Ivory And Bone by Julie Eshbaugh | Audiobook Review

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

“Exquisitely written, ferocious, and haunting. Don’t miss this one!” —Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series

“Julie Eshbaugh is a unique new voice with talent enough for a whole team of writers. I’m still under the spell of her storytelling.”—Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and These Broken Stars

Loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice, Ivory and Bone is an enthralling tale of high-stakes survival, blinding betrayal, and star-crossed love.

Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. What Kol doesn’t know is that underneath Mya’s cool disdain is a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.

As Kol grows closer to Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along.

With riveting action and illustrative prose that leaps from the page, Julie Eshbaugh will have readers mesmerized and thirsty for more…So don’t miss the sequel, Obsidian and Stars.

Why Did I Listen To Ivory And Bone by Julie Eshbaugh?

Ivory And Bone by Julie Eshbaugh basically hit my radar because of the cover. It’s really eye catching and I like how well the color palette meshes. Also, the setting, the prehistoric era, is one that I do not often read about. I decided to dive into the audiobook as a means of FINALLY reading this book and also clearing it off my shelf at the exact same time. While the book didn’t hit all my expectations, it was a pretty quick listen.

What’s The Story Here?

Ivory And Bone is a story about this guy named Kol who lives with his clan, which are basically his brothers for the most part. Life is alright, only, there’s no women to marry so that’s going to be an issue. However, Kol’s clan comes into contact with Mya’s clan which comes to visit. Unfortunately, Kol and Mya do not immediately hit it off. Kol makes this awful mistake which causes Mya to kind of hate him. THEN! Another clan comes into the picture – Lo’s clan! And Kol has to sort out which clan to trust. Meanwhile, the story is essentially being told in second person, Kol to Mya and we as readers get to see sort of their origin story.

How Did I Like Ivory And Bone?

Overall, Julie Eshbaugh’s debut is okay. I do not entirely foresee myself seeking out the sequel to read. I thought it was an okay way to pass time. The setting was interesting and enjoyable. I liked that a gay character was included – sometimes I think we forget that gay people have been here all along. The development of the relationship between Kol and Mya was well done – especially how Mya moves from mistrusting and kind of hating Kol to otherwise. Also, the betrayal scene is pretty climatic. However, I was a little bit put off by the second person narrating. It sort of drew me out of the story.

How’s The Narration?

The narrator for Ivory And Bone is Michael Curran-Dorsano. He also narrated the audiobook of Challenger Deep. I think he is a decent narrator, and for sure he’s done some Harper books which is nice and all. I just had a really hard time paying attention and keeping interested. Something about his voice causes me to space out a little bit. I think the narration of this book is for me, one of those different strokes for different folks sort of situations. Some will be into his narration, others like me, will space in and out.

Other reviews of Ivory And Bone by Julie Eshbaugh:c

• Readers In Wonderland – “the narrative, while ambitious, fell short of what it could have been“
• Feed Your Fiction Addiction – “a good read, if not a great one“
• Oh, The Books! – “This book is a beauty!“

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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