The Bones Beneath My Skin

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 1,806 ratings

Price: 17.71

Last update: 12-16-2024


About this item

A spine-tingling standalone novel by bestselling author TJ Klune—a supernatural road-trip thriller featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely protectors on the run from cultists and the government.

There's nothing more human than a broken heart.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his only brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington, DC.

With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon, to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It's not.

Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Carol
    5.0 out of 5 stars A most wonderful book with so much heart
    Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2018
    I love this book SO much. The Bones Beneath My Skin is such a lovely story that is filled with the unexpected and SO MUCH HEART. This book does work as a standalone, but there are some nice Easter eggs for fans of the author's books early on in this story. And when I say "nice," I mean both completely heart-wrenching as it pertains to one book in particular, and very interesting when it comes to others. I guess TJ Klune's contemporaries all exist in the same universe, so I really like spotting the Easter eggs. I didn't know who the main character was as a person, but you can bet by page two I was already crying because an unexpected character shows up in the story. 

    This book takes place in 1995, in Roseland, Oregon. Quite frankly, I don't really know much about the early 90s since I was still a baby, but it seems like a very weird time in history where anything could happen. In the case of this book, Nate Cartwright was feeling a little burned out from his DC job and when he found out his dad passed away and left him two things, a truck and their family cabin in Oregon, he packed his bags and made the drive west.

    When he discovers people living in his cabin, he doesn't really know what to do. He wanted to go to the cabin as a place to rest and reflect in solitude as to what he wants to do with his life, and finding a man and a little girl in the cabin is literally the last thing he could ever have expected to happen.

    And this man and the little girl will forever change his life.

    This book starts off a little slow as the story unfolds. Because what seems quite ordinary and mundane slowly starts to unravel and reveal itself in unexpected ways. Who is this man called Alex and why does the little girl call herself Artemis Darth Vader? I wouldn't really say I was shocked by the reveal, because it kind of reminds me of another book (which I won't mention here because it would be a huge spoiler and I don't think the author would appreciate me comparing his book to this one another book even though it is kind of similar in this one way lol). But, everything before and after is so fresh and exciting, that the book kept me on my toes trying to figure out what the end-game was.

    This book is surprisingly action-packed, but also has a way of hitting you right in the feels out of NOWHERE. I think Nate's relationship with his brother is so heart-breaking to me, but like many of TJ's books, he's more about found family than the one you're born into and that's evident here.

    I don't even know how to tell you guys how much I LOVE Art. The author has a way of writing the loveliest children characters, and even if you don't really like children, I feel like you will always wind up loving the kids in his books. Tyson in the Bear, Otter, and the Kid series is one of my favorite child characters, and Art is definitely RIGHT there in terms of my love for her. Also, I very much love her love for bacon. It's hilarious and wonderful. Especially when there's this one scene with Nate, who is absolutely bewildered that there are two people in his cabin and that he should be throwing them out, winds up making a full breakfast for them because that's just the kind of person he is.

    And speaking of lovely people in this book, not only are Nate and Art totally precious characters who I want to wrap up in blankets, but Alex is the BEST. He's so selfless and gives everything to looking after Art and I'm just UGH WHY ARE YOU SO PERFECT? I love him a lot, you guys. This is a darling ragtag group who gets caught up in something they never would have expected and I love them so, so much.

    This book is an absolute page-turner that makes it very hard to put down, because you just HAVE to figure out what's going to happen next. This book is intense, with some much needed moments of levity sprinkled in throughout. This book is a romance, and it does end in a HEA. The journey there just might not be what you might normally expect in the genre, but it's a classic TJ Klune book with angst and heart and so much love. <3

    ***Thanks to the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review***
  • Sion Fogal
    4.0 out of 5 stars this book is sweet and lighthearted
    Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024
    I like this book for a fun little adventure. Certain milestones in the characters’ relationships felt a bit unearned. Some moments felt a little melodramatic.
  • Adi Harper
    5.0 out of 5 stars Look to the Stars to Understand Humanity
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2024
    This is a gorgeous book. It is engaging, profound, and wise in its portrayal of what it means to be human. In the beginning, I wanted Nate to get with the program a little sooner, but the psychology of his character well enough to understand why he seemed to be dragging his feet. This is a much more realistic take on an encounter of the 'seventh' kind. The depth of human insight that goes into all of the characters is quite astounding. And then there is the perspective on humanity offered by Artemus Darth Vader. She has some beautiful soliloquies about the human condition, from the viewpoint of an outsider who is becoming human herself. As a trans and intersex woman, an outsider transcending the limited notions of gender, I can appreciate the validity of truths observed from different perspectives.

    I have to tell you, I balled my eyes out at the end. I haven't cried so much since the unexpected death of my partner of over twenty year. I had to put the book down, and every time I picked it up to read another line, the tears would start flowing again. I can only imagine that the author was crying as he wrote these lines. The best authors bleed a little in their ink, and Mr. Klune certainly did while writing this book.

    After this book, I am a confirmed fan. I expect I will read all of his books in time, and I'm looking forward to it. Thank you, Tj Klune, for giving us such a wonderful book.
  • Robert Carnevali
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, mesmerizing, and uplifting
    Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2018
    TJ Klune is one of those rare writers who will write for any genre, and yet makes each story feel like that's the genre he excels in. Regardless of the story or genre, you always are surprised when you realized you got a little (and sometimes a lot) more than you expected. The Bones Beneath My Skin is no exception. It centers on three engaging characters who manage to make a family when they least expected.

    Nate's life is in a shambles. After making some very bad choices, his job is gone and his life is in shambles and with no purpose. He heads up to Oregon where he inherited a cabin and finds it occupied with two people: an odd young girl named Artemis Darth Vader and a man named Alex who is contemplating killing him in order to protect the girl. From there, the story unfold. We learn the nature of the girl, why Alex will risk all to protect her, and how both will give Nate more purpose for his life than he ever believed possible.

    The writing is smooth, engaging, and prosaic. The story unfolds at its own pace and is not rushed. Though there are scenes of suspense and action, the focus is more on discovery and character growth. It's told in third-person perspective focused on Nate. We only learn things as Nate learns them. As with other TJ Klune books, the reader does deduce the reality before the main character. But even when the reader realizes certain truths before Nate does, it raises new questions and maintains a level of mystery.

    The story is thoughtful, engaging, mesmerizing, funny, dramatic, and thoroughly charming. These are people you want to know and love.

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