The bone charmer : fate is predictable ; choice is not

Format:

Book

Title:

The bone charmer : fate is predictable ; choice is not

Author:

Shields, Breeana author

ISBN:

9781624147371

Publication:

Salem, MA : Page Street Publishing, 2019.

Physical Description:

391 pages ; 22 cm

Summary:

On the day of Saskia's kenning - a special bone reading that determines the apprenticeships of all seventeen-year-olds - her worst fear comes true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, a seer, like her mother. Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose the one she knew Saskia wouldn't want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones with the devastating result of splitting Saskia's future. Now she will live with two potential paths simultaneously: one where she's forced to confront her magic, and one where she tries to run from it. When both paths become entangled in the plot of a rogue Charmer, Saskia learns no future is safe and some choices have unimaginable consequences. Only one future can survive, and Saskia's life is in danger in both.

Subject(s):

Magic -- Fiction.

Prophecy -- Fiction.

Choice (Psychology) -- Fiction.

Mothers and daughters -- Fiction.

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Dallas Public Library	YA Shields, B. Bone	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	TEEN Shields, B.	Searching... Unknown

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On Order

Summary

In Saskia's world, bones are the source of all power. They tell the future, reveal the past, and expose secrets in the present. On the day of her kenning--a special bone reading that determines apprenticeships--Saskia's worst fears come true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, like her mother, and even worse, a match-making reading that pairs her with Bram--a boy who has suspicious tattoos that hint of violence. Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose one she knew Saskia wouldn't want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones, and the break has devastating consequences--Saskia's future has split as well. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously. Only one future can survive. And Saskia's life is in danger in both.

Author Notes

Breeana Shields is the author of Poison's Kiss and its sequel, Poison's Cage. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in English. When she's not reading or writing, she loves travelling, eating good food-especially if it's pasta or chocolate-and spending time with her husband, her three children and an extremely spoiled miniature poodle. She lives in Olympia, Washington. Follow her on Twitter @BreeanaShields.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

When Saskia's future fractures in two, can she survive either path?On the day of her kenning, when her vocation and possibly her mate will be revealed by bone magic, 17-year-old Saskia's Bone Charmer mother, Della, views multiple futures and picks the one with the greatest chance of happiness and fulfillment. At a crucial moment, Saskia balks and snaps one of the bones; two futures spin off. In one she has the job she feared was her fate, Bone Charming, and a dark, brooding mate, Bram. In the other she has the job (Tutor) and mate (charming and funny Declan) she would have chosen. If Tutor Saskia and her mother can't knit the broken bone back together, both futures will vanish. On top of that, both futures are in danger from a dark magic-wielding Charmer intent on amassing more power. Shields (Poison's Cage, 2018, etc.) creates a dark and interesting world peopled with recognizable (and ostensibly white) characters, but her ultimate message that you can't fight fate and shouldn't try might not sit well with free-minded teens. Saskia narrates her own stories in alternating chapters, first one future then the other. A sequel is a certainty, as the somewhat muddy, downer of an ending leaves Saskia in danger.An enjoyable read as long as logic is not applied strongly. (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

For Saskia and her people, bones are the source of magic. For Saskia's kenning, her mother, a Bone Charmer, will read their ancestral bones to determine Saskia's future apprenticeship, and the last thing Saskia wants is to be a seer like her mother and grandmother before her. But Saskia's kenning goes awry when an argument with her mother ends in a broken kenning bone. Her future is split in two, and Saskia's story follows two different realities simultaneously. She and her mother scramble to repair the split, unaware of what's happening in her other life. Danger lurks on each path, and Saskia must face the threat before one of her realities disappears forever. Told in the alternating voices of both Saskias, this is an engaging exploration of fate versus free will. High-fantasy fans will delight at the unique magic and intricate plot that demands close attention and promises an equally suspenseful sequel.--Amna Haque Copyright 2019 Booklist