Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin, which will be published on May 7, 2024. I’ve been excited to pick this one up, and it is one of my most anticipated releases of May. What did I think of it? Read on to find out!

Dimitri Alexeyev used to be the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. Now, he is merely a broken man, languishing in exile after losing a devastating civil war instigated by his estranged husband, Alexey Balakin. In hiding with what remains of his court, Dimitri and his spymaster, Vasily Sokolov, engineer a dangerous ruse. Vasily will sneak into Alexey’s court under a false identity to gather information, paving the way for the usurper’s downfall, while Dimitri finds a way to kill him for good.

But stopping Alexey is not so easy as plotting to kill an ordinary man. Through a perversion of the Ludayzim religion that he terms the Holy Science, Alexey has died and resurrected himself in an immortal, indestructible body—and now claims he is guided by the voice of God Himself. Able to summon forth creatures from the realm of demons, he seeks to build an army, turning Novo-Svitsevo into the greatest empire that history has ever seen.

Dimitri is determined not to let Alexey corrupt his country, but saving Novo-Svitsevo and its people will mean forfeiting the soul of the husband he can’t bring himself to forsake—or the spymaster he’s come to love.

***Thank you to Random House Canada for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

The Sins on Their Bones wrecked me. It broke my heart. Then it built me up again just to stomp my recovered heart into a million pieces. The whole experience was such an emotional roller coaster. There were times I was squinting through tears, almost unable to read the words because I was sobbing so much. Please check the content warnings for this one before picking it up. This was a dark book with a focus on the mental and emotional aftermath of domestic and childhood sexual abuse. Take care if you are not in the right head space to read about those experiences.

I loved how The Sins on Their Bones managed to weave Jewish folklore and mythology into its world-building. The world-building wasn’t terribly complex, but I found that it provided just enough information about the society and the magic to keep me interested and allow me to understand the story. The magic and religion were so fascinating. There were angels and demons, talking severed heads, and rituals that were equal parts awe-inspiring and gruesome.

The main thing that kept The Sins on Their Bones from being a five-star read for me was the plot. It was so slow. There was so much focus on the characters and their emotional journeys that the plot suffered. It took forever for anything to happen, and a lot of the forward movement seemed to happen because of luck or convenience. Once everything converged, though, the plot took some turns I didn’t expect, and it made great use of how emotionally attached I’d become to the characters.

The starting point of the story in The Sins on Their Bones was also a bit odd. Things began in the direct aftermath of a civil war, and there was a great deal of history between all of the characters. Flashbacks helped to understand some of their previous experiences, but it was just such a strange place to start a story. It felt like the second part of a duology, or maybe even the middle of a trilogy, that was missing its first part.

Ultimately, The Sins on Their Bones was about the journey of growth for the characters as they figured out how to heal from their traumas and move forward to build a better future. I thought all three POVs did a great job of exploring different aspects of how people cope with trauma and loss. The story also illustrated the power of unconditional love and connection in healing, while highlighting the manipulative and controlling ways used by abusers to take advantage of others.

Overall, I thought The Sins on Their Bones was a compelling and emotional read. I came to care about the characters a great deal and was fascinated by the Jewish folklore used in the story. The plot was extremely slow and started in a weird place, but the exploration of trauma, grief, love, and belonging more than made up for it for me. Therefore, I give The Sins on Their Bones a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Have you read The Sins on Their Bones? Does it sound like something you’d enjoy? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!