Hills of Heather and Bone book review

While well-written, Hills of Heather and Bone is a fairly standard on a conceptual level with its magic system and core plot revolving around necromancy and magical persecution. There’s some neat bits of creativity where the bones house the memories of the dead, and the necromancers must record or honor those memories in exchange for using their magic, and in how the world houses the very real remnants of gods and titans from some ancient war, but these are relatively small parts of the book.
Hills of Heather and Bone’s strength lies in its two main characters: Morana and Percy are both deeply likable and easy to invest in, with a loving and deeply supportive marriage. While both are competent, neither are your typical fantasy action hero, which helps shape a story about survival more than action, and makes the persecution and trials they experience both more human and all the more exhausting and personal. They struggle and suffer and hope to find someplace safe to call home, all while fighting despair and fear that such a place might not exist. It is a strong narrative, lightened by their relationship, appropriate bits of comedy, and enough breaks to avoid exhausting the reader.
As the story progresses, the pressure and dangers graduate at a good pace up until the story veers more towards an action climax. The climax is by no means poorly written or conceived, simply fairly standard and forgone.