Summary
Title: More Than Bones
Author: Craig David Singer
Pages: 358
Genre: Fiction, Magical Realism
Publisher: Twin Rabbit Books
Pub Date: January 8, 2019
Dr. Emily Norton is a recent med school grad starting her surgical residency at a renowned hospital in Baltimore. She’s dedicated her life to science and reason–so when she receives a supposedly magical amulet from an eccentric neighbor, she ignores the old man’s warning.
Almost immediately, Emily’s well-planned world begins to unravel. At first, the problems are minor, like finding herself in trouble with the hospital administration on her first day at work. But soon Emily is dealing with much bigger issues, from losing her job and fiancé to being framed for a patient’s suicide.
As Emily struggles to comprehend the amulet’s strange effects, she also faces a dilemma about coincidence and fate: none of these disasters could have been caused by a mere amulet, right? Because everyone knows: there’s no such thing as magic.
Desperate and confused, Emily will need to use every bit of her reason, love and faith to confront and conquer the cursed amulet–even if it means forsaking everything she’s ever believed.
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Continue reading to see my review of More Than Bones
Review:
From the very first page, More Than Bones struck me as something that was entirely different from what I am used to reading. I don’t tend to read magical realism, and I could probably count on one hand the number of books I’ve read that revolve around doctors/medicine. That being said, I love doctor tv shows, and I was excited to dive into this book and see what journey the author had in store for me.
Emily Norton is not a believer. Ever since her mother died of cancer, she lacks faith in anything that cannot be proven by science, much to the dismay of her religious father. Yet for someone who doesn’t believe in what she can’t see, Emily sure is surrounded by a lot of fantastical things that lack explanation. Shortly after moving, her new neighbor gifts Emily an amulet that will bestow greatness upon the wearer, or doom them to bad luck should they scorn the amulet. Naturally, Emily thinks her neighbor to be crazy, and refuses to wear the amulet. Bad things start happening in Emily’s life, but she chalks this up to coincidence.
I loved the characters in this book. There is such a variety of personalities amongst the characters, and even minor characters are well developed and add a lot to the storyline. I loved meeting every character, because I never knew just how they would play a part in Emily’s story.
One of my least favorite things about More Than Bones was Emily’s constant flip-flopping when it came to believing in the amulet. One minute she think’s it’s absolute rubbish, and the next she believes that the amulet has solved all of her problems, only to then change back again, for no apparent reason. Given how much Emily clearly doesn’t believe in religion and other things that cannot be proven, it makes little sense for her character to have these constant changes in feelings.
Overall, I enjoyed More Than Bones and the twists in the plot that I didn’t expect. At times I found that the story was a bit slow, but it was a fun read, full of intrigue and mystery. I give it 3/5 stars.
