From the Publisher
Stark poetry. Eshbaugh has clearly done her research.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Eshbaugh is good at building tension. Readers looking for a fresh setting will appreciate this survival story, which also incorporates romance and weaponry.” — Booklist Online
“The characters are compellingly formed and the setting is beautifully detailed. A strong choice.” — School Library Journal
“Julie Eshbaugh is a unique new voice with talent enough for a whole team of writers. Ivory and Bone transported me to a richly crafted world of life-and-death stakes, and I’m still under the spell of her storytelling.” — Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and These Broken Stars (on Ivory and Bone)
“Exquisitely written, ferocious, and haunting—what a breath of fresh air! Ivory and Bone is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Don’t miss this one!” — Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (on Ivory and Bone)
“Debut author Eshbaugh portrays Neolithic culture with grace and authenticity. This is an involving story solidly told, doing credit to its inspiration and sources.” — Kirkus Reviews (on Ivory and Bone)
“Eshbaugh debuts with an exciting and unusual adventure with emphasis on the power of storytelling.” — Publishers Weekly (on Ivory and Bone)
“Eshbaugh creates a spare yet memorable account of the interpersonal and interclan politics. There is much to value here.” — ALA Booklist (on Ivory and Bone)
“Eshbaugh packs her debut with a classic love triangle, feuding clans, a well-drawn prehistoric setting, and a handful of fan fiction elements that will appeal to teens. Compellingly out of the ordinary.” — School Library Journal (on Ivory and Bone)
“The Ice Age setting is richly described, and the sometimes desperate struggle for food and survival is palpable. Highly recommended; readers will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (on Ivory and Bone)
“There is clear authenticity in the descriptions, and they evoke the desperation, loyalty, and determination that a small group like this would have likely felt.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (on Ivory and Bone)
“Hands down the most unique debut YA novel of the year.” — PasteMagazine.com (on Ivory and Bone)
ALA Booklist (on Ivory and Bone)
Eshbaugh creates a spare yet memorable account of the interpersonal and interclan politics. There is much to value here.
Sarah J. Maas
Exquisitely written, ferocious, and haunting—what a breath of fresh air! Ivory and Bone is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Don’t miss this one!
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (on Ivory and Bone)
The Ice Age setting is richly described, and the sometimes desperate struggle for food and survival is palpable. Highly recommended; readers will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.
Booklist Online
Eshbaugh is good at building tension. Readers looking for a fresh setting will appreciate this survival story, which also incorporates romance and weaponry.
Amie Kaufman
Julie Eshbaugh is a unique new voice with talent enough for a whole team of writers. Ivory and Bone transported me to a richly crafted world of life-and-death stakes, and I’m still under the spell of her storytelling.
PasteMagazine.com (on Ivory and Bone)
Hands down the most unique debut YA novel of the year.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (on Ivory and Bone)
There is clear authenticity in the descriptions, and they evoke the desperation, loyalty, and determination that a small group like this would have likely felt.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (on Ivory and Bone)
There is clear authenticity in the descriptions, and they evoke the desperation, loyalty, and determination that a small group like this would have likely felt.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books(on Ivory and Bone)
There is clear authenticity in the descriptions, and they evoke the desperation, loyalty, and determination that a small group like this would have likely felt.
School Library Journal
05/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—This follow-up to Ivory and Bone begins with Mya's visit to Kol's clan to establish her betrothal to him. Upon arriving at the clan's camp, Mya is disappointed that Kol is out hunting. After spending the day waiting, everyone realizes that something is wrong and that Kol and his family are in trouble. Mya and her family head out and find Kol and the others trapped by mammoths in a cavern. After a tense stand-off, almost everyone in Kol's hunting group survives. Sadly, Kol's father is killed, which now makes Kol head of his clan. The night before Kol's father is buried, Kol and Mya's betrothal is established, and Chiv, Mya's brother and the High Elder of her clan, announces that Mya's youngest sister, Lees, will be betrothed to his friend, Morsk, rather than to the boy she loves. Mya and Lees decide to send a strong message to Chiv by running away. This sets off a series of events that will change the lives of both clans. The previous volume was told from Kol's perspective, and this installment switches to Mya's point of view. While the plot often stretches the limits of possibility for prehistoric times, the characters are compellingly formed and the setting is beautifully detailed. Mya embodies all the best traits of a leader, and Kol is not threatened by her abilities. Readers will want to see how Mya and Kol forge a new beginning in the next novel. VERDICT A strong choice where Eshbaugh's debut is popular.—Nicole Detter-Smith, Homestead High School, IN
Kirkus Reviews
2017-03-06
The sequel to prehistoric Pride and Prejudice retelling Ivory and Bone (2016) feels more akin to George R.R. Martin than Jane Austen.Despite her tight emotional reserve, Mya is more than willing to leave her own clan to be with Kol, yet in order to protect her sister from an unwanted betrothal, both young women flee to a distant island. But romantic woes are soon overshadowed by tragedy and violence, as two different clans with vindictive agendas target Mya, Kol, and everyone they love. With each tribe's survival at stake, both Mya and Kol must choose whether their responsibility is to their people—or their future together. After animal attacks, earthquakes, drowning, illness, betrayal, warfare, and murder, the deaths and near escapes number in the dozens, yet Mya's restrained first-person present-tense narration remains oddly detached. Occasionally her musings on nature or the (female) Divine approach a stark poetry; more often her meticulous reportage becomes numbing. Eshbaugh has clearly done her research, and the characters and their culture feel convincing and distinct from any modern peoples, although some elements seem scientifically implausible. Mya herself is strong, capable, and of immense integrity; her personal arc, from tentative wariness to a trusting openness to love, is compelling. Despite its historical-romance package, the emphasis on complicated intertribal politics and the proper manufacture of atlatl darts might appeal more to those interested in anthropology or wilderness survival. (Historical fiction. 12-18)
