The Bone Houses
In Emily Lloyd-Jones’ The Bone Houses, Seventeen-year-old Ryn only cares about two things: her family, and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. 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?
The way Lloyd-Jones approached the topic of death and grieving was impeccably done. Ryn was so loyal to her parents’ memory. Although Ryn was moving on in theory, it was clear she was holding onto her grief and the pain of her parents’ death. During her journey to stop the bone houses from attacking Colbren, she moved through the stages of grief and was able to process her losses. I love how Lloyd-Jones handled these raw subjects with respect and compassion.
As someone who has a chronic pain condition, I really connected to Ellis and his story. He expressed a lot of the thoughts and feelings of someone who has to manage a chronic pain condition and he did so in a way where it was believable. You could tell Lloyd-Jones did her research on this subject. I felt she understood how hard it can be to handle an invisible condition such as Ellis’, and how despite all of it, he lived a full life. He didn’t want to be pitied or seen as less than. Ellis truly stole my heart from the first time he was introduced.
Lloyd-Jones wrote a spectacular book about grief, loss, love, pain, and the journey it takes to walk through your darkest moments and come out on the other side.
The Bone Houses Rating: ★★★★★
The way Lloyd-Jones approached the topic of death and grieving was impeccably done. Ryn was so loyal to her parents’ memory. Although Ryn was moving on in theory, it was clear she was holding onto her grief and the pain of her parents’ death. During her journey to stop the bone houses from attacking Colbren, she moved through the stages of grief and was able to process her losses. I love how Lloyd-Jones handled these raw subjects with respect and compassion.
As someone who has a chronic pain condition, I really connected to Ellis and his story. He expressed a lot of the thoughts and feelings of someone who has to manage a chronic pain condition and he did so in a way where it was believable. You could tell Lloyd-Jones did her research on this subject. I felt she understood how hard it can be to handle an invisible condition such as Ellis’, and how despite all of it, he lived a full life. He didn’t want to be pitied or seen as less than. Ellis truly stole my heart from the first time he was introduced.
Lloyd-Jones wrote a spectacular book about grief, loss, love, pain, and the journey it takes to walk through your darkest moments and come out on the other side.
The Bone Houses Rating: ★★★★★