Bound by Bone Paperback

I just finished reading Bound by Bone and found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read as well as an interesting beginning to a series of books.An author's challenge in their first book, especially a planned series, is the introduction and development of characters. Bradley was able to accomplish this even though his book contains many characters. The only ones I had a little trouble keeping straight were the gods and their related mythological stories. I suspect each subsequent book will discuss these characters in more detail. I enjoyed Bradley's use of verbal artistry to paint pictures of not only the dreary Chicago setting but also the extraordinary island world.Bradley keeps you guessing about what adventure or battle awaits just around the next corner. It was fun to watch Arthur begin to realize his own potential and strengths. The development of the brother, sister relationship between Arthur and Audelia reflects the difficulties that many teenage siblings experience in their family life.I look forward to the next book and the further development and adventures of not only Arthur and Audelia but also their close friends and battle buddies, Finn and Zara. This book is appropriate reading for adolescent, teenage, young adult and young at heart.One last comment as to the challenge of remembering all the similar character names, can anyone say Bilbo Balin, Bifur, Borfur, Bard, Beorm, Bert and Bill? If you can handle that, Bradley's cast of characters is no problem.

This is a furious romp through Aztec mythology, following Arthur and his sister as they search for their aunt Lola.There are some rough spots in the writing but they are more than offset by the plotting and imagination displayed by the author. This is thee first of a series, and I will follow Arthur and Audelia's adventures in the succeeding books. Very well done!

This is a fascinating fantasy story centered around Arthur and his sister, Audelia. Forced into another world they didn't know exists in order to save their aunt that has been kidnapped, they learn their are secrets about themselves that have been kept from them. This is a world full of magic, where they don't know who or what to trust, where skeletons walk and search for them, and where Tezca is after them.I found the story fascinating, and cheered for Arthur who before was just an ordinary kid picked on by bullies. He had to be protected by his sister, but now in this new world, he is more than he thought he was.

To start I'd like to explain that this book came to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I am new to the fantasy genre, drawn into it by my boyfriend who is a huge fan. Honestly I haven't read a lot of fantasy that I have found to be truly exceptional. Bound By Bones is an okay story, draws the reader in but it doesn't consume me the way other books do, including those few fantasy books I have read before this one. The naming of the characters almost had me wanting to map out who was who so I could keep track of what was going on. Having to concentrate that hard on just keeping the characters straight draws the reader out of the story too often and makes it easy for one to put the book down. As a book geared toward a younger market I'm afraid confusion with characters will mean the younger audience would easily put it down, especially if they have any form of ADD that makes it hard for them to concentrate already. However, there was was a good story underneath all of this with a beautiful, unique setting.

I really enjoyed reading AB’s debut novel. It’s a different kind of fantasy set in a unique world and I enjoyed reading every minute of it. From Arthur and his sister to their enemy the General, everyone brings something unique and interesting to the story. Plus he’s got a real talent for writing exotic images. The world will really suck you in!