Goodreads Synopsis

Wrongly accused of her brother’s murder, Sonara’s destiny was to die, sentenced to execution by her own mother. Punished and left for dead, the shadows have cursed her with a second life as a Shadowblood, cast out and hunted by society for her demon-like powers.

Now known as the Devil of the Deadlands, Sonara survives as a thief on the edge of society, fighting for survival on a quest to uncover what really happened to her brother and whether he is even dead at all…

My Review

Thanks to the publisher for granting me a review copy through Netgalley.

After signing up for a unknown cover reveal from HQ stories last year I was excited to get a NG link to a ‘Secret Novel,’ one that I had heard nothing about. This author and book were a real unknown for me, but I absolutely loved the story & will certainly be checking out her other works.

This is one of those books that I just can’t sum up. Not because it’s confusing, or there’s too much stuff happening but because it will give away major spoilers. Blood Metal Bone is a genre bending read. Part Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Western/Historical novel. The premise gives little to nothing of the full story away & I will admit to getting a little confused once I started reading the second chapter, BUT, once I got into the swing of the story I found it almost impossible to put down.

The story is centred around Sonara, as well as another POV that I can’t really mention without spoiling bits of the book (I said this would be hard to talk about!) Sonara has constantly been looked down on. She is a Bastard, as shown by her mix of brown and blue hair, and the only family member to ever associate with her was her older brother Soahm. One day something strange and unbelievable happens to him, and Sonara gets blamed for his death and sentenced to the Leaping. Only someone wasn’t ready for her to die and she returns ‘Shadowblessed’ with a special kind of magic, a voice in her head that lets her feel people’s emotions and almost preempt them in battle. She is incredibly resilient, and finds it hard to place her trust, and open her heart to people after what happened to her brother. She doesn’t believe he is dead, simply taken and the more she looks into it, the more her path with merge with POV number 2.

Sonara doesn’t travel alone though. When she was brought back to life she was found by two other ‘Shadowblessed’ Jaxon and Markam brothers who became like family to her. I really loved the dynamic between the three of them. Jaxon and Sonara are partners in crime, he is the level headed to her sometimes hot temper, and the only person who can help her bring her power under control if she lets it roam too far Markam, however, has a slightly more strained relationship with Sonara, she doesn’t trust the trickster and would prefer to work without him. Let’s just say if you enjoy a good literary gang, filled with banter and more than a little violence, then you are sure to enjoy this one.

One thing I found really fresh about this book is there was little to no romance. Past relationships are talked about, but the main relationship this book focuses on is family, be it through blood or circumstance. But what I really liked is that every single one was different. You have Sonara and Soahm, Sonara would search the ends of the earth if it meant finding her brother, and it unwilling to give up until she has answers. Jaxon and Markam, who couldn’t be more dissimilar. Jaxon is kind and loving, whereas Markam is more money motivated and will only help out if there is something in it for him. As well as the secret POV I can’t mention, but just know that he’s a bit of a cinnamon roll who has no idea what his big brother has in store for him.

If I had one issue with this it would be that it should have been a duology. There were so many unanswered questions, not directly related to the main plot, but enough that I feel the story could have been fleshed out significantly and made into two books. That being said, making it compact made for one adventurous story that makes you fly through the pages. There were no lulls, and very few parts of the book where sometimes exciting/important wasn’t happening. It’s also filled with twists and turns… chapter 2 anybody! But they are brilliantly foreshadowed throughout the book, so they definitely leave you angry at yourself for not seeing them coming.

This is the perfect book for fantasy fans who are looking to branch out into Sci-Fi. It really does bring us the best of both worlds, and there are few books out there with the kind of well built fantasy world & also space ships. I had little idea what I was getting myself in for, but it was such a fun read, and has definitely made me want to check out more of the authors work. 4*.