This was a folklore-inspired reimagining of 19th century Eastern Europe,

A compelling queer dark fantasy about two estranged husbands and a daring spymaster on opposite sides of a civil war.

Quite a captivating read overall

📕~ The Sins on Their Bones
✍🏻 ~ Laura R. Samotin
⭐~ 4/5

I received an e-ARC, and anything shared in this review is my opinion!

The Sins on Their Bones book cover and synopsis caught my attention and piqued my interest enough for me to submit a request for an e-ARC. This novel also features a queer dark fantasy with Jewish folklore that takes place in 19th-century Eastern Europe.

You are captivated by Laura's writing from the first page of the book and want to read it through late at night. This happened to me as I was reading The Sins on Their Bones with thoroughness. I thought the plot, world-building, and characters were all excellent since they all helped the story progress in the proper way. Even though the book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, I have to admit that I experienced a wide range of emotions while reading. The characters' points of view (POVs) were written so skillfully that as a reader you are able to tell them apart and sense their differences.

I thought the plot, world-building, and characters were all excellent since they all helped the story progress in the proper way. Even though the book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, I have to admit that I experienced a wide range of emotions while reading. The characters' points of view (POVs) were written so skillfully that you were able to tell them apart and sense their differences.

Overall, Laura's debut novel, The Sins on Their Bones, is recommended reading for anybody who enjoys complex characters and character-centered stories set in an enchanted world with queer love stories. Though, before beginning this book, check for trigger warnings as the book touches on and discusses a number of challenging subjects that may be difficult for readers to dive into.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Laura R. Samotin for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review! Much appreciated it!

I like political fantasy. I like it a lot, actually. Give me a fantastical world with some dense worldbuilding and political machinations and I’m there faster than you can say Attolis Eugenides. The Sins on Their Bones should have been one of those books. Instead, however, I’m left feeling like I’m looking at a Monet: beautiful from far away, but up close, it’s a meandering, aimless mess.

The premise of a 19th century Eastern Europe fantasy based on Jewish mythology was so exciting to me. I’m especially excited by queer-normative worlds with diverse casts of characters. The lyrical and beautiful prose crafted an atmosphere reminiscent of ancient Russia, which isn’t particularly unique in the fantasy sphere (slavpunk has been a thing for quite some time now), but the relationship dynamics and the use of Jewish mysticism are a unique and welcome twist on a familiar formula.

The characters, too, were a positive: despite my issues with the plot and pacing, the characters were complex and well-developed. Dimitri in particular was a highlight. The depictions of his growth from abuse and his budding relationship with his master of spies were highlights of the novel. I will say that I thought the decision to set the novel after the big war between Dimitri and Alexey was a capital-C Choice ™ and I think it would’ve made much more sense (and made a much more compelling novel) to write through the events of the war in book one. Alexey himself is a frustrating element. It’s unclear to me whether or not he’s a charlatan, a demon, a revenant, or a science experiment gone wrong (or right?) and, based solely on the strength of the plot, I’m not sure if the author knows this, either.

As I’ve alluded to, this book is slooooooooowwwwww. I don’t mind taking time to worldbuild, but the worldbuilding itself feels paper-thin. The magic system in the book is incomplete in a way that feels less like a soft magic system and more like an incomplete story element. Honestly, I felt downright numb at times. The multiple POVs didn’t help things; in particular, I felt that including Alexey’s POV removed much of the mystery and intrigue. So much of the plot was essentially told secondhand in recollections and memories, removing much of the gravitas and emotional punch that would’ve occurred if the readers were allowed to experience the world-shaking civil war firsthand. And, again, I have to wonder why this book was set after the Big Event. I’m so much more interested in reading about that. Give me that story!

In the end, I guess all I can say is this is yet another case of missed potential. While The Sins on Their Bones has so many promising elements (dark themes, political intrigue, diverse characters, a lush setting), so much good stuff is muddled, underutilized, or overshadowed. I’m just disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random
House for the eARC!

This was dark, definitely check the trigger warnings. It’s a very adult, character driven political novel that I enjoyed the prose of but it definitely took too long to get to the plot in my opinion.

I'm going to preface this review by saying that there's some CW for violence and sexual violence that folks should definitely be mindful of.

