Review: Priest of Bones

Priest of Bones by Peter McLean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via Penguin Books First to Read in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to enjoy dark fantasy books, so I'm a little surprised that I didn't like this one more. The characters in this book, particularly the narrator Tomas Piety, return from war to find their home stolen from them and the city of Ellinburg on the verge of disaster.

There is a lot to like in this book: the characters are interesting, the setting is well developed, the narration has a strong voice, and it gives a good portrayal of the aftereffects of war. Piety's struggle with his place in the city after the war progresses over the course of the book. Bits of his past, and those around him, come out as the story goes on as well.

While I like what McLean did with the character of Piety, I didn't find the character himself especially likeable. It's not just the harshness that seems to have come from his experiences at war. There are moments presented that are meant to soften that to a degree. He seemed to be lacking some of the charisma and compassion that characters in similar book seem to possess. This might just be a personal preference. It is nice to have a change of pace with this character, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

I would definitely read the second book to see how the story continues and give Piety a second chance.

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