By These Ten Bones
Author: Clare B. Dunkle
Series: ---
Publisher: Square Fish
How Received: review copy
A mysterious young man has come to a small Highland town. His talent for wood carving soon wins the admiration of the weaver's daughter, Maddie. Fascinated by the silent carver, she sets out to gain his trust, only to find herself drawn into a terrifying secret that threatens everything she loves.
There is an evil presence in the carver's life that cannot be controlled, and Maddie watches her town fall under a shadow. One by one, people begin to die. Caught in the middle, Maddie must decide what matters most to her-and what price she is willing to pay to keep it.
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When I first read By These Ten Bones, it reminded me suspiciously of Little Red Riding Hood - the wood carver, the girl who falls in love with him, the werewolf curse infiltrating the town. That, thankfully, is where the similarities end. By These Ten Bones is a fantastic tale all it's own.
It stands out in the giant swarm of werewolf paranormals that have hit the bookstores recently for one reason and one reason only: the werewolf isn't actually sexy. There is nothing attractive about him. The wolf won't protect you. He's not a nice, furry creature that runs around being adorable. He wants to eat you.
And I loved it.
I mean, sure, werewolves can be sexy. (Soulless' Lord Maccon, anybody?) But I'd rather have a sexy-human-who-happens-to-have-an-evil-angsty-werewolf-side. Not only is it refreshing, but it's angst-making. And I like angst. Angst is fun to read about. Or maybe I'm just weird.
The writing in By These Ten Bones isn't anything spectacular - I laughed a few times, and I managed to get pulled in, but it's nothing memorable. The characters are interesting enough.
One of the reasons I liked this story was because I was able to relate to Maggie. She wasn't perfect - not by far - and though she was attracted to the mysterious carver boy, she didn't fall head over heels for him, not at first. She got to know him and the more she learned about him, the more she liked him, until eventually the two were in love. (That's not a spoiler. Anybody can figure that out from the summary.) And I adored that. She did things that I would have done, and I respected her for that.
By These Ten Bones is an entertaining read that crafts realistic and likable characters. It sucks you in until you want to know how the story ends - and by the end, though I had it figured out, I wasn't sure if it would go the way I thought. (It did, but I loved it nonetheless.)
Overall Rating & Final Comments 8/10. Simply written, nice characters, and fantastically engaging plot line.
Cover Comments: This is the new paperback cover - it's SO much prettier than the old hardcover copy.