A Short Review of His Sacred Bones, by Ginn Hale

The Rifter Book Three: His Sacred Bones by Ginn Hale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fans of Ginn Hale and her series, The Rifter, won't be disappointed in Book 3, His Sacred Bones, the conclusion to the series, a conclusion no less compelling than Books 1 and 2.

I am struck by three things here: Hale's building, the love story of John and Ravishan, and the parallel time tracks--a character can die in one and survive in another.

Basawar, this other world, a gate away from our own, is beautifully created in rich and satisfying detail. Basawar is believable. It is dark and murderous--young women are sometimes made into Issusha, "fleshless oracles." In a way, this world gives one a private tour of Hale's imagination and this is tour well worth taking.

The parallel time tracks took me a little while to sort out, but it is okay, I think, to ask a reader to invest time and energy into understanding a writer's world. That the heart of this book, and of the whole series, is the love story between John and Ravishan (aka Kyle or Kahlil). I am struck by the power of their love, even as it is tested and brought to grief more than once.

I would argue that this entire saga is just that, a love story, and a celebration of the enduring power of love.Their love affair is also about what it means to be human, as John is the Rifter, the destroyer god, and Kyle, or Ravishan, his divine companion. Can a god who can destroy a world have a human relationship?

Read this series.



View all my reviews