The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones mixes folklore with fantasy, horror, and young-adult romance. Aderyn is the daughter of a grave digger, and she's one of the few people who believes in, and deals with, the bone houses, essentially the reanimated dead. Recently, they've started leaving the forest and terrorizing the village. Aderyn, with the help of a mapmaker from the capital Ellis, head into the forest to break the curse and free her village from their violence. Along the way, the relationship between the two grows as they confront their pasts and what they've believed true for their entire lives.
I feel so fortunate that I managed to download this audiobook right after House of Salt and Sorrow because I can give two glowing reviews back to back. I LOVED this book too. The heroine is not traditionally beautiful, but she is strong and comfortable in her body, and she makes her living in a traditionally male work, digging graves. She is an awesome role model for young readers. The hero has an old injury that prevents him from doing some things traditionally assigned to men, but he is kind and smart. Together they make a great team and work to save their small corner of the world. Plus, when was the last time you read a book where a dead goat was one of your favorite characters? In addition to the great writing, the narrator was spot on with different characters, pronunciation, and emotion. I would recommend The Bone Houses to anyone who loves a good zombie adventure love story mixed with some Welsh-inspired folklore.
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