This is a character driven novel, told from three perspectives: the fallen Tzar, the spy master, and the usurper. This is BEAUTIFULLY written, and I loved the prose, the way the story was told. It was super easy to follow and definitely held my interest in places where it was waning. As many other reviewers have stated, this is a Jewish folklore inspired book with politics galore. If you enjoyed The Cruel Prince but wanted something more "adult", but less of a commitment than A Song of Ice and Fire, this may be for you!

What prevented me from LOVING this boiled down to pacing and characters I couldn't get behind. When I say this is character driven, I am not exaggerating. For the first 200 pages or so, there is very little actual story progression--we're basically watching all three characters live their lives and hear their emotional inner monologues. Cutting that down to half the length and progressing the plot would have made the pacing a LOT more enjoyable and impactful.

The length of the inner monologuing also made it hard to cheer for anyone. How can I be rooting for the Tsar to get his throne back when I'm not sure he even WANTS to be Tzar, let alone he would be a good one. He spends the first 200 pages wallowing in self-pity--and this is the guy we want on the throne? His country is at war and people are being decimated, but he can't pull it together? Or what about the spymaster who is terrible at keeping his emotions in check and on the verge of ruining every disguise? That's.....not promising for the job.

I LOVED the LGBT rep, but the sex and sexual abuse was definitely overkill--this isn't a romantasy novel (which I do also read, so it's not an attack on the genre). We get a LOT of sex scenes to remind us how sexually dysfunctional everyone is when it really isn't necessary to further the plot, character, or relationship development.

Overall, this is a solid read and I think is PERFECTLY suited for fans of The Cruel Prince wanting a more "adult" story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this one ahead of publication!

Thank you so much Laura and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. Sins on our bones has such a compelling story and is utterly heartbreaking. This book explores the trauma that the characters have experienced in such a meaningful way through 3 different POVs. The characters have so much depth and chemistry with each other, creating a chosen family which really pays off and adds so much to the storyline. This was an excellent read of a dark romantasy!

Sins on our bones definitely reminded me of a darker Shadow and Bone as many of the other reviews have also stated and having read both I loved Sins on our Bones so much more!

Overall the characters, storytelling, the use of POVs, and world building was excellent. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love to read darker fantasy books.

I think political fantasies are my jam.

The Sins on Their Bones drops us into Novo-Svitsevo in the aftermath of a war. When I was explaining it to my husband, he said, “like Star Wars” which made me laugh, but also, like…kinda? Anyway, Dimitri, the rightful Tzar, has been overthrown by his estranged husband, Alexey. Dimitri is in hiding, and Alexey is being a giant prick, using perverse methods to become immortal while supposedly being directed by the voice of God. It’s up to Dimitri and what’s left of his small court of followers to save the country and its people.

Please, check the content warnings before reading. It’s dark. Villains are not morally grey redeemable characters here.

That being said, I ate this book up. It’s sort of a slow build, with lots of emphasis on our character’s feelings and motivations, which I absolutely love. The world building is so interesting! It’s based on Jewish history and culture, and the author states that she was inspired by legends and folktales she grew up with. Very cool!

One of my favourite tropes is found family, and this book definitely hits the sweet spot on that. So many boxes were ticked for me - learning to trust and love, healing, finding a sense of belonging, gaining back confidence. Just a lot of great themes covered, and it’s subtle, not in your face telling instead of showing.

The queer rep is also well done. The author wanted to create a “world where queerness is normative”, and I think she’s done an amazing job.

And…that ending? So are we getting a sequel? A series? Whatever happens, I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this author’s future works. Gorgeous debut, and one of my favourite reads so far this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing the ARC of this book. This review is my honest and voluntary opinion.

For fans of Shadow and Bone.

It is extremely rare that I DNF a book. I don’t like to not give a book a chance to make it up to me further into the story, but this time, I have decided to DNF the book at 42%. I got to chapter 17 and could simply not pull up the motivation to continue and as this is an arc it hurts a bit more. But no one should feel forced to finish a book they are not enjoying.

I can see the potential with The Sins On Their Bones with the use of folklore and myths, which is usually always a hit when it comes to fantasy.

This book read more like a sequel or even possibly the end of a trilogy than a first book and that was my first initial thought after reading 150 pages where nothing really happened.

The pacing was almost too slow at times and I found myself struggling to concentrate for more than a few pages at the time (was reading on my phone, which is not my preferred device at all).

