Blog Tour Review - The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

 Blog Tour Review - The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction.

The cabin should be empty.

It's not.

Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader.

Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible.

Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

The Bones Beneath My Skin is a very hard book to talk about without spoilers. A very big part of it is the mystery element of it all, and it's only about halfway through the story that we really begin to understand what this is a book about. That mystery element is incredibly well done though. It is confusing, for sure, and very weird, but intriguing and completely compelling! I had no idea what was going on for a substantial part of the story, and just had to keep reading because I was loving it.

There are elements in here that feel a bit like Twin Peaks. The mountains and the forest setting, the weirdness and the sense of threat, of menace and danger, but with a core of love and kindness to it. The familial drama at the heart of the weirdness. There are also elements that feel like The X Files, especially as it becomes clear that there's something very weird going on!

It's a book filled with emotion and musings, but it's also incredibly action packed! There are chase scenes and shoot outs and the action is all wonderfully described. It's fast, furious and exciting as the bullets start flying. This is tempered beautifully by the quieter scenes, especially the ones where you can feel the underlying menace, feel that something is wrong but can't quite figure out just what it is. That slow building suspense is just as well depicted and thrilling as the action sequences.

At it's core, though, The Bones Beneath My Skin is a story about love. There's queer romance in here, sensitively and beautifully done, but it's about so much more than that. It's about a lot of different forms of love, and how overwhelming and powerful it can be. It's about grief, and how we cope with it. It's about heartbreak, and it moved me to tears by the end. It's a powerful, emotional story about just what it means to be human.

There's also a brilliant little reference tucked away to some of TJ Klune's other stories.

The Bones Beneath My Skin is powerful, moving and exciting. The mystery unfolds beautifully and is well worth the early bafflement.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune is published by Tor Publishing and is out now.

I was given a review copy in return for an honest review and participation in this Black Crow PR Blog Tour.

Please check out the rest of the tour!