08/19/2019
With her mother dead and her father missing, Aderyn, 17, has become a gravedigger for the town of Colbren, which borders on a forest where the dead walk at night. When Ellis, 18, arrives in Colbren seeking to map the nearby mountains, Aderyn takes a job as his guide to help repay urgent family debts. Then the dead attack the town, and Aderyn and Ellis head into the forest accompanied by an undead goat in hopes of finding Annwvyn, once home to the legendary Otherking, and thereby ending the threat of the dead at its source—“the cauldron of rebirth.”Lloyd-Jones (The Hearts We Sold) creates an evocative world of magic and haunted forests rooted in Welsh folklore. Although some plot twists are overtly telegraphed, she skillfully builds tension and plays with the conventions of fairy tales and horror, adeptly leading to a rewarding conclusion. The appealing main characters are notable for their persistence—Aderyn through ever-mounting obstacles, and Ellis through his chronic pain. The story serves as a meditation on the complicated relationship between the living and the dead, combining fear, humor and enchantment in equal measure, and alloying them with humor. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)
Praise for The Bone Houses:
"A dark, mesmerizing fairytale reminiscent of the Grimm Brothers, the Brontes, and Neil Gaiman in turn. The Bone Houses is a haunting and hypnotic novel that I drank deeply and savored. Emily Lloyd-Jones is an author who should be on everyone's radar."—Mackenzi Lee, NYT bestselling author of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
* "With ghostly prose... filled with breathless moments and occasional humor... this melancholic horror novel digs its way into the heart."—Booklist (starred review)
* "...both exciting and imaginative. Inspired by Welsh mythology, this stand-alone novel is both a classic quest saga and a page-turning horror story....A required purchase for collections serving young adults, this fine novel will especially appeal to those who enjoy fantasy with more than a touch of terror."—VOYA (starred review)
"...a new and magical journey, filled with the best parts of a fairy tale. Monsters, curses, love—both slow-burn and familial—beautiful descriptions of an eerie mythical Welsh setting, and a streak of humor make this stand-alone novel a must-read."—SLJ
"[Emily] Lloyd-Jones (The Hearts We Sold) creates an evocative world of magic...and plays with the conventions of fairy tales and horror.... The story serves as a meditation on the complicated relationship between the living and the dead, combining fear, humor and enchantment in equal measure..."—Publishers Weekly
"Emily Lloyd-Jones has crafted a world of myth and magic, legend and lore, fantasy and fairy tale that has a quality of timelessness about it....readers who enjoy fantasy, adventure, horror, and/or folklore will certainly enjoy this novel with its engaging characters and unusual premise."—SLC
"Readers...who prefer their fairy tales touched with darkness, will find satisfaction here."—BCCB
"This Welsh-inspired story is haunting and compelling...A stand-alone dark fantasy that readers will want to sink their teeth into..."—Kirkus Reviews
"[A] gorgeously eerie, lushly written fairytale..."—Book Riot
"Centered around a truly epic journey, with a satisfying ending and slow-burn love story complicated by the walking dead, The Bone Houses is a horror-drenched fairytale. Emily Lloyd-Jones spins wit, longing, and loss into something just as magical as the creatures that haunt the night in Ryn and Ellis's world, and the result is a careful, beautiful examination on the impression love leaves behind."—Sarah Henning, author of Sea Witch and Sea Witch Rising
"The Bone Houses is a dark and beautiful book, full of magic, as quiet as death and as powerful as love. Lloyd-Jones gives us a beautiful setting full of vibrant characters that's resonant with gorgeously eerie mythology, plus my absolute favorite literary goat. I loved this book."—Kate Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians
"A deliciously monstrous novel, full of the magic of ancient Wales. Reminiscent of Juliet Marillier and Marion Zimmer Bradley. Expect the unexpected in this funny, scary, mysterious, and ultimately unputdownable story!"—Dawn Kurtagich, author of Teeth in the Mist
"Throw excellent world-building, action-packed prose, and incredible representation for chronic pain into a cauldron, and you'll get The Bone Houses, a masterclass on the epic journey archetype with plenty of surprises in store."—Sami Thomason, Square Books
"The Bone Houses is the adventure of a gravedigger and a mapmaker, the story of the place where fable and rumor intersect with real-life danger and quest. Mysterious, earthy, utterly magical."—Anna Bright, One More Page Books
