Early Review – The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Length: 388 pages
Publisher:‎ Tor Books
Release Date: September 1, 2022
ASIN: B0BBC6D5NC
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley for Review from NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars

“In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his only 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 ten-year-old 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.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this on eGalley from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this. It is a weird sort of sci-fi story with themes around building a family for yourself.

Nate inherits the family cabin after his parents’ death and goes there to rebuild his life after loosing his job as a journalist. When he gets there, he finds Alex and Artemis hiding out in his cabin. Artemis is special and Nate will have to decide if he is going to help them hide or turn them in.

I enjoyed all the characters in here. There is a bit of a romance that ends up going on as well. I am not going to say a lot more about either the characters or what makes Artemis special because of spoilers.

This is well written and has some cozy elements, as well as a lot of action, and some alien government conspiracy themes going on. It was a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed it.

If I have one complaint about this, it’s that the end felt a bit clunky. Yes, it was a nice ending but with all the time gaps it felt unwieldy.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I am glad I read this. It is a cozy sci-fi sort of story that fits well with the other books Klune as released. This book is aimed at adults and deals a lot with finding a family for yourself, which is a theme many of his books tackle. If you are intrigued by a different sort of sci-fi read like that, I would recommend it.