Alexey reminds me of The Darkling from S&B and was definitely the most interesting character of the bunch because he was actually doing something and not just moping around like Dimitri.

The writing is beautiful and I am certain many people will have a different connection to this than me and will enjoy it so much more and I hope they do, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Random House Canada for the e-arc.

There are parts of this story I very much enjoyed. The parts based on Jewish mythology were well portrayed and engaging. I could feel the pain Dimitri felt, that crippling sense of loss and the guilt and shame because he felt partly responsible for what happened to Alexey. But Dimitri also felt responsible for his own abuse, and that portrayal felt real and accurate.

However, part way into the book, I felt like I'd missed reading the first book in the series. Only there is no first book. And there should be a first book. How much more powerful would it be if we knew what Dimitri did with Alexey? If we knew how Alexey gave up his humanity in a quest for knowledge and power?

Also, there is way too much graphic sex for me personally. I skip sex scenes in books because they make me uncomfortable. But some of the sex scenes in this were in the middle of action, or of learning information I needed to know for the plot.

I would read the next book even so as the idea is very engaging, and there is enough there that I want to know the next. And I really hope the author writes the "prequel", because that would be a great story.

This surprised me in so many ways, yet amazingly fun, and also one or two bad ones.

TSOTB starts off slow, let’s get that out of the way. You’re immediately jumped into the story, and while you get what had occurred slowly, for the first time in my life I believe:

This book would’ve benefitted from an info dump. Immediately tell us the story and what had occurred so we can move past that and get to the actual story.

But, once the story gets going, it gets GOING, and all for the better. You end up genuinely falling in love with these amazing characters, with such great personality, and it’s so fun!

Vasily, I think, was my personal favorite. I loved his dynamic with Dimitri, and how they fell in love, though it was quite quick and albeit sudden.

I also want to point out that this book is being pitched as a “dark romantasy”.

It is not.

It is about abuse, and pain, and power, and people who will do anything for it. Dimitri and Alexey are NOT, a power couple, nor will they be, and as such, it shouldn’t be said they aren’t.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book. I hate to not finish but I just couldn't get through this one.

I got about 30% in sadly and just ended up finding myself not wanting to pick up from where I was.

Unfortunately this book was a slog to get through. I did not really enjoy it. If you like the Grishaverse and Shadow and Bone- you may enjoy this book, however it’s very similar in some ways. It was hard to enjoy it when I kept comparing the two. It definitely pulled strong influences from it, and at some points straight up copying the other book series. It was just unoriginal.

immediately a new favorite. Samotin crafts an immaculately immersive world that combines Jewish heritage with fantastical necromancy. I absolutely fell in love with each and every character in this book and the heartbreak, trauma, and love was so raw and well written I could get enough. I am so excited to see what else Samotin has to offer in future stories.

Thanks to Netgalley for a chance to read this early for an honest review.

This book was major dark and depressing vibes. It’s set after a major war in Russia, so there you go. Full disclosure I only made it about 40% through. Vasily was just sent off to infiltrate the court. I like the underdog characters - Dimitri, Vasily, etc. just fine. The villain (Alexey) is charismatic and captivating too, but I’m not sure I can/will finish this before it’s published (which is why I’m sending this review/feedback now).

I know Dimitri is (or at least starts out) super depressed. I know - I feel it! So good on the author for that? But it makes the book hard to read.

I still recommend this book and if the depressing vibe doesn’t bother you, then all the better!

