"The Bone Witch" First Impressions *No Spoilers*

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

This is the winner of the death magic fantasy poll! It was so close last month, I hope this just slays you! How's it going so far?

Please keep anything about your final thoughts, plot progression or character development vague until the spoiler thread goes up on the 7th!

[Gabi]

This one and me shouldn't have been … ^^'

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

It's sometimes good to remember what works and what never works for us!

I think I might be in the mood for this sort of story (I really need a word for it that isn't YA because it's not the age it's the writing style that's a common thread).

[Christine]

I would read it for the cover alone ~lured me in

[Shomeret]

Gabi wrote: "This one and me shouldn't have been … ^^'"

Yeah, I reached the same conclusion, but that was after I'd read the entire book. I should have stopped much sooner.

[Travis]

I fully agree about the cover! And I really was looking forward to a fun YA fantasy. But while I enjoyed the world of the book, I felt like I never had any sense what motivated any of its characters.

[M.L.]

I read the sample and my impression was when is the story really going to start. The YA I've read starts fast and hooks fast, which this isn't doing.

[David]

I'm about halfway in. I'm not crazy about framing the main narrative with a second, First-Person narrator. Sometimes (only rarely) the language feels a little awkward, and I'm wondering if the writing is ESL.

[Travis]

I often love that sort of frame. It's one of the things that I think makes the Kingkiller Chronicles successful. But I don't think it was executed well here. I didn't find that the moments in the past were narrated with the retrospective knowingness that the frame narrative suggests they ought to have.

[Kaa]

David wrote: "I'm about halfway in. I'm not crazy about framing the main narrative with a second, First-Person narrator."

I'm struggling with this as well. I listened to about 14% of the audiobook last week and really disliked both the framing and the fact that it wasn't written as though it was being told out loud. Between the framing and the writing style, I'm not going to be able to finish it in audiobook format, but my queue for reading books is much longer than for listening books, so I haven't gotten back to it in a different format yet.

[Gabi]

Travis wrote: "I often love that sort of frame. It's one of the things that I think makes the Kingkiller Chronicles successful. But I don't think it was executed well here. I didn't find that the moments in the p..."

My feeling as well. The framing structure in itself is adorable - but not here.

[Christi]

I'm about halfway through and so far my favorite impression is the author's dedication at the beginning. So totally opposite the overall feeling and subject of the book - it makes me smile and laugh and I love the authenticity of it.

I didn't know if a dedication could be considered a spoiler or else I'd include it and I'd hate to ruin it for anyone who hadn't see it yet.

[Christi]

Kaa wrote: I'm struggling with this as well. I listened to about 14% of the audiobook..."

I, too, am listening to the audio book. It was a struggle at first, especially when the man reads, but luckily I got both the audio and book from the library so I was able to go back to the book and look at certain areas to get a better understanding of what the structure was.

[Ariana]

I am actually really enjoying it so far, which has sort of surprised me, since this isn't usually my type of thing. Maybe hearing Emily Woo Zeller on the audio just brought back such fond feelings from listening to Ninefox etc. that I May have been predisposed to give it the benefit of the doubt.

[David]

I’m maybe two-thirds in now, and have decided that the frame narrator will probably become a principal narrator subsequently in the series. This might justify the introduction of a second narrator here. What’s bothering me now is the sustained ambiguity of the protagonist’s name (pronunciation: Téa, with two distinct, Continental vowels versus Tea, with an English diphthong). I went back-and-forth on this at least twice, and it would have been easier to call the character “Cha” since the Japanese for Tea (without the honorific) is used in naming the teahouse.

[Chris]

So I am about half way in and quite enjoying it. I agree it is a bit like a young adult book, but I have a real soft spot for that type of book. Some of us just never grow up I guess.
There is one thing though, (if I can play easy with a line from heart of darkness, or Marlin Brando in Apocalypse Now)
The Clothing...

The clothing...

the clothing...

[Kaa]

Ariana wrote: "I am actually really enjoying it so far, which has sort of surprised me, since this isn't usually my type of thing. Maybe hearing Emily Woo Zeller on the audio just brought back such fond feelings ..."

Oooh, I had no idea she narrated Ninefox! Her narration on Ninth Step Station was the reason I started with audiobook for Bone Witch, though.

[Christi]

Chris wrote: "The Clothing...The clothing...the clothing..."

Ha! So true. If there is one thing we can count on in this book is to know what each person is wearing!

[Anna]

I also love Emily Woo Zeller's narration. Even when she reads YA, she doesn't do that shrill, whiny voice most YA narrators use.

[Travis]

Chris wrote: "The Clothing...

The clothing...

the clothing..."

Lol! I didn't enjoy the book that much, but I did enjoy this aspect. I kept wondering what Tim Gunn would say...

[Anna]

OK, Emily Woo Zeller and Tim Gunn? I'm going to have to start this now! :D

[Travis]

Anna wrote: "I also love Emily Woo Zeller's narration. Even when she reads YA, she doesn't do that shrill, whiny voice most YA narrators use."

I'll be curious to hear if you think this holds true for her narration of this book as well.

[Anna]

Oh no, don't tell me she shrilled things up? :(

[Travis]

Anna wrote: "Oh no, don't tell me she shrilled things up? :("

Maybe not shrill, but I found the emotiveness frequently overdone, particularly given she's not narrating events as they occur but as they're being related after many years have passed.

[Anna]

I looked at my bookshelf, I've only listened to one YA book narrated by her, so maybe I was thinking of someone else? Or maybe that particular YA book was less dramatic, so less need for that whiny, desperate "YA voice"?

