The Night Diver

In a pretty fast-growing line of books that captured me by their covers, Bone Pendant Girls has certainly left its mark on me. As you can tell, this cover is nothing short of immaculate. It’s chilling, beautiful, and delightfully intricate when you look at it. So, I had no choice but to grab the book without much thought. The choice has certainly paid off in spades. Bone Pendant Girls is a dark, gripping novel about a woman with a connection to the world of the dead, as well as a pair of ghosts trying to stop a killer from creating another one. The story was actually darker than I expected. For some reason, the title evoked an almost lighthearted to me, kind of like The Hardy Boys of yore. But this story is nothing like that. I found myself pulled into the current of this book, and unable to let go, even when the dread and terror ratchets up with its main antagonist.

The first thing I want to highlight is the writing. Terry Friedman has the pacing almost down to an art, in my opinion. While the story is tightly paced, and can really fly on the rails once the action gets going, I never felt myself losing sight of the world the characters are placed in. Friedman is very skilled at coloring the world through her writing, letting it fill and coalesce into a full picture while also keeping the plot moving along at an enjoyable, quick pace. It is a balance that is almost rare to find, and I appreciate it when a book is built in this way.

I also greatly enjoyed the villain of this book. His presence is immediately sickening, and can really make your blood curdle with the level of malice he exudes. Whether its in person, in a memory, or just the idea of him existing at large, he is a truly terrifying character keeps the danger palpable throughout the story. If there is one thing you want to read the book for, it is indeed the villain. I also enjoyed my time with Andi, who is a very relatable character, even with her inherent connection to the world of the dead. There is also an internal character arc that she deals with, which was something I personally identified with, and it lent a strong emotional core to the events going on in the story. Overall, I think this book really puts together some great character work within a solid horror story that is enjoyable for anyone who likes the genre.

The only few complaints I had was the inclusion of some elements within the paranormal part of this story, that just felt a little bit confusing. There are entities like shadows, punishers, etc. That could have been helped with a bit more fleshing out. But it might be something I look forward to, in the case there are more paranormal cases that our characters might see in the future.

For my final rating, I give this book a 4/5 stars