Dimitri has lost everything. He’s lost the country that he was meant to rule, he lost the husband who ruled it at his side, and he’s also lost himself. Broken, and barely able to keep himself together, he and a few of his friends are in hiding from Alexey, Dimitri’s former husband.
Alexey always knew he was meant to have power, and now he’s found it. Using powers beyond anything anybody could have imagined, he managed to bring himself back to life into a body much stronger and more durable than a mere human’s. Now, Alexey is immortal, and he’s taken the country from his weak husband. He can rule it with strength, and bring forth a new era.
Vasily swore his loyalty to Dimitri years ago, and even though Dimitri is no longer his Tsar, Vasily has never wavered as Dimitri’s spy master. But Dimitri is more than his Tsar, at least to him. When he hears of an opportunity to get close to Alexey, he knows that this might be the chance they were waiting for. They might be able to end the undead Tsar, but it might cost some of them their lives.
I received an advanced reading copy of The Sins on Their Bones in exchange for an honest review.
The Sins on Their Bones is a fantasy novel by Laura Samotin. It’s one that I was very excited about, since it seemed to feature a Russian-inspired setting, Jewish-inspired tradition and magic system, and so much LGBTQ representation!
Before I get into the review, I want to give you a few content warnings. There is death, murder, suicide, abuse, gore, and violence in here. There’s also an abusive relationship, as well as depression and trauma. Be ready for all that before diving into this story.
So, let’s get into the review, shall we?
I want to start talking about the pace of this book. I was actually a little surprised by it. This isn’t the kind of book that, as soon as you open it, it takes off with you. It takes a little while, about a third of the book, before it the plot really picks up, and so does the tension.
But that’s because in the first third, Samotin is laying the groundwork, especially in her characters. We have three POV characters in this book: Dimitri, Alexey, and Vasily. Dimitri and Alexey were in love until Alexey betrayed Dimitri, and now Vasily is taking care of Dimitri. Needless to say, this book is full of LGBTQ representation, and I loved how normalized it was in the world and story.
It’s of course a big part of the characters, and a lot of this book is about how Dimitri has gone through so much trauma. There is discussion here about mental health, as well as about how bad relationships can be. After all, Dimitri and Alexey were married before this all happened, but you can definitely see how their relationship was toxic from the start, and I appreciated having that understanding early on in the book, especially as the plot started to get underway.
Oh, and before I move on from the characters, know that there are quite a few sex scenes here. I don’t often read those, so I can’t tell you much about them, other than to be careful and make sure nobody can read over your shoulder as you yourself read, but I was honestly surprised by how many there were.
There were also some great magical elements to this book. In the author’s note, Samotin explains how she used aspects of Judaism to inspire the magical system, and I really loved how they were represented. Of course, I can’t speak at all about their authenticity, or their representation, but I thought the magic system was one of the strongest elements of this book. The way it drew on angels and demons, and influenced the characters and their world, was fascinating, and I enjoyed every scene with it.
While the magic system and the LGBTQ representation were great, the whole thing didn’t come together for me as much as I’d hoped. Fans of dark fantasy, as well as elements of Judaism or a Russian world would probably enjoy this, though. Also, it’s a great example of a story with normalized LGBTQ characters and relationships. I want to see more worlds like this, and I am still curious to see what more Samotin writes, and where her writing career takes her.

3/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc! I’m always really grateful for the chance to read books before their publication date, but I also always want to share my honest thoughts and feelings in my reviews.
First of all, even though there are some elements of romance in this story, this book is NOT a romantasy. This is a dark fantasy, so please be aware and read the trigger warnings.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed the political and cultural aspects of this book, it was like nothing I ever read before. But it was too slow paced for me. I was a little bored for at least half the book, if not more, and the plot lines and the ending felt completely predictable.
I still think it was a really interesting, well written story, but it was not a favorite.

The Sins on Their Bones by Laura Samotin was a gripping, heart-wrenching adventure from start to finish. I'd definitely recommend checking out the website to see the content warnings, as I neglected to do so and was woefully unprepared for some of the darker scenes.

This novel expertly weaves a story full of rich characterization and culture, drawing on Samotin's Jewish heritage and lived experiences (don't skip the end note for this one! It really added to my understanding of the book). Some books with alternating POVs are challenging for me, but each of the three narrators had such a unique voice that I had no trouble keeping track of who I was reading.

The only reason I'm rating 4 instead of 5 stars is because there was a period of time in the first half of the book where the sex scenes felt like they were overpowering the plot. But that's the kind of thing many readers love, so it's easily forgivable.

I was enthralled from the start and can't wait to read more of Samotin's work in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

REVIEW✨
I was kindly sent an e-ARC of “The Sins On Their Bones” by Laura R. Samodin (it comes out 7 May), and I've enjoyed it a lot!🤩

It's a dark, queer, adult fantasy that takes place in a post-war world inspired by 19th century Russia (with a background of splendid Jewish mythology and folklore thrown in) and it touches upon grief, power, trauma, abuse, friendship, redemption and so much more.

I was immediately hooked by the beautiful language and atmosphere and I’m happy to say that the rest of the book lived up to my expectations as well!
I was captivated by the wonderful stile of Samodin and her ability to help the reader get in touch with all the characters’ emotions and thoughts.

