow herb gardens, learn to bake, make friends, get new dresses, attend festivals etc ... then BANG! the baddies stomp all over it and the good guys have to run off and start again.
It's written from a single Point of View, in first person, and in present tense. I stopped noticing the presesnt tense (as I always do) after a few pages, and I like books from single 1st person PoV (rather like the first 6 books I had published).
Our main character is a very tall woman in her late 20s, who carries an axe (wood, not battle), possesses an innate form of necromancy, and has arthritis - the sort that starts very young. When a PoV in a book has a chronic illness (or serious injury) there's a fine and difficult line for the writer to walk. Tell us about it too often and we'll start to groan every time we hear (in this case) that their knees pop, joints ache, muscles are stiff etc. Tell us about it too infrequently and we'll forget about it. For me, we heard about it a little too often in this book.
A large fraction of the populace has blood gifts that give them one (or sometimes two) of about a dozen powers, the fairly generic elemental ones, the necromancy (bone weaving), beast mastery, healing, plant powers (rootsowing).
Our main character has a shorter husband (from the cover only 5 or 6 inches shorter - but in the book she feels quite a bit larger and picks him up on a number of occasions), who can heal (handy for her arthritis pain) and do considerable amounts of plant magic.
The other main "character" is a chicken. Terry Goodkind rather infamously had an evil chicken in one of his books. This one is closer to true neutral. She has a lot more personality than any chicken I ever owned had squeezed into its microdot brain.
Anyway - we see a lot of cosy homemaking with these two, shot through with worries that spring from the fact that boneweaving is considered evil and the country's 'police' keep hunting down suspects.
Our couple and their chicken need to flee, and that protracted running away is essentially the book.
During the running away they visit various places, set up various homes, encounter various monsters in the wild. And have a bunch of fights with the 'police' (numerous and magically powered). The fights / threat of discovery is the grim. The stoppovers are the cosy.
It's well written and has a lot of charm, and you can't help but feel the tension as our optomistic husband plants yet another garden, and our realist wife wonders how long before the 'police' (led by a nasty guy who we keep running into) show up.
I did have a little niggle about some of the encounters where many days / weeks pass and then just as one unlikely thing happens, another unlikely thing happens to offset it, but readers of fiction should harden themselves against authorial coincidence-wielding. We all do it, and it's just a case of degree.
There's excitement in the conflict, variety in the magic, pathos in their attemps to set up and live a normal life.
The wider world is only seen through the lens of the character's desires/goals. We don't learn who runs the country or a lot about why the boneweavers are hunted so fiercely. There are 11 (!) gods but we don't dip far into the religion or learn many of their names. It felt sufficient to me, though people who live for worldbuilding might feel shortchanged - it's not that sort of book.
The story comes to a nice dramatic peak and we get action, pay-off, satisfaction, some sadness.
It's a good book, and if it sounds like something you might like, then definitely give it a try.
Oh - the husband makes painful plant-based puns. They're supposed to be painful. They are. They did make me hate him a little peas.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
Check out this year's contest here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
See this year's finalist table here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Read up on the SPFBO in general here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
February 6, 2024
Read for SPFBO9 as part of team Fantasy Book Critic. This is just my personal opinion, group verdict may differ widely.
9/10
Expertly balancing the cosy with the dark, Hills of Heather and Bone is a beautifully bittersweet fantasy story full of endearing characters that will quickly creep under your skin and take root in your heart before you even realise it.
This tells the story of Morana and Percy, a married couple living in hiding from the prejudiced people who would seek to capture Morana for her feared boneweaver magic. After years of trying to establish a somewhat peaceful life for themselves, they are once again forced to go on the run after a violent attack on their home, and this time the stakes are higher than ever before.
I was immediately pulled in by Morana’s intimate first person narration from the very first page, and I related to her ‘doom and gloom’ outlook on the world way more than I’d probably like to admit. Mental health and trauma is so beautifully, authentically, and poignantly explored in this story, and I loved how her anxiety, fears, and worries created an almost intoxicating atmosphere that just kept me in a chokehold.
On the other hand, I also deeply appreciated the counterbalance of Percy’s charmingly positive and sunny personality. At first I almost found him to be a bit too soft and corny, but as the story progressed he quickly grew on me (yes, pun very much intended), and I couldn’t help but adore him for his bad plant puns. The tender yet passionate relationship between them is so heartachingly beautiful, and their undying love and support for each other just bleeds through these pages.
There’s no denying that the characters and their interpersonal relationships are the main focus in Hills of Heather and Bone, but that doesn’t mean the other aspects of the story suffer. I was positively entranced by the atmospheric Scottish-inspired world building, and all the various manifestations of the bloodgifted magic sparked a deep sense of wonder in me. It was especially refreshing to see necromancy depicted in such a positive light, and all the different magical blood gifts tied back so beautifully into the themes of life and nature that permeate every aspect of this story.
Now, I can see how some more action-driven readers might bounce off the slow middle section in Hills of Heather and Bone, but I honestly just ate up all the quiet, (semi-) peaceful, and introspective moments full of character- and relationship building. To me, this story was incredibly emotionally engaging and just inexplicably unputdownable, even to the point that I read the last 65% in one sitting. Andrews simply entranced me with her lush and evocative prose, and all the emotional beats hit in a way I totally wasn’t prepared for.
The ending, especially the epilogue, was beautifully bittersweet and left me equally satisfied and hungering for more. This might only be my first book by Andrews, but I already feel confident in saying that I want to read everything she has ever written and will ever write. What a masterful storyteller!
If you are looking for a character-driven and emotionally resonant story of survival, endurance, grief, loss, hope, love, unexpected friendships, family, and belonging, then you have to check out Hills of Heather and Bone. Oh, and it’s also got a spiteful chicken, do I really need to say more?
9/10
Expertly balancing the cosy with the dark, Hills of Heather and Bone is a beautifully bittersweet fantasy story full of endearing characters that will quickly creep under your skin and take root in your heart before you even realise it.
This tells the story of Morana and Percy, a married couple living in hiding from the prejudiced people who would seek to capture Morana for her feared boneweaver magic. After years of trying to establish a somewhat peaceful life for themselves, they are once again forced to go on the run after a violent attack on their home, and this time the stakes are higher than ever before.
I was immediately pulled in by Morana’s intimate first person narration from the very first page, and I related to her ‘doom and gloom’ outlook on the world way more than I’d probably like to admit. Mental health and trauma is so beautifully, authentically, and poignantly explored in this story, and I loved how her anxiety, fears, and worries created an almost intoxicating atmosphere that just kept me in a chokehold.
On the other hand, I also deeply appreciated the counterbalance of Percy’s charmingly positive and sunny personality. At first I almost found him to be a bit too soft and corny, but as the story progressed he quickly grew on me (yes, pun very much intended), and I couldn’t help but adore him for his bad plant puns. The tender yet passionate relationship between them is so heartachingly beautiful, and their undying love and support for each other just bleeds through these pages.
There’s no denying that the characters and their interpersonal relationships are the main focus in Hills of Heather and Bone, but that doesn’t mean the other aspects of the story suffer. I was positively entranced by the atmospheric Scottish-inspired world building, and all the various manifestations of the bloodgifted magic sparked a deep sense of wonder in me. It was especially refreshing to see necromancy depicted in such a positive light, and all the different magical blood gifts tied back so beautifully into the themes of life and nature that permeate every aspect of this story.
Now, I can see how some more action-driven readers might bounce off the slow middle section in Hills of Heather and Bone, but I honestly just ate up all the quiet, (semi-) peaceful, and introspective moments full of character- and relationship building. To me, this story was incredibly emotionally engaging and just inexplicably unputdownable, even to the point that I read the last 65% in one sitting. Andrews simply entranced me with her lush and evocative prose, and all the emotional beats hit in a way I totally wasn’t prepared for.
The ending, especially the epilogue, was beautifully bittersweet and left me equally satisfied and hungering for more. This might only be my first book by Andrews, but I already feel confident in saying that I want to read everything she has ever written and will ever write. What a masterful storyteller!
If you are looking for a character-driven and emotionally resonant story of survival, endurance, grief, loss, hope, love, unexpected friendships, family, and belonging, then you have to check out Hills of Heather and Bone. Oh, and it’s also got a spiteful chicken, do I really need to say more?
June 4, 2023
Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely 💥
I started this, expecting not to get on with it, as the cover looked like a romance to me, which is not my cup of tea.
This was one of the exact books I love SPFBO for - trying books you'd never have picked up, but get totally surprised by!
There's really pretty interior sketches of plants, which I loved.
The main character is a woman with arthritis, a lovely healer husband who's smaller than her, a chicken with an attitude, oh and she's also a boneweaver, so a necromancer in other words.
Her chronic illness was well handled, and definitely added to the books strength!
The relationship between Morana and Percy is already established, and there is no back and forth, no wining and pining, instead there's a strong bond that nothing can break. I really enjoyed how they interacted and complemented each other.
The story has a lot of action and adventure. They have to flee as boneweavers are hunted, and a group of Failinis find them in the small town they were hiding in, and burn down their home.
Hills of Heather and Bone features serious topics like loss and grief, but it also has a lot of hope, and quite some humour. For me the mix of tragedy and trauma with some rather cosy village scenes, the puns and jokes and the adventure worked perfectly well. It felt neither shallow, not depressing. Not fluffy, but still an easy and fast read.
I adored this story, and breezed through it in no time at all!
“That’ll always be a part of you, but you’ll find enough room in your heart for another. Grief doesn’t shrink, but we grow around it.”
