It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to do a blog tour, but I knew I had to jump in on this one: The Bone House, by Stephen Lawhead. It’s the second in his Bright Empires series, and last year I reviewed the first installment, The Skin Map, here.
*Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead*
This second installment begins where the first left off, following Kit’s unexpected rescue by his old flame, Mina. And like the first book, The Bone House definitely has a lot going on to keep the story moving. There are treasure hunts, desperate chases, amazing discoveries and, of course, subterfuge.
The one problem I had was determining where all of the excitement was supposed to be leading to. I know ultimately that there is a search for the Well of Souls, and that finding the pieces of the Skin Map are the key, but it wasn’t always clear to me how the various events in the book were leading towards these ends. And the title object, the Bone House, didn’t even come into being until late in the story. As I reflected on the issue, I decided it was probably more a result of this being the second installment in a series – and therefore far from a resolution – than any flaw in the story or writing. The writing was certainly as good as in The Skin Map.
I would definitely recommend reading The Bone House, as long as you’ve read The Skin Map first. I’ll be looking forward to the rest of the series as well.
Check out the rest of the tour:
Noah Arsenault - Red Bissell - Thomas Clayton Booher - Beckie Burnham - Morgan L. Busse - CSFF Blog Tour - Jeff Chapman - Carol Bruce Collett - Karri Compton - D. G. D. Davidson - Theresa Dunlap - April Erwin - Victor Gentile - Tori Greene - Ryan Heart - Bruce Hennigan - Timothy Hicks - Christopher Hopper - Janeen Ippolito - Becca Johnson - Jason Joyner - Julie - Carol Keen - Krystine Kercher - Marzabeth - Katie McCurdy - Shannon McDermott - Rebecca LuElla Miller - Joan Nienhuis - Chawna Schroeder - Kathleen Smith - Donna Swanson - Rachel Starr Thomson - Robert Treskillard - Steve Trower - Fred Warren - Phyllis Wheeler - Nicole White - Rachel WyantDisclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
Great to have you participating on the tour this month, Tori.
ReplyDeleteYes, reading The Skin Map first makes quite a difference.
I thought Kit's motive in this one was clear and I could really relate to him better. I'm not as clear on Mina's motivation or Lord Burleigh's. I actually liked him quite a lot in this one, and it always disturbs me when I like the villain. But I guess these are things I should save for my own review. ;-)
Becky
Good review. I, too, was wondering where we were going and why. I kept looking for the Bone House. But, the ending was very satisfying and I'm looking forward to the third book.
ReplyDeleteI think all of the threads will start to come together and make more sense soon. :) If Lawhead does it right, it will be impressive.
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