Only six and a half months to go!!!

Bone Driven takes Luce, the gang (coterie and Rixton), and her new NSB partner deep into a case of murder and mayhem as fires start taking lives, and they need to figure out whether Conquest and War were the only sisters who made it through to Earth.

Edwards crafts some masterful character development, revealing layers to each of her characters as she builds up the mystery even more.

In the midst of all of the mayhem, Luce has to figure out what role she plays in her own coterie. Despite others telling her (over and over) that deep inside she's Conquest, she recognizes herself as Luce Boudreau. How can she be who the coterie needs her to be when she's having trouble reconciling this past self? As her world literally starts to burn around her, Edwards pushes Luce closer to the unavoidable question- how can she take Conquest's strength and cold skills without falling over the edge and losing herself altogether?

I'm loving Luce the more I read about her. She's driven, caring, loyal, and conflicted, which shows her character all the more. She's been dealt this crazy, enormous power that she doesn't even know how to access, and her utmost concern is just how to do right by everyone around her.

Can I have a coterie of my own?

Miller, Thom, Cole, and even Santiago are fabulous. Miller and Thom have an easy companionship with Luce, a warm bond that comforts her and pushes her to start changing her perspective. When dealing with demons, you can't keep looking at the world through a human lens.

Cole is still complicated, but we get to see some of his broken pieces become a little less jagged. Edwards continues to feed us tiny morsels about why he's having such a hard time letting down his guard to connect with Luce. With each little snippet, the bond between them continues to develop, and I'm rooting so hard (yes, I know it's naive) that they'll get through all of this without much further trauma.

Even Santiago, the most ornery of the bunch, has the chance to grow on you. Even though he's still a bit of a jerk, Luce (and us) become more familiar with the subtext that's so essential to understanding him. Honestly, he's a snarky ass, but he's our snarky ass, and I kind of love him a bit.

Although some of the development is slow, it's realistic. Remember, the boys have been waiting for Luce for years, and they've prepared themselves to see the old face of Conquest. It's not just Luce's worldview that's been completely flipped around. Can the coterie dare to dream that they'll get to keep Luce?

By the way, enter Adam Wu, Luce's new partner with the NSB. Wu is enigmatic & charismatic, and I found myself liking him even though my initial instinct was to hate this interloper who was daring to take Rixton's place. He's full of mysteries, and his connection to Ezra promises that we're going to have plenty of drama coming with the third book.

Give me more, give me more!

Overall, I loved Bone Driven. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be; when the first book ended, I thought we might jump right into her NSB training/screening.

However, since it takes place only about a week after the conclusion of the first book, we're still in this whole period where Luce hasn't fully moved onto the NSB.

Sure, they need to solve the mystery of these fires, but I think the most important part about the plot is how it moves the characters' relationships and Luce's understanding of herself.

There are triumphant moments, laugh-out-loud moments, and some moments that are going to break your heart. Edwards takes us exactly where we need to be, and I have no idea how I'm going to wait until the third book.