I started this, expecting not to get on with it, as the cover looked like a romance to me, which is not my cup of tea.
This was one of the exact books I love SPFBO for - trying books you'd never have picked up, but get totally surprised by!
There's really pretty interior sketches of plants, which I loved.
The main character is a woman with arthritis, a lovely healer husband who's smaller than her, a chicken with an attitude, oh and she's also a boneweaver, so a necromancer in other words.
Her chronic illness was well handled, and definitely added to the books strength!
The relationship between Morana and Percy is already established, and there is no back and forth, no wining and pining, instead there's a strong bond that nothing can break. I really enjoyed how they interacted and complemented each other.
The story has a lot of action and adventure. They have to flee as boneweavers are hunted, and a group of Failinis find them in the small town they were hiding in, and burn down their home.
Hills of Heather and Bone features serious topics like loss and grief, but it also has a lot of hope, and quite some humour. For me the mix of tragedy and trauma with some rather cosy village scenes, the puns and jokes and the adventure worked perfectly well. It felt neither shallow, not depressing. Not fluffy, but still an easy and fast read.
I adored this story, and breezed through it in no time at all!
October 10, 2023
Disclaimer: I was asked to beta-read this book before it was released. My thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
In Hills of Heather and Bone, K.E. Andrews has managed to find the balance between a story with intrigue, and a story with heart. Percy and Morana's love story is interwoven seamlessly with the danger they face and the powers they both wield. If you are looking for positive representation of a married couple in fantasy? This book gives it in spades.
K.E. Andrews is exceptional at lush, heartwarming descriptions of her world and characters. Reading her stories is like sinking into an ocean of color and warmth. Her worldbuilding is so vibrant and rich, and I always find myself amazed by her ability to write prose the way she writes her poetry.
Andrews tackles some big themes in this story, while keeping the plot grounded in characters that live and breathe off the page. Her inclusion of certain heavy topics such as miscarriage, chronic health issues, and struggles within a marriage were handled with intentionality and grace.
The antagonists of the story fell a little flat for me, and some of the action surrounding those characters felt rushed and underdeveloped. There were also a few small aspects of the story that I found less believable (modern reality vs. fantasy).
Overall, K.E. Andrews once again has shown her consistency with powerful character-driven storytelling woven in a tapestry of beautiful description and prose.
In Hills of Heather and Bone, K.E. Andrews has managed to find the balance between a story with intrigue, and a story with heart. Percy and Morana's love story is interwoven seamlessly with the danger they face and the powers they both wield. If you are looking for positive representation of a married couple in fantasy? This book gives it in spades.
K.E. Andrews is exceptional at lush, heartwarming descriptions of her world and characters. Reading her stories is like sinking into an ocean of color and warmth. Her worldbuilding is so vibrant and rich, and I always find myself amazed by her ability to write prose the way she writes her poetry.
Andrews tackles some big themes in this story, while keeping the plot grounded in characters that live and breathe off the page. Her inclusion of certain heavy topics such as miscarriage, chronic health issues, and struggles within a marriage were handled with intentionality and grace.
The antagonists of the story fell a little flat for me, and some of the action surrounding those characters felt rushed and underdeveloped. There were also a few small aspects of the story that I found less believable (modern reality vs. fantasy).
Overall, K.E. Andrews once again has shown her consistency with powerful character-driven storytelling woven in a tapestry of beautiful description and prose.
October 13, 2023
5/5 Stars
Hills of Heather & Bone is a Scottish inspired fantasy that balances cozy, dark and emotional storytelling with characters you can’t help but adore.
While the beautiful cover initially caught my eye, it was the promise of a spiteful chicken that brought it to the top of my TBR. This is a completely silly reason, I know, but there was something about it that drew me in.
The story also caught my eye as it follows a married couple, Morana and Percy. Morana’s gift, hearing and raising the bones of the dead, is feared within the world of Errigal. She’s lived on the run with her husband as they continue to hide from the eyes of those who would hunt her down. After years of living peacefully in a small cottage, their lives are shattered, and they’re sent on the run through dangerous lands, home to the creatures of legends.
This was such a refreshing story for many reasons, the first being a married couple in a fantasy that stands apart from the typical tropes. We see Morana and Percy’s relationship not only from the present circumstances but also through flashbacks. The flashbacks are seamlessly built into the story and timed in a way that leaves some mystery to their past while investing me further into their relationship. I never felt like I was reading a romance book either, this simply felt like a genuine couple living their lives alongside their spiteful chicken.
The story is also told through Morana’s POV, and I appreciated the depth given to the characters along with their developments. Throughout everything the characters go through, K.E. Andrews manages to thoughtfully cover multiple themes including grief, change, hope, PTSD, chronic pain and the impacts of fear. Making this an emotionally impactful read with a slice-of-life atmosphere.
In terms of the world, it felt immersive and takes inspiration from Scottish folklore. The magic on the other hand was captivating and reminiscent of Avatar: The Last Airbender and X-Men. Where characters are born with one of eleven bloodgifts, their abilities allow them to achieve great feats like growing plants, healing the sick, or connecting to the bones of the dead.
All of this mixed with the simplistic and beautiful prose created a charming read. There was even a blend of different genres including cozy fantasy, cottagecore, and dark elements which helped bring this story together.
I can’t forget to mention the thematic artwork and details included in the ebook, and paperback. Each chapter features floral artwork that just adds a beautiful touch to the book.
It also reads as a standalone but left me craving more. I would love to come back the world and it’s one for the re-read list.
If you’re looking for your next atmospheric adventure that will pull at your heart, I’d highly recommend picking up Hills of Heather & Bone.
Hills of Heather & Bone is a Scottish inspired fantasy that balances cozy, dark and emotional storytelling with characters you can’t help but adore.
While the beautiful cover initially caught my eye, it was the promise of a spiteful chicken that brought it to the top of my TBR. This is a completely silly reason, I know, but there was something about it that drew me in.
The story also caught my eye as it follows a married couple, Morana and Percy. Morana’s gift, hearing and raising the bones of the dead, is feared within the world of Errigal. She’s lived on the run with her husband as they continue to hide from the eyes of those who would hunt her down. After years of living peacefully in a small cottage, their lives are shattered, and they’re sent on the run through dangerous lands, home to the creatures of legends.
This was such a refreshing story for many reasons, the first being a married couple in a fantasy that stands apart from the typical tropes. We see Morana and Percy’s relationship not only from the present circumstances but also through flashbacks. The flashbacks are seamlessly built into the story and timed in a way that leaves some mystery to their past while investing me further into their relationship. I never felt like I was reading a romance book either, this simply felt like a genuine couple living their lives alongside their spiteful chicken.
The story is also told through Morana’s POV, and I appreciated the depth given to the characters along with their developments. Throughout everything the characters go through, K.E. Andrews manages to thoughtfully cover multiple themes including grief, change, hope, PTSD, chronic pain and the impacts of fear. Making this an emotionally impactful read with a slice-of-life atmosphere.
In terms of the world, it felt immersive and takes inspiration from Scottish folklore. The magic on the other hand was captivating and reminiscent of Avatar: The Last Airbender and X-Men. Where characters are born with one of eleven bloodgifts, their abilities allow them to achieve great feats like growing plants, healing the sick, or connecting to the bones of the dead.
All of this mixed with the simplistic and beautiful prose created a charming read. There was even a blend of different genres including cozy fantasy, cottagecore, and dark elements which helped bring this story together.
I can’t forget to mention the thematic artwork and details included in the ebook, and paperback. Each chapter features floral artwork that just adds a beautiful touch to the book.
It also reads as a standalone but left me craving more. I would love to come back the world and it’s one for the re-read list.
If you’re looking for your next atmospheric adventure that will pull at your heart, I’d highly recommend picking up Hills of Heather & Bone.
March 26, 2024
SPFBO made me read this book and this is great, because outside of SPFBO, I wouldn’t have given it a chance. The cover, whilst lovely, is just too cute for my reading tastes. The blurb is good but it doesn’t tell me about The Thing that I really liked in this book. In the end, it turns out, Hills of Heather and Bone could have been sold to me based on trigger warnings alone.
Ye gods, this one was just so morbid and I LOVED it. The prose is exquisite and with this book I had that feeling I am always chasing as I read – pure, unadulterated reading joy. It absolutely helped that the characters, the plot and the looming sense of danger at every moment kept me engaged and wondering. For me, the pace was perfect, the cuts from action to reflection were perfectly smooth. Hard as I try to come up with a complaint, I am unsuccessful. It’s one of those comfort books that gave me everything – respite from reality in the sweet and simple moments and my need for action and for something different was well met with the bloodgifted and the conspiracy surrounding the boneweavers. The added depth was provided through a spiritual journey that the characters find themselves upon. A journey of hardship and grief, which through sadness and anger lead us gently towards acceptance and newly found strength. Beautiful story arc and character development.
Hills of Heather and Bone didn’t shy away from tackling 2 huge negative elements that every society has – prejudice and fear of the unknown. It was the focus of the whole conspiracy surrounding boneweavers and yet it wasn’t something that popped at you at all times, it was more like an undercurrent of the story but nonetheless effective. So, as you can tell, quite a few heavy hitting points. Which takes me to my next observation…
More often than not, it’s very jarring when authors throw us into the emotional deep-end right away at the start of the story because the connection to the character(s) has not had a chance to form yet. So, it was really interesting for me that whilst this story takes a pretty immediate deep dive into very personal matters, I didn’t feel disconnected. I was straight into it. How? Why? This was new to me because I was emotionally invested from page 1 and I found it curious. But pleasantly surprising.
