The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The Bones of Ruin was another book that I went in knowing little about because the cover completely sold me. Also hearing it is a historical fantasy definitely peaked my interest because historical fantasies have been some of my favorite books lately. And while lengthy fantasy stories intimidate me this one has short chapters.

Iris has no memories and she's not really trying to discover the truth. She's working as a tightrope walker in a traveling circus to make a living. Her grace and agility help her through these dangerous stunts but she also has a secret. She cannot truly die. It's something she's kept hidden for 10 years now. One day while performing in the streets before a big show in London, she sees a man she recognizes but she's not sure where she knows him from. This causes her slip and fall to what should be her death. The crowd saw her neck snap! But instead she's able to wake up and walk away seemingly unharmed. 

After boss discovers her secret and attempts to exploit her to pay off her debts she escapes from the circus and tracks down the man who made her fall. The man Adam knows her past but insists he must discover the truth on her own little by little. But he also wants her to help him find his father before the rest of the secret committee he's involved in realizes that his father is still alive.

Her ability to allude death makes her a target for everyone. She was getting kidnapped every few chapters it seemed. And while Iris is safe from death, the people around her are not. So in her quest to discover her past she has to reckon with how her team is putting their lives at risk to help her.

The Fantastic Freaks are like mutants with special powers who all have a connection to an explosion at a fair in South Kensington. Most of these freaks are also anomalies because of their race and ethnicity compared to the people of London. This allowed the opportunity to introduce characters that hailed from far corners of the world. It's not the main focus but the book does still show some of the discrimination Iris receives as a Black woman during that time period without naming the slurs she's called on page.

The harem didn't work for me. Iris has three men in love with her and in this story it just felt unnecessary. I understood Jinn had a connection with her as her partner in the circus so there was an unrequited love story going on there. But Adam was just in love with the idea of her. And Max I'm not sure what drew him to love her at first sight at all. I didn't feel the chemistry was even there between them to warrant his pining. It teetered into not like other girls territory. Also I would've loved for this story to dive deeper into the men's backgrounds so I could have a better connection to them.

People who are very visual when they read fantasies and are able to picture the setting in their heads like a movie will really enjoy the atmosphere that's built up in this. 

It was engaging and I was invested in the mystery but it moves at such a slow and steady pace that it's very easy to put this book down and not feel the immediate urgency to pick it back up. At some points in part 2 I felt like the story was coasting along and then something big would happen and I was engaged again. Once more about Iris' past was revealed I needed to know the outcome. Part 3 was where it all came together for me. I was actually able to enjoy the team dynamic and the humor in some moments despite the seriousness of the events taking place. I was hooked and started racing towards the end.  If you want a fantasy set in a different world than the norm that you can slow read then check this one out.