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Hey there!
Happy Monday and welcome to day 1 of our readalong of Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken. I’m so excited to be reading this one with you, I hope you all love it!
Before we start, how are you all doing? I hope you had a wonderful weekend, full of great books!
Since today is day 1, we’ll be reading from the beginning to the end of Chapter 7. Get comfy and let’s get started!
When you’ve finished today’s section, catch up with me in the comments down below so we can discuss the beginning of the book. Happy reading!
Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken from the beginning to Chapter 7. Please only read on if you have finished this section!
–!SPOILERS!-
We start with a flashback to 7 years ago and the day our MC, Tamsin, was abandoned by her guardian, Nash. I have a funny feeling this won’t be the last we hear of him!
Tamsin and her brother, Cabell, are hollowers, travelling through portals to search for the hidden possessions of Sorceresses. Cabell also happens to be cursed with some sort of werewolf-type affliction?
Tamsin visits the Sorceress Madrigal to deliver the brooch they retrieved for her, leaving Cabell outside to try and decipher the final entry of Nash’s old journal. She finds the Sorceress entertaining lots of men wearing taxidermy animal heads…standard. Oh, and only her nemesis, Emrys Dye!
It turns out Emrys is pitching himself for a job and, after a lot of bickering (verging on flirtatious banter?), Madrigal decides they can compete for who can bring her the Servant’s Prize first. Emrys pleads with Tamsin not to take the job and helps a crying maid clear up a tray she’s dropped. I thought he was supposed to be evil?
When Tamsin tells Cabell about the Servant’s Prize, his fear of it causes him to shift fully into the hound – something he hasn’t done since they were kids. So this must be bad, right? He then attacks her and she only saves herself by shooting him with a tranquilliser dart. So yeah, pretty bad.
Tamsin spends hours researching the Servant’s Prize in the Guild library while 3 creepy men spy on her. Ew.
Our smart girl works out that she’s looking for the Ring of Dispel and also deciphers the final journal entry to find that Nash had traded the dagger for the Ring of Dispel the night he vanished.
It turns out Cabell already knew this. Sneaky boy. He’s pretty down in the dumps now, thinking that the werewolf-y curse is going to completely overtake him one day. Tamsin tries to comfort him but the two get into a pretty big argument and Cabell walks out, saying he won’t come back.
Tamsin leaves a note and all her money for Cabell and sets out to begin her quest for the Ring.
Heading back to her hidden tent, after exploring the ruins of Tintagel Castle, she finds Emrys has set up his tent right next to hers. Let’s just say she’s not too happy about this development.
Back in her tent, Tamsin pulls out a vial of Basilisk venom she procured from a Bonecutter. She pops a drop in each eye, hoping it will grant her the One Vision. Then comes hours of agony, fever and hallucinations.
She’s pretty out of it but she thinks Emrys might have come to comfort her and the section ends with the words “I’m here.”
It’s safe to say, I’m hooked!
What are your initial feelings on the book and its characters so far?
Do you think Nash is really dead?
Do you trust Emrys?
Would you have used the Basilisk venom to grant yourself the One Vision?
I can’t wait to hear all your thoughts!
Love,
India
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So far I am really enjoying the book and it’s characters, some of the Hollowers give me the ick. I don’t think Nash is Dead which makes him deserting them even worse. I think there’s more to Emrys than Tamsin sees, I think he can be trusted… to an extent anyway. As cool as having One Vision would be, I am a chicken and that would not be going near my eyes.
Ohh this is great. Start with a family treason. I have mixed feelings about emrys. He is a dick when he is surrounded by his family but i think he will change his behavior when he will spend more time with Tamsin. For the vial of poison, I would have done it. You are the only person who don’t have the one vision and you have an option. ( and she still wants to work with the Guild and not be with the human so yeah I would have done it ) but maybe beside a healer ?
I don’t think I’d be putting that Basilisk venom anywhere near my eyes either. ?
Excited to read this one!
1) Nash is dead, or trapped, but I’d say dead. We all know how parents and parental figures work in YA. And while the obvious conclusion would be that he was looking for the ring to break Cabell’s curse, I’d say he was getting it for Tamsin. Just a feeling.