I LOVED in particular how the author described the character of Alexey, how he truly believes he’s a savior for his country and how she is able to express so well his thoughts and his feelings for Dima.
I enjoyed the psychological analysis of his figure, it really made possible to understand what happens in the mind of this abuser, the fact that he has been corrupted by his power and how he is blinded by his own ego at the point of being able to manipulate and corrupt everyone around him, even himself.
He is definitely the character I appreciated the most (let’s be clear, I didn’t like HIM but I loved the work that the author did on this character!).

I also liked the friendship and the love story between Dimitri and Vasily (I left some WONDERFUL quotes in the post!).

The epilogue definitely provides a satisfying conclusion to the story, leaving you wanting more!!


SOME THOUGHTS💭
I read a lot of reviews about the fact that there was no plot, or at least not enough, and that it was “filled” by a lot of unnecessary explicit scenes.
In my opinion this is absolutely not true.
It’s indeed a book with a lot of explicit and vivid scenes, but I think that what’s important to remember is that the whole story has a significant meaning if you understand that it’s based on past sex trauma and how the characters are trying to process it.
Overall there are a lot of explicit scenes but I feel like they can bring more value to the story and they are all so well written that it’s quite “enjoyable” even the worst or most violent part of it.

I don’t feel like recommending this book so lightly as it is really intense and graphic, with violence, gore, and sexual abuse that can be really hard to stomach, but I think that if you can handle that you should definitely give it a try, I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

The Sins on Their Bones is a dark, Eastern European inspired romantasy. Two very different men claim the throne of one country, one who was born into the ruling family, and one who believes he deserves to rule. What lengths will they go to tone the ruler they believe is best for the country? They both will sacrifice everything, one for love and one for hate. If you’re a fan of dark fantasy, this is one you’ll love!

3.5/5 stars

The Sins on their Bones is the first in a dark queer fantasy duology that is Jewish/Eastern European-inspired. Ex-Tzar Dimitri is a broken man, still reeling from the guilt of being blind to his husband Alexey’s machinations and dark turn towards Holy Science, leading to civil war and the usurpation of his throne. Now, Dimitri’s spymaster Vasily must infiltrate their old court and uncover Alexey’s plot before he can go any further. But can Dimitri make the right choices when he still loves the husband who betrayed him while also growing to love the man he sent to do the job?

Reading this book, it reminded me of the Shadow & Bone trilogy, just queerer, darker, and more mature. The antagonist, Alexey, especially reminded me of the Darkling with his turn to dark powers for good reasons corrupting him. One thing to note is that the book has a lot of gay sex scenes (between different partners), and most come with this sort of D/s dynamic. It can be gratuitous and too frequently featured, but I personally didn’t mind.

I liked that all three main protagonists were such complex men with rich histories and motivations, and the story alternates between all three perspectives. Dimitri and Alexey’s relationship was a particularly noteworthy (but possibly triggering) with its demonstration of an abusive spousal relationship between men who seem to love each other. As a result, Dimitri is wallowing in so much grief and guilt through so much of the book that it can feel overly wrought and drawn out. Vasily has the most to do and is the most dynamic in the story. Their romance is primarily sexual and friendly, but the book does something with it (spoilers so I won’t mention) that allows it to evolve.

With Alexey getting an equal proportion of the three PoVs, the book gives up any mystery or suspense because we see all of him. It would have been far more narratively compelling if his parts were shown as brief glimpses (much like we almost never see the Darkling that much in the Grishaverse and that made him all the more sinister). Although admittedly his chapters were the most interesting and compelling of three perspectives we get so I understand why he was so prominent in the book. His whole plan also felt very reminiscent of the Darkling’s actually.

The book’s biggest issue though is that everything is laid out and established already at the beginning, so it missed out on much of the development of the plot and forming of bonds between characters. Dimitri and his friends are all already a found family who have worked out their dynamics after failing to defeat Alexey during the civil war, and they are all licking their wounds and finding comfort in each other. We see them like this at the beginning and they all remain so by the end. Dimitri and Vasily are already in a sexual relationship with each other and just needed to remove their own blinders to see what they are to each other (mostly Dimitri).

The Sins on Their Bones is not without its issues, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and would be checking out a sequel.