| Title | : | The Turquoise Bones |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781621356462 |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | Published April 18, 2017 |
Apjay speaks to the dead in dreams, and remembers words of a language forgotten long ago. He believes his gifts come from the invisible stars--lights that once ruled the night sky. The only person in his tribe who understands him, so he belives, is the beautiful Iota.
Iota is gifted healer who, as a child watched her father die of illness. While the messages Apjay brings from the dead comfort her, she has no trust for the stars whom she believes are to blame for her father's death.
When Apjay decides to go on a spiritual quest, Iota fears the past is repeating and he will suffer her father's fate. She will stop at nothing to save Apjay from the stars and himself. She'll even follow him to the dreaded city of the starstealers.
The Turquoise Bones Reviews
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A fantasy story set among tribal people, The Turquoise Bones takes us through an alien world through Apjay, a boy on the cusp of manhood trying to figure out who he is. His journey is part physical, part religious, and part emotional. The various factions of the peoples of the world are diverse and fascinating, and I appreciated the subtle worldbuilding that never pulled me out of the story.
Iota, the other main character, was equally intriguing as her view of Apjay and her role among her people changes through the adventure. I enjoyed the slow build love story between Iota and Apjay and the way that religion, philosophy, and culture played into their interactions with and feelings about each other.
A deep book that left me thinking without losing the story or characters in philosophy. -
Apjay is a boy on the verge on manhood in a harsh world of drought and famine. Gifted with a messages from the dead, he can never please his father, the Hunt Leader. His entire tribe struggles from day to day to find enough food for everyone. But life is about to get harder when they discover a quasar, a giant, man-eating beast, closes in on his tribe.
His father sends out their best warrior, Sol, alone to battle the beast, but Apjay can’t let him go alone. It would mean certain death. Together ,they defeat the beast. Even then, Apjay’s father doesn’t allow his son to own his own accomplishments.
Iota is destined to be the tribe’s medicine woman. To her, Apjay is just a boy, a friend, until something creates a schism that threatens to tear apart their tribe and reveals he may be more than just a boy to her.
Tensions rise, not only between Apjay and his father, Betel, but between Apjay and Perseus, both suitors of Iota. But he’s forced to leave the village with his father, his best friend, and Sol.
Thus begins Apjay’s and Iota’s journey. It’s filled with trials. More trials than any group should have to face. All four of them must delve the depths of their souls and their strength to survive the harrowing journey they are about to embark on.
The world is full of frightening creatures and different peoples that Steven R. Btrandt manages to bring to life. He weaves these together in a beautiful story of betrayal, love, truth, the journey to oneself, and ultimately to a universal truth you must the book read to discover.
It drew this reader in and took me on a ride to the very last word.
Well done.
If you love fantasy, The Turquoise Bones is a must-read.
4.5 stars -
All of the central characters show clear development, so even characters who annoyed me in the beginning (Betel and Iota) became well-rounded in the end. This made them all the more realistic.
While I'm not a fan of romance, the relationships (romantic and otherwise) are realistic with clear maturity in older individuals while the younger characters struggle with the real push-pull of young love.
While the pacing started and stopped at times, there was some increase in momentum about halfway through which helped draw me into Apjay's conflict. Honestly, it reminded me of Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton. I wanted to know what happened next, but at times, lost interest in the nuances. The ending scene will remain with me for a while. Though somewhat predictable, there's a sweetness to it.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend giving this book a chance. It's a slow start, but the characters stay with you. -
On an alien world, Apjay is a young hunter, eager to make a name for himself. He wants to be the Hunt Leader because he thinks he’d be better at it than his father, but since Apjay has no children and therefore no status, he’s stuck taking orders. Apjay also has a thing for Iota, but she’s stuck on someone else.
On a hunt during a drought, Apjay and the others encounter evidence of a sick Quasar, which is a ferocious beast. They usually don’t eat people, but this one has developed a taste for them. That means the whole tribe is in danger. When the monster comes closer, Apjay goes to hunt it with Sol, a wizened older hunter.
Thus begins this thrilling tale of adventure, myth, and magic. As Apjay grows and learns, he’s not content to stay with the tribe. He wants adventure. This coming of age story is well-written with interesting, well-developed characters. I really enjoyed reading about the alien world and these characters. I’d definitely read more by Brandt. -
Apjay is a young man with a strong spiritual influence. At times in the book, he must choose between what is expected of him, and what he believes to be right. Being true to himself and his belief, propels him into a world of adventure and a search for truth. Parts of the book were a little slow in places, especially the beginning. However, I found the environment interesting and the creatures imaginative. Overall, Steven Brandt did a great job of creating believable characters in a well thought out world.
