The Hanging Bones

Gr 9 Up–In this suspenseful tale of reversals between predator and prey, Katrin, a young asexual gamekeeper, makes a blood vow to murder Baron Wagner, who has hired her to hunt a magical stag. Alongside her secret goal of killing the baron, Katrin is also trying to solve a case of mysterious animal dismemberments that signal the awakening of a voracious spirit. The strength of Tesch’s fantastic imagination lies in its commitment to animism. As in her debut, What Wakes the Bells, wherein a city came to life, here the forest of Weilinde has its own pulse. The host of supernatural creepy-crawlies are ­delightfully eerie. Amid the ­supernatural and ­adolescent ­drama, ­Katrin’s human antagonists are less interesting. All nobles are characterized as flat, vapid, and cruel. Katrin’s stated foe, young Baron Wagner, is a rote lecher who barely notices when his friend and heir is murdered. Class is presented as absolute, but Baron Wagner has the surname of a tradesman (a wagon-maker). Ultimately, the fantastical elements are more compelling than the cookie-cutter treatment of the political ones. Tesch carefully describes each character’s skin tone—Katrin is pale and her best friend and cousin have light brown skin and an interracial family. There is strong language for sensitive readers.