Barnes & NobleBonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto

4.25 stars

Wren, a bonesmith, dreams of becoming a valkyr to impress her father and solidify her position in the House of Bone. However, after failing her qualifying trial, she's banished to the Border Wall. Her chance to prove herself arises when a House of Gold prince is kidnapped and taken beyond the Wall. To rescue the prince, she teams up with Julian, an ironsmith from the exiled House of Iron, and together they fight the undead and uncover a dark alliance between the living and the dead. First off, that cover. It's gorgeous. Tommy Arnold has produced yet another masterpiece. I love his covers for The Locked Tomb and the Magic of the Lost series. I really want a print of this. I also got the pretty Fairyloot version, and its sprayed edges look fantastic on my shelf! This was a great read, and I really enjoyed almost every aspect of the book. This is a YA with some of the tropes you're used to seeing, but it doesn't feel too tropey. I like Wren. She's talented and driven but also impulsive, with flaws that enhance the story. She wants to prove herself to her father and her House after not getting the recognition she deserved growing up. That's a valid motivation, and her actions reflect it well. She's selfish and has to rethink everything she thought she knew about her world. The friendship between Leo and Wren was instant and perfect. I enjoyed how the two interacted. The love interest, Julian, is a thought-to-be-dead Ironsmith, and their connection is great. The only problem I have is the pacing of their relationship. Yes, they go through a lot over a short span of time, but it felt like too short of a time. Still, they fit together well and work together through situations very well. The magic of the land is excellent, and I love the idea of a smith being tied to a particular element of life. Wood, gold, iron, bones, etc. It's so interesting. The necromancy and ghost problems are also fantastic. I love the job of a bonesmith. Who wouldn't look badass covered in bone armor? We got some POV's from Julian and Leo. I found these helpful, but instead of labeling it as a chapter, I would have preferred it as an interlude. It's always weird when the POV shifts are so unbalanced. The pacing of the book is also a little disjointed. The beginning is slow, it picks up in the middle, then we have a super fast ending. I liked the ending, even if I wasn't surprised by the twists that were revealed. Overall, a great read, and I'm so excited to read Ghostsmith. I can't wait to learn more about Wren's lineage and see how the trio will work together after such an upheaval.