If I was to mention another small aspect from this book, then there is something that may divide the camp, and that’s Morana’s arthritis pains. Some readers may find that this is mentioned too often and I am here to give voice to the opposite side – for me, the frequent reminders of Morana’s pains were not an annoyance nor did I find them overdone. I found them quite close to reality because you can’t switch this type of pain off and if it tends to annoy some readers due to how often it’s mentioned, then yeah… Author has done their job. It’s not something that can be switched off.
Lastly, the centrepiece of the book – death. In Hills of Heather and Bone, death is a part of Morana and death plays a huge part in the whole book. Whatever she does and wherever she goes, her life is centred on death. I think Morana’s story and the other boneweavers’ connection to death and dying – it was a beautiful way to address this very final part of life and what it’s like after. The celebration of a life after it has been snuffed out – through stories or pictures or cooking. The things that we remember our loved ones by when they have passed. I loved that little detail.
Hills of Heather and Bone is an eloquent gem which I loved from start to finish. There’s something to be said about the Celtic influences, mostly of Scottish origin with some Irish mixed in. There’s no denying that anything Celtic immediately adds an air of mysterious and otherworldly which is hard to resist. But, what is The Thing that the book blurb didn’t tell me about? I think it would be hard to put into words, in something as short as a blurb, the particular charm Hills of Heather and Bone has. It tiptoes in between death and life, the sad and joyous. It leaves you at once emotionally shook and content. Thus, I will join with all of the voices that say this book has charm – and that charm has a purple hue and it whispers of death.
Ye gods, this one was just so morbid and I LOVED it. The prose is exquisite and with this book I had that feeling I am always chasing as I read – pure, unadulterated reading joy. It absolutely helped that the characters, the plot and the looming sense of danger at every moment kept me engaged and wondering. For me, the pace was perfect, the cuts from action to reflection were perfectly smooth. Hard as I try to come up with a complaint, I am unsuccessful. It’s one of those comfort books that gave me everything – respite from reality in the sweet and simple moments and my need for action and for something different was well met with the bloodgifted and the conspiracy surrounding the boneweavers. The added depth was provided through a spiritual journey that the characters find themselves upon. A journey of hardship and grief, which through sadness and anger lead us gently towards acceptance and newly found strength. Beautiful story arc and character development.
Hills of Heather and Bone didn’t shy away from tackling 2 huge negative elements that every society has – prejudice and fear of the unknown. It was the focus of the whole conspiracy surrounding boneweavers and yet it wasn’t something that popped at you at all times, it was more like an undercurrent of the story but nonetheless effective. So, as you can tell, quite a few heavy hitting points. Which takes me to my next observation…
More often than not, it’s very jarring when authors throw us into the emotional deep-end right away at the start of the story because the connection to the character(s) has not had a chance to form yet. So, it was really interesting for me that whilst this story takes a pretty immediate deep dive into very personal matters, I didn’t feel disconnected. I was straight into it. How? Why? This was new to me because I was emotionally invested from page 1 and I found it curious. But pleasantly surprising.
If I was to mention another small aspect from this book, then there is something that may divide the camp, and that’s Morana’s arthritis pains. Some readers may find that this is mentioned too often and I am here to give voice to the opposite side – for me, the frequent reminders of Morana’s pains were not an annoyance nor did I find them overdone. I found them quite close to reality because you can’t switch this type of pain off and if it tends to annoy some readers due to how often it’s mentioned, then yeah… Author has done their job. It’s not something that can be switched off.
Lastly, the centrepiece of the book – death. In Hills of Heather and Bone, death is a part of Morana and death plays a huge part in the whole book. Whatever she does and wherever she goes, her life is centred on death. I think Morana’s story and the other boneweavers’ connection to death and dying – it was a beautiful way to address this very final part of life and what it’s like after. The celebration of a life after it has been snuffed out – through stories or pictures or cooking. The things that we remember our loved ones by when they have passed. I loved that little detail.
Hills of Heather and Bone is an eloquent gem which I loved from start to finish. There’s something to be said about the Celtic influences, mostly of Scottish origin with some Irish mixed in. There’s no denying that anything Celtic immediately adds an air of mysterious and otherworldly which is hard to resist. But, what is The Thing that the book blurb didn’t tell me about? I think it would be hard to put into words, in something as short as a blurb, the particular charm Hills of Heather and Bone has. It tiptoes in between death and life, the sad and joyous. It leaves you at once emotionally shook and content. Thus, I will join with all of the voices that say this book has charm – and that charm has a purple hue and it whispers of death.
September 18, 2022
This is one of the best books I have read in years!
Every fantasy fan needs to put this on their To-Read list right now. Especially if you are married. The relationship between Percy and Morana is sweet, poignant, believable, deep, romantic, sexy-yet-clean and just about every good adjective I can think of.
The world building, adventure, plot, magic system, and characters are so well balanced and developed. It's just about perfect! Plus, there's a chicken. And plant puns.
Morana's life as a Boneweaver is one of constant danger and tension as she is hunted by those who fear her gift. Her husband, Percy, loves and believes in her and protects her, while exercising gifts of his own. Percy’s strong, optimistic, protective personality despite his smaller stature was endearing. Through flashbacks, we see them meet and fall in love, and I couldn't help forming a strong attachment to them. I rooted for them the whole way through.
The concept of a Boneweaver is original and fascinating. I enjoyed all the technical aspects of the blood-gifted as well as the exciting action sequences. Most of the world building was revealed slowly, one bit at a time, as we needed to know it in the story, in a way that kept me reading to find out more without feeling overwhelmed by too much at once. Some communication with the dead and multiple mythological gods. Mild violence.
I LOVED this story! I cannot recommend it too highly. Follow the author so you will know when it comes out!
Every fantasy fan needs to put this on their To-Read list right now. Especially if you are married. The relationship between Percy and Morana is sweet, poignant, believable, deep, romantic, sexy-yet-clean and just about every good adjective I can think of.
The world building, adventure, plot, magic system, and characters are so well balanced and developed. It's just about perfect! Plus, there's a chicken. And plant puns.
Morana's life as a Boneweaver is one of constant danger and tension as she is hunted by those who fear her gift. Her husband, Percy, loves and believes in her and protects her, while exercising gifts of his own. Percy’s strong, optimistic, protective personality despite his smaller stature was endearing. Through flashbacks, we see them meet and fall in love, and I couldn't help forming a strong attachment to them. I rooted for them the whole way through.
The concept of a Boneweaver is original and fascinating. I enjoyed all the technical aspects of the blood-gifted as well as the exciting action sequences. Most of the world building was revealed slowly, one bit at a time, as we needed to know it in the story, in a way that kept me reading to find out more without feeling overwhelmed by too much at once. Some communication with the dead and multiple mythological gods. Mild violence.
I LOVED this story! I cannot recommend it too highly. Follow the author so you will know when it comes out!
September 26, 2023
"We never truly bury the dead. We always carry a part of them with us.”
In Hills of Heather and Bone, a necromancer is hunted for her powers, and Morana and Percy are forced to flee those who would see her dead for being a boneweaver. Will they be able to find a place where they can live in peace?
Hills of Heather and Bone by K.E. Andrews has my entire heart. Have you ever read a book that feels like it was written just for you to touch you profoundly and heal your soul? Hills of Heather and Bone is that for me.
For me the highlight of this book is the exploration of grief. And not just grief when a loved one dies, but also the grief of chronic illness, of lost hopes and dreams, of the daily struggle to stay present to the good things. I rarely see descriptions of people struggling to grieve like I do, and so seeing Morana (and Percy's) path through grief and struggle really touched me and gave me hope.
In terms of characterization, I really appreciated reading about a character with arthritis and the way Morana thought about her illness and acted because of it absolutely rang true for me. And having Percy and Morana as an established couple was so lovely. Their love story is slowly revealed throughout the book through flashbacks, and their story is beautiful, sad, and so realistic. Andrews doesn't shy away from showing the low points of marriage and the struggles of doing life together and more books should be doing this.
I also really liked the worldbuilding and magic system going on here. I found the concept of bloodgifted and the variety of gifts intriguing and I loved the tie in with the Scottish and Celtic folklore and pantheon. The Failinis felt like a real threat and I often found myself infected by Morana's fear of them and nervous for her and Percy. My only complaint is that parts of the worldbuilding were a little underdeveloped and as a result, some of the side characters were lacking a bit in characterization. But for me to be as in love with this world as I am with only 350 pages in a standalone, I'm quite impressed.
While this review makes Hills of Heather and Bone sound very dark, K.E. Andrews balances the dark and the light, despair and hope, struggle and rest so beautifully. Her descriptive, evocative prose and the focus on herbs and nature was a great choice for this story, because those glimmers of beauty and remembrance anchor the story and make the book cozy and hopeful when it could have felt much bleaker. This is a book that holds a special place in my heart and is a book I will be revisiting often.
In Hills of Heather and Bone, a necromancer is hunted for her powers, and Morana and Percy are forced to flee those who would see her dead for being a boneweaver. Will they be able to find a place where they can live in peace?
Hills of Heather and Bone by K.E. Andrews has my entire heart. Have you ever read a book that feels like it was written just for you to touch you profoundly and heal your soul? Hills of Heather and Bone is that for me.
