Review: The Bone Raiders (The Rakada #1) by Jackson Ford
4 August 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, Jackson Ford, reading, Review, The Bone Raiders, The Rakada #1
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Entertaining, fast paced, bit shallow
Okay, I will say that I had a very good time reading this, it was a lot of fun and definitely entertaining. It has a certain’set up’ quality to the story but I enjoyed the way events unfolded and I would love to read more from these characters.
The Bone Raiders, similarly to other raiders, are being slowly wiped out by the new Khan. As we begin the story we meet Sayana, one of three povs but clearly the leading character. She’s come a bit unstuck during a scouting mission and finds herself in a prickly situation – shortly to become much worse by the arrival of an araatan – a fire breathing lizard that’s bigger than a house. Managing to avoid death in the most spectacular way imaginable gives Sayana a big idea and so begins this new adventure.
I don’t really want to say too much about the plot. I found the story really entertaining, for me there was never a dull moment and I really enjoyed the banter between the raiders. To be fair, I had a brief moment where I felt like I shouldn’t really be enjoying the Bone Raiders’ company as much as I did, at the end of the day, as funny and high spirited as these characters may be, they’re not exactly living the life of a hero. They take from others and they kill those who try to defend themselves – although they do keep their killing to a minimum and their fearsome reputation does much of the work and prevents bloodshed – but, make no mistake, they raid villages and kill those who oppose them, wearing their bones as trophies. And, one of the other characters from the story goes to lengths to point this out. So, be aware, these characters are not really the good guys – and yet, I enjoyed their story and had fun reading about their exploits. They’re all a bit bats**t crazy and take terrible risks, made necessary by the fact that their numbers are so depleted.
In fact the characters really make the story. This little bunch of ‘found family’, all original with different back stories and motivations. My absolute favourite was Khun – don’t ask me why. She’s always muttering and doing strange things but she stole the show for me. For a bunch of raiders this story has a surprising amount of ‘heart’ and I really did find myself becoming attached to the characters and fearing for how this would all end.
In terms of the setting, the world building is perhaps a little bit light, in fact I mentioned above that this feels a little shallow and at first I thought I might struggle a little but my fears were unfounded as I very quickly became immersed in the read and the Bone Raiders’ adventures.
A highly entertaining story with amusing characters, plenty of action, a little bit of ‘How to train your Lizard’ and a heap of creativity, plus a touch of double crossing and a ‘nasty’ antagonist. I really did have fun with this one – come for the fire breathing lizard and kick ass females (of which I hope for much more in the future) and stay for the framily feels.
I received a copy through netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate July/August
3 August 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, July/August, Monthly Wrap Up, reading, Weekly wrap up, What's on my Plate
I’m trying to post a wrap up for the end of each month, mainly to help me to keep track of my reading and at the same time look at what I’m intending to read during the month ahead (inspired by Books Bones and Buffy’s What’s on My Plate.
This month’s wrap up post will be a bit messy again like last month’s because I’m combining it with my weekly wrap up.
Weekly Update
The weather has been great, my hip is improving little by little every day and the reading has also been very good. So, in the past week I read The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford which was very good fun, I also read and thoroughly enjoyed Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher. I’m a third into The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine and I’m also a third into Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham so doing quite well with my August review books. I also managed to post three reviews last week so making steady progress with that as well. I’ve not been doing much blog hopping but hoping to catch up with everything over the next few days.
Next Week’s reads
Complete Forget Me Not and The Dead Husband Cookbook and move on to Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson and then maybe The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso. (Which perhaps seems like a lot but I’ve already made a good dent into the first two.
Reviews Posted:
- It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
- My Ex, the AntiChrist by Craig DiLouie
- Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan
Outstanding Reviews
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa
- The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford
- Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher
My Monthly Wrap Up:
Books read in July:
- Paved With Good Intentions by Peter McLean
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia
- The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
- My Ex, the AntiChrist by Craig DiLouie
- Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw – DNF
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa
- The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford
I’ve had a very good reading month reading 10 books, I completed my July review books and even made a dent in my August reads. I did have a DNF – The Library at Hellebore – which really didn’t work for me.
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in August:
- The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine
- The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford – already read
- Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson
- The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso
- Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher – already read
- Damned by Genevieve Cogman
- This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May
- Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
Lets just be honest – I’m not doing well so far – I need to give my head a wobble.
