My third time reading this most perfect book. It just gets better every time I read it. Sigh. I just love everything about this story. And reading it brings me so much joy. Okay, lots of heartbreak and trauma as well. But I love it to pieces. The writing is perfect. The world is still fully terrible and so beautiful at the same time.
This time I am not going to write the longest review. I will try my best to share just a little of my love for this book. Which will be hard enough, as I simply cannot stop talking about how much I love everything. But yes. I'm not going to write about the plot this time. Just small thoughts about some of the things I loved most.
Let's begin with the amazing characters. They were all perfectly broken. Which is just the thing for me. I loved them all to pieces. The book is written from the point of view of Tamsin, seventeen years old. And she is just the absolute best. And the worst. And the most broken inside. And I love her with all of my heart. She is precious to me. All kinds of rude at times. She has the biggest heart inside, just scared of getting hurt. Like she has been all her life. Reading about her past just broke me. She deserved so much better. And she was so strong and all kinds of precious. It was not easy to get past her walls. I loved how she and Neve became friends. It did not start that well, but then they ended up as best friends. And I loved that. Neve was also just precious.
Loved Neve so very much and her story was so interesting. I just loved getting to know these characters so much. Tamsin also had a brother, Cabell. As always, I am conflicted about this broken boy. He had a curse. He could turn into a wolf. Not in a good way, as he would hurt everyone when he turned. Tamsin have spent her entire life searching for a cure for him. But oh, he was fully broken too. And so hurt. And making stupid choices. I am not happy with him. Yet I understood him too, with all he had been through.
Tamsin lives in our world, but also knows of magic. She is a Hollower, searching for old treasure. But she cannot see magic herself. Until she does something about it. And that was a scene I loved so much. This book is about Tamsin going to search for the Ring of Dispel. She needs this to break the curse on Cabell. But she is not the only one searching for it. Which brings me to Emrys. He was the very best one. Though Tamsin absolutely hates him. He is the rich boy, the one who has everything while Tamsin have nothing.
And so she does not like him. But he seems to be liking her, though she does not see it. And so they are searching for the same treasure. And they end up travelling together in search of it. Ending up at Avalon. Which was so exciting and terrible and just the best. But first, Emrys. I can't with this boy. I love him with everything in me. He was so sweet and precious and broken as well. I loved the story of his scars, though the actual story in book two breaks me to pieces. I loved how he and Tamsin kept bickering. Was so cute.
And I especially loved how they started to get to know each other for real. How Emrys kept trying to break down her walls. And how he started to succeed. Just. Oh. The romance is small in this first book. But it is absolute perfection. I loved them together so much. I loved how she started to open up. I loved learning all her secrets. Emrys is more closed off, but that makes sense in book two. Yet I loved him so much. He was the sweetest. I loved his magical power with plants as well. So cute. I may have loved him too much.
I have already written too much about this book. Again. But I cannot stop. It is truly such a perfect story. So sad and evil at times. Yet so exciting and thrilling. They all end up in Avalon, searching for this ring. They end up in a cursed place that need their help, if it doesn't kill them first. I so loved how protective Tamsin was of Cabell, how badly she loved her brother. How she would do anything for him. I wish he had been a little more like her. Hmph. I did truly love him, though. All of them were written so very well.
I truly loved every character that lives in Avalon. Flea was such a little brat and I adored her to pieces. I loved Olwen and Cait so much. And their sisters. And everyone else as well. Sobs. I loved how much we got to know them all and their lives. How they had survived in this place. How awful it had been for these past two years. But how good it had been before that, for ages. I felt so sorry for all of them. And I loved reading about it so very much. This version of Avalon was so interesting and exciting to get to read about.
I wish we had known more about what it was like there before the curse. Before everything turned into a nightmare for them all. But oh, I loved this dark and scary place. I so loved reading about the monsters in this story. The Children. How creepy they looked and how very dangerous they were. And how sad their origin was. I loved every small detail about Avalon and those who lived there. And I still get heartbroken about the ending of it all. One of the most rude endings. And yet so incredibly well done at the same time.
The book was full of mysteries and secrets and betrayals. All of them fully amazing. Although absolutely heartbreaking, of course. I just can't stop thinking about this story. Which is why I had to read it this year too. Also because I love Tamsin and Emrys so much. There is so much going on with this book. It is filled with curses. And magic. Set in our world, which I usually don't like, but I did not mind in this one. Because it is set in a magical world too. And it feels like fantasy most of the time, which is just the very best thing.
This third time reading the book I decided to read my Fairyloot edition of it. Just because of how gorgeous it is. And I'm glad I did. Made me happy every time I picked it up, to see the artwork of Tamsin and Emrys on the front. Sigh. Will re-read the Fairyloot edition of The Mirror of Beasts too. So excited. These editions are just perfect. I'm so happy that I have been able to collect pretty much every edition of both books. I'm missing a few foreign ones I don't actually want, but maybe one day. I own some truly gorgeous editions.
It should be mentioned that this duology is my favorite of them all. And this first book completely ruins me every time I read it. I love it so much. And I cannot wait to finally re-read book two next. It is even better, if I remember right. Especially with the romance, haha. I'm so excited. These books ruin my heart. But they heal it too. It took me much longer to re-read the book this time, but only because my health sucks. Every time I picked the book up again I fell right back into the story. And I loved it all just as much this third time.
Silver in the Bone truly is such a perfect book. There is so much to love about it. The writing is fantastic. The characters are all adorable and so well written. The villain was such a mystery and surprise, yet the hints are there, when you read it all again. And I loved that. There are so many small details in this book. And they are all precious. I loved the small parts. I loved the friendships and feelings of family. Can't wait to read this book again and again. Three times is not enough. You need it in your life too. It is so perfect.