2) I do trust Emrys, and I’ll say that I think either he or his father (interesting name, Endymion) is cursed, hence why he wants the ring. If anything, Tam’s perception of him is a bit unreliable, considering she’s deep into survival mode and pushing away everyone but Cab. I also hope we get to see more of Neve!
3) Being in her shoes, I absolutely would have used the venom. But I would’ve also done it with a trusted someone nearby. That was dumb, girl.
In her defense, she doesn’t /have/ a trusted someone to /have/ nearby while taking it.
I think Nash he is trapped !! I have hope ??.
I’m pretty sure we will see Neve again ! She was so funny.
Oooh I like your theory about Nash! Very interesting! ?
I don’t think Nash is dead mostly because they push a narrative that he’s dead which makes me think it’s a misdirect.
It’s too early to tell is Emrys is to be trusted but we haven’t really been given a reason to hate him other than he’s an annoying rich kid with all the connections.
There was one part in the world building that I felt was a bit of a gloss over where she says ” The magic users of other parts of the world had secured their treasures, leaving only Europe’s up for grabs.” I hope we dive a little more into that as to how the rest of the world is able to “secure” their magical items but Europe can’t or hasn’t. It seems a strange thing to add in and a bit lazy for world building if there isn’t more of an explanation. It’s a very small part of the story but it really pulled me out of it in that moment with more questions than if they just hadn’t mentioned it at all. But it makes me really curious about the rest of the world and I do hope we get to go back to that at some point in the story.
Oh that’s a great question! I’m really enjoying this world so far and would also love to find out more about how it all works across the globe!?
So far I’m really enjoying it. It took me a bit to get into because of the crossover between the magical and the real worlds, but now that I’m there, it’s good!
I don’t think Nash is dead – as much as Tamsin dislikes him, I geniunely think that he’s only not with them any more because something has happened to him, like he’s been kidnapped.
Emrys is an interesting one – I think he’s looking for the ring, but not for his father or the sorceress. I think it’s deeper than that. Not sure if I can trust him or not, but as someone that has a thing for falling for the villian, I think my judgement is a bit out!
Would I put basilisk venom in my eyes? Probably. If I thought it would help, 100%! Looking forward to picking up tomorrow’s chapters!
I also have a soft spot for villains so I probably shouldn’t judge. ?
Glad it’s not just me ?
So far my favourite book among my Fairyloot subscriptions
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! ?
So far it really has my attention!
1) I don’t think Nash is dead but hopefully he was taken or trapped instead of dead. It would be terrible if a thing to do though if he just deserted them at the tent like that
2) I feel like he’s trustworthy despite what Tamsin thinks of him. He has a similar goal so maybe it’s easier for him to want to work together. Hopefully he wouldn’t double cross them
3) it was a really stupid thing to take the venom on her own. I get where she’s coming from but took such a huge risk alone. She’s just lucky she got help
Yeah that maybe wasn’t Tamsin’s finest hour. ?
So far I really like tamsin and I really feel sad for cabell because a he’s honestly been put it a really bad situation. I think Nash isn’t dead but also isn’t in a situation where he has been able to return to the siblings, I honestly think Emerys isn’t as bad of a guy as Tamsin has made him out to be and I tentatively trust him. If I was in Tamsin’s situation yes I probably would have used the tears, she needs the one vision to accomplish her goals and if that’s the only way so be it.
I really like Tamsin too! I can’t wait to see how her character develops throughout the book. ?
I think Nash is actually alive but met with trouble.
I think Emrys is good and that she has made false assumptions about him and they will soon be heading to enemies to lovers territory :).
I would be too chicken to use it unless I felt like it was truly my only option left and I didn’t have anything else to lose.
Oooh love a bit of enemies-to-lovers. ?
I’m really enjoying this one so far! The time reading it rushed by in a blink. It took me a little while to get into the book’s lore and characters, but Tamsin grew on me. Now that it’s got going, I’m hooked. I love the idea of a magical library full of cats and a robot. I wish that was a real thing!
I don’t think Nash is dead, there’s too much reference back to him. There has to be something more going on there that we don’t know about yet. The same goes for Emrys. Given that he’s not wearing his family’s ring anymore, I reckon he’s struck out on his own for good reason rather than being booted from the family or having simply lost it.
