This is a spoiler free review.
Ivory and Bone
Written by Julie Eshbaugh
Genre: Young Adult/Historical/Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Pages: 371
Source: Library
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!
Summary:
A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.
Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.
A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.
Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.
As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along.
Review:
I have been wanting to read this for awhile but I never bothered to check it out from the library or purchase it myself. The whole premise, a Pride and Prejudice retelling in prehistoric times, was just too good to pass up. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with what I actually got.
I have been wanting to read this for awhile but I never bothered to check it out from the library or purchase it myself. The whole premise, a Pride and Prejudice retelling in prehistoric times, was just too good to pass up. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with what I actually got.
COVER
I actually really like the cover. It perfectly represents a main point in the book and accurately references the title.
I actually really like the cover. It perfectly represents a main point in the book and accurately references the title.
WORLD-BUILDING
This book is set in prehistoric times where people lived in small clans and traveled where their food went. There's a lot of information about their clans and how they live. At some times it feels like there is too much of an information dump which gets annoying and a little stressful.
Then there are the characters.
There were a lot of characters in this book so I am only going to talk about/address the main two.
There were a lot of characters in this book so I am only going to talk about/address the main two.
KOL
I enjoyed Kol as a character though he wasn't complicated enough and mostly only cared about finding a wife. I get that in this time period [the prehistoric time] that the need to keep the family going was important but there had to be more thought as to how they themselves were going to survive and we didn't get much of that. I did enjoy Kol as a narrator as he was quiet and serious but still had a uniqueness about him.
MYA
I liked Mya because she was a character that I expected to see in this time period. She was fierce and independent. She also was very loyal to her clan and her family which was probably something that was needed in this time period. Mya was also very strong and a good hunter which seemed a little bit unique for a female in the prehistoric times but I did learn that females often helped with hunting and didn't just spend their time preparing the meals. I actually liked Mya more than Kol.
I enjoyed Kol as a character though he wasn't complicated enough and mostly only cared about finding a wife. I get that in this time period [the prehistoric time] that the need to keep the family going was important but there had to be more thought as to how they themselves were going to survive and we didn't get much of that. I did enjoy Kol as a narrator as he was quiet and serious but still had a uniqueness about him.
MYA
I liked Mya because she was a character that I expected to see in this time period. She was fierce and independent. She also was very loyal to her clan and her family which was probably something that was needed in this time period. Mya was also very strong and a good hunter which seemed a little bit unique for a female in the prehistoric times but I did learn that females often helped with hunting and didn't just spend their time preparing the meals. I actually liked Mya more than Kol.
FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY
Family is a large part of this book. Kol has a rather large family with a lot of brothers and his family is very important to him. Mya also really cares about her family which is why she is constantly respecting her brother's wishes.
Family is a large part of this book. Kol has a rather large family with a lot of brothers and his family is very important to him. Mya also really cares about her family which is why she is constantly respecting her brother's wishes.
PLOT
I admit that the plot was very slow and there were times when I actually considered giving up with this book. Most of the time Kol was trying to find a mate and that just really annoyed me. I wanted there to be more action. Thankfully it sped up later on which was a blessing.
During the reading of this book I figured out that this was a Pride and Prejudice retelling that was switched around so Kol was Elizabeth Bennett and his family were the Bennett's instead of Mya and her family. Mya was Darcy and her sister was Bingley. I really liked this Pride and Prejudice retelling which was a lot different from the original but still fun.
I admit that the plot was very slow and there were times when I actually considered giving up with this book. Most of the time Kol was trying to find a mate and that just really annoyed me. I wanted there to be more action. Thankfully it sped up later on which was a blessing.
During the reading of this book I figured out that this was a Pride and Prejudice retelling that was switched around so Kol was Elizabeth Bennett and his family were the Bennett's instead of Mya and her family. Mya was Darcy and her sister was Bingley. I really liked this Pride and Prejudice retelling which was a lot different from the original but still fun.
ROMANCE
The romance was a major slow-burn but then again it was a Pride and Prejudice retelling so it was naturally going to be a slow-burn. Mya was like ice because she was not at all interested in Kol while he was a little bit obsessed with her. They make a very interesting match so when she finally thaws, it's so worth the wait.
The romance was a major slow-burn but then again it was a Pride and Prejudice retelling so it was naturally going to be a slow-burn. Mya was like ice because she was not at all interested in Kol while he was a little bit obsessed with her. They make a very interesting match so when she finally thaws, it's so worth the wait.
WRITING
The writing was very interesting as it is sort of told in 2nd person. Kol is talking to Mya the entire time by using "you" whenever he is talking about her. This was a new type of writing for me and it annoyed me a lot for most of the book, but a lot of people really liked it.
The writing was very interesting as it is sort of told in 2nd person. Kol is talking to Mya the entire time by using "you" whenever he is talking about her. This was a new type of writing for me and it annoyed me a lot for most of the book, but a lot of people really liked it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was such an interesting and unique book but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wished I did. I did like the whole Pride and Prejudice concept though which was cool. If you want something different then you should check out this book.
This was such an interesting and unique book but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wished I did. I did like the whole Pride and Prejudice concept though which was cool. If you want something different then you should check out this book.
Quotes from the Book:
“It's odd, I think, how the thing you love most in a person can also be the thing you sometimes wish you could change”
“Some people can see things with their hearts. Others need to see them with their eyes.”
“It's odd, I think, how the thing you love most in a person can also be the thing you sometimes wish you could change”
“Some people can see things with their hearts. Others need to see them with their eyes.”
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Crowns
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