A story of scorned witches, sinister curses, and resurrection, The Bone Witch is the start of a dark fantasy trilogy.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox, from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha—one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

Amazon Link: The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1)

Author: Rin Chupeco

Genre: YA Dark Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars

This book had an interesting format because it has two timelines. The start is the Bone Witch/Tea is telling her story to the bard who has sought her out to find the truth of why she has done something terrible that led to her banishment. Then there is her narrating her childhood and her training as an asha, which is the bulk of the story.

The rich world-building is mostly Asian-inspired, but the style of magic and the role of magic users in the society was unique. Female magic users or asha are trained to entertain and serve as geisha-style companions to wealthy patrons, while male magic users are conscripted to fight. Although all magic users of any gender have the ability and training for combat. These strict roles wear on Tea and influence her betrayal, although there are still questions left unanswered by the end. I plan to read more of the series to find out what happens next.

I would recommend this book to fans of Asian-inspired fantasy, dark fantasy, and necromancers.