Cliste Bella: Book Review | The Rattled Bones by S.M. Parker

Unearthing years of buried secrets, Rilla Brae is haunted by ghostly visions tied to the tainted history of a mysterious island in this haunting novel from the author of The Girl Who Fell.

Maine-bred, independent Rilla Brae is no stranger to the deep. She knows the rhythms of hard work and harder seas. But when she experiences the sudden death of her father, the veil between the living and the dead blurs and she begins to be haunted by a girl on a nearby, uninhabited island. The girl floats a song over the waves, and it is as beautiful as it is terrifying. Familiar and distant.

Then Rilla meets Sam, a University of Southern Maine archeology student tasked with excavating the very island where the ghostly girl has appeared. Sam sifts the earth looking for the cultural remains of an island people who were forcibly evicted by the state nearly a hundred years ago. Sam tells Rilla the island has a history no locals talk about—if they know about it at all—due to the shame the events brought to the working waterfront community. All Rilla knows for sure is that the island has always been there—an eerie presence anchored in the stormy sea. Now Sam’s work and the ghostly girl’s song lure Rilla to the island’s shores.

As Rilla helps Sam to unearth the island’s many secrets, Rilla’s visions grow—until the two discover a tragedy kept silent for years. And it’s a tragedy that has everything to do with Rilla’s past.

______________________________________________

This is the book I got from Pagehabit when I became Pagey Master in August (you can read more about that here and here). I love reading in the Young Adult category even if I am no longer a young adult, and this specific book is in the Paranormal and Mystery genre. I wouldn't say it was a too creepy read, but it had it's moments. I also liked the annotations of the author inside the book, it felt like the author personally gave the book to me and those are her special notes to me. Thanks Pagehabit for giving me the chance to enjoy this book box.

The story in itself is very simple - we have Rilla Brae who is from a coastal town in Maine. She dreams of going off to college but at the beginning of the book we find out that her dad died recently and she's going through a phase where she is questioning whether she still wants to go or just continue with their family business. Rilla's mother isn't in the picture because she had to go away for her mental health. On one of Rilla's fishing trips she sees a girl on the island near her home that starts her on the path of finding herself after the grief of losing her father. On her journey she has realizations about love, friendship, family, and her roots.

It's been a while since I had an actual physical book to read and I'm glad it was this book. I loved turning the pages and reading more about the life of Rilla. The story was woven expertly and the character development was evident and gradual. I also liked the fact that the teen love story was not over the top and it also didn't follow the common love triangle trope. Rilla found herself breaking away from a relationship instead and it made her better. One of the best things in this book are the descriptions - of Rilla's home, their lobster boat the Rilla Brae, and the island of Malaga. To top all that it's a ghost story, I am a sucker for ghost stories (can you say Creepy Pasta? Haha).

Highly, highly recommended. It's chilling and beautiful. Read it please. Add it to your TBR now.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