Ivory and Bone

This main plot is about Kol from the Manu clan and his focus on one woman, Mya. If there are any allusions going on it is with the movie 10,000 B.C. The story is told in first person from the perspective of Kol. Roughly for the first three quarters of the book the story is told in a narration from his perspective of his meeting her and following events that led them to where he starts to tell the story. Oral tradition is how history was passed from generation to generation in the past and this narration is reminiscent of that. The romantic in me absolutely loves this because he is so detailed in his thoughts, feelings, and honesty. He holds nothing back and I love how the author was able to keep the narration so well and from his perspective. Truly well written and not just his narration but she does an excellent job of the world construction for pre-historic times but unfortunately for me I kept envisioning 10,000 B.C.Kol’s deepest desire is for Mya to see him, to want him, to trust him, to be his. Mya is from the Olen clan and there is a bad history between these two clans that almost led to a war five years ago. Kol is unaware of exactly what the catalyst was that led to the tensions between clans but his fascination with Mya is the spark that starts his mind pondering. That spark has opened his awareness to why Mya and her clan are not so open to the idea of the clans aligning and later on explains the poor treatment of his clan.Seems that clan Olen also have a few skeletons in their closet. Unbeknownst to either clan Manu or Olen there is a third clan, the Bosha, in the background who have a nefarious interest in the extinction of the Olen elder, Chev, and his family. Through deception this third clan is almost able to bring their plan to fruition but things do not go as planned thanks to the bravery of Kol.For most of the book, I found the whole character of Mya to be a turn off. I wanted Kol to just move on and seek greener pastures. Had I been his friend I would have definitely been trying to push him to be sensible because the girl has issues. In the last quarter of this book my feelings for her started to thaw because as things came to light I began to understand the “why” to her behaviors.Kol, now there is a guy after my heart even if he is a bit naive. Yes, naive because he is fixated on a girl that is not worthy of him or seemingly interested in him. I found his character to be well rounded and well developed. The imagery that I see when I think back about his narration in the re-telling of his perspective of Mya just makes me love this character.I felt that the ideas were developed, the sub plots were tied together nicely and that the writing style was original, although there are some issues with the modern voice in a pre-historic setting. The story was pretty slow until the end where the climax was quite tumultuous. Also, I am not against “insta-love” if it is believable to me. Kol was inexperienced with females and given how the story was told he was fascinated by Mya but is that due to lack of previous options or experience? It just came across as “puppy love” to me and was hard for me to take seriously. If he had previously had female options and took no interest and then he met Mya and wowwzza then I would have been able to take his fascination seriously.The biggest turn off for me was the first person voice. Everything is from Kol’s perspective and I get nothing from Mya’s. There is no sidekick to add to the discussion and bring some deepening of the characters. So I just have his thoughts and feelings on everything but I felt that they were the thoughts and feelings of a pre-pubescent boy. Any seventeen-year-old boy would have some inner thoughts that were not pure and rational. I would have liked to known Mya’s side of things. Her inner thoughts, how she felt about Kol, her struggles and desires.There was so much good with this story but there were just some issues that I could not get past to fangirl about this book. It is a great debut novel from an obviously talented writer and I am hoping for more in the next book.

I had read the first chapter of this book and knew I needed to read this. It is a much different type of book than I normally read. I was hooked from the beginning and read this book in 1 day. It was a fast paced roller-coaster ride. I loved that the story was told as Kol was telling a story to Mya about when they met and all that had happened.This story takes place a long time ago when mammoths roamed the earth and life was much simpler. Tribes were responsible for collecting, harvesting, hunting, and procreating to protect their line. Kol’s tribe has no girls in it anymore so they are in danger of dying out. Mya, her sister, and some of their tribe come to visit in hopes of creating a union between the two but things go wrong. Mya is standoffish and seems to be cold and indifferent to Kol. Kol isn’t quite sure what to think of her. He can’t stop thinking about her but she is so odd that he can’t heads or tails of what to do. So much is riding on a union that he stresses over their interactions.I loved the twists and turns this book took and the action and adventure. Even though times were simpler then, they were definitely not easy. This book made me think about all the obstacles and complexities that man faced to continue living in such a harsh environment. They had no medical help, no real tools, no real protection from the elements. Yet, they managed to persevere and thrive. It’s amazing what one can accomplish if you are determined.

I'm a sucker for anything based on Pride & Prejudice, add-in gender flipping and I'm hooked. This book has both, plus the writing is crisp and clear with characters you can't wait to get back to and harrowing life or death situations. I started this book, was loving it, then accidentally forgot to shove it in my carry-on bag on the way out of town for a 3 week trip. I was SO MAD at myself that I sulked for half the plane ride. I don't know if I was more happy to finally be home, or to get back to this book after an unintended absence. Highly recommend.

I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book. As a teacher of reluctant teenage readers, I especially appreciate a story set in a time period that my students wouldn't be too familiar with, yet whose characters face issues that are very familiar. Today's physical dangers may be different - we don't have to worry about wild animals around the corner - but the idea of friendly vs hostile clan is relevant, and in today's world provides its own perils. Of course individual issues such as finding our place and falling in love are timeless. Good read!

Really enjoyed this. Particularly liked the young couple at the heart of the story. Believable prehistoric setting. Sometimes, the explaining of what went wrong between clans felt a bit laborious. I think the main villain could've been more full developed as a character.But excellent writing overall and I look forward to more by Julie Eshbaugh.

i can say I've never really read a caveman/ ice age book before and I have to say I really enjoyed it! I loved level-headed Kol and his family, I was entertained and fascinated by the details of their lives and what it took to survive and live in that time. I was frustrated in Mya but somehow still rooting for her and I was thoroughly swept up in the story.

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