For me the highlight of this book is the exploration of grief. And not just grief when a loved one dies, but also the grief of chronic illness, of lost hopes and dreams, of the daily struggle to stay present to the good things. I rarely see descriptions of people struggling to grieve like I do, and so seeing Morana (and Percy's) path through grief and struggle really touched me and gave me hope.
In terms of characterization, I really appreciated reading about a character with arthritis and the way Morana thought about her illness and acted because of it absolutely rang true for me. And having Percy and Morana as an established couple was so lovely. Their love story is slowly revealed throughout the book through flashbacks, and their story is beautiful, sad, and so realistic. Andrews doesn't shy away from showing the low points of marriage and the struggles of doing life together and more books should be doing this.
I also really liked the worldbuilding and magic system going on here. I found the concept of bloodgifted and the variety of gifts intriguing and I loved the tie in with the Scottish and Celtic folklore and pantheon. The Failinis felt like a real threat and I often found myself infected by Morana's fear of them and nervous for her and Percy. My only complaint is that parts of the worldbuilding were a little underdeveloped and as a result, some of the side characters were lacking a bit in characterization. But for me to be as in love with this world as I am with only 350 pages in a standalone, I'm quite impressed.
While this review makes Hills of Heather and Bone sound very dark, K.E. Andrews balances the dark and the light, despair and hope, struggle and rest so beautifully. Her descriptive, evocative prose and the focus on herbs and nature was a great choice for this story, because those glimmers of beauty and remembrance anchor the story and make the book cozy and hopeful when it could have felt much bleaker. This is a book that holds a special place in my heart and is a book I will be revisiting often.
May 19, 2023
Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/hills-of...
Hills of Heather and Bone is the new book by K.E. Andrews, a cottage-core novel following the story of Percy and Morana, a married couple of bloodgifteds, hiding and trying to have a peaceful life in Errigan, as Morana's gift, boneweaving, is despised and feared due to the ability to talk and raising deaths.
They were well established, with Percy using his gifts to take care of the people and heal their neighbours, and Morana keeping hers in secret. But when a group of Fallinis tasked with capturing rogue bloodgifteds arrives, the couple is forced to run in order to avoid being captured, starting a really difficult journey in the company of their chicken (which for moments steals the spotlight to our couple), in order to find a new safe place where they can find the peace lost.
With this premise, we have a slice-of-life story, with our marriage trying to find a new place for them. Andrews has made an excellent job creating characters that grow with you along the journey, showing her strength in giving them deepness.
Morana suffers anxiety due to her condition as boneweaver, and it is reflected perfectly; but she can also learn to trust in people after time, as we can see in her relationship with Anstice.
Percy has a bit more confidence, and his ability as a healer is really appreciated by the people. We see how he's the "strong" of the relationship, trying to help Morana as much as he can; he's really in love with her, and proves it at any time it is possible.
How this marriage relationship evolves is one of the main points of the plot, being a great portrayal of how a sane relationship has its highs and downs, but in the end, love is what matters, even if a crazy chicken might get your spouse down.
While this book can be called slice-of-life, in reality, it is darker than usual in the genre, as Andrews is not afraid of exploring pain and grief. The contrast between those tenser moments and the slice-of-life passages works marvels to create an enjoyable book.
If you are looking for an original proposal, with a huge emphasis on the relationship between a couple (and their crazy chicken), give a try to this book. Andrews has proven once more her skill as an author.
Hills of Heather and Bone is the new book by K.E. Andrews, a cottage-core novel following the story of Percy and Morana, a married couple of bloodgifteds, hiding and trying to have a peaceful life in Errigan, as Morana's gift, boneweaving, is despised and feared due to the ability to talk and raising deaths.
They were well established, with Percy using his gifts to take care of the people and heal their neighbours, and Morana keeping hers in secret. But when a group of Fallinis tasked with capturing rogue bloodgifteds arrives, the couple is forced to run in order to avoid being captured, starting a really difficult journey in the company of their chicken (which for moments steals the spotlight to our couple), in order to find a new safe place where they can find the peace lost.
With this premise, we have a slice-of-life story, with our marriage trying to find a new place for them. Andrews has made an excellent job creating characters that grow with you along the journey, showing her strength in giving them deepness.
Morana suffers anxiety due to her condition as boneweaver, and it is reflected perfectly; but she can also learn to trust in people after time, as we can see in her relationship with Anstice.
Percy has a bit more confidence, and his ability as a healer is really appreciated by the people. We see how he's the "strong" of the relationship, trying to help Morana as much as he can; he's really in love with her, and proves it at any time it is possible.
How this marriage relationship evolves is one of the main points of the plot, being a great portrayal of how a sane relationship has its highs and downs, but in the end, love is what matters, even if a crazy chicken might get your spouse down.
While this book can be called slice-of-life, in reality, it is darker than usual in the genre, as Andrews is not afraid of exploring pain and grief. The contrast between those tenser moments and the slice-of-life passages works marvels to create an enjoyable book.
If you are looking for an original proposal, with a huge emphasis on the relationship between a couple (and their crazy chicken), give a try to this book. Andrews has proven once more her skill as an author.
January 16, 2024
Our buddy read group's first read of 2024 was Hills of Heather and Bone by K.E. Andrews. When I first looked into this one based strictly by the cover, it didn't seem like my type of read. I glanced through some of the brief reviews and comments though that gave me some hope that I might end up liking it though. Inadvertently, this one also becomes my 31st read from SPFBO-9 entries. It wasn't on my personal TBR list for the competition but I'm adding it to the total number read.
I am still not sure how I feel about the first half of this book. It just seemed so depressing. I don't want that to take anything away from the author as I'm sure this is the atmosphere that was designed. I think this will be one of those reads with some polarizing views on it. There is a lot of emotion events laid out for the reader to experience and even in our group it seemed like it hit some harder than others.
December and January are those months that are usually more difficult for me mentally to begin with so this story and it's character hit deep for me. I wasn't sure I was going to continue and finish but I stuck with it. We had a couple of members of our group DNF this one fairly early on and I get it. Let us go ahead and talk more about my usual three categories.
As I mentioned that first chapter seemed a bit clunky to me but it didn't take long for the writing to really smooth out. Other than the mental and emotion struggles for me to get through, this seemed really well written and flowed easily. Another thing I'd like to point out is there are a lot of Irish, Scottish or Welsh terms used and I found myself looking a lot of them up over the first few chapters. Don't be like me and realize these are laid out for us at the back of the book! Don't hesitate to flip back there to look things up if you need to.
The world building was also done well once things seem to level out a bit for me and I can focus more on the world and not entirely on the protagonists thoughts. We had a good mix of locations and regions to explore and some different cultures as well. The magic and martial abilities were also interesting.
The character development was probably the strongest aspect in my opinion. Morana had quite the story arc through out this book to say the least. We also had some other interesting characters of smaller or less defined arcs which made some strong relationships for good or bad.
I am glad that I stuck this one out because the back half was very much up my alley. I just struggled in that first half and I think that really is more of a personal thing on my end as the writing was really good in Hills of Heather and Bone.
I am still not sure how I feel about the first half of this book. It just seemed so depressing. I don't want that to take anything away from the author as I'm sure this is the atmosphere that was designed. I think this will be one of those reads with some polarizing views on it. There is a lot of emotion events laid out for the reader to experience and even in our group it seemed like it hit some harder than others.
December and January are those months that are usually more difficult for me mentally to begin with so this story and it's character hit deep for me. I wasn't sure I was going to continue and finish but I stuck with it. We had a couple of members of our group DNF this one fairly early on and I get it. Let us go ahead and talk more about my usual three categories.
As I mentioned that first chapter seemed a bit clunky to me but it didn't take long for the writing to really smooth out. Other than the mental and emotion struggles for me to get through, this seemed really well written and flowed easily. Another thing I'd like to point out is there are a lot of Irish, Scottish or Welsh terms used and I found myself looking a lot of them up over the first few chapters. Don't be like me and realize these are laid out for us at the back of the book! Don't hesitate to flip back there to look things up if you need to.
The world building was also done well once things seem to level out a bit for me and I can focus more on the world and not entirely on the protagonists thoughts. We had a good mix of locations and regions to explore and some different cultures as well. The magic and martial abilities were also interesting.
The character development was probably the strongest aspect in my opinion. Morana had quite the story arc through out this book to say the least. We also had some other interesting characters of smaller or less defined arcs which made some strong relationships for good or bad.
I am glad that I stuck this one out because the back half was very much up my alley. I just struggled in that first half and I think that really is more of a personal thing on my end as the writing was really good in Hills of Heather and Bone.
February 5, 2024
7/10, 4/5
I enjoyed my time with this story. It is self-described as "cottagecore" which I didn't know was a thing. According to Google, cottagecore is "an aesthetic that celebrates simple living, particularly in the countryside," which is accurate for this book. However, Heather and Bone also leans quite heavily into the realm of magic, where select members of society are "bloodgifted" from birth; some can control fire, while others can control beasts or manipulate the earth.
Morana is a boneweaver: she is drawn toward death and can summon and reanimate corpses from deep within the ground. Unfortunately, the boneweaver is the one type of bloodgift that is shunned by society at large. There are agents of the Regency whose driving purpose is to kill or capture all boneweavers, so Morana is constantly on the run. She's forced to leave her family at an early age to go live off the grid in a remote forest. It's a difficult life, coupled with the fact that she's a lifelong sufferer of arthritis and anxiety.
Out in the forest, she meets her future husband Percy, a talented doublegifter who is skilled in both healing and growing roots. Together, Percy and Morana try to eke out a living while staying hidden from those who would separate or kill them. The threats are constant, and the pair encounter frightening challenges every step of the way.
