Christopher Rice | BONE MUSIC

Plot (via Goodreads):

Charlotte Rowe spent the first seven years of her life in the hands of the only parents she knew—a pair of serial killers who murdered her mother and tried to shape Charlotte in their own twisted image. If only the nightmare had ended when she was rescued. Instead, her real father exploited her tabloid-ready story for fame and profit—until Charlotte finally broke free from her ghoulish past and fled. Just when she thinks she has buried her personal hell forever, Charlotte is swept into a frightening new ordeal. Secretly dosed with an experimental drug, she’s endowed with a shocking new power—but pursued by a treacherous corporation desperate to control her.

Except from now on, if anybody is going to control Charlotte, it’s going to be Charlotte herself. She’s determined to use the extraordinary ability she now possesses to fight the kind of evil that shattered her life—by drawing a serial killer out from the shadows to face the righteous fury of a victim turned avenger.

Review:

Growing up, I was always a fan of reading. Always. A book or two here or there, sometimes more in the summer, sometimes more in the winter. But, I always read. Then came a moment in my freshman year of high school where I stumbled upon A DENSITY OF SOULS by Christopher Rice. Mind you, I do not remember how I found this novel, where I bought it, or how I had even heard of it. What I do remember vividly is every moment after I opened the novel. I remember bringing it with me everywhere, sneaking in pages at the most random times. I remember reading it in the car on my way to dinner with my parents, allowing it to envelop me during my study halls, staying up too late on a school night to finish it. I remember those moments and every other moment that I got my hands on a new Christopher Rice book. BONE MUSIC is another one of those stories.

The plot to this one is seemingly normal starting off. I initially planned on reading the prologue and maybe chapter one when I first began this novel and found myself weary and falling asleep way later than I had planned to at easily 100 pages in. This plot is intricate, timeless, and a tour de force that grabs you from page one and is relentless with its grip until the last chilling sentence. What I love about Christopher Rice's writing (i.e. everything) is that he not only does a fantastic job of weaving together many mini-storylines with the main focus of the plot, but does so in a way that allows the reader to get to know every character in detail as you journey through this emotional, harrowing, and extremely suspenseful ride. This is present in mostly of all of his novels (that require it) and this one is no exception to his immensely addictive writing. But, this one kicks it up a notch by combining a thriller with science fiction and dare I say, a bit of the supernatural. Rice allows the reader to become fully invested in this novel before introducing other genres in a way that not only eases you into what is about to come, but has enough shock value to become more addicted and really question what could happen next. 

The characters in this one are not only exceptionally brilliant in only the way that Christopher Rice can write them, but radiate off the pages effortlessly. Charlotte Rowe is easily my new favorite heroine. I absolutely loved her and the way she was written. She is strong, intelligent, and determined - but also has a vulnerability that seeps out of the pages occasionally making it impossible not to love her. Whether a villain or a hero, each character in this novel is so complex and crucial to the story, it's hard to not even love the ones you're supposed to hate. Even two characters only mentioned in a backstory are worthy of their own spinoff novels. I could not get enough of the characterization in this novel and how well they carried this storyline. I can imagine the planning it took to not only execute this plot, but to weigh in the desire for these shining stars makes this read even more enjoyable. 

While I'm not a fan of science fiction or the supernatural, I am a fan of Christopher Rice. I always have been and I always will be. After reading this novel, I was completely immersed in this story and even found myself getting used to the elements that I had to step out of my comfort zone to enjoy and I don't regret it one bit. This novel is chilling, exciting, and peppered with emotion. Knowing that this is part of a series is enjoyment enough. I cannot wait for the next Burning Girl book. This is proof enough that Christopher Rice can write anything and it will always be a masterpiece. 

*Special thanks to Amazon Publishing and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with this read in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5