"The Bone Houses is an atmospheric and enthralling tale about life after death that mixes thoughtful characterization with whimsy, horror, and a dash of magic. Emily Lloyd-Jones instantly transports you to a northern Wales of old where the dead rise and legends may turn out to be histories. It pulled me — and every bone I possess — in from the start and refused to loosen its hold. It's a book best consumed with the lights on and a hand to hold. You'll definitely need them!"—Kalie Young, Barns & Noble at the Grove, LA
"I immediately fell into the world Emily Lloyd-Jones created, and then I barely came up for air! This is the most original, mythical-magical, undead story I have ever read. I mean, there's a dead goat — and you're gonna fall in love with her. The feisty, axe-swinging gravedigger's daughter found a place in my heart, too. The imagination and wit astound me. I am a lifelong reader of Lloyd-Jones' books. What's next?"—Alena Deerwater, Gallery Bookshop
07/01/2019
Gr 7 Up—Teenager Ryn has been caring for her siblings via her steadily dwindling work as a gravedigger in their remote village. Though more villagers are turning to cremation than burial, the teen's work isn't getting any easier: the dead just won't stay dead. According to legend, a fae curse stirs the corpses, or "bone houses," that emerge from the nearby forest each night, and Ryn often enters the forest alone to stop the dead from reaching the village. On one of her outings, she finds Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker living with chronic pain. But with his arrival comes an attack more vicious than any before. Desperate to end the curse, the two teens travel through the forest to the mountains that once served as the home of the fae. With little backstory and only limited mention of communities outside of Ryn's village, the book focuses on the teens and their mission. Both characters are fully realized, each beginning with a singular goal but ultimately learning that love and loss are their own journeys. Lloyd-Jones turns Ryn's familiar fantasy quest through the woods into a new and magical journey, filled with the best parts of a fairy tale. Monsters, curses, love—both slow-burn and familial—beautiful descriptions of an eerie mythical Welsh setting, and a streak of humor make this stand-alone novel a must-read. VERDICT This fresh take on the undead is recommended for YA collections.—Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson University, SC
Moira Quirk’s chilling narration pairs perfectly with this audiobook’s elegant writing and rich setting. Ryn is no stranger to the corpses that are rising and walking the nearby forest, having taken over her father’s grave-digging duties since his disappearance. But now the dead have begun leaving the forest, and Ellis, a mapmaker newly arrived in town, joins Ryn in a journey to confront the curse that is causing these strange events.. Quirk voices Ryn with stoicism that gradually wavers with emotion as she learns more about the nature of the dead. Ellis is voiced with a dignity that reflects his background among royalty. His tone gains fervor as his mysterious past is slowly unveiled. c in a truly beautiful story. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Moira Quirk’s chilling narration pairs perfectly with this audiobook’s elegant writing and rich setting. Ryn is no stranger to the corpses that are rising and walking the nearby forest, having taken over her father’s grave-digging duties since his disappearance. But now the dead have begun leaving the forest, and Ellis, a mapmaker newly arrived in town, joins Ryn in a journey to confront the curse that is causing these strange events.. Quirk voices Ryn with stoicism that gradually wavers with emotion as she learns more about the nature of the dead. Ellis is voiced with a dignity that reflects his background among royalty. His tone gains fervor as his mysterious past is slowly unveiled. c in a truly beautiful story. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2019-06-23
Ever since the dead have started coming back to life, gravedigger Ryn has been out of work.
Desperate to protect her younger siblings and clear her family's debts to a greedy landlord, Ryn connects with Ellis, a lost mapmaker who will pay her to guide him into the mountains. Raised in Caer Aberhen after being found in the woods by a prince, Ellis now searches for any trace of his parents, though chronic shoulder pain from a mysterious injury slows him down. Through a forbidden forest teeming with monsters, together they look for a mythical cauldron that will end the curse of the risen dead. Lloyd-Jones (The Hearts We Sold, 2017, etc.) gruesomely describes the undead, called bone houses, with their rotting flesh and unseeing eye sockets—yet the mood never gets too dark thanks to a tenacious and strangely adorable undead goat along with some mild romantic tension. The journey is slow to get started, the numerous attacks and fight scenes with bone houses grow tedious, and the twists are predictable, but nonetheless this Welsh-inspired story is haunting and compelling. Apart from a dark-skinned villager depicted as an outsider, all characters are presumed white.
A stand-alone dark fantasy that readers will want to sink their teeth into despite its flaws. (Fantasy. 14-18)