K.E. Andrews writes lush descriptions of the surrounding flora and fauna with plenty of influence from northern U.K. folklore. The romance of the leads is tender and sweet, and the few action scenes are thrilling. The immersive world also drew me in. While I found some areas of the story repetitive, overall I found it well-written and engaging.
I enjoyed my time with this story. It is self-described as "cottagecore" which I didn't know was a thing. According to Google, cottagecore is "an aesthetic that celebrates simple living, particularly in the countryside," which is accurate for this book. However, Heather and Bone also leans quite heavily into the realm of magic, where select members of society are "bloodgifted" from birth; some can control fire, while others can control beasts or manipulate the earth.
Morana is a boneweaver: she is drawn toward death and can summon and reanimate corpses from deep within the ground. Unfortunately, the boneweaver is the one type of bloodgift that is shunned by society at large. There are agents of the Regency whose driving purpose is to kill or capture all boneweavers, so Morana is constantly on the run. She's forced to leave her family at an early age to go live off the grid in a remote forest. It's a difficult life, coupled with the fact that she's a lifelong sufferer of arthritis and anxiety.
Out in the forest, she meets her future husband Percy, a talented doublegifter who is skilled in both healing and growing roots. Together, Percy and Morana try to eke out a living while staying hidden from those who would separate or kill them. The threats are constant, and the pair encounter frightening challenges every step of the way.
K.E. Andrews writes lush descriptions of the surrounding flora and fauna with plenty of influence from northern U.K. folklore. The romance of the leads is tender and sweet, and the few action scenes are thrilling. The immersive world also drew me in. While I found some areas of the story repetitive, overall I found it well-written and engaging.
December 3, 2023
Thrilling, dark and beautiful
Some gifts are feared. Drive prejudice & anger inspiring the deadly hunt.
One married couple begin their terrorizing journey to escape it.
Jamie & Claire eat your heart out! Morana & Percy’s devotion hearten this action packed dark tale of necromancy.
Loved it!
Some gifts are feared. Drive prejudice & anger inspiring the deadly hunt.
One married couple begin their terrorizing journey to escape it.
Jamie & Claire eat your heart out! Morana & Percy’s devotion hearten this action packed dark tale of necromancy.
Loved it!
March 27, 2024
I read this for SPFBO. To find out more about the SPFBO contest and to see the participating bloggers/authors and reviews follow the links below
They say opposite attract and I can’t think of anyone more different to one another than Morana and her husband Percy.
Percy is a fleshmender, a healer. Double gifted; he can heal both plant and animals.
He is as fun and light, as you would expect of someone who can bring life and healing to those around them.
Moranna is a boneweaver. A practice that is feared by most; her gift lets the dead raise. She hears their life stories and part of the price of her gift is listening and retelling them.
As you can imagine, as someone who deals with death and the threat of it every day Moranna, is a bit more subdued than her pun-happy husband Percy.
Hills of Heather and Bone is just a pretty book. The presentation- between the cover, the interior art, the chapter headings (which I loved) and the style it was written, even the story itself was atmospherically pretty. I even dare to say- this was without a doubt the loveliest version of necromancy I have ever read.
The prose is a bit thicker than I tend to like these days, but it does suit the setting and the story, and just that all-around tone it has going for it of life and death and everything that comes in between and I was sold by chapter four.
I had a few complaints- mostly to do with repetition but that’s a hard trench to straddle, when you are spending so much time in one character’s head in a smaller stakes story like this one. So, it’s a very small complaint.
*
This was labeled cottage-core (something I’ve never heard of) but it likely fits better than “cozy fantasy” since Hills of Heather and Bone can be sorrowful at times with explorations of grief themes and depression- it’s just a little heavier emotionally than what I usually think of when thinking “cozy”.
*
I was very grateful for the way this ended. I felt the heaviness of the story deserved an ending that would ease our hearts and I was very much afraid we were going to be given what I like to call “*the Deveraux ending”.
I left the story feeling satisfied and at ease. (I hope that is not too spoilery to say)
PS.
*If you want to know why then give Jude Deveraux’s A Knight in Shining Armor a read.
SPFBO score 7.5
Learn more about the contest here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Finalist board is here
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
They say opposite attract and I can’t think of anyone more different to one another than Morana and her husband Percy.
Percy is a fleshmender, a healer. Double gifted; he can heal both plant and animals.
He is as fun and light, as you would expect of someone who can bring life and healing to those around them.
Moranna is a boneweaver. A practice that is feared by most; her gift lets the dead raise. She hears their life stories and part of the price of her gift is listening and retelling them.
As you can imagine, as someone who deals with death and the threat of it every day Moranna, is a bit more subdued than her pun-happy husband Percy.
Hills of Heather and Bone is just a pretty book. The presentation- between the cover, the interior art, the chapter headings (which I loved) and the style it was written, even the story itself was atmospherically pretty. I even dare to say- this was without a doubt the loveliest version of necromancy I have ever read.
The prose is a bit thicker than I tend to like these days, but it does suit the setting and the story, and just that all-around tone it has going for it of life and death and everything that comes in between and I was sold by chapter four.
I had a few complaints- mostly to do with repetition but that’s a hard trench to straddle, when you are spending so much time in one character’s head in a smaller stakes story like this one. So, it’s a very small complaint.
*
This was labeled cottage-core (something I’ve never heard of) but it likely fits better than “cozy fantasy” since Hills of Heather and Bone can be sorrowful at times with explorations of grief themes and depression- it’s just a little heavier emotionally than what I usually think of when thinking “cozy”.
*
I was very grateful for the way this ended. I felt the heaviness of the story deserved an ending that would ease our hearts and I was very much afraid we were going to be given what I like to call “*the Deveraux ending”.
I left the story feeling satisfied and at ease. (I hope that is not too spoilery to say)
PS.
*If you want to know why then give Jude Deveraux’s A Knight in Shining Armor a read.
SPFBO score 7.5
Learn more about the contest here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Finalist board is here
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
December 30, 2023
Hills of Heather and Bone is an intimate portrait of one couple's struggles against persecution and their desperate search for a home. The writing is mature and considered, painting a strong, consistent tone that lets you know right from the jump that you're in safe hands trusting the author. While Hills is marketed as cozy (and absolutely uses its rural settings to evoke a warm nostalgia in the reader), anyone worried that nothing happens or that stakes are absent need not be concerned. I'm not surprised that this one gnabbed a coveted finalist spot in SPFBO--Andrews more than earns it.
The basic plot follows a thouple--Mor, Percy, and an angry chicken--as they journey from village to village in search of a home where the magic-cops won't be able to arrest and/or kill Mor for using her naturally-acquired necromancy. Really though, the story is about struggle in a world that doesn't recognize or accept who you are and believes your only utility is in service to empire. Though the majority of us are unlikely to relate to Mor's affinity for bone magic, what is translateable is the search for safety in an environment fundamentally hostile to who you are as a person. Percy and Mor's quest for a home where they can both be together and be themselves without the constant threat of violence is one with real-world parallels, and the deep personal stakes at the heart of that conflict make Hills a propulsive and compelling read.
What I loved most about Hills was its sense of completeness. This is a hard thing to articulate in a way that makes sense. I'm not talking about the fact that it stands alone as a story (although it does). Rather, there's a sense of the novel as something that's fully the shape it was meant to be, and of the author as someone skilled at considering the bigger picture she wants to create. You can feel the love the author has for the characters oozing from the page. While light on worldbuilding in a technical sense (you won't find charts or detailed explanations of complicated magic systems or political factions, etc), there's also a feeling of the world as a lived-in space. Paradoxically, perhaps, for some readers, this is in part due to the fact that Andrews doesn't waste time explaining minutiae that would break POV and immersion. Instead, we know what our protagonist Mor knows, learn as she learns, and the focus is always on what's immediately relevant to Mor and her situation. This let me sink easily into the story and raised the stakes when it came to the new information Mor learned as the narrative progressed.
One of my favourite things about Hills was that it genuinely felt as though it had something to say. A lot of newer releases these days feel as though they're desperately clinging to formula to ring out the last dregs of someone else's success. Hills, in contrast, is very much its own thing. The closest I could come to a comp might be Peter S. Beagle or perhaps Lois McMaster Bujold's Paladin of Souls, but Hills isn't exactly like either of those. Something about the thrust of the narrative nonetheless made the story feel old, but in a good way. There was a universality to its structure that had the tenor of a fable, but the particularities of Mor and Percy made it stand apart as its own thing.
I highly recommend Hills of Heather and Bone!
The basic plot follows a thouple--Mor, Percy, and an angry chicken--as they journey from village to village in search of a home where the magic-cops won't be able to arrest and/or kill Mor for using her naturally-acquired necromancy. Really though, the story is about struggle in a world that doesn't recognize or accept who you are and believes your only utility is in service to empire. Though the majority of us are unlikely to relate to Mor's affinity for bone magic, what is translateable is the search for safety in an environment fundamentally hostile to who you are as a person. Percy and Mor's quest for a home where they can both be together and be themselves without the constant threat of violence is one with real-world parallels, and the deep personal stakes at the heart of that conflict make Hills a propulsive and compelling read.
