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The Bone Houses
- Subject
- Fantasy - Historical
- Age
- Teen
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Pages
- 352
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Size
- 13.7 cm × 20.8 cm
- ISBN
- 9780316418423
Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sky in the Deep in this bewitching historical horror novel set in medieval Wales, perfect for fans of Holly Black and V.E. Schwab.
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don't always stay dead.
The risen corpses are known as "bone houses," and legend says that they're the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good? Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the deeply-buried truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairy tale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page.
An instant IndieBound bestseller!
Data provided by BiblioShare.
What reviewers said
"This Welsh-inspired story is haunting and compelling...A stand-alone dark fantasy that readers will want to sink their teeth into..."
"The Bone Houses is a dark and beautiful book, full of magic, as quiet as death and as powerful as love. Lloyd-Jones gives us a beautiful setting full of vibrant characters that's resonant with gorgeously eerie mythology, plus my absolute favorite literary goat. I loved this book."
"Centered around a truly epic journey, with a satisfying ending and slow-burn love story complicated by the walking dead, The Bone Houses is a horror-drenched fairytale. Emily Lloyd-Jones spins wit, longing, and loss into something just as magical as the creatures that haunt the night in Ryn and Ellis's world, and the result is a careful, beautiful examination on the impression love leaves behind."
"[Emily] Lloyd-Jones (The Hearts We Sold) creates an evocative world of magic...and plays with the conventions of fairy tales and horror.... The story serves as a meditation on the complicated relationship between the living and the dead, combining fear, humor and enchantment in equal measure..."
"...both exciting and imaginative. Inspired by Welsh mythology, this stand-alone novel is both a classic quest saga and a page-turning horror story....A required purchase for collections serving young adults, this fine novel will especially appeal to those who enjoy fantasy with more than a touch of terror."
"[A] gorgeously eerie, lushly written fairytale..."
