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momwithareadingproblem 's review for:
A Lair of Bones
by Helen Scheuerer
I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
A Lair of Bones by Helen Scheuerer is the first book in a new epic fantasy series about a young cyren, the mystery surrounding her existence, and the cyrens themselves.The story follows Roh, the cyren daughter of an infamous criminal who is raised in the Lower Sector as a bone cleaner. When the queen announces the Queen’s Tournament, Roh jumps on the chance to win the coral crown and become the next cyren ruler, not because she wants the power, but to learn more about her own past and where she came from.
Roh is an interesting character. I struggled at first with whether I liked her or not. Her circumstances are beyond those of the other cyrens. Because of the crimes of her mother, she is relegated to the Lower Sector, trained as a bone cleaner, and must wear a circlet of gold marking her the daughter of a criminal. Slightly bitter and willing to do whatever it takes to better her own situation, Roh cheats her way into the Queen’s Tournament. Her determination and will makes it easy to root for her.
The Queen’s Tournament comes around every fifty years and is a chance to challenge the current ruler for the cyren throne. I was most interested in this. There’s a lot of mythology and history that Helen Scheuerer builds here, and it is woven into the action of the story seamlessly. There’s a twist with this year’s tournament. The contestants are each assigned a human to keep alive til the end. If something happens to their human, then they are disqualified.
The introduction of Odi, Roh’s assigned human, brings into question the morality of the cyren kingdom. What are their plans for the humans? Why do they make their home from their bones? It’s a morally grey area that I could write an entire post on. I love the questions it creates and the interactions between Roh and Odi.
Overall, I liked A Lair of Bones. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys high fantasy. Beautifully written with attention to detail, A Lair of Bones is sure to please fantasy fans the world over.
A Lair of Bones by Helen Scheuerer is the first book in a new epic fantasy series about a young cyren, the mystery surrounding her existence, and the cyrens themselves.The story follows Roh, the cyren daughter of an infamous criminal who is raised in the Lower Sector as a bone cleaner. When the queen announces the Queen’s Tournament, Roh jumps on the chance to win the coral crown and become the next cyren ruler, not because she wants the power, but to learn more about her own past and where she came from.
Roh is an interesting character. I struggled at first with whether I liked her or not. Her circumstances are beyond those of the other cyrens. Because of the crimes of her mother, she is relegated to the Lower Sector, trained as a bone cleaner, and must wear a circlet of gold marking her the daughter of a criminal. Slightly bitter and willing to do whatever it takes to better her own situation, Roh cheats her way into the Queen’s Tournament. Her determination and will makes it easy to root for her.
The Queen’s Tournament comes around every fifty years and is a chance to challenge the current ruler for the cyren throne. I was most interested in this. There’s a lot of mythology and history that Helen Scheuerer builds here, and it is woven into the action of the story seamlessly. There’s a twist with this year’s tournament. The contestants are each assigned a human to keep alive til the end. If something happens to their human, then they are disqualified.
The introduction of Odi, Roh’s assigned human, brings into question the morality of the cyren kingdom. What are their plans for the humans? Why do they make their home from their bones? It’s a morally grey area that I could write an entire post on. I love the questions it creates and the interactions between Roh and Odi.
Overall, I liked A Lair of Bones. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys high fantasy. Beautifully written with attention to detail, A Lair of Bones is sure to please fantasy fans the world over.