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An epic and romantic debut adventure fantasy, where a necromancer trying to resurrect her sister gets embroiled in bigger, world-ending plans instead.
It's been thousands of years since the gods lifted the continents into the air so humanity could thrive, chaining the lands down with their bones and turning them into Anchor.
Azul del Arroyo doesn't care about gods or Anchor; she cares about being responsible for her sister's death and getting her bones from the capital so she can bring her back to life. Again. But in her way stands the Emissary of the Lord Death, who will do anything in his power to stop her, because a necromancer like her shouldn't exist―no matter how alluring.
As Azul and the Emissary's cat-and-mouse game leads them to the dangerous Court of Cienpuentes, their fate becomes entwined with a count who begrudgingly works for a child king, a faceless witch who transforms Anchor into dreams she can peddle, and a long-lost half-brother with a secret of his own. It's a time of enlightenment, of rapiers and scientific prowess, in a country where Anchor ceased to be something worth revering a long time ago, and people have forgotten the gods' sacrifice.
But the gods haven't. Because the gods want their bones back, and they're not opposed to becoming players in their own game.
Swashbuckling, grand, and tragically romantic, Mistress of Bones is a can't-miss debut about love, about loss, and, of course, about death.
"Confident prose, strong characterizations, and imaginative Spanish-tinged mythology blend to deliver a rich and intricately crafted fantasy world. Descriptions of powerful characters struggling to navigate the actions of brutal yet self-sacrificing gods further enrich this sprawling series opener." —Publishers Weekly
"A debut based on an interesting premise that's unfortunately lacking in clarity." —Kirkus Reviews
"Medina's high-concept world building permeates the story in fascinating detail...A compelling read, ending with a cliff-hanger sure to draw readers back for the rest of the duology." —Booklist
"Mistress of Bones is a breath of fresh air, with richly layered worldbuilding, complex social dynamics, and morally grey characters you can't help but root for. Intricately plotted, the enemies-to-lovers romance between Azul del Arroyo and Virel Enjul is spectacular―the tension and chemistry absolutely drips off the page. A masterful debut!" —Keshe Chow, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Girl with no Reflection
"Mistress of Bones rich storytelling pulls you into a wholly imaginative world filled with an engrossing cast of characters. I can't help but applaud this ambitious tale of gods and magic, of secrets and betrayals, and of a girl fighting against all odds to save her sister from Death himself." —Jasmine Skye, author of Daughter of the Bone Forest
This information about Mistress of Bones was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Born and raised in Spain, Maria Z. Medina loves everything speculative and fantasy. She is a writer and an avid video game player who discovered the joy of making up stories at a young age, aided by her grandmother's love for books and sci-fi/fantasy TV shows. Her short fiction has appeared in various fantasy and science-fiction publications.
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