Book Tour: The Bones of Ruin // Review

Hello everyone! Today is my stop on The Bones of Ruin Blog Tour hosted by Turn the Pages Tours! A big thank you to Turn the Pages Tours as well as the author and publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book!

Title: The Bones of Ruin

Author: Sarah Raughley

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: September

Genre: Young Adult Fiction –> Historical, Fantasy

Buy Link: https://bookshop.org/a/11727/9781534453562

As an African tightrope dancer in Victorian London, Iris is used to being strange. She is certainly a strange sight for leering British audiences always eager for the spectacle of colonial curiosity. But Iris also has a secret that even “strange” doesn’t capture…

She cannot die.

Haunted by her unnatural power and with no memories of her past, Iris is obsessed with discovering who she is. But that mission gets more complicated when she meets the dark and alluring Adam Temple, a member of a mysterious order called the Enlightenment Committee. Adam seems to know much more about her than he lets on, and he shares with her a terrifying revelation: the world is ending, and the Committee will decide who lives… and who doesn’t.

To help them choose a leader for the upcoming apocalypse, the Committee is holding the Tournament of Freaks, a macabre competition made up of vicious fighters with fantastical abilities. Adam wants Iris to be his champion, and in return, he promises her the one thing she wants most: the truth about who she really is.

If Iris wants to learn about her shadowy past, she has no choice but to fight. But the further she gets in the grisly tournament, the more she begins to remember—and the more she wonders if the truth is something best left forgotten.

Welcome back to another review! Today’s review will be on The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley! When I saw Turn the Pages Tour post the signup for this tour, I just knew that I wanted to be a part of it! Now let’s get into it!

The Bones of Ruin takes place in a post-apocalyptic world with a Victorian London setting. Fierce competition with supernatural kids, hidden secrets, and a society full of influential people.
Even though this book takes place in Victorian London, full of dark magic and secrets, the author isn’t afraid to show that it’s not so great for our black main character, Iris, or any person of color.

She isn’t afraid to tackle deep subjects such as racism, sexism, and much more. Raughley tied these things seamlessly into the story and made it present enough that it stuck out in your mind.

My body is my own. My heart is my own. My fate is my own
– The Bones of Ruin, Sarah Raughley

Iris was a compelling character to follow in this story. She remembers almost nothing of her past life and spends the book trying to unravel all of the secrets. At first, she is hesitant to find out the truth, but when she thrusts herself into a competition forced to trying to put the puzzle together.

Iris almost seems like this untouchable character, since you know, she can’t die. But the author doesn’t allow this to be the case. Due to this little detail, it turns the tension down a lot. You never expect Iris to die, and you’ll know she’ll survive in every single fighting scenario. Raughley pushes Iris into extreme situations displaying her vulnerability. But Iris tends to lean towards the mary sue character type despite these advancements.

The puzzle is put together, piece by piece. Tension rises as the mystery slowly unravels. Here and there, misleading clues take us off track. By the end, all comes to light. A brilliant mystery crafted with such elegance that you don’t realize how much time has passed.

I won’t let you people take anymore away from me!
– The Bones of Ruin, Sarah Raughley

The romance was a bit questionable in this book. I know a bunch of readers tends to dislike love triangles. This book does not only contain a love triangle but a love square. The first time I’ve ever seen a love square, but I don’t know if I’m a fan of it. Out of all of the potential love interests, there was only one that I could see working out. Iris and this particular love interest had chemistry, and you could see they had a bond with one another.

The squad surrounding Iris was a definite hit from the countless times they planned together and save each other from near-death (except Iris). The constant bickering between them had me cracking up at times. Some of the characters did feel undeveloped at times, so I wish more time was spend on getting to know them more besides Iris all the time. But Iris isn’t the only one to contain superpowers but all of them. But they don’t know how they got them.

“What?” Max and Jinn both said at the same time but for different reasons.
Max seemed to perk up at the sound of his name even if he hadn’t heard the context while Jinn responded to Iris’s offhand remark with an awkwardly stiff expression.
– The Bones of Ruin, Sarah Raughley

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! Though some flaws held it back, some elements such as a puzzle needing to be solved, an interesting main character, and a setting that help to enhance the story.

A big thank you to Turn the Pages Tours as well as the author and publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book! Quotes are taken from an unfinished version and may be different when the book is published.

Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the sight of blood makes her queasy (which crossed Medical School off the list).

She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.

So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.

Up for grabs will be TWO (1) finished copies of The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley. This giveaway will be open to U.S. residents only and will run from August 29th to September 13th at 11:59 PM CST. Two winners will be chosen. To enter, click the link below!

Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1e4a114d49/?

Tour Schedule

Be sure to check out the rest of the The Bones of Ruin Tour held by Turn the Pages Tours! You can check the schedule down below! There are some amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers on here that you should check out!