Blog Tour + Giveaway for The Bones of Ruin

TITLE: The Bones of Ruin
AUTHOR: Sarah Raughley
PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse
RELEASE DATE: September
GENRES: YOUNG ADULT FICTION—Historical, Fantasy
BUY LINK: https://bookshop.org/books/the-bones-of-ruin/9781534453562

SYNOPSIS

As an African tightrope dancer in Victorian London, Iris is used to being strange. She is certainly a strange sight for leering British audiences always eager for the spectacle of colonial curiosity. But Iris also has a secret that even “strange” doesn’t capture…

She cannot die.

Haunted by her unnatural power and with no memories of her past, Iris is obsessed with discovering who she is. But that mission gets more complicated when she meets the dark and alluring Adam Temple, a member of a mysterious order called the Enlightenment Committee. Adam seems to know much more about her than he lets on, and he shares with her a terrifying revelation: the world is ending, and the Committee will decide who lives… and who doesn’t.

To help them choose a leader for the upcoming apocalypse, the Committee is holding the Tournament of Freaks, a macabre competition made up of vicious fighters with fantastical abilities. Adam wants Iris to be his champion, and in return, he promises her the one thing she wants most: the truth about who she really is.

If Iris wants to learn about her shadowy past, she has no choice but to fight. But the further she gets in the grisly tournament, the more she begins to remember—and the more she wonders if the truth is something best left forgotten.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the sight of blood makes her queasy (which crossed Medical School off the list).

She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.

So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Up for grabs will be TWO (1) finished copies of The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley.

This giveaway will be open to U.S. residents only and will run from August 29th to September 13th at 11:59 PM CST.

Two winners will be chosen.

To enter, click the link below!

Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1e4a114d49/?

REVIEW

This book is said to be like The Last Magician and The Gilded Wolves, which I can definitely see with the clues, Orders, artifacts, challenges and mystery.The book starts in a circus in the late 1880s with the usual oddities and attractions. Iris the African tightrope walker is a big draw but when she gets distracted by someone she sees in the audience, from her past, she slips and falls.

This someone belongs to an Enlightenment Committee and wants to recruit her to his team for the Tournament of Freaks. There seem to be quite a few individuals like herself that have unique gifts and abilities. Hers being that she can not die.

There was a lot of history that was woven into this story and the history of what Europeans did to Africans by way of entertainment was appalling. There is mysticism, history, fantasy and real world all woven in and the storytelling is richer for it. The story of the bones was very intriguing but I don’t want to give any plot points away cause it was pretty cool unraveling that and it’s the title of the book.

The committee is like a CIA/MI6 but working outside the government and against the government in a way. They are very powerful and anyone with too much information will be disposed of if they are too chatty. The freaks they have on their teams are all cutthroat and the challenges range from deadly physical exhibitions to riddles to be solved.

Iris and her former performer partner Jinn also have growing chemistry during their act as The Nubian Princess and The Turkish Prince and again during this challenge as he finds her after she leaves the circus. As they share a bed during the competition (don’t worry it’s YA, no sexual activity noted in this book, chemistry and slow burn though). There was also another team mate that showed interest in Iris that set up a possible love triangle. But Iris was also not trying to be with anyone, she was trying to uncover her past with the help of her patron who knew who she was. I didn’t mention she had no memory after an explosion that happened years before. So much mystery and intrigue you need to read it! I didn’t tell you all the millions of details you need to piece all this mess I just gave you together. But I hope it convinces you to add it to your TBR and read it!

This gave me some Queen of the Damned type vibes since it ended on a cliffhanger with someone we hadn’t met but had heard mentioned.
Goodreads is already showing that this will be a trilogy so I am excited to see where this story leads us and if there will be an apocalypse or if someone will save the day.Honestly, I can’t tell if anyone is a hero at this point. And please Gram stay the hell away, blech!
Definitely recommended for those fantasy lovers, it is a bit bloody so be prepared for that!

TW: Cannibalism, violence

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