Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Near the Bone” as Want to Read:
Near the Bone
by
A woman trapped on a mountain attempts to survive more than one kind of monster, in a dread-inducing horror novel from the national bestselling author Christina Henry.
Mattie can't remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realizes that the ...more
Mattie can't remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realizes that the ...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication:
April 13th 2021
by Titan Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Near the Bone,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Near the Bone
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-51
Start your review of Near the Bone
I enjoyed this book. Though it does have some graphic domestic physical violence that may make some readers very uncomfortable. It also has all the classic horror elements to it with isolation and something stalking in the woods. The story kept me interested and reading at a pretty quick pace to find out what happened with Mattie.
I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
This could have been a really good creature horror book or a really good heavy issue book, but it suffered from combining the plots. I stayed invested to see how it all played out, but it never hit that true horror tone for me since Mattie is already so traumatized by William by the time the monster in the woods comes into play that all of her emotions seem muted. The descriptions and behavior of the monster were both creepy and intriguing, but so many of its actions and presence was indirect or
...more
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
I recently finished The Ghost Tree by the same author and loved it, and I was so thrilled that I loved this one just as much! A sad and scary tale of domestic abuse twisted together with some creature horror. I thought this was very well done, though I did want just a little more of the creature part of the story. Also big trigger warning for some seriously upsetting domestic violence scenes. 4.5 stars.
I recently finished The Ghost Tree by the same author and loved it, and I was so thrilled that I loved this one just as much! A sad and scary tale of domestic abuse twisted together with some creature horror. I thought this was very well done, though I did want just a little more of the creature part of the story. Also big trigger warning for some seriously upsetting domestic violence scenes. 4.5 stars.
cw: This book contains graphic depictions of domestic abuse.
I don't even know where to begin! Let's start with the fact that I adored this book. Tight narrative, tense plot, absolutely terrifying. Author Christina Henry clearly knows how to write a horror novel.
The book is told through the eyes of Mattie, a young woman of indeterminate age. It begins as Mattie is checking traps for rabbits and finds a mutilated fox. She's confused - animals don't mutilate their prey, they consume it. But Mattie ...more
I don't even know where to begin! Let's start with the fact that I adored this book. Tight narrative, tense plot, absolutely terrifying. Author Christina Henry clearly knows how to write a horror novel.
The book is told through the eyes of Mattie, a young woman of indeterminate age. It begins as Mattie is checking traps for rabbits and finds a mutilated fox. She's confused - animals don't mutilate their prey, they consume it. But Mattie ...more
*I received an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review*
**SOME SPOILERS AHEAD**
God this was just an everything AND the kitchen sink kind of book. In the beginning I was really invested because it sounded so interesting and you know from the get go that something is wrong with William and Mattie and that she clearly shouldn’t be on the mountain with him. I kind of picked up on the fact that she was totally a kidnap victim and he was keeping her there to make sure no one found her and t ...more
**SOME SPOILERS AHEAD**
God this was just an everything AND the kitchen sink kind of book. In the beginning I was really invested because it sounded so interesting and you know from the get go that something is wrong with William and Mattie and that she clearly shouldn’t be on the mountain with him. I kind of picked up on the fact that she was totally a kidnap victim and he was keeping her there to make sure no one found her and t ...more
Oct 24, 2020
Jessica Rodrigues
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arc,
sci-fi-fantasy-horror
Mattie has been in the cabin in the woods with William for what seems like a lifetime. Sometimes she has fleeting thoughts of being a little girl, playing with Heather and doing typical little girl things -- but William always tells her that those are just tempting hallucinations planted in her mind by the devil, and why should she doubt him? He is her world: her husband, her disciplinarian, the only human with whom she has any contact. Plus, asking William questions will only invite further bea
...more
4.5 stars
I always enjoy Christina Henry's books, and this one is no different. This was an engrossing and disturbing story about a young woman, Mattie, who lives in isolation on a mountain with her husband, William. It's obvious that something is not quite right in their marriage. William is a real POS and Mattie is terrified. When Mattie finds a mutilated animal while out in the woods, an incredible chain of events begins.
I really enjoyed the isolated setting of this story; it's all confined t ...more
I always enjoy Christina Henry's books, and this one is no different. This was an engrossing and disturbing story about a young woman, Mattie, who lives in isolation on a mountain with her husband, William. It's obvious that something is not quite right in their marriage. William is a real POS and Mattie is terrified. When Mattie finds a mutilated animal while out in the woods, an incredible chain of events begins.
I really enjoyed the isolated setting of this story; it's all confined t ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Anyone who loves creature horror will no doubt enjoy this book. It has all the makings of a great horror book - monsters, fear, gore, and an atmosphere of isolation and terror.
Mattie doesn't remember how she got here, but she's been living alone with monstrous, abusive William for over a decade, up in the isolated mountains. What if William is not the only monster up here? When hikers looking for a rumored creature cross William and Mattie's path, events begin snowballing into a fast-paced figh ...more
Mattie doesn't remember how she got here, but she's been living alone with monstrous, abusive William for over a decade, up in the isolated mountains. What if William is not the only monster up here? When hikers looking for a rumored creature cross William and Mattie's path, events begin snowballing into a fast-paced figh ...more
I am a big fan of monster/horror books. I really enjoyed this book and the story. The characters where interesting to me. The plot was good but I had two problems with it. Although the first I am not sure was a problem but 1/3 through the book I figured out what was going on with the main characters and what secret was being hidden. The second was the ending did not have the conclusion that gave me closure to the book. Although if this is book 1 in a series then the end makes sense to me but if
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
***spoiler-ish***
While this book had some good pacing, there were too many “monsters” and the story lost a lot of its focus about 1/3 of the way in. Henry could’ve told a far more compelling story by concentrating on Mattie & William; the mysterious and frankly, ill-defined monster in the mountains” was a massive distraction throughout the entire novel. Despite a pat conclusion, there were a lot of loose ends that left me ultimately frustrated.
While this book had some good pacing, there were too many “monsters” and the story lost a lot of its focus about 1/3 of the way in. Henry could’ve told a far more compelling story by concentrating on Mattie & William; the mysterious and frankly, ill-defined monster in the mountains” was a massive distraction throughout the entire novel. Despite a pat conclusion, there were a lot of loose ends that left me ultimately frustrated.
Near the Bone begins with Martha and William, inhabitants of an isolated cabin on a remote mountaintop. As Martha checks traps and snares, it becomes obvious that her relationship with William is less than amicable, and that she lives a difficult and lonely life. The story crackles with tension and psychological suspense even before Martha discovers the mysterious and disturbingly large footprints near the cabin. Later, she and William find a cave containing the remains of some animal's prey, ar
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the CHRONICLES OF ALICE duology, ALICE and RED QUEEN, a dark and twisted take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as LOST BOY: THE TRUE STORY OF CAPTAIN HOOK, an origin story of Captain Hook from Peter Pan.
She is also the author of the national bestselling BLACK WINGS series (BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and B ...more
She is also the author of the national bestselling BLACK WINGS series (BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and B ...more
Related Articles
If you want a real scare, set aside your beloved horror classics—you know what darkness lurks within their pages, what...
150 likes · 67 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
