*I received a digital/physical/audio copy from Turn the Page Book Tour via the Author. All reviews are my own.*
It took me an entire year to get to this book, and I finally read and finished it in the same month I received it. Look at the coincidence! Since Heleen Davies’s sequel to the Bone Thief Saga trilogy dropped not too long ago, I figured I would play catch up and start book one, The Bone Thief’s Tale.
"Bound to steal her queen magical bones, thief Lynne knows only one mistake equals death. And yet, she dreams of living in the forbidden world upon the surface, hating every minute in the Underworld. When she secretly develops a crush on a human, she loses a bone in his realm and has no choice but to strike a deal with the only one who could help—an evil witch. To save her life, she must earn the man’s love and bring back the bone in 99 days.
Rio Renero is a notorious gang leader in Chicago and his life has been set to one purpose—to get back at his enemies. With a mysterious, beautiful girl showing up on his doorstep, he sees the solution to his machinations. She offers him a chance at a deadly heist that could destroy all his enemies. In return, he must help her steal a book. What a cinch.
As Lynne and Rio dig deep into a dark net of politics, magic and passion, they need to learn to trust each other.
Not so easy, considering they’re not quite sure whether to kiss or kill each other."
When I first saw this cover and synopsis, I was intrigued by the blurb. A story that blended a dark version of The Little Mermaid, the Greek mythology of Hades and Persephone, with a hint of Pirates of the Caribbean, was something I wasn’t expecting to go over so well. Davies was able to make an Adult Disney story dream come true! I would also like to applaud her for giving me a taste of what felt like mafia romance. I’ve never read that genre or trope, but this seemed close to the feeling.
For TBTT, I checked out the audio featuring Meg Price and C.J. Grey. I liked them paired together. The other easily picked up where one left off and continued the story. I’ve had trouble with a few audio stories with male/female narrators, and it didn’t feel like they meshed well together. But these two made it feel right at home.
TBTT is a duel POV angsty story with danger, a little bit of mystery, and romance. Regarding the spice level, I can describe the affair as we see the couple getting it on through a cracked door because they didn’t shut it completely. One thing I enjoyed reading was the Ariel of the story, learning about all the thingamabobs and thingamijigs. I got a kick out of Davies describing some of our most basic necessities in the form of a child learning how things work. Oh, and that ending! I did not see that reveal coming.
Overall, I gave this book 3.5 stars. I don’t have much to say. I liked the book and will soon pick up the sequel, The Bone Weaver’s Curse. Hopefully, an audio version will be developed by that time. I can’t wait to delve more into Rio and Lynne’s story.
The Bone Thief's Tale is available now.