Tamsin is certainly braver (?) than me as there’s no way I’d be putting Basilisk venom in my eyes. My contact lenses sting enough sometimes as it is!
I completely agree on the contact lenses front! That pain is bad enough. ?
1) Sometimes, I love going into books blind, barely knowing anything at all, and this isn’t /exactly/ what I expected, which I love!
2) He’s either dead or his push to get the ring has nothing to do with any of the reasons Tamsin is assuming [likely having something to do with /her/, since she believes the absolute worst from him, and most YA stories have the MC’s assumptions flipped on their head by the end], but he could be both dead /and/ his motivation discovered to be something good/about Tamsin.
3) I think Emrys is going to be trustworthy . . . /eventually/. I’m wondering if he’s a case of boys-are-mean-to-girls-they-like thing, and he’ll end up being more trustworthy than Cabell is so far. [Not saying Cabell isn’t trustworthy, just that him essentially abandoning her – and being almost cruel about it! – doesn’t exactly make him my favorite right now.]
Cabell isn’t exactly my favourite right now either. ?
It’s starting off a bit slower than I anticipated, but it’s still interesting so far. I think Nash is going to be dead, but there’s a very small chance that he’s alive. And if he is alive, I think he did abandon the kids on purpose. As for Emrys, I’m a little skeptical of his motives now, but since he’s starting to look like a romantic interest I’d say I trust him.
I’m really squicky about eye stuff so I absolutely would not have risked my vision for the One Vision.
I don’t think I would be brave enough to risk it for the One Vision either. ?
What are your initial feelings on the book and its characters so far?
So the last Alexandra Bracken book I read (Lore) bored me. I went into this with hesitation as I was worried I wouldn’t connect with it. Honestly, I am loving it. I like the idea of hunting for magical relics.
Do you think Nash is really dead?
I think Tamsin will find hope that he may be alive but I believe he is dead.
Do you trust Emrys?
Maybeeee? If it’s him in the tent I think I may trust him a bit more.
Would you have used the Basilisk venom to grant yourself the One Vision?
I am not sure. She has a huge risk.
I really love the concept of hunting for magical relics too! ?
1. So far I’m intrigued. I feel like Tamsin has a lot of flaws and I’m interested in how she’ll (hopefully) grow as the story progresses.
2. I highly doubt it.
3. Sort of? Maybe? I think he’s less of a jerk than Tamsin thinks but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t still have his own agenda that could be bad for her.
4. Fear of going blind might stop me, but when it seemed like she might only get it in one eye…that I think I could do. And then if that eye came out okay, try the other one. I could live with being half blind at worst haha.
I love your thought process behind choosing whether to use the Basilisk venom or not. ?
A lot of information to take in about guild members, Arthurian Legends, the magic system & magical creatures, her adoptive family, etc. This seems like the beginning of the “forced proximity” “rivals-to-lovers” part of the story where the insufferable Emrys is taking care of her, but they’re both after the same artifact for the same person as competition. He even has an affectionate pet name for her.
Daily Q&A:
Q:
1.) What are your initial feelings on the book and its characters so far?
2.) Do you think Nash is really dead?
3.) Do you trust Emrys?
4.) Would you have used the Basilisk venom to grant yourself the One Vision?
A:
1.) I’m liking it so far & can see a lot of potential character growth.
2.) It’s hard to say at this point. It’s definitely a possibility, but with curses running rampant & him being described as fairly negligent, it’s possible he’s still alive & unwilling or unable to be found.
3.) Trust this early on might be a bit of a stretch, but his taking care of her at the moment seems to be a step in the right direction. There’s also his helping the maid, & her realizing she hadn’t noticed things about him before despite having a photographic memory, so there’s hope.
4.) Just to have the One Vision for pride or monetary gain? No way. Because I believe it’s the only way to save my sibling’s life? Yeah, probably.
Yes! There seems to be quite a few things pointing towards Emrys being a good guy. I hope he doesn’t disappoint us later. ?
1) It took me a short while to get into the novel because of the world building and the back and forth between the magical world and the normal one, but it I think it is growing on me! As for Tasmin and Cabell, I hope they can be reconciled.
