A Medusa inspired story... The Cold is in Her Bones Peternelle van Arsdale (Review & #Giveaway)


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Check out my review and the tour giveaway below...

The Cold is in Her Bones
By Peternelle van Arsdale
YA Fantasy, Mythology
Hardcover, Audiobook & ebook, 288 Pages
January 22nd 2019 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Summary

One girl must uncover secrets of the past to save her friend from a terrible curse in this dark and mesmerizing story of love, revenge, and redemption inspired by the myth of Medusa.

Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe.

Milla’s whole world is her family’s farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she’s forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will come for next.

Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself.

Suspenseful and vividly imagined, The Cold Is in Her Bones is a novel about the dark, reverberating power of pain, the yearning to be seen and understood, and the fragile optimism of love.

Praise for THE COLD IS IN HER BONES

"A dark and enchanting tale about friendship, pain, revenge, and the power of love, The Cold Is in Her Bones is the perfect read for Greek mythology fans and YA readers alike." ―Bustle

“Fiercely written and beautifully feminist, The Cold is in Her Bones reminds us of the power of loyalty and love in the face of ignorance and fear. I loved this tale of dangerous girls with wild hair and tangled hearts.” ―Lisa Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Magician

“A fresh, eerily compelling tale of betrayal, revenge, and the ties that bind. When van Arsdale paints a world, you can feel the fog against your skin.” ―Elly Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Frostblood Saga  

(Affiliate links included.)

My Review

THE COLD IS IN HER BONES is a heartbreaking read of bitterness, vengeance, friendship, and one girl's will to lift a curse. A beautiful piece of storytelling with some grit and plenty of heart. Recommended to young adult fantasy fans.

This story had a lyrical feel to it from the beginning when the curse comes about and then continues as Milla's story unfolds. There was also a strong feminist current, but one that many girls and women could probably relate to if they've ever felt like they were undervalued, belittled, or should keep their thoughts and opinions to themselves in order to conform to someone else's ideal or expectations. What I enjoyed most about this story, though, was how Milla comes into her own and how she remains loyal to those she loves. I also admired her bravery in the face of something terrifying as she tries to save those dear to her and right a wrong. I also appreciated that the author showed different views of this storybook world and the people in it―those who were loving, those who were not, and shades in between. For those who prefer their stories without romance, there wasn't much to speak of in this story. I had a minor issue with a part towards the end because it felt inconsistent with the rest of the story, but that would be my only complaint.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an overall thought provoking read, and one that I enjoyed.

Content: Some mature subject matter, violence, abuse.
Source: I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher through Jean BookNerd Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

About the Author

Peternelle van Arsdale grew up in Newark, New Jersey, where she attended public school through the eighth grade. After that she attended three high schools in three different towns in four years, was deeply unpopular, and counted the seconds until graduation. She majored in English literature at Bryn Mawr College, and then landed in book publishing, thinking it was a good way to be paid to do what she liked to do anyway (she was only partly wrong). She worked her way up from editorial assistant to executive editor of adult fiction and nonfiction, and eventually struck out on her own as an independent editor.

Her first young adult novel, The Beast Is an Animal, is being developed by Amazon Studios for a feature film produced by Ridley Scott’s Scott Free and directed by Bert & Bertie. Her essays have been published by LitHub, Hypable.com, and Culturefly, and her short fiction has been published by The Whitefish Review.

Her second novel, The Cold is in Her Bones, will be published in January 2019. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she continues to edit and is at work on her third novel.

PHOTO CREDIT: ELENA SEIBERT


Tour-Wide Giveaway


- 1 Winner will receive a Set of Books from Peternelle van Arsdale (THE COLD IS IN HER BONES and THE BEAST IS AN ANIMAL).
- Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter | Ends February 13, 2019

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