What I loved most about Hills was its sense of completeness. This is a hard thing to articulate in a way that makes sense. I'm not talking about the fact that it stands alone as a story (although it does). Rather, there's a sense of the novel as something that's fully the shape it was meant to be, and of the author as someone skilled at considering the bigger picture she wants to create. You can feel the love the author has for the characters oozing from the page. While light on worldbuilding in a technical sense (you won't find charts or detailed explanations of complicated magic systems or political factions, etc), there's also a feeling of the world as a lived-in space. Paradoxically, perhaps, for some readers, this is in part due to the fact that Andrews doesn't waste time explaining minutiae that would break POV and immersion. Instead, we know what our protagonist Mor knows, learn as she learns, and the focus is always on what's immediately relevant to Mor and her situation. This let me sink easily into the story and raised the stakes when it came to the new information Mor learned as the narrative progressed.
One of my favourite things about Hills was that it genuinely felt as though it had something to say. A lot of newer releases these days feel as though they're desperately clinging to formula to ring out the last dregs of someone else's success. Hills, in contrast, is very much its own thing. The closest I could come to a comp might be Peter S. Beagle or perhaps Lois McMaster Bujold's Paladin of Souls, but Hills isn't exactly like either of those. Something about the thrust of the narrative nonetheless made the story feel old, but in a good way. There was a universality to its structure that had the tenor of a fable, but the particularities of Mor and Percy made it stand apart as its own thing.
I highly recommend Hills of Heather and Bone!
May 20, 2023
HOHAB is out in the world today! It's been an exciting journey writing this book. This story has challenged me in a lot of ways, and I hope you enjoy it.
May 21, 2023
This was such a cute read! The relationship between the two main characters was such a lovely thing to read about. The proposal was so unique and I really felt all the emotion of the characters. The concepts within this book were so original and kept me entertained without. Overall a great book and I can’t wait to read more by this author!
January 15, 2024
7.5/10 or 3.75 stars (rounded up)
Dark cosy fantasy. I enjoyed my time with this one, particularly the characters and the mental health aspects.
Dark cosy fantasy. I enjoyed my time with this one, particularly the characters and the mental health aspects.
March 31, 2024
I’ll leave a better review tomorrow but quick thoughts.
This was a tale of thirds for me. The first 15% I really didn’t care about the characters and in the first action scene I didn’t feel any suspense or even feel like the MC felt suspense despite saying she was. It took me another 10% or so to get that bad start fully out of my head and by 30% or so I started enjoying the story. By 2/3 in I was absolutely loving the story and I really cared about the MC and her husband and everyone they were with.
It’s a rare book that I have a start where I start off not enjoying a book and by the end I love it. 8/10 for me and I’ll read the 2nd book at some point.
This was a tale of thirds for me. The first 15% I really didn’t care about the characters and in the first action scene I didn’t feel any suspense or even feel like the MC felt suspense despite saying she was. It took me another 10% or so to get that bad start fully out of my head and by 30% or so I started enjoying the story. By 2/3 in I was absolutely loving the story and I really cared about the MC and her husband and everyone they were with.
It’s a rare book that I have a start where I start off not enjoying a book and by the end I love it. 8/10 for me and I’ll read the 2nd book at some point.
January 15, 2024
Its really a 3.5 to 4 on this . Its a charming tale of a married couple both who have magical abilities which puts them in danger. I thought this was gonna be a five but for me i felt it lost a bit of momentum when they are separated for awhile about three quarters of the way through. Nevertheless its a story thats quite moving and profound .
April 10, 2024
Cosy Read ✓ Established Relationship ✓ Female Main Character ✓ First-Person Narration ✓ Heart-Wrenching ✓ Melancholic ✓ Necromancy ✓ Slice of Life ✓
Check out my Blog The Reading Stray
““I didn’t. I certainly didn’t think Morhenna would survive,” I reply, shifting against the hull digging into my back. The chicken lifts her head at the sound of her name before preening her wing. “Maybe she has some divine protection after all.” “I thought if anyone was going to survive, it’d be Henna.””
What is the Book about?
On the fringes of Errigal, Morana longs to exchange a life of hiding for a peaceful one with her husband, Percy. While Percy’s bloodgift lets him grow plants and heal broken bodies, Morana’s a boneweaver, despised and feared because she can hear bones and raise the dead. Morana doesn’t want to be seen as a villain from the old stories and instead spends her time gardening, writing the stories of the dead, and fending off a spiteful chicken.
Morana and Percy’s lives are shattered when a group of Failinis tasked with capturing boneweavers and rogue bloodgifted find them. On the run and battling the elements, ancient creatures, and the loss of all they called home, Morana and Percy search for any sanctuary left in Errigal. Morana must choose between the call in her blood or the family she holds so close to her heart if she and Percy are to survive.
Rating
Plot ★★★☆☆
Characters ★★★★★
Excitement ★★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★★
Writing Style ★★★★★
Favourite Character
Morhenna
My thoughts while reading it
Picture a narrative pulsating with emotion, a tale that grips you tighter than any action-packed adventure ever could. It’s a slice-of-life saga, meticulously devoid of comedic relief, sculpting an atmosphere that’s simultaneously cosy, yet tinged with an unsettling darkness and raw emotion. This isn’t just a story; it’s a journey through the depths of human experience, navigating the bittersweet corridors of the soul with a melancholic grace.
Imagine sinking into the plush embrace of your favourite armchair, nestled by the crackling fireplace, where the warmth seeps into your very bones, cocooning you in a haven of tranquillity. Outside, the tempest rages on, rain pelting against the windowpanes, and wind howling through the night, a symphony of chaos contrasted by the serenity within your sanctuary. It’s in this ambiance that the essence of the story thrives, drawing you into an “Irish”-inspired world teeming with atmosphere.
Finally, a book delving into the intricacies of Necromancy! It’s perhaps the most visually evocative form of magic, yet tragically underused in literature. However, here it’s masterfully showcased, woven seamlessly into the fabric of the narrative. Within this realm exists bloodgifted magic, with various manifestations such as Necromancy, Beasthunter abilities, elemental manipulation, and healing arts. The intricacy of this magical system is a fantasy reader’s dream, leaving me yearning for more exploration within this captivating world. The diverse array of bloodgifted individuals seamlessly integrates into the fabric of the world, enhancing both its richness and depth. It feels as though it’s an intrinsic part of nature itself, and I wouldn’t hesitate to believe tales of such magic being practiced in the verdant landscapes of Scotland, Ireland, or elsewhere. The depiction of magical battles and everyday enchantments alike is breathtaking, with each utilization of magic painting vivid imagery in the mind’s eye. The battles, especially, resonate with their grandeur, as bones rise and fall amidst the clash, culminating in a climactic exploration of Necromancy’s depths. Each Necromancer’s unique approach to their craft adds layers of intrigue, as they grapple with the weighty responsibility of communing with the deceased. Yet, it’s the healing magic that truly captivates, as it’s introduced with a haunting yet poignant scene, underscoring the magic’s limitations while highlighting its inherent beauty in the smallest of gestures.
However much I may sing praises of the world, atmosphere, and magic system here, it’s ultimately the characters that define this book. This is the tale of Morana and Percy, a married couple forced into hiding from the prejudiced individuals seeking to capture Morana for her feared boneweaver magic. Despite their efforts to carve out a peaceful existence, they find themselves once more on the run following a violent attack on their home, with stakes higher than ever before. The contrast between them couldn’t be starker, yet it’s this juxtaposition that enhances their charm. Morana, with her intimidating magic, doesn’t exude the expected fear but rather a delicate vulnerability. Her contrast to her magic is captivating, challenging preconceived notions about Necromancers being solely malevolent or power-hungry, presenting her as an ordinary, anxious individual who seeks solace in life’s simple pleasures, despite possessing potentially destructive powers. In contrast, Percy is a beacon of vitality, always cheerful and overflowing with childlike humor and charm, a person one can’t help but adore. The juxtaposition of his personality with his proficiency in healing and plant-based magic is beautifully executed, portraying him as remarkably strong. I found it refreshing that Morana is portrayed as a tall, broad-shouldered woman, devoid of the typical delicate fairy-like image, which made her even more relatable. The love between Morana and Percy feels incredibly genuine. There are no unnecessary, overly cheesy scenes like those often depicted in movies and books. You can tell they love each other, standing by each other through thick and thin, not needing to vocalize it but demonstrating it through their actions.Their dynamic is further enriched by the presence of Morhenna, a small but wickedly cunning and jealousy hen, who adds an extra layer of depth to the narrative. Morhenna’s antics reminded me of my cat Bami, always managing to bring a smile to my face with her beasty attitude. Despite her apparent loyalty to Percy, there’s an underlying affection for Morana, showcasing her complex character.
Overall, the book addresses a multitude of themes with finesse, from long-term partnerships to friendships enduring through hardship, pregnancy, and motherhood, as well as tackling subjects like depression and prejudice. While it may not be action-packed, its focus on emotion elevates it to a profound exploration of the human condition.
This story gripped me on a deeply emotional level, rendering it utterly impossible to set aside. I found myself completely engrossed, devouring the book in just two sittings. Andrews’ masterful prose wove a spell around me, immersing me in its lush and evocative world. Every emotional beat struck a chord within me, catching me off guard with its intensity. As the storm rages outside, threatening chaos, the refuge found within the pages of this tale offers a profound sense of solace and sanctuary.
Reading Recommendation? ✓
Favourite? ✓
Check out my Blog The Reading Stray
““I didn’t. I certainly didn’t think Morhenna would survive,” I reply, shifting against the hull digging into my back. The chicken lifts her head at the sound of her name before preening her wing. “Maybe she has some divine protection after all.” “I thought if anyone was going to survive, it’d be Henna.””
