Get Ready for Spooky Season – Necromancy and Bone Magic Books

If you know me and my reading tastes, you know that I will read any and all books that involve necromancy or bone magic. Fall is slowly creeping up on us – very slowly, in my case (desert life…). And obviously necromancy and bone magic are both pretty spooky! So I decided to compile a short list of books that involve one or the other! I bet you can guess one or two of the ones I’m going to include haha. Read on to see if you guessed correctly!

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Books I’ve Read

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The first book I talk about has got to be the necromancer that started it all for me – Sabriel. I’ve definitely talked about her before on here haha. So I’m sure some of you guessed this would be one that I would include. In this book, Sabriel uses necromancy to put the dead back to rest. This is contrary to the typical raise the dead necromancy, which is what her enemies do/use. I think this is what probably kick started my love for necromancy, since I started out by seeing it as a good and cool thing.

Next up is my other favorite necromancy book! Yes, you guessed it! It’s Gideon the Ninth. Ri actually just recently reviewed this one! You can read her review here. How do I talk about my love for Gideon? It is eternal. Undying. The tagline that the publisher used to describe it is “lesbian necromancers in space.” The first book is kind of a locked room murder mystery. It’s sci-fi, it’s fantasy, it’s sassy, it’s gay, what more do you need?? Seriously though. Read it if you haven’t yet.

Okay maybe Ri is just reading all of the books on my list here?? Hahaha. Because she *also* recently read The Bone Shard Daughter (and reviewed it here). Contrary to the first two, this one deals with bone magic rather than necromancy. The magic system involves taking bone shards (unwillingly) from others. They are then used to make bone constructs. It’s creepy but also awesome.

The Bone Maker is honestly so underrated, and a sleeper favorite of mine. I’d read another series by this author and loved it, so I was super excited when I heard about this one. It’s a standalone that follows four heroes – but AFTER they’ve already defeated the big bad. Or did they??? The magic system also involves using bones, like in The Bone Shard Daughter. However, using human bones is illegal – but necessary for human resurrection. And of course, one of the main characters intends to do exactly that. I loved it so so much. Such an interesting take seeing how the major battles we normally see changes people in different ways. If you want to read my review of it, you can find it here!

Another underrated read (and also a standalone like the previous one) is The Bone Houses. This one differs from the previous books in that the main characters don’t actually use the magic themselves. But there are risen corpses called “bone houses” that are attacking the village of the main character. It’s definitely the right level of spooky for me (read: not too spooky), and has the perfect autumn vibe. Also there is a cool af goat in this book!!

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On My TBR

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Since both of these are on my TBR, I’ll just leave you all with the synopsis of each one! That way you can also add them to your own TBRs hahaha.

The Bone Witch

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox, from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha—one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

The Bone Orchard

“Charm is a witch, and she is alone. The last of a line of conquered necromantic workers, now confined within the yard of regrown bone trees at Orchard House, and the secrets of their marrow.

Charm is a prisoner, and a survivor. Charm tends the trees and their clattering fruit for the sake of her children, painstakingly grown and regrown with its fruit: Shame, Justice, Desire, Pride, and Pain.

Charm is a whore, and a madam. The wealthy and powerful of Borenguard come to her house to buy time with the girls who aren’t real.

Except on Tuesdays, which is when the Emperor himself lays claim to his mistress, Charm herself.

But now—Charm is also the only person who can keep an empire together, as the Emperor summons her to his deathbed, and charges her with choosing which of his awful, faithless sons will carry on the empire—by discovering which one is responsible for his own murder.

If she does this last thing, she will finally have what has been denied her since the fall of Inshil—her freedom. But she will also be betraying the ghosts past and present that live on within her heart.

Charm must choose. Her dead Emperor’s will or the whispers of her own ghosts. Justice for the empire or her own revenge.

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What books would you add to this list? I need more!!!