March 1, 2017

Memoirs of an Asha • The Bone Witch

The Bone Witch book cover
Tea has the gift of necromancy, making her a bone witch, among a group of few others who are both respected and feared throughout the kingdom for their dark, powerful abilities that cross the boundary between the living and the dead. In order to learn how to wield and control her power, Tea leaves her hometown to train under the guidance of an older bone witch. But as she grows in her abilities and takes on the mantle of an asha, Tea discovers that there are secrets she does not know about - and she'll have to be strong enough to face them all and protect the people she loves.

Plot? Majority of this novel is really character-driven, and in my case, that usually means a book is a bit of a slower read. This is not to say that I didn't find it interesting though! Reading about Tea's experiences upon her arrival in the city, and all of the situations she finds herself in definitely gave me some Memoirs of a Geisha vibes (and since I enjoyed that book, I obviously liked being reminded of it). The plot certainly picks up when she officially becomes an asha, especially when she's dispatched to take care of her 'magical' duties.

Characters? Unfortunately, I got the sense that I was staring at the characters of this story from behind a glass wall. This was likely due to the narration style (which I'll get into momentarily). But even just from observing her, Tea felt very much like a typical fantasy heroine whenever we were reading about her journey towards becoming an asha. I definitely didn't form any sort of personal connection to her, nor did I particularly find her remarkable or unique. I actually enjoyed more of the secondary characters, even though they were so rarely on the page, which I suppose says a lot about Tea herself and the way this was written.

Writing? I actually thought the narrative style choice - jumping between the telling of the story to a chronicler to the actual experience through Tea's eyes - was a clever way to keep the reader hooked. It definitely worked on me! Apart from that, I also felt like the author indulged in quite a few dense descriptions with overly specific details that I didn't find particularly necessary. Still, it didn't take away from my overall interest in seeing what would happen next.

Overall? In spite of the lack of character connection, I liked this book well enough. The narration style really worked for me, though I'd like to point out that it might not be everyone's cup of tea. I personally found the plot was really what ended up hooking me the most, and I thought it was well worth the read.

What is your favorite zombie movie or television show? I don't actually watch a lot of zombie movies or television, as I've never been a really big fan of zombies in general. The last zombie film I can remember seeing and actually enjoying was Zombieland. I found it really funny!


The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco | Series: The Bone Witch #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire | Publication Date: March 7, 2017
Source: ARC downloaded from NetGalley (Thanks!)
Buy the Book: Book Depository | Amazon | IndieBound

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