Charm is a witch, and she is alone. The last of a line of conquered necromantic workers, now confined within the yard of regrown bone trees at Orchard House, and the secrets of their marrow.
Charm is a prisoner, and a survivor. Charm tends the trees and their clattering fruit for the sake of her children, painstakingly grown and regrown with its fruit: Shame, Justice, Desire, Pride, and Pain.
Charm is a whore, and a madam. The wealthy and powerful of Borenguard come to her house to buy time with the girls who aren’t real.
Except on Tuesdays, which is when the Emperor himself lays claim to his mistress, Charm herself.
But now—Charm is also the only person who can keep an empire together, as the Emperor summons her to his deathbed, and charges her with choosing which of his awful, faithless sons will carry on the empire—by discovering which one is responsible for his own murder.
If she does this last thing, she will finally have what has been denied her since the fall of Inshil—her freedom. But she will also be betraying the ghosts past and present that live on within her heart.
Charm must choose. Her dead Emperor’s will or the whispers of her own ghosts. Justice for the empire or her own revenge.
⤖ My Review ⬻
I was very intrigued by Sara A. Mueller’s The Bone Orchard from the moment I first laid eyes on the cover. Now having read it, I think that the cover design perfectly fits the story—lush and dark. While I initially had difficulty imagining the setting, I continued reading and eventually the world painted itself in my mind. The magic system was very interesting and complex, and unlike the magic systems I’ve read about up to this point—I think the author could have written a book about the magic system alone and I would have gobbled it up.
Liked how the main character was working to unravel a mystery and that things were uncovered not only about said mystery but the main character’s mysterious past as well. I can’t say more without giving anything away and ruining part of the mystery for those of you reading this review who are planning to read The Bone Orchard.
The writing was good and a pleasure to consume. It was easy to become immersed in the story and the characters, and I found myself wanting to learn more about them. I could easily have seen this being the start of a series, but I’m also happy that it’s a standalone.
Overall, I would highly recommend The Bone Orchard to anyone looking for a story that’s both mysterious, magical, and a little dark. The plot, characters, and writing are all well-crafted and worth experiencing. The author has created a world that’s immersive and easy to become lost in. I look forward to reading any future works from Sara A. Mueller.
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Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
I haven’t read this one but I’ve been eyeing it. I’ve heard so many amazing things about it!
It was definitely a unique read! I hope you enjoy if you end up picking it up 🙂