From the author of The City Beautiful comes a haunting fantasy following Toma, adopted daughter of the benevolent undead, as she crosses paths with the incognito Tsar in an empire on the verge of civil war between the lower class and the magical elite.

The Kosa empire roils in tension, on the verge of being torn apart by a proletarian revolution between magic-endowed elites and the superstitious lower-class, but seventeen-year-old Toma lives blissfully disconnected from the conflict in the empire with her adoptive family of benevolent undead.
When she crosses paths with Vanya, a charming commoner with awe-inspiring powers, and the usurped Tsar Mikhail himself, the unlikely trio bonds over trying to restore Mikhail’s magic and protect the empire from the revolutionary leader, Koschei, whose forces have stolen the castle. Vanya has his magic, and Mikhail has his title, but if Toma can’t dig deep and find her power in time, all of their lives will be at Koschei’s mercy.

Glossary and Materials

Discussion Guide

BookPage's Most anticipated Fall 2022 YA List

☆ “Superb... Polydoros is a master of world building and conjuring suspense in a page-turning plot. His characters are highly empathetic and memorable, as is this emotionally charged story.”—Booklist, Starred Review

“A dark and thrilling tale.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Polydoros (The City Beautiful) constructs a rich, Slavic-folklore-influenced world in this spirited adventure with emotional heft... Polydoros capably delivers an enchanting fantasy adventure, brimming with civil war allegiances, encounters with monsters, innovative magic systems, and fantastical new technology." —Publishers Weekly

“With detailed and startling imagery, Polydoros crafts a magical world that readers will revel in exploring, and he avoids heavy exposition with narrator Toma, whose keen insight and sheltered existence make her a useful audience cipher through which to learn about the world…. Fans of Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation (BCCB 05/18) and the Shadow & Boneseries will love this dark fantasy with a touch of horror.”—Bulletin of Center for Children’s Books

"In Bone Weaver, author Aden Polydoros draws inspiration from Russian history, Slavic folklore, and Jewish culture to craft a detailed setting that feels fully alive, even as it's constantly shadowed by death... Bone Weaver is a bloody and unflinching fantasy that balances its darkness with an unwavering cascade of love."—BookPage

“[…] Polydoros made the world feel vast and boundless while also keeping the story contained. To Toma, Mikhail, and Vanya, everything that takes place is life-or-death, yet Polydoros gives readers tantalizing slices of the outside world that will one day kick the door down to the Kosa Empire. I almost wish we’d get a sequel set a century later, just to see where things land.”—Tor.com

39 of the Most Anticipated YA Books for the Rest of the Year, Goodreads

A Story of Imperialism and Identity: Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros, Tor.com

5 New YA Reads to Check out This Fall, NPR

‘Pasts That Are as Diverse as the Present’: A Conversation between Sacha Lamb and Aden Polydoros, Jewish Book Council

"A heart-pounding adventure. Magic and monsters lurk in every corner as a headstrong trio search for their place in Aden Polydoros's haunting world." ––Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights 

Content Warnings (list subject to change)

• On page murder and violence, including decapitation and gun violence

• Off page dismemberment

• Reference to the mutilation of corpses

• Religious and ethnic prejudice/oppression

• Death of a parent