What is the Book about?
On the fringes of Errigal, Morana longs to exchange a life of hiding for a peaceful one with her husband, Percy. While Percy’s bloodgift lets him grow plants and heal broken bodies, Morana’s a boneweaver, despised and feared because she can hear bones and raise the dead. Morana doesn’t want to be seen as a villain from the old stories and instead spends her time gardening, writing the stories of the dead, and fending off a spiteful chicken.
Morana and Percy’s lives are shattered when a group of Failinis tasked with capturing boneweavers and rogue bloodgifted find them. On the run and battling the elements, ancient creatures, and the loss of all they called home, Morana and Percy search for any sanctuary left in Errigal. Morana must choose between the call in her blood or the family she holds so close to her heart if she and Percy are to survive.
Rating
Plot ★★★☆☆
Characters ★★★★★
Excitement ★★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★★
Writing Style ★★★★★
Favourite Character
Morhenna
My thoughts while reading it
Picture a narrative pulsating with emotion, a tale that grips you tighter than any action-packed adventure ever could. It’s a slice-of-life saga, meticulously devoid of comedic relief, sculpting an atmosphere that’s simultaneously cosy, yet tinged with an unsettling darkness and raw emotion. This isn’t just a story; it’s a journey through the depths of human experience, navigating the bittersweet corridors of the soul with a melancholic grace.
Imagine sinking into the plush embrace of your favourite armchair, nestled by the crackling fireplace, where the warmth seeps into your very bones, cocooning you in a haven of tranquillity. Outside, the tempest rages on, rain pelting against the windowpanes, and wind howling through the night, a symphony of chaos contrasted by the serenity within your sanctuary. It’s in this ambiance that the essence of the story thrives, drawing you into an “Irish”-inspired world teeming with atmosphere.
Finally, a book delving into the intricacies of Necromancy! It’s perhaps the most visually evocative form of magic, yet tragically underused in literature. However, here it’s masterfully showcased, woven seamlessly into the fabric of the narrative. Within this realm exists bloodgifted magic, with various manifestations such as Necromancy, Beasthunter abilities, elemental manipulation, and healing arts. The intricacy of this magical system is a fantasy reader’s dream, leaving me yearning for more exploration within this captivating world. The diverse array of bloodgifted individuals seamlessly integrates into the fabric of the world, enhancing both its richness and depth. It feels as though it’s an intrinsic part of nature itself, and I wouldn’t hesitate to believe tales of such magic being practiced in the verdant landscapes of Scotland, Ireland, or elsewhere. The depiction of magical battles and everyday enchantments alike is breathtaking, with each utilization of magic painting vivid imagery in the mind’s eye. The battles, especially, resonate with their grandeur, as bones rise and fall amidst the clash, culminating in a climactic exploration of Necromancy’s depths. Each Necromancer’s unique approach to their craft adds layers of intrigue, as they grapple with the weighty responsibility of communing with the deceased. Yet, it’s the healing magic that truly captivates, as it’s introduced with a haunting yet poignant scene, underscoring the magic’s limitations while highlighting its inherent beauty in the smallest of gestures.
However much I may sing praises of the world, atmosphere, and magic system here, it’s ultimately the characters that define this book. This is the tale of Morana and Percy, a married couple forced into hiding from the prejudiced individuals seeking to capture Morana for her feared boneweaver magic. Despite their efforts to carve out a peaceful existence, they find themselves once more on the run following a violent attack on their home, with stakes higher than ever before. The contrast between them couldn’t be starker, yet it’s this juxtaposition that enhances their charm. Morana, with her intimidating magic, doesn’t exude the expected fear but rather a delicate vulnerability. Her contrast to her magic is captivating, challenging preconceived notions about Necromancers being solely malevolent or power-hungry, presenting her as an ordinary, anxious individual who seeks solace in life’s simple pleasures, despite possessing potentially destructive powers. In contrast, Percy is a beacon of vitality, always cheerful and overflowing with childlike humor and charm, a person one can’t help but adore. The juxtaposition of his personality with his proficiency in healing and plant-based magic is beautifully executed, portraying him as remarkably strong. I found it refreshing that Morana is portrayed as a tall, broad-shouldered woman, devoid of the typical delicate fairy-like image, which made her even more relatable. The love between Morana and Percy feels incredibly genuine. There are no unnecessary, overly cheesy scenes like those often depicted in movies and books. You can tell they love each other, standing by each other through thick and thin, not needing to vocalize it but demonstrating it through their actions.Their dynamic is further enriched by the presence of Morhenna, a small but wickedly cunning and jealousy hen, who adds an extra layer of depth to the narrative. Morhenna’s antics reminded me of my cat Bami, always managing to bring a smile to my face with her beasty attitude. Despite her apparent loyalty to Percy, there’s an underlying affection for Morana, showcasing her complex character.
Overall, the book addresses a multitude of themes with finesse, from long-term partnerships to friendships enduring through hardship, pregnancy, and motherhood, as well as tackling subjects like depression and prejudice. While it may not be action-packed, its focus on emotion elevates it to a profound exploration of the human condition.
This story gripped me on a deeply emotional level, rendering it utterly impossible to set aside. I found myself completely engrossed, devouring the book in just two sittings. Andrews’ masterful prose wove a spell around me, immersing me in its lush and evocative world. Every emotional beat struck a chord within me, catching me off guard with its intensity. As the storm rages outside, threatening chaos, the refuge found within the pages of this tale offers a profound sense of solace and sanctuary.
Reading Recommendation? ✓
Favourite? ✓
January 1, 2024
One wouldn’t think a book about a necromancer would be cozy or romantic, but this is. It was a really sweet exploration of grief and loss in a fantasy setting and a great married-people romance. 4.5 stars.
dnf
April 1, 2024Hills of Heather and Bone is one of the SPFBO 9 finalists, which I read as a judge! Our group review can be read on Queen's Book Asylum. Our overall rating was 8/10, my personal rating is 6/10. In stars, I would give this 3. I also need to add that I DNF-ed the book at 52%.
Looking at the reviews (and scores) of my lovely team, I’m somewhat sad to say the evil queen has returned. Not the full-blast evil queen, but still. I’m going to be the party pooper, because I really couldn’t get into Hills of Heather and Bone. But it’s not entirely the book’s fault. I think the main issue was that I was just not in the mood for a book like this. I usually like books with a bit of a slice-of-life feel where the main focus is on the characters and the people around them rather than an elaborate plot with twists and turns. Romance doesn’t bother me either (I just read 3 in a row within a week, so you know…), especially since we have an established couple here. I also prefer books written in the first person over the third one, so that checks out as well. And yet, Hills of Heather and Bone didn’t work for me. Why? That’s what I’ll try to explain in this review.
There is tension from the beginning as we learn that Morana, the main character, is a boneweaver and that those who have this particular bloodgift are hunted. She and her husband can’t stay too long in one place as a group called Failinis can show up anytime. So, Morana worries a lot about everything, while Percy is more upbeat, as he tries to stay optimistic through it all. Percy’s bloodgift is healing and tending plants. They live in a secluded place in a small village, until one day they need to leave – I don’t know if we ever learn how they got found out, but the point is, they are being hunted so they run. I’m not generally fond of books that involve a lot of traveling from A to B, so that played its part in me not gelling well with this book. They occasionally have a run-in with the Failinis – for the life of me I have no idea how they keep finding them when apparently they do every trick to dampen their trails – then they run and it repeats. As I stopped reading at the 52% mark, I can’t say whether this pattern continues or not, or how it gets concluded.
The downfall of the first-person POV is if the character is not engaging enough. I felt no connection to Morana. I don’t know if it was the writing style or something else, but for me, she didn’t seem to have a personality, or at least, it didn’t really come through her “voice”. She didn’t make me feel anything, and that’s a problem (for me), because she is going through a lot, some of which I should be able to connect to. She is an overthinker, she has anxiety (as do I), she has a number of health problems including arthritis, and there is also her past experience with a lost child during pregnancy. Her life is a constant battle, although a quiet one. And it’s great to have a lead character such as her. Accompanied by a nice and caring man. There themes in this book that are worth exploring for sure.
I wanted to care, I really tried, but I couldn’t. Maybe it was the wrong book at the wrong time. But Hills of Heather and Bone failed to keep my attention as my mind kept wandering to other books. Maybe some more worldbuilding wouldn’t have gone amiss, because even though there was a constant tension below the surface, we never get explained much about the Feilinis or the different types of magic, etc. We do get all kinds of creatures appearing out of Celtic-based folklore such as kelpies, sídhe, and the like, but they don’t feel like integral parts of this world. They are there because they are convenient for the plot.
Hills of Heather and Bone I think is one of those books that will be a hit or miss with a lot of people, mostly because of its slow space. But I can kinda see why it made it into the finals, and I’m glad we have such diverse books this year.
Looking at the reviews (and scores) of my lovely team, I’m somewhat sad to say the evil queen has returned. Not the full-blast evil queen, but still. I’m going to be the party pooper, because I really couldn’t get into Hills of Heather and Bone. But it’s not entirely the book’s fault. I think the main issue was that I was just not in the mood for a book like this. I usually like books with a bit of a slice-of-life feel where the main focus is on the characters and the people around them rather than an elaborate plot with twists and turns. Romance doesn’t bother me either (I just read 3 in a row within a week, so you know…), especially since we have an established couple here. I also prefer books written in the first person over the third one, so that checks out as well. And yet, Hills of Heather and Bone didn’t work for me. Why? That’s what I’ll try to explain in this review.
