Bone Weaver
by Aden Polydoros
Inkyard Press, 2022. 428 pages.
Review written November 25, 2022, from my own copy, sent to me by the publisher for Cybils judging
Starred Review
Bone Weaver begins with a girl named Toma sewing back the finger of her sister, Galina. Before long, we realize that Galina is not alive. She’s an undead upyr, and she loses body parts if she’s not careful. But when Toma sews them back, using patterns from her mother’s rushnyk, an embroidered cloth she left with Toma — the parts heal back as if they were never lost.
And Toma quickly gets another chance to use her stitches when she finds an injured man in a downed airship. She drags him home and stitches his wound. He’s horrified by her family of upyri — who have been caring for Toma the last six years since she was left traumatized and alone. But it turns out the rescued man is Mikhail the young tsar — and a usurper named Koschei has stolen his magic.
But then some men in another airship come after the tsar — but find Galina and decide to take her to Koschei to win his favor after losing the tsar. Toma cannot let her sister fall into the hands of someone who experiments with the undead, so she sets out after them in the company of the tsar, who wants to find allies to try to win the country back.
Along the way they see examples of terrible things done by those in power — tsarists and rebels alike. Will Mikhail take those things to heart? Will Toma be able to save her sister?
I happened to be reading this book while I was in the middle of listening to another book that dealt with bringing people back from death. In the other book, it was seen as something that can bring no good thing — not so much in this book, but I lean toward that feeling, that death is something it’s probably best not to mess with, especially bringing people back.
But I did like the way this book played off Russian and Slavic folklore, encountering various undead creatures and Toma seeing the humanity remaining in them.
There’s lots of death and undeath in this story, but it’s a compelling tale about a girl with power and heritage she doesn’t even realize. As she helps others, she comes to understand herself better, deals with her own past trauma, and gets ready to face living people again.
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Teens/bone_weaver.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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