Title: Layoverland
Series: Bone Grace, #1
Author: Gabby Noone
Publication Date: January 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Add to: Goodreads / Amazon
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5 stars)

Bone ​Criers have a sacred duty. They alone can keep the dead from preying on the living. But their power to ferry the spirits of the dead into goddess Elara’s Night Heavens or Tyrus’s Underworld comes from sacrifice. The gods demand a promise of dedication. And that promise comes at the cost of the Bone Criers’ one true love.

Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love.

Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death.

Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.

Bone Crier's Moon is one of my most anticipated 2020 releases. I didn't expect myself to be excited over new Young Adult fantasy books because I'm hardly into reading fantasy nowadays. However last year, I really had a good reading year and some books were YA fantasy and it made me miss the genre so I decided to check out the books that'll be releasing this year. And this book is one of them. And it did not at all disappoint.

WHAT I LIKE / LOVE:

• The characters. This story's told from a three-person POV and I love all three of them. Even the side characters were pretty interesting. Almost everyone actually is, protagonist or antagonist. They got their own charm and wit that makes them stand out in their own way.

• The romance. Although a part of me needed more "build-up that leads to them finally getting together", I didn't mind. In the midst of what they went through and the circumstances they're in, let's just say the pace of the romance wasn't that bad. And my hearrrrtttt, I WANT TO READ MORE OF THEM TOGETHER.

• The friendships. Can we say LOYAL??? Because wow, need me some friends like them. I think between the romance and the friendship, I have to say both balanced out well. I'm a sucker for romance and as much as I looooveee reading about it in fantasy, I also needed some dose of wholesome friendships. And this one SERVED.

• The action and mystery elements. I'll be honest, I'm not too into the bone-magic-thing concept of the book but the action? The mystery? And some twists and turns? They were pretty much the reason that added spice in the story. I keep flipping the page (continuing the story) because I was curious, I had to pay my this book my undivided attention because the fight scenes were pretty detailed, and I had to reread some things again because of some revelations.

OVERALL THOUGHT:

As you can see, I'm not dropping any character names in this review because it's a three-person POV so I don't want to give anything away. Overall, I loved this. I can't wait for the next book and I don't know how many books will be in this series but I just hope it will be as fun and gripping as this one.