There is tension from the beginning as we learn that Morana, the main character, is a boneweaver and that those who have this particular bloodgift are hunted. She and her husband can’t stay too long in one place as a group called Failinis can show up anytime. So, Morana worries a lot about everything, while Percy is more upbeat, as he tries to stay optimistic through it all. Percy’s bloodgift is healing and tending plants. They live in a secluded place in a small village, until one day they need to leave – I don’t know if we ever learn how they got found out, but the point is, they are being hunted so they run. I’m not generally fond of books that involve a lot of traveling from A to B, so that played its part in me not gelling well with this book. They occasionally have a run-in with the Failinis – for the life of me I have no idea how they keep finding them when apparently they do every trick to dampen their trails – then they run and it repeats. As I stopped reading at the 52% mark, I can’t say whether this pattern continues or not, or how it gets concluded.
The downfall of the first-person POV is if the character is not engaging enough. I felt no connection to Morana. I don’t know if it was the writing style or something else, but for me, she didn’t seem to have a personality, or at least, it didn’t really come through her “voice”. She didn’t make me feel anything, and that’s a problem (for me), because she is going through a lot, some of which I should be able to connect to. She is an overthinker, she has anxiety (as do I), she has a number of health problems including arthritis, and there is also her past experience with a lost child during pregnancy. Her life is a constant battle, although a quiet one. And it’s great to have a lead character such as her. Accompanied by a nice and caring man. There themes in this book that are worth exploring for sure.
I wanted to care, I really tried, but I couldn’t. Maybe it was the wrong book at the wrong time. But Hills of Heather and Bone failed to keep my attention as my mind kept wandering to other books. Maybe some more worldbuilding wouldn’t have gone amiss, because even though there was a constant tension below the surface, we never get explained much about the Feilinis or the different types of magic, etc. We do get all kinds of creatures appearing out of Celtic-based folklore such as kelpies, sídhe, and the like, but they don’t feel like integral parts of this world. They are there because they are convenient for the plot.
Hills of Heather and Bone I think is one of those books that will be a hit or miss with a lot of people, mostly because of its slow space. But I can kinda see why it made it into the finals, and I’m glad we have such diverse books this year.
September 5, 2023
I absolutely loved this book! The cover is a bit misleading where you think it's going to be a romance novel but that's not entirely the case. The MCs Morana and Percy are a married couple, both are what known as blood gifted where they have a special power they wield. Percy is double gifted as a healer and a rootsower (able to control and manipulate plants) whereas Morana is a boneweaver (sorta like a necromancer). Morana's gift is not looked kindly upon and many people who are Bone weavers are hunted and/or killed. Morana and Percy are always on the look out for Failinis ( the hunters) who have caused the couple to be on the run. There's plenty of action, suspense and also sadness in the book but also hope. You fall in love with the relationship Morana and Percy have and you are constantly rooting for them to have the happily ever after ending. I can't recommend this book enough.
February 6, 2024
Hills of Heather & Bone is a book that stands out in several ways, yet it's a bit like Marmite – you either love it or you don't. When the vibes are right, some readers will love it. Others won't. For me, it didn't quite hit the mark. While I appreciate its portrayal of disability and its focus on a married couple without unnecessary romantic drama, I found the plot to be repetitive and the writing overly ornate for my taste. I'm at a loss for what else to say; it simply didn't resonate with me.
June 14, 2023
My fellow cozy cottagecore fantasy readers, this is our book.
I love it! The world building was rich and lovely, the characters are well written. The pace is a little slow, but at the same time it was perfectly fitting the story. I love how cozy and heartfelt it is, with beautiful prose and warm love of Percy and Morana. Morhenna is such mood tho, ngl hahaha.
LOVE thissss! Perfect book to chill with after a long day, with a cup of tea or coffee!
I love it! The world building was rich and lovely, the characters are well written. The pace is a little slow, but at the same time it was perfectly fitting the story. I love how cozy and heartfelt it is, with beautiful prose and warm love of Percy and Morana. Morhenna is such mood tho, ngl hahaha.
LOVE thissss! Perfect book to chill with after a long day, with a cup of tea or coffee!
May 1, 2024
I really liked the beginning of this with the bone magic and being on the run. After that, the slice of life really bored me. The ending had a bit of action, but the middle just didn't really keep my attention. I do think it was well written.
June 14, 2023
Hills of Heather and Bone is set in a fantasy version of the Scottish Highlands with magic, plenty of folklore and recognizable creatures along with a few I had not heard of before. At the end of the book there is a handy guide to the creatures, the different gods in this world and the types of magically gifted along with definitions of a few Scottish words which are peppered throughout the text.
This is the first book I have read by K E Andrews and I was immediately drawn in by her captivating prose, which flows beautifully and is written in first person perspective, giving the reader more insight into the emotional struggles and joys felt by Morana. I really enjoyed the use of metaphor to paint a vivid picture:
“worry is a creature with raised hackles that prowls around, growling.“
The main characters are a married couple with magical gifts: Percy is an adorable and highly talented Rootsower and Healer who makes plant-based puns all the time and his wife, Morana is a Boneweaver, writing down the stories of any dead whose bones she comes across in order to help lay them to rest.
“Grief and I are old friends. If it’s not my own, it’s the sorrow of the dead I carry. There are days when I’m drowning in it and others when I can hold it in my hand. It creeps up when I’m not thinking about it, roused by a smell or some memory.”
Unfortunately boneweavers are feared due to their ability to raise the dead and hear their stories and Morana has spent most of her life hiding or on the run from the Failinis who capture boneweavers and force them into fighting for the Regency. In the face of danger, Morana discovers just how special her talent is.
The couple have been together for ten years and have survived the trauma of losing a child. Luckily Morana finds she is once again pregnant but she faces this fact with trepidation as the Failinis catch up with them and force them to run once more.
This book is described as ‘cottagecore’ which is a term I have not come across before, but it fits this cozy feeling of simple lives living off the land nicely, albeit with magical abilities aiding what could otherwise be more of a struggle.
I thoroughly enjoyed Hills of Heather and Bone and would love to see a novella or two written in the same world - perhaps Anstice’s story or that of MacAdoh.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book I have read by K E Andrews and I was immediately drawn in by her captivating prose, which flows beautifully and is written in first person perspective, giving the reader more insight into the emotional struggles and joys felt by Morana. I really enjoyed the use of metaphor to paint a vivid picture:
“worry is a creature with raised hackles that prowls around, growling.“
The main characters are a married couple with magical gifts: Percy is an adorable and highly talented Rootsower and Healer who makes plant-based puns all the time and his wife, Morana is a Boneweaver, writing down the stories of any dead whose bones she comes across in order to help lay them to rest.
“Grief and I are old friends. If it’s not my own, it’s the sorrow of the dead I carry. There are days when I’m drowning in it and others when I can hold it in my hand. It creeps up when I’m not thinking about it, roused by a smell or some memory.”
Unfortunately boneweavers are feared due to their ability to raise the dead and hear their stories and Morana has spent most of her life hiding or on the run from the Failinis who capture boneweavers and force them into fighting for the Regency. In the face of danger, Morana discovers just how special her talent is.
The couple have been together for ten years and have survived the trauma of losing a child. Luckily Morana finds she is once again pregnant but she faces this fact with trepidation as the Failinis catch up with them and force them to run once more.
This book is described as ‘cottagecore’ which is a term I have not come across before, but it fits this cozy feeling of simple lives living off the land nicely, albeit with magical abilities aiding what could otherwise be more of a struggle.
I thoroughly enjoyed Hills of Heather and Bone and would love to see a novella or two written in the same world - perhaps Anstice’s story or that of MacAdoh.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2023
Wow…but also ooooft. Check the content warnings beforehand, because this book deals with a lot of heavy topics including death and grief. These are handled in an unflinching way, though it never feels gratuitous.
Morgana is a great protagonist: a woman with inner and outer strength, who nonetheless runs up against the limits of her strength. Her husband Percy is usually lighthearted and sunny, but that too can be a mask. The couple live in fear that Morgana’s necromancy powers will be detected, forcing them to repeatedly upend their lives or endanger their loved ones. Despite that, the novel is mainly character driven. I enjoyed the Celtic-inspired landscape and mythology: like the story it had edges of beauty and suffering.
I think you have to approach this novel with care: it’s dark in places, but ultimately hopeful.
Morgana is a great protagonist: a woman with inner and outer strength, who nonetheless runs up against the limits of her strength. Her husband Percy is usually lighthearted and sunny, but that too can be a mask. The couple live in fear that Morgana’s necromancy powers will be detected, forcing them to repeatedly upend their lives or endanger their loved ones. Despite that, the novel is mainly character driven. I enjoyed the Celtic-inspired landscape and mythology: like the story it had edges of beauty and suffering.
I think you have to approach this novel with care: it’s dark in places, but ultimately hopeful.
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April 5, 2024Check out my SPFBO9 reviews here: https://youtu.be/IZIalF7PeWc
I really enjoyed this one! An established married couple was really great to follow. I loved the writing and the overall atmosphere of the book. I thought the ending became a bit too convenient for the plot, but still had a great time. The bone magic and world building was on spot for me as well. Would very much recommend!
I really enjoyed this one! An established married couple was really great to follow. I loved the writing and the overall atmosphere of the book. I thought the ending became a bit too convenient for the plot, but still had a great time. The bone magic and world building was on spot for me as well. Would very much recommend!
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