https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2020/07/202088-bone-river-megan-chance.html ( )

This is both an easy and a difficult review for me to write. Easy because Megan Chance's Bone River is one of the best novels I have recently read, and difficult because it brought so many emotions to surface.

It is a slow burn and I love slow burns. They give me the chance to absorb details, to become one with the place, the time and the characters. The descriptions in Bone River are so vivid, I could taste and smell the water, I could see the gathering of the oysters, the drawings in the caves, the artifacts. I could see the unfortunate souls that had been denied the right to rest in peace after death. I've always been interested in Native American history, the myths, the lore, their way of life, and the way those lives were mistreated, and Megan Chance provides plenty of details, we meet people who dismiss what they cannot understand and people who try to retain an open mind, who struggle to break free from the conformities of their families and their surroundings. Leonie, the heroine of the novel, is such a character.

Leonie tries to find the balance between what she's been taught by her father and her much older husband and what she believes is right. This struggle becomes much more apparent and tense when Daniel, Junius' neglected son, appears in their lives out of the blue. Leonie is a protagonist one can familiarize with. A curious mind, a lover of science and knowledge, but not cold or heartless. She has her doubts and fears and questions, she gradually becomes open to them, wanting to find the answers. Yes, there were times when her docility was a bit infuriating, but aren't there times when we are suddenly granted the change we have sought and we hesitate in front of the fear of the unknown?

I don't think I've hated another character recently as much as I hated Junius, with his pompous remarks and his views of the pure blood of the white race. Full of fake ethics, a man who neglected his family over an ''experiment'' and a common itch. Daniel, on the other hand, is a source of sunlight and fresh air in the novel. Of course, he has his flaws but he is the one who succeeds in shaking Leonie out of her long stupor.

The ending couldn't have been more satisfying, albeit heart-wrenching. Bone River is a haunting, mystical adventure in a forgotten past, buried feelings and desires, and second chances for those who hunt them down with passion. One of the best books I've read this year, one that stays with you long after the back cover is closed. ( )

Somewhat suspenseful. I kept reading to find out if what I thought was the case. I was right... The story depends too much on dream visions and I never really felt like that the period in time was captured. ( )

I was totally swept away by this book and could not put it down. Leonie, the only child of an ethnologist who died when she was 17, is married to her father’s assistant, Junius, who is more than twice her age. They live a fairly isolated life in Washington Territory, along with Lord Tom, a Native American who has become almost part of the family and serves as Leonie’s protector and guide. Junius continues the study of and search for artifacts; Leonie has specific tasks that she is expected to do to assist Junius, but finds herself drawn to transcribing the Native American legends that Lord Tom narrates, and to drawing, neither of which Junius approves.

The story begins with Leonie’s discovery of a mummified Native American woman in the river; from the moment of the discovery, inexplicable things begin to happen, challenging Leonie’s attempts to think logically. She is torn between the scientific world in which she grew up, and a world of legend and supernatural happenings to which she is now drawn. Further tension is added to the plot when Junius’s grown son, Daniel, arrives on the scene.

There is more romance to this novel than I had expected reading the book description. I’m not normally a romance fan, but this was so well-written and genuine, without being overly sentimental or dramatic, that I found myself pulled into the story and totally captivated by the characters’ relationships. Romance is only part of the story, however, which also features supernatural elements and a fascinating look at Native American culture in the Washington territory. This culture is fast eroding in the face of the white man moving west, and the novel looks at this clash between cultures, which is deftly captured in Leonie’s own internal struggles. The setting comes to life and is so beautifully captured in the writing that the reader can almost feel the autumn chill or the iciness of the river.

As secrets long-held begin to unravel and relationships begin to shift and change, Leonie embarks on a journey of self-discovery that is well-paced, believable, and quite compelling. This is a story that stayed with me long after I closed the book, and as much as I wanted to find out how it all ended, I was quite sad that it did; I look forward to more by this author. ( )

A woman in 19th century Washington Territory finding bones, a mummy, along side a river in her remote part of the world. Sound like this could be exciting! Unfortunately, for me, this novel didn't work as a mystery or as a romance. The writing was mediocre, and some parts were downright awful. In the prologue, before I got to the main part of the story, I read “I looked into his chiseled face, into his deep-set eyes, and he pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest.” Blaugh, that doesn't bode well, sounds too much like a mid-20th century paperback romance.

The story was pretty boring, the characters weren't engaging or even likeable, and seemed flat. The talk of racial superiority/inferiority, while part of the story, got old fast. I was not intrigued by the mummy and didn't much care what happened to any of the characters. Too much was too predictable. I often like first-person narrative, but it didn't work this time. Add to that, writing that made me more aware of the author's attempts at creativity than of the flow of the story, and this one was a flop for me, especially at 400+ pages.

I was given a copy of the book for review. ( )