‘Your Blood, My Bones’ is the second novel by US author Kelly Andrew, and cements her place as a stalwart in the YA dark fantasy/horror genre. Packed with evocative imagery, it isn’t quite as good as her debut, ‘The Whispering Dark‘, but certainly succeeds in creating an eerie atmosphere.
Wyatt Westlock is ready to finally close the door on her childhood by burning her father’s old farmhouse to the ground. However, on her final visit, she makes a shocking discovery – Peter, her childhood best friend turned enemy, strung up in chains. He tells a horrifying story – one of semi-immortality with multiple grisly ritualistic deaths, and of the need to protect the farm from ancient forces gathering in the dark. Not to mention, the only way for him to end this torment is to kill her. He can’t be trusted. And yet, he’s the only one who might know how to harness the hidden magic and darkness inside Wyatt – a magic she’s denied and pushed away all her life. Instead of closing the door on her past, Wyatt finds it coming back to haunt her – and it might have deadly consequences.
The highlight of this book is the atmosphere. Andrew nails the isolation of the dilapidated farm, the hopelessness Wyatt feels when trapped there, and the building horror with each unexpected twist and turn. Everything is dark and oppressive, and nothing is as it seems. The imagery is both haunting and powerful. In many ways, this is a haunted house story – just with a bit more wilderness.
Wyatt makes a perfectly reasonable protagonist. Having lived an odd and insular childhood, she finally escaped with her mum a few years back and set about trying to live an ordinary life – although that was somewhat thwarted by an incident she does her best not to think about. Being back in her childhood home – and with a person from her childhood who tried to kill her the last time she saw him – is a traumatising experience. She tries to push her emotions down, and oscillates between fear, fury, and a nostalgic fondness for some of the brighter moments. Wyatt isn’t emotionally intelligent, and that can make her frustrating, but it’s a realistic portrayal of an eighteen-year-old girl who’s been through a lot. Andrew succeeds in making her relatable enough whilst maintaing the eerie ‘otherness’ that permeates the entire novel.
This is a multiple perspective book, with the other primary perspective being Peter, or Pedyr – the childhood friend-turned-enemy Wyatt finds chained in the basement. Pedyr is old, and even more traumatised than Wyatt – but much of that trauma has the distance of time, making his perspective on it twisted and confused. Wyatt, at this point, is both Pedyr’s entire reason for existence and the only thing keeping him from finding peace. His feelings for her are both complex and not, and the inevitable romantic arc is clearly foreshadowed. Both perspectives add equal value to the story.
Ultimately, however, the characters and romance are where this novel is weaker than ‘The Whispering Dark’. There’s a lot of history between Pedyr and Wyatt – history which is covered in flashbacks – but their relationship feels more told than organically developing on page, the emotions not quite there. The focus on prose and atmosphere means the substance takes a hit. That being said, those who need less character connection and concrete answers in their novels will find plenty to love here.
It isn’t necessary to read ‘The Whispering Dark’ before this book, but there are tie-ins for readers of that story to enjoy. It will be interesting to see if Andrew’s continues to create all her novels in the same wider universe.
The ending will likely be divisive, with plenty of loose ends, and it certainly isn’t a happy ever after. However, it fits the rest of the book, and it makes a nice change to read a novel where the author doesn’t feel pressured to try and tie everything up in a nice little bow.
Overall, ‘Your Blood, My Bones’ is a solid and creative novel that shows Andrew’s versatility within the YA horror-fantasy genre. It isn’t perfect, but fans of her previous book or atmospheric dark fantasy ought to find it a satisfying read.
Published by Gollancz
Hardback: 2nd April 2024
Paperback: 30th January 2025
