Thank you Libro.fm / Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Bone Queen in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: February 3, 2026
Summary:
A chilling horror-thriller debut where a mother’s search for her missing daughter battles against the shadows of a historic, dangerous legend.
Single mother Jenna arrives on the tranquil shores of Athelsea fueled by the desperate hope to find Chloe, her teenage daughter who’s disappeared from their London home. She has no idea why–all she knows is that Chloe had changed in the previous two weeks, haunted by something, or someone, and the ferry ticket here is the only clue she has.
As she explores the village and interacts with the locals, Jenna soon realizes a macabre secret is being hidden in plain sight. A dark legend of a vengeful woman called the Bone Queen is spoken of in hushed tones amongst the villagers, some of whom are frantically trying to suppress the tale that has long terrorized their lives.
As Jenna starts to learn more about the Bone Queen and her previous victims, the village’s grip on reality begins to loosen and no one can say for sure who, or what, is responsible for the deaths and disappearances on Athelsea. Suffering from what she can no longer distinguish between paranoid hallucinations or real manifestations, Jenna must act quickly before Chloe is next…
The Bone Queen has left her mark, and one day she’ll collect.
My thoughts:
I am still relatively new to the horror genre, but when I see a debut that is marketed as a “chilling horror thriller” I’m immediately intrigued and I was definitely not disappointed with this one. It checked all the boxes for me and then some and I for sure will be keeping an eye out for what this author writes next!
I loved how creepy this book was – but not so creepy that I wanted to put it down. Blending urban legend with an unreliable narrator had me hooked right from the start. Jenna’s desperation to find Chloe was so palpable that I needed to follow along with her. This is the type of story that I love because it really keeps you guessing a multitude of things – not only about what is going to happen next, but also about what is really going on with the characters. Is what Jenna is seeing real or is she hallucinating? Is it her grief that is causing all this or is there some supernatural being there with her?
The sense of place was strong here, that isolated, claustrophobic island that was just chock-full of secrets. It gives off such a sinister and atmospheric vibe that totally works for this story and just seeps into your bones. Add to that the folklore of the Bone Queen and you have one heck of a chilling story!
Audio thoughts:
This was amazing on audio, narrated by Tasmin Kennard. She was able to fully capture the grief and fear that was necessary for this audiobook.
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