2) I don’t think Nash is dead, I think the Sorceress actually cursed him and made bartered him to another Sorceress, Mardrigal to be exact and that he is one of the men with the animal-heads (the one that moaned when the Servant’s Prize was mentioned.
3) I think there is more to Emrys than Tasin sees; maybe he’s been keeping a secret from the magical guild society. I think he had a falling out with him father and has to make his own way in the world, which would make him very similar to Tasmin.
4) I wouldn’t have used the venom on myself, I think that Tasmin has another power than she hasn’t tapped into yet and it’ll appear when she least expects it (maybe even heal her brother…)
Oooh I am loving your theories! I can’t wait to see if you’re right! ?
I am loving this book so far! It took me a little bit to get into it but I’m glad I continued. I can’t believe Cabel just left how he did, I can see why he would thinking he’s keeping his sister safe. But I have a feeling he’ll be back I can’t see them staying apart for that long. Now on to Emrys I can’t wait to see more of his character I don’t think we know anything really besides he’s a spoiled rich kid. I think theres a big potential for character growth with Emrys. I don’t think he’s a bad guy considering he is helping Tasmin with recovering from the poison. However I don’t think I would be brave enough to put basilisk poison in my eyes, not only could she go blind with a mile long list of side affects theres still the possibility it wouldn’t give her the sight. No thank you I would leave my vision alone.
That list of side effects was enough to put me off forever. ?
Interesting start so far! I’m curious about how the modern setting will continue to merge with the older more mystical stuff. Very action-packed and quick paced beginning. I feel like Nash’s fate could go either will, however I do feel bad for the two siblings who are now alone in the world.
And honestly, Emrys doesn’t seem so bad. I’m curious about how Tamsin and his relationship will be developed and explained, because the dislike seems one sided so far.
As for the basilisk venom…I don’t think I would be brave enough to take it, because losing my vision is a big fear of mine. But honestly, for Tamsin, it doesn’t seem like she has much to lose otherwise, so I totally understand her point of view.
Excited to continue reading!
I feel so bad for the siblings too, they’re obviously really effected by the abandonment ?
Initially, it took me a while to get into the writing, and I also didn’t realize how young Tamsin and Cabe11 were in the prologue. I was pleasantly surprised when the author did not hold back on the violence and darker elements of the story, as it made my reading experience that much more interesting. Emrys is my favorite so far.
I think Nash may be trapped or suspended in time or magic somewhere.
I trust Emrys. He is totally simping for Tamsin. He is also kind to others who are less fortunate. I am looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops.
If I had to save a loved one, I would use the Basilisk venom, but I would really watch the dosage and have someone present with me. Good thing Emrys was there ?
Yesss I am loving the darker elements of this story too! I can’t wait to see how that progresses ?
I like the story so far but I’m a little confused with the magic system and everyone’s roles/abilities. I might have to reread the first section to try to understand it better…
This story is super interesting so far with the Arthurian Legend! I liked the mention of The Lady of the Lake! I love how the author describes the characters and so far I really like Tamsin! I’m thinking Nash isn’t alive, but I do trust Emrys because he seems to be just giving off the tuff guy attitude and is not actually that way. Ummm I’m not sure I would have used the venom, unless I had a good reason to, but it seems like saving her brother Cabell is a pretty good reason! Can’t wait to read more!
I’m also loving the Arthurian legend and how Alexandra Bracken is adapting it, it’s so interesting! ?
Emrys and Tamsin will definitely fall in love, and Tamsin will definitely find a hidden power/inheritance/connection to Arthur.
The werewolf-change really threw me ?
I was not expecting that either! ?
I love stories with portal magic and I’m intrigued with how you can pretty much travel anywhere… I’d be traveling to a Castle in Scotland.
I’m trying to remember if Passenger and Wayfarer had portal magic as well as time travel. It was one of the first YA series I ever read & remains my favourite Bracken novels. I need to re read them.
I don’t think Nash is dead. I’m not sure where he is or why he didn’t come back though.
At this stage I like Emrys more than Tamsin does.
I am a wimp for pain and discomfort + very squeamish about eye stuff so I definitely would not be using the basilisk venom.
We love portal magic too! ?
