Book Review: Bone Dressing by Micelle I. Brooks

Title: Bone Dressing (Bone Dressing #1)

Author: Michelle I. Brooks

Publisher: Self Published

Pages: 347 paperback

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Source: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review

Time is running out … the Dark that’s been chasing Syd for many lifetimes has finally caught up with her …

Sydney Roberdeau lost her parents as a young girl. Waiting for her life to start and the freedom that will come with her eighteenth birthday, Syd spends much of her time haunting the local cemetery. It is there, stretched out among the dead, that she feels most alive, most at home. Until one rainy night when Beau, Sarah and T.J. crash her ghostly sanctuary, appearing out of nowhere, turning her already inside-out world one degree past upside down.

Syd must now revisit past lives, dressing in the bodies of her previous selves … bone dressing. Her only chance to outrun the evil breathing down her neck is to face her own worst nightmares and her strongest desires. But if she can’t stay out of trouble in this life, how can she possibly fix mistakes from past lives? And just how many lives has she lived, loved and lost? What is Syd exactly, and what will she risk for the life of a man she doesn’t remember, the man she spent a lifetime with, the man she loves? Everything … including her very own life?

Bone Dressing, the first in a series of seven books, will carry Syd and Beau on an adventure that transcends life itself. 

Wow, oh wow. While getting ready to write this review, I found myself at a complete loss of words. Let me make this very clear to those of you reading this, I am NEVER at a loss of words! That is how surprising, wonderful, funny, and romantic this book is. It took everything I thought it was going to be and flushed it down the drain. What I found instead was a book that left me stunned into silence, something as I so eloquently put, never happens!

When I first read the summary for Bone Dressing and watched the book trailer (it will be at the end of the post!), I imagined it being somewhat of a scary, freaky, mysterious story with a hint of romance in it. Don’t get me wrong, it was all of those things but those words only begin to describe this book.

I found myself laughing and connecting with our main character, Syd, from the very beginning. Her sense of humor and sarcasm, not to mention those hilarious one-liners she uses all the time, kept the story light and fun. Don’t let her snarky-girl attitude fool you though. It is all just a tough exterior to hide the hurt and pain she is feeling inside. Not only is she still mourning the loss of her parents but she also feels like a major let-down to those around her. For every step forward, she seems to take five steps back. Always getting in trouble sure makes life difficult for Syd. Syd assumes all the bad crap that is thrown her way is just a result of her being a bad person but finds a whole different truth when she meets Beau, his sister Sarah, and their big ole kitty, T.J., in a graveyard one night. It is there that Syd learns that mistakes made in past lives are affecting the one she is living now and if she doesn’t do something about it soon, very bad things will happen.

This book deals with past lives, soul mates, and karma, all things that I am not familiar with. I was a bit confused when at one moment I was laughing at something Syd said and then at the next minute Syd, now named Rachel,  is in a past life. Aside from the little bit of confusion I had towards the paranormal-ish parts of the book, I actually found it quite refreshing. It is so nice to step away from fallen angels, demons, and vampires. Instead Michelle chose to write about soul mates and the idea of karma. I loved these fresh, new ideas she wove into this story!

The romance in this story was just absolutely phenomenal. Michelle’s great sense of writing helped make the love and passion between Syd and Beau [and Rachel & Jesse (Syd’s past life romance)] just jump off the pages. I want so badly to find out what other lives’ romances were like as well as how Syd and Beau will connect in the future. This book will definitely cater to those who love a deep, romantic story.

As with any series, there is bound to be a lot of questions. Bone Dressing is no exception. We learn a little bit about Syd and what dangers are sneaking up on her but I have a feeling we are just at the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to learn! A mysterious, beautifully romantic, funny, and mesmerizing book such as Bone Dressing leaves me dying for the next installment!