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo.
and the text version:
PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO 2025 (TEXT VERSION)
| 1. A prehistoric flint knapped stone knife | 2. A lighthouse | 4. An archery target with three arrows in it | |
| 5. A very large mechanical telescope | 7. A stag | ||
| 9 |
|||
| 15. A stylized sun with a human face | 16. A Roman helmet |
Today, I’m ticking off another two prompts. No. 3 – an apple on a leafy branch – I’m using Hemlock and Silver for this one by T Kingfisther (if you’ve already read this you’ll know why) and I’m also ticking off No.10 – A Sheaf of Wheat – which I’m using The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst – because those greenhouses are amazing and everything grows there.
The prompts I’ve crossed off so far:
No. 11 – An Old Mechanical Typewriter – The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia
No.8 – The ruins of a temple-like structure – I’m using Daughter of Chaos by A S Webb
No. 12 – A cluster of four mushrooms – I’m using Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
No. 13 – A fringed umbrella/parasol – I’m using A Fortune Most Fatal by Jessica Bull
No.14 – A chemistry set-up of bottles and tubes – I’m using Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
No.9 – A Crab – I’m using The Devils by Joe Abercrombie – if you’ve read this already you’ll be able to guess why. There are some very unusual creatures in this story.
No.6 – A Human Skull – I’m using The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North – because this is about a serial killer and there are definite human remains included in this one.
Number of books read this year: 54
Review: Another Fine Mess (Bless Your Heart #2) by Lindy Ryan
29 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Another Find Mess, Bless Your Heart #2, Book Reviews, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, Horror, Lindy Ryan, reading, Review, Summer of Horror 25
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Gothic Southern Charm and Guts
I’m very much enjoying Lindy Ryan’s Bless Your Heart series. It combines winning family dynamics, mystery, the unhappy dead and plenty of blood and guts fortunately tempered by humour. It’s a very easy series to read and quite refreshingly unique in so many ways.
Another Fine Mess picks up fairly quickly after Bless Your Heart concluded so be aware that there may be spoilers below for book 1, although I try to be careful not to include any if possible.
Lenore and Luna are trying to pick up the pieces following events from the conclusion of Bless Your Heart but they’re struggling, both to cope with the loss and continue to go about their everyday lives. Lenore eventually makes the decision to hire in help for the funeral parlour, a decision that goes against the family ethos but seems to be the only way forward. Luna is suffering from guilt and struggling to understand her own nature. And, at the same time the increased number of missing pets in the neighbourhood seems to be a precursor for the body count to once again begin to rise. A rare ‘ghost wolf’ is being cited as the cause for the latest bloodletting and as a consequence a local expert is called in but Lenore knows, she simply knows that something is wrong, she just doesn’t know what, until an unexpected houseguest makes an appearance to fill in some of the blanks.
I don’t want to give too much more away. Once again Ryan brings to us a charming horror – if such a thing is possible. She doesn’t shy away from a high body count, even taking characters that you really feel quite cross about losing, and she’s not afraid to paint the pages in blood, but at the same time she balances the gore with a good dose of Southern charm, strong family values and some lighthearted moments.
The pacing is quick. there’s no hand holding here. To be honest, I would say that you need to read the first in the series – well, of course, you could crash in at this point and I’m sure the author has done enough to make the story standalone – but, I think you’d miss so much about the family and frankly I think it would be more of a struggle so I would suggest reading the books in order.
I really like the family dynamic (and the unexpected guest – in fact I’m rather hoping for another appearance that I won’t elaborate on here). The main problem that the Evan’s ladies face is lack of knowledge. They’ve been told so very little over the years and it seems like secrets buried long ago need to be unearthed. To be fair, I’m not a lover usually of the ‘keeping people in the dark’ trope but here it really does feel more like secrets were buried rather as a means of forgetting and moving on than a plot device.
In conclusion, over the top horror with a Carrie-esque style ending – well, in terms of a high school end of term dance. A very easy to read and engaging series that I find myself really enjoying and hoping for more. A good mix of characters (although try not to become too attached because as I mentioned – ruthless author), a secret history waiting to be uncovered, a different take on some well established critters and horror that doesn’t give you nightmares (although, to be clear, there is no shortage of blood and death – just, it doesn’t have that scary vibe that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up).
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
27 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Booking Ahead, Books, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, reading, Sunday Post, TBR, Weekly wrap up
Books read this week:
It’s been quiet on the blog and I’ve missed one of my weekly wrap ups so today will be a double. Basically, I’ve had hip replacement surgery and so have been a little out of action. I think everything is going well though and I’ve certainly been doing lots of reading so let’s take a look at the books I’ve picked up recently.