I’m liking the book so far but I did have a few moments where i a little confused in the world building but I think I know what’s going on now.
I am definitely more on the sceptical side when it comes to Nash’s death but I guess we’ll see what happens.
I also don’t think that Emyrs is that bad of a guy. Like yeah his dad’s friends are weird but I don’t think he’s that bad.
I can’t even do eyedrops without squirming so the venom is a no from me.
Eyedrops are never fun! ?
I think Cabell is kind of dumb right now. Tamsin is cool because she is super motivated to help him and he’s just lame and leant want it. I am excited about Emrys and the forced proximity
I don’t think Nash is dead, because of the map in the front of the book
I think Emrys has a soft spot for Tamsin, even if he tries to seem like he doesn’t. Why else would he be with her while she’s suffering from the venom.
I would not have used the Basilisk venom to grant myself the One Vision. I read about characters who do stuff like that, and if it were me I would have given up a long time ago. Time to just be a mortal and have a boring life lol. I leave it to the characters I love to read about!
Yesss we can stay safe in our mortal lives! ???
Okey. I’m way behind but I was finally able to read the first section.
I’m liking it so far. I am a bit confused by all the creatures, terms and powers. I know we are at the beginning but I wish it had given a bit more info.
I’m not sure if Nash is dead or not but I don’t think he abandoned them volunteraly.
I guess Emrys could be okay. I’m getting vibes of Grumpy-sunshine with them and I’m here for it!
We love a bit of grumpy x sunshine! ?
Okay finally catching up with the readalong!
I love arthurian legend and as of now this does not disappoint. I enjoy the authors take on the legend and the world!
From how Tamsin described Nash he did leave from time to time for various jobs but from what i understand he always come back so for him missing for seven years that possibly means he is dead.
I like how Emry antagonize with Tamsin and he must care for her in a way as he helped her with the basilisk venom.
I would only use that venom if it was my last resort and i had to have the One Vision!
I love Alexandra Bracken’s take on Arthurian legend too! ?
I’m a little bit behind of the readalong but i’m enjoying the book so far even if the magic system is a little bit confusing. I think I’m liking Tamsin but Cabell seems dumb, like he’s slower to catch things. I don’t think Nash is dead, maybe he’s hiding or trap somewhere. I don’t fully trust Emrys but I think that at the end there’s going to be a king of relationship between him and Tamsin, like a friendship. Especially because he seems like a Grumpy-sunshine character. Honesty, I wouldn’t have used the Basilisk venom, it sounds so scary and obviously it hurts a lot.
I’d be too scared to use the Basilisk venom too! ?
Finally started the book ? but I’m enjoying it so far. I really like the pacing of the plot. I love the brother/sister dynamic and for some reason feel like I haven’t read a sibling dynamic in a book for a bit now.
I don’t think Nash is dead. I do trust
Emrys. But I also feel like he’s going to have a moment where he chooses his father’s loyalty over good but then will regret it and come out better in the end. Just a vibe I’m getting.
I wish there was more time to develop the dynamic between Tamsin and Emrys though. The book jumped into the action right away and that “bad guy” characteristic just doesn’t come through strong, so when he’s helping Tamsin at the end of chapter 7, it didn’t pack such a big punch.
So happy you’re enjoying it so far! ?
Joining my first readalong! I am like way behind.. but I really like concept of discussing the plot and reading about all the thoughts and predictions of everyone! Will definitely be joining the coming readalongs
This kind of plot with the portals and relic/treasure hunting is a frist for me and honestly it took me so long to kind of grab the story! But since the tent situation with Tamsin and Emrys and the start of the hunt I am convinced ?
Regarding Nash, I don’t think he is dead.. he is probably trapped somewhere and looking for the ring to cure Cabb. He did abandon them, but in the past he also took them in, so there must be more to it…
For Emrys, I think he can be trusted, he showed compassion for the servant in the mansion of Madrigal and he also took off his family ring… so for now I think we can trust him, although I am curious about his motives for finding the ring.. ?
If I would take the venom? I honestly don’t think so with al those possible side effects… but in her case I get it, but I wouldn’t have taken it alone in a tent with my enemy next door ?
I am curious how the story will continue~
We’re so happy to have you joining the readalong! ?