I completely forgot I never posted my review for Find Me Their Bones until I went into my pending drafts. Sksksks I can’t believe this was in the blogging dungeon. (Meanwhile, all my 2019 reviews are judging me still.)
Find Me Their Bones by Sara WolfBring Me Their Hearts #2
Published by Entangled: Teen on November 5, 2019
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
No one can save her.
In order to protect Prince Lucien d’Malvane’s heart, Zera had to betray him. Now, he hates the sight of her. Trapped in Cavanos as a prisoner of the king, she awaits the inevitable moment her witch severs their magical connection and finally ends her life.
But fate isn't ready to give her up just yet.
With freedom coming from the most unlikely of sources, Zera is given a second chance at life as a Heartless. But it comes with a terrible price. As the king mobilizes his army to march against the witches, Zera must tame an elusive and deadly valkerax trapped in the tunnels underneath the city if she wants to regain her humanity.
Winning over a bloodthirsty valkerax? Hard. Winning back her friends before war breaks out? A little harder.
But a Heartless winning back Prince Lucien’s heart?
The hardest thing she’s ever done.
A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.
Trigger & Content Warnings: burning alive, death
Bring Me Their Hearts is one of my favorites of 2018, and I was super excited to dive into its sequel!
If anyone can write sass that I adore and love, and that for sure makes me laugh, it’s Sara Wolf. Find Me Their Bones continues Zera’s story, where much like the first book, her goal continues to be getting her heart back. Only she’s not betraying Prince Lucien any longer; she’s already achieved that, and she’s lost her friends as a result of her actions.
My heart is the entire reason I came to Vetris and betrayed the Prince in the first place.
In exchange for her heart, she’s required to teach the valkerax underneath Vetris how to Weep, even though she’s not sure what could come as a result of doing so. She’s willing to risk it, though, to get her humanity back and live a normal life. She doesn’t want to continue being the monster she’s made out to be, where she has to hide her identity.
Find Me Their Bones feels like a bridge between the first and final book.
I didn’t struggle with Zera’s inner voice reminding her that she’s a monster in the first book, but in the second book, the voice is a bit overwhelming and distracting. This may be a personal preference or mood while reading, so others might not be bothered by this. Zera is constantly belittling herself despite all the selfless things she does, and it starts to be a little repetitive. At times, her snark and humor to make light of things became a little irritating, especially when she is dismissing compliments from others, but I still enjoyed it regardless!
If you’re expecting more development in Zera and Lucien’s romance, that’s not happening in Find Me Their Bones. There are a few moments between the two as try as Zera might in denying her feelings, she’s still living in the palace. She’s still Zera Y’Shenneria, the niece of Lady Y’Shenneria, and she still has to navigate court politics with the other nobles. However, I missed the interactions with the other characters from Bring Me Their Hearts, because the friends she made take a back seat for the majority of the sequel. They still get page time, but not as much as the first, and this might be because they may play a bigger role in the third.
Much of the focus is Zera trying to teach the valkerax how to Weep, and eventually, figuring out what the price could be if she succeeds in teaching. The only thing closest to a friendship she truly gets here is with Yorl, who is also working with the valkerax, and while I loved their interactions, the pacing feels slower due to the focus, and the end comes a little quick.
I’m still excited for the final book.
Despite my issues with the pacing of the book and Zera’s inner voice being a distraction, I still enjoyed Find Me Their Bones! I’m excited about the third novel because I’m curious about how Zera’s story will end and what will happen considering the ending of this one.
Sophia started blogging in February 2012 for the hell of it and is surprisingly still around. She has a GIF for nearly everything, probably listens to too much K-Pop and is generally in an existential crisis of sorts (she's trying her best). More of her bookish reviews and K-Pop Roundups can be found at The Arts STL.
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