Sorry, this is getting off topic. I think I'll try the audio anyway!

edit: lol, I went to listen to the sample of that YA audio, and it starts by immediately describing what she's wearing and how her hair is styled :D It's For a Muse of Fire, if someone is wondering.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

It is very quavery. And it is very much whatever this particular subgenre is. I keep trying to come up with a term because it's not "YA" in its entirety of course. It's like a purple teen fantasy. So far it seems like a decent quality purple teen fantasy though!

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Jackie wrote: "I've only just started but i'm enjoying the book so far. I was very surprised to find out this book was high fantasy. I think i'm used to witch and witch based magics being exclusively low fantasy ..."


Oh, that's good to know. I'm hoping to be able to start, well... probably not for, like, 2 weeks, but I am going to get to it!

[Anna]

I'm eight chapters in, and lol the clothes! I was not expecting this, even though everyone had commented on it.

re: Emily Woo Zeller, yes her narration is overly dramatic in this one, but I feel like that's a requirement for YA? Compared to some other YA narrators, this is pure bliss. I figured out it has a lot to do with the narrator's voice and the pitch. EWZ has a nice voice, so I forgive her a little extra drama, but when a squeaky-voiced nasal little girl reads all extra, I can't stand it. Of course they're not little girls, but they use that kind of voice for some reason.

[Chris]

It was getting late this morning, need to get on my way to work, but it was getting intense...
and...
and..
well dang, now I have to read the rest of the series.

[Christi]

Travis wrote: "Anna wrote: "Oh no, don't tell me she shrilled things up? :("

Maybe not shrill, but I found the emotiveness frequently overdone, particularly given she's not narrating events as they occur but as ..."

I will completely agree with Travis here - especially in the beginning chapters, where to me it did appear to be to be overly emotional and dramatic. I almost stopped listening to it on audio and went to the book instead, but audio really worked better for my time and so I kept persevering with it.

[Michelle]

I'm about 2/5 of the way in, and I'm kinda loving it. The framing story as a lead-in to each chapter, and the moderately purple prose (yeah, clothing descriptions are lengthy... but I'm down for dragon-embroidered robes of magic) are 100% reminding me of something I've really liked in the past, but I just can't remember what it is.

[Oleksandr]

I initially planned to skip it, the first monthly reading since I've joined the group, but decided to give it a try - after all so many people voted for it! I'm about 25% and I think my original inclination was right

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

=/ I think you might be right, Oleksandr, I'd be surprised if this was your cup of tea.

[Patricia]

I’m about half way through and my favorite parts are the descriptions of the clothes. Not one of my favorite books but interesting enough for me to finish. The training of the asha is very close to that of the trading of the geisha. Without the sexual content of course.

[〰️Beth〰️]

Can not wait to start reading this next week!

[Oleksandr]

Patricia wrote: "The training of the asha is very close to that of the trading of the geisha. Without the sexual content of course. "

I thought so as well

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Patricia wrote: "The training of the asha is very close to that of the trading of the geisha. "

I've been enjoying that aspect of it a lot.

[Kim]

My mind keeps going back to Memoirs of a Geisha although with combat training and magic, so am glad they don’t get their feet bound. I read Girls of Paper and Fire which I thoroughly enjoyed, my year is filling up with Asian-inspired fantasy so far. I am enjoying it very much, maybe because I am reading it, audio seems to depend very much on the voices of the narrators. An annoying voice can just ruin the experience. I did enjoy the audio version of Lincoln in the Bardo, the different voices made the narration much clearer. I like this one enough have ordered the next in the series.

[Bonnie]

Chris wrote: "So I am about half way in and quite enjoying it. I agree it is a bit like a young adult book, but I have a real soft spot for that type of book. Some of us just never grow up I guess.
There is one thing though, (if I can play easy with a line from heart of darkness, or Marlin Brando in Apocalypse Now)
The Clothing...

The clothing...

the clothing... "
I keep noticing how people's heartsglass necklaces are described, and think "Why don't you put those away? Tuck behind your clothing at least, and don't reveal so much."

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Bonnie wrote: "I keep noticing how people's heartsglass necklaces are described, and think "Why don't you put those away? Tuck behind your clothing at least, and don't reveal so much.""


Well, they do say that most people can't read the details of them the way that the asha can, and maybe it's just habit for it to be out? (view spoiler)[Likh did hide his, though, because he had something to hide, so maybe it's, like, a cultural thing where people leave it out in the open to show they have nothing to hide? (hide spoiler)]

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I'm about 75% through, give or take, and I'm enjoying it, overall. As I said before, I'm really liking the feel of it being like training geisha, except with magic and fighting.

I don't mind the framing story at all, either, though I do feel like the framing part of the story is sometimes more interesting than the rest of the story, and I'm really looking forward to getting to the point in the series where we catch up with the framing story and go forward.

I agree with the comments that this is a little like Memoirs of a Geisha and also a little like Name of the Wind, except I don't hate Tea like I hated Kvothe, and it's a lot less wordy,..

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Hey, Colleen, remember this is the no spoilers thread! Can you please remove bits about specifics? I think a lot of this would be great for discussion in the full spoiler thread :)

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I added one spoiler about the thing with the heartglass. I don't see anything else in the other comment that could be construed as a spoiler, but let me know if there's something specific you want me to hide.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Nope, that works, thanks very much!

[Sylvie Helen]

I know I'm very late to the party on this (despite the book being sat on my shelf all month) but I am finally reading the bone witch. I'm about half way through and I'm enjoying it but it's obviously a first book - it lacks any sense of urgency, although I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing.