*Disclaimer*
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
Now that we are in the finals, we are going to be doing full reviews for each book. The books are being reviewed in no particular order, not in order of their star rating. We are just reviewing them as we finish reading them.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we are reviewing Hall of Bones, which was Lynn’s Books & Critiquing Chemist’s pick for this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. You can read their review here. And you can see the finalist spreadsheet here.
In the remote land of Laskar, the seven ruling clans have vied with each other for power for over a century. The son of the Reavesburg Clan Chief, Rothgar, has been groomed all his life for a role supporting his elder brother, Jorik, in leading their kingdom when their father’s time finally comes to an end.
However, the rulers of their greatest rivals, the Vorund Clan, are in the grip of something older and far darker. They have been conquered by evil, a remnant from the time when the gods warred with one another and the world of Amuran collapsed into the Fallen Age.
Everything is about to change.
Our Thoughts
The hook in this story is great. The main character, Rothgar, is near death in a hanging cage within site of the castle he grew up in. The book takes us through his history starting from his childhood and is interspersed with scenes of him still dying in the crow’s cage. The setting is a Viking-style kingdom where rival families vie to control the whole clan, while fending off an ever growing evil raiding their shores.
Our judges were a bit mixed on this one. Some liked the dialog and atmosphere of the story, but most found it slow and the characters hard to connect with. It follows the politics of the world more so than the actual battles, and while that can make for an interesting read, the overload of people and place names, and the information needed to understand the inner workings of the various families, made it hard to connect with anyone emotionally.
If you love political machinations, you might enjoy this book, but unfortunately our judges thought it didn’t stand up to the other semi-finals.
Amber
Hall of Bones is in need of some editing. It’s very difficult to read. It’s basically a kinder, gentler, more family friendly version of Game of Thrones. Which could work, only it’s taking forever to tell us anything about the world and is completely bogged down with bland family drama. The dialog is okay, but as a story it just doesn’t come together.
Julia
Hall of Bones feels a bit generic. Very much dropping of names, lands, worldbuilding that just doesn’t mean anything to me.
There were a couple of typos, so while not horribly many, still not nearly as smoothly edited as other finalists. Same for prose and style, which also seem a bit rougher around the edges.
Especially the first third feels a bit bare as well, little to nothing actually drawing me into the scene. I’m very much sitting on the couch reading instead of being part of the story.
A lot of info dumping, but little… atmospheric? The setting just felt a tad bland in that regard. I don’t feel, smell, or hear the story at all. This did improve quite a bit in the second half of the book though!
All in all, it is a quick story with some flaws. It didn’t really blow me away but kept me entertained well enough.
Kartik
Hall of Bones took too long to get interesting. I didn’t find anything unique about the various story beats either.
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Our judges are Amber Freeman, Jennie Ivins, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Kartik Narayanan, Kerry Smith, and Lynn K. If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here.
Any queries should be directed at me, Jennie Ivins, via DM on Facebook and Twitter.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene