Your Blood, My Bones

I received a digital advance copy of Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew via NetGalley. Your Blood, My Bones is scheduled for release on April 2, 2024.

Your Blood, My Bones follows Wyatt, a recent high school graduate who has come back to the farmhouse she inherited when her father died. In the basement, she finds Peter, the boy she left behind, chained and left for dead. Wyatt learns that her family has killed Peter over and over again to gain the power held in his bones. The only way for him to end the cycle is to kill off the last of Wyatt’s line. With no one from her family on the property, things have begun to unravel, letting in the wild things that lurk in the forest. To rebuild the wards, Wyatt needs the help of the boy who wants nothing more than to see her dead.

This novel is one that uses secrets in the right way. It is clear throughout the novel that characters are keeping things from each other (and from the reader). But there are true reasons for the secrets, not simply a need of the author to build mystery. In addition to the secrets the characters are keeping, Andrew layers in many questions for the reader. Each time we get the feeling that we’re starting to figure things out, new events turn us back to asking more questions. In the end, the story felt complete, but enough threads were left to explore there could be more stories in this world with these characters.

While I did have questions about the time and place of the story (I felt we were in the past, but unsure how far, and not certain what country we were in), the specific setting of the story was well developed. We spend the bulk of the novel on the old property, which is being overtaken by decay. That gave the story a bit of an ominous air, as there seemed to be a time limit for how long Wyatt could hold on the house.

The three main characters were presented in a way that made me feel for all of them, even though we didn’t get a lot of information about them outside of this specific story. Part of why this worked well for me was the relationships between the three. They clearly cared for each other, and fought in all the ways you do with those you love the most. I rooted for them, and their relationships, throughout the novel.

While I did see the ending coming, it was built beautifully. I knew what would inevitably happen, but the author dropped multiple crumbs that allowed the reader to think maybe things could turn out well, only to take away those possibilities over and over again. It made for a satisfying ending.

Overall, Your Blood, My Bones was a hauntingly lovely story about secrets, loyalty, and fate. I recommend it to readers who like creepy houses, nature run amok, and romances that just cannot be.