I completed and really enjoyed The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig – the audio book was very good. I also finished and, again, really enjoyed It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest. I read My Ex, the AntiChrist by Craig DiLouie which was another very good read that I enjoyed the style of storytelling and I completed Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan. I picked up and read about 50% of The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw – this one didn’t work for me and I’ve decided it’s a DNF. I really wanted to complete it but seriously I can’t. It’s just not my style. Finally I’ve managed to complete Fateless by Julie Kagawa – action packed and enjoyable if a little generic. This means I’ve completed my July reads and can move onto August review titles. Woot. (Although I need to press on with reviews now to catch up).
Next Week’s Reads:
I think I’ll pick up The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford and I also have the audio version of The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine.
Reviews Posted:
- The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
Outstanding Reviews
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
- My Ex, the AntiChrist by Craig DiLouie
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa
That’s it for me this week, what have you been up to? Any good books to shout out about. Let me know.
Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate June/July
6 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, fiction, June July, Month in review, Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up, reading, TBR, What's on my Plate
I’m trying to post a wrap up for the end of each month, mainly to help me to keep track of my reading and at the same time look at what I’m intending to read during the month ahead (inspired by Books Bones and Buffy’s What’s on My Plate.
This month’s wrap up post will be a bit messy again like last month’s because I’m combining it with my weekly wrap up.
Weekly Update
The weather has been glorious and with the summer comes more socialising. That being said my weekly reading the past week has been good. I did indeed finish A Far Better Thing by HG Parry and not only loved it but have already posted my review – a Dickens inspired world with wicked fae. I then picked up Paved With Good Intentions by Peter McLean which I also absolutely loved. I also finished listening to Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry. I struggled with this one for at least two thirds of the read but I confess the final chapters definitely piqued my interest and the ending in particular. I then picked up and practically inhaled The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. A bewitching tale, a mystery and witches that feel almost akin to vampires.
Next Week’s reads
I’m happy to say that I’ve also started two new books, both of which I’m enjoying very much so far. The Enchanted Greenhouse which I’m about a third into and The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig which is my current audio book.
Reviews Posted:
- A Far Better Thing by HG Parry
Outstanding Reviews
- Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
- Paved With Good Intentions by Peter McLean
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My Monthly Wrap Up:
Books read in June:
- The Countdown Killer by Sam Holland
- The Rush by Beth Lewis
- The Bodies by Sam Lloyd
- Swordheart by T Kingfisher
- A Far Better Thing by HG Parry
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
I’ve had a slow reading month for sure and looking back at my last monthly review I had 11 books queued up to read – The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater was unfortunately a DNF. I also picked up and started With A Vengeance by Riley Sager but it wasn’t working it’s magic – which was a surprise as I’ve been really enjoying this author’s work recently. From the rest of the list I’d already picked up and reviewed We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough which was great, the Shield and the Moth by Rachel Gillig I’m now listening to and Paved with Good Intentions by Peter McLean is now complete (I just didn’t manage to fit it into June).
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in July, in fact I’ve already made good progress as I’ve read The Bewitching and started The Enchanted Greenhouse. I’ve carried over The Knight and the Moth and I’m going to try and squeeze in a couple of backlist books if I can:
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa
- The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst – current read
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – read and waiting to be reviewed
- Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan
- It Was Her First House by Cherie Priest
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
This month I’m hoping to go back to a couple of books from last October that I really wanted to read but didn’t have the time to fit them in. Let’s see how that goes.
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo.
and the text version:
PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO 2025 (TEXT VERSION)
| 1. A prehistoric flint knapped stone knife | 2. A lighthouse | 3. An apple on a leafy branch | 4. An archery target with three arrows in it |
| 5. A very large mechanical telescope | 7. A stag | ||
| 9 |
10. A sheaf of wheat | ||
| 15. A stylized sun with a human face | 16. A Roman helmet |
Today, I’m ticking off another of the prompts. No. 11 – the old mechanical typewriter – I’m using The Bewitching for this one as one of the characters is a writer and is actually gifted a typewriter in the story. The book she writes features prominently in the story so I think it’s a good fit.
The prompts I’ve crossed off so far:
No.8 – The ruins of a temple-like structure – I’m using Daughter of Chaos by A S Webb
No. 12 – A cluster of four mushrooms – I’m using Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
No. 13 – A fringed umbrella/parasol – I’m using A Fortune Most Fatal by Jessica Bull
No.14 – A chemistry set-up of bottles and tubes – I’m using Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
No.9 – A Crab – I’m using The Devils by Joe Abercrombie – if you’ve read this already you’ll be able to guess why. There are some very unusual creatures in this story.
No.6 – A Human Skull – I’m using The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North – because this is about a serial killer and there are definite human remains included in this one.
Number of books read this year: 44
Books and travelling with Lynn 