The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune. New York: Tor, 2025. 416 pages **

Nate Cartwright feels as if he has lost everything. His estranged parents died tragically and left him a cabin and a truck. Losing his job as a journalist in D.C. forces him to re-evaluate his life and his actions. Arriving at the town closest to the family summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon, Nate is pleased to see that nothing has changed since he visited with his parents, time seems to have stood still.

That is, until he arrives at the cabin to find a man and his daughter squatting there acting aggressive and mysterious. Nate is determined to learn the story of the military mn as evidenced by his tattoos, and who names a little girl, Artemis Darth Vader (Art for short)? Nate begins a journey, their journey to get the answers he seeks.Who is tracking them and why are Alex and Art in hiding? 

Originally self-published because his publisher dubbed it "weird." I love TJ Klune as an author and his imagination is beyond comparison, however, this book while entertaining is "weird." His character development is outstanding and I can see Nate, Alex, and Art even now. Describing it as 'spine-tingling" in Amazon seems to be overstating it, however, I found it to be compelling and kept reading to see what else would unfold. Throw in a cult on a farm outside of Bird-In-Hand, PA, aliens, secret government project, love, acceptance, and friendship and you are left wanting more. It may not be for everyone and in the words of TJ "Things explode and helicopters fall from the sky as a little girl (who may not be a girl at all) fights to protect those she loves. Oh, and bacon. So much bacon."

I received an ecopy from Netgalley for a review. 

TJ KLUNE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Extraordinaries, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories. For more info, click here.

Other books by JT Klune:

The House in the Cerulean Sea- Book 1

Somewhere Beneath The Sea - Book 2

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