Dark Arthurian fantasy series off to an uneven start.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
teamwork with different groups of people, and even with antagonist Emrys. She also models <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/articles/what-is-courage">courage and <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/articles/what-is-perseverance">perseverance as an extremely loyal caretaker to her brother and her mind is always almost exclusively focused on doing whatever she must to help and protect him. The nine priestesses are a good example of women in leadership who work together for the good of their community.</p>
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Mostly in the fantasy realm, attacks from fantasy creatures describe biting, punching, ripping skin, cutting and beheading with swords and knives, attacking with arrows. Blood, pain, and injuries are described in some detail. Gore is mentioned but not described in detail. Several mentions of biting lips, tongue, and cheek until tasting blood as a way of controlling emotions. A character with lots of deep scarring on his body says his father gave them to him as punishment. Lots of grotesque and macabre images and items, like a finger bone dipped in blood used as a key. Characters in danger from scary fantasy creatures, and lots of tension and suspense from dark atmospheres and locations.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Older teens have champagne and beer in the real world once, and wine in the fantasy world once. A 17-year-old brags that he can get into any bar in Boston. The size of an object is compared to a pack of cigarettes.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Don't push people away or try to hide from life so that you'll never feel pain, because feeling pain is how you know you survived loss. If you expect to fail, you invite failure.
Positive Role Models
some
Tamsin is an antihero. She's rebellious, stubborn, sarcastic, contrary, and always sees the worst in people and expects the worst possible outcome. Despite all that she's a good model for teamwork with different groups of people, and even with antagonist Emrys. She also models courage and perseverance as an extremely loyal caretaker to her brother and her mind is always almost exclusively focused on doing whatever she must to help and protect him. The nine priestesses are a good example of women in leadership who work together for the good of their community.
Diverse Representations
a little
Most characters read as White. A minor character has brown skin, and beings in the fantasy realm have amber and green skin. Main character is a strong female lead, and a group of nine strong women work together to lead a community.
Creates a fantasy realm based on the legends of King Arthur.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Silver in the Bone, by Alexandra Bracken, is a dark fantasy about a teen's search to break a curse on her brother. It takes place both in the modern United States and a fantasy realm based on the legends of King Arthur. Violence is mostly in the fantasy realm, attacks from fantasy creatures describe biting, punching, ripping skin, cutting, beheading with swords, knives, and arrows. Blood, pain, and injuries are described in some detail. A character bites her own mouth until she tastes blood to try and control her emotions. Gore is mentioned but not described in detail. Lots of grotesque and macabre images and items, like a finger bone dipped in blood used as a key. Lots of romantic tension and one kiss under covers with clothes on. Strong language includes "bulls--t" and "s--t." Older teens drink champagne, beer, and wine once each but not to excess. Parental loss and abandonment are strong themes.
SILVER IN THE BONE tells the story of Tamsin, a 17-year-old seeker of magical artifacts who has no magical powers of her own. Her adoptive father abandoned her and her brother Cabell, leaving the siblings to make their own way in the world since they were 10, and times have been very difficult. When Tamsin hears about the Ring of Dispel, once belonging to Sir Lancelot and capable of breaking any curse, she'll stop at nothing to find it and use it to break the curse Cabell has been struggling with most of his life. But to have any chance at finding the ring among the many who covet it, she'll have to find a way to the magical, legendary island of Avalon, face magic and creatures darker than any she could have imagined, and worst of all, call a truce and work with her longtime, bitter rival, the wealthy and privileged Emrys.
Fans of all things Arthurian will enjoy this intriguing take that blends modern-day teens with magical characters and lore into an exciting, if dark and sometimes terrifying, fantasy adventure. Silver in the Bone takes place in vast, deeply imagined worlds that are sometimes hard to fully visualize or understand. And narrator Tamsin is not easy to like, although teens will admire her bravery, perseverance, and laser-like focus on saving her brother. But author Alexandra Bracken keeps the tension and suspense building to a cliffhanger ending that cries out for a sequel.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Silver in the Bone. Is it too much? Does it matter if it's in the real world or the fantasy world? Is reading about it different from seeing it in movies, games, or other visual media?
Why do stories, legends, and lore about King Arthur remain popular over so much time? What do we love about them?
What other books, movies, TV or other versions of Arthurian lore have you read or watched? Which are your favorites? How does this one compare?
Available on:
Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
April 25, 2023
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Andrea Beach
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