Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Peternelle Van Arsdale for my arc of The Cold is in her Bones, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: a retelling of the Medusa myth. Milla's whole life has been spent on her family farm with parents who clearly don't love her, her only companion was her older brother, but now he's moving into adulthood with new responsibilities and going where Milla cannot follow. So when Iris comes to stay Milla is excited to finally have a friend. But then Iris tells her a terrible secret, the village is cursed by a demon who randomly possesses girls and now its come for Iris, when she is captured, Milla sets out to rescue her and free the village from the curse.

I really liked this. I find retellings a bit iffy and don't always get on with them, but I love Greek myths and this was a fantastic reimagining. Milla's character was great and I liked the undercurrent of female empowerment that ran through the book. The storyline was an interesting take and it did have a few unexpected twists and turns one of which made me slap my forehead in a 'doh' manner. Cleverly done and an enjoyable read!

This review will be published on Foxes and Fairytales on March 10 2019
https://foxesfairytale.wordpress.com/2019/03/10/arc-review-the-cold-is-in-her-bones

The Medusa myth and all its variations are probably my favourite story in Greek mythology so when I saw that The Cold is in Her Bones was inspired by it, I was really excited to give the story a try.  To be honest, I didn't see nearly enough aspects of the mythology to consider this a retelling. There a few things, like the snakes, but it's a shallow sort of comparison. I think you're best to approach this as a completely original story and you'll enjoy it far more.

van Arsdale has a really fascinating writing style. The book starts with a bang and an unusually long prologue. I actually thought that this was the start of the main story and that Hulda was the main protagonist (forgetting the summary for the win!) because she was so fleshed out and compelling in that short section.

The characters -- and especially the girls and women -- are wonderfully varied and complex. The author has set up a horrible scenario for the villagers to be living with and she really explores the ways in which the different women react to it. It was really interesting to see how the village women were forced to make really difficult choices, to do send their daughters away and to do their best to pretend they never existed. Even the less likeable characters -- like Gitta or Iris' grandmother -- were fascinating to try and get a handle on and had believable motives.

I also really enjoyed the relationships in this book and how they were portrayed. Mother-daughter relationships that aren't balanced or entirely positive, supportive siblings and sisters who love and hate each other equally, and found-family so important you'd risk everything for. Also, unusually for a YA, there's no romance in this one. None at all.

Unfortunately, there were a few things in The Cold is in Her Bones that just didn't work for me and kept me from giving it a five-star review. The last ... third or so? was a lot slower paced than the previous sections and I started to feel everything lag a little. I felt that things around this point became a little repetitive and jumbled.

I'll admit that there were a few chapters I skimmed through, but I don't think it was a huge impact on my overall enjoyment of the book. The themes so this book -- vengeance, subjugation, forgiveness -- echo throughout and are the linchpin holding it all together. There's a sort of folklore-y feeling to the story overall, which I liked, where these themes are more important than the individual characters or detailed aspects of the plot.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this book. It wasn’t what I expected but it is beautifully written, and contains some really powerful thoughts around how society treats girls.

It is a slow read, and for that reason I nearly put it down several times. And it’s definitely not as close to the Medusa myth as I was expecting.

However, the concept of demons and being less than someone else for being less pretty or not as well behaved is really interesting and well done. I just sort of wanted more? Despite the demon link it didn’t feel as fantasy-like as I wanted.

I felt Milla’s frustration with her life, and really liked her character, but I still didn’t connect like I felt I should have. I think her boredom with her life and frustration bled through to me too much.

The whole concept of Hulda, the snakes, the demon and the girls really worked for me though - I loved a lot of the latter half of the book so much for how that played out, and there’s real beauty in how it’s written.

Overall, I’m giving this 3.5 stars.

(this review will post on weds 6th march)

This book entranced me. It was a fantastic re-imagining of the Medusa myth, showing prejudice and fear and what people will do when faced with something different. Hulda's story at the start was so heart-wrenching. It was really easy to see how that suffering would change to rage and vengeance.



I loved Milla a lot. I loved the way that she had to live with her imperfections and how hard she tried to please her mother, a woman who never ever would have accepted her. I loved her snakes and how they were part of her, but also characters in their own right, comforting her and protecting her when she needed it.



I adored the messages of compassion and empathy. How Milla looked at the people around her and saw their suffering rather than their anger or the demons possessing them. She was so desperate to rescue Iris, even after she faced the demon side of her, she could still see her friend who was in pain and fighting the demon, the way that none of the other people in the village did.



This is such a great book, a good read for anyone who loves fairy tales.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for sending me this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I first feel the need to point out that Peternell Van Arsdale is one of the most unique writers I have ever read. Her previous book, The Beast is an Animal, was like nothing I’d read before and this book was no different easily climbing the high pedistool I have placed her on as an author.
This book came with so many twist and turns I felt as if I was staggering through a wood also and just as I was about to become frustrated with a characters decision Peternell throws a curveball and leaves you thinking ‘wow I didn’t see that coming’.
I truly adore her style of writing and this book showcased it perfectly. It was dark and thrilling with an ending only she could write that perfectly.
The main character, Milla, never once overshadowed her fellow characters and made them seem redundant. The pace was consistent and realistic and kept me enthralled.
I don’t know what more I can say about this book other than....why haven’t you read it yet?

Story had an excellent premise, full of promise, and a kick ass intro, but was let down by the execution. Too many basic errors like character names being muddled up; sentences contradicting the prior one; nonsense descriptive prose that seemed like padding; meandering plot. A few more rounds of beta reading and editing could have transformed it into a real gem.

This is a story based on the medusa myth which is why I wanted to read it. I love retellings and stories inspired by myths. This book focuses on the bond of sisters and friends. It is a story of young women accepting themselves. It is also a story about vengeance and how it is futile in the end. This is story that has a witch, a demon and a few curses in it. Along with a whole lot of characters that I liked! The writing is haunting and wonderful and it had me hooked.

What I liked!
Milla - I liked her character and the bond she had with other characters. She accepted herself and was strong.
The fear - everyone fears their daughters being taken by the demon and the fear in the book was great.
The witch Hel - I thought she was a great character and I liked her. She helps Milla and I thought her parts were fun to read. I also liked the demon.
No romance - it was such a change to read a YA without romance.

What I disliked?
The secrets kept from Milla - I understand they thought they were protecting her but I didn't like it. Also I didn't like they called her silly in the first part of the book.
How awful the people were to Hulda at the start - she was different and people treated her badly.

Characters!
Hulda - Woman made up of snakes and she was cast aside by her family because she was strange. She then curses the entire village and makes young girls come to her so that she has a 'family'.
Milla - Our main character who I liked the most and she is a little strange too. She is strong and wants to help her friends and family.
Gitta - Milla's mum. She lies to protect her daughter from the truth and she loves her daughter and wants to keep her safe while also keeping her daughter at a distance. I would say she could be a better mother.
Iris - iris is a friend to Milla. Iris falls under Huldas curse and Milla tries to save her.
Niklas - Milla's brother. He follows his parents and lies to Milla thinking it will protect her. He loves Milla and wants to help her however he can.