Bone & Blood

The Border Kingdom #3

by C.E. Murphy

There is a story of a widow woman and her two daughters, Snow White and Rose Red, who were the most perfect and darling little girls who had ever lived.

This is not—quite—that story.

Wise women do not bargain with fair folk, but there is wisdom, and then there is desire. Born of dark magic to a widow willing to make any pact to become a mother, Chloe and Yara live in a borderland between what is real in the World, and what is not. Their gifts—to hunt, to nurture, to craft and to kill—are granted by the woodland they cannot pass beyond...until the price of their birth is called due, and the sisters are separated, one to be a queen, and the other, a soldier.

But as the untold dangers of power weave threads into their hearts, threatening corruption and the destruction of their home, it is not the help of a prince, or true love’s kiss that will defeat a malevolent force, but the bond of two sisters whose bone and blood foretell a future that no evil could anticipate.

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2025

About the author

CE Murphy began writing around age six, when she submitted three poems to a school publication. The teacher producing the magazine selected (inevitably) the one she thought was by far the worst, but also told her–a six year old kid–to keep writing, which she has. She has also held the usual grab-bag of jobs usually seen in an authorial biography, including public library volunteer (at ages 9 and 10; it’s clear she was doomed to a career involving books), archival assistant, cannery worker, and web designer. Writing books is better.

She was born and raised in Alaska, and now lives with her family in her ancestral homeland of Ireland.

She also writes paranormal romance as Murphy Lawless and cozy mysteries as Catie Murphy.

Reviews

[Erika Ensign · Rating 5 out of 5]

The previous book in this series, Roses in Amber, is probably my favourite take on Beauty & the Beast, and this book just became as my favourite take on Snow White & Rose Red. Murphy's fairy tales are true fairy tales -- they're retellings, but they feel like classic fairy tales, with nothing modern except the sensibilities (for example, there are plenty of queer romances scattered throughout, and queens are just as important as kings). Lately I've found myself drawn to books with strong relationships between women, and the sister relationship in this book very much hits the spot. I also love how this story carries on from and expands on the worldbuilding of the previous book. Good fairy tale magic isn't complicated, but it has rules, and the rules in this book play fair with the rules we already knew -- it just does more with them. If you like fairy tales where women liberate themselves, come to know themselves, and save the kingdom, this book is for you!

[Doreen Farrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

CE Murphy is one of my favorite writers, in a variety of genres, but Bone & Blood is one of her best. I've seen retellings of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale before, but none of them were as powerful and riveting as this one. If you read just one book this year, make it this one. Very highly recommended!

[Christine Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderfully retold fairytale

CE Murphy does an excellent job with this retelling of Rose Red and Snow White. This isn’t quite the fairy tale we’re familiar with…it is much much better. Definitely worth the read for those who enjoy fairy tales.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mythic and powerful retelling

I have been drawn to the story of Snow White and Rose Red for most of my life, having spent most of it with flaming red hair myself. This retelling did it true justice, and made it something bigger and more powerful than it had been.

[George Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snow White and Rose Red: Twins in an enchanted forest, a warrior and a maker. A long-lost queen. A dwarf you won't like. A bear you will. And a falling out between sisters.