The Map of Bones

By: Francesca Haig

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Book two in the critically acclaimed The Fire Sermon trilogy - The Hunger Games meets Cormac McCarthy's The Road in this richly imagined postapocalyptic series by award-winning poet Francesca Haig.

Four hundred years in the future, the Earth has turned primitive following a nuclear fire that has laid waste to civilization and nature. Though the radiation fallout has ended, for some unknowable reason every person is born with a twin. Of each pair, one is an Alpha, physically perfect in every way, and the other an Omega, burdened with deformity, small or large. With the Council ruling an apartheid-like society, Omegas are branded and ostracized while the Alphas have gathered the world's sparse resources for themselves. Though proclaiming their superiority, for all their effort, Alphas cannot escape one harsh fact: Whenever one twin dies, so does the other.

Cass is a rare Omega, one burdened with psychic foresight. While her twin, Zach, gains power on the Alpha Council, she dares to dream the most dangerous dream of all: equality. For daring to envision a world in which Alphas and Omegas live side by side as equals, both the Council and the Resistance have her in their sights.

©2016 De Tores Ltd (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Interesting story

This book has an interesting plot. The narrator did an amazing job with the voices of each character making the book enjoyable to hear the story unfold. Great summer read.

suspenseful read

still sad about what happened to kip... but the read kept me on the edge of my seat a d had me going on to every chapter... look forward to the next book

Great story, crummy voices

The story is compelling and really well written. The narrator is pleasant to listen to...until she does men’s voices. Good lord. It’s awful. It’s distracting enough to make me not want to keep listening.

A sequel You can't put down

What made the experience of listening to The Map of Bones the most enjoyable?

Having not listened to the previous book in over 6 months, I enjoyed the summary information in the beginning. Cass is a ego-centric character. As Zoe & Piper begin to evolve and the plot thinkers, you become hooked. The performance by Laura Fortgang was excellent, and pacing keeps you invested in the story.i could not put down the 2nd half of the novel!

What other book might you compare The Map of Bones to and why?

This series falls somewhere between the Hunger Games & the Divergent series. (Closer to Alegent & Insergemt for dentils and back story.

Which character – as performed by Lauren Fortgang – was your favorite?

Zoe is so complex, and modern.

Any additional comments?

Excellent series. The Amazon reviews are dull and inaccurate. The story is complex, but just as good as the Fire Sermon. Many of your questions from the first novel get answered. Can't wait for Mrs. Haig to publish the final installment.

Love it

I am looking forward to book 3. A great read that keeps you engaged and intrigued.

Good but lagged a bit

I wanted to enjoy this the way I did the first book of the series but there were too many drawn out situations. I often found myself wanting to speed through portions because they were boring or didn't add to the story. I was disappointed with the overall lack of direction and the lack of depth in the main character. I was satisfied with the ending but had to wade through so much fluff throughout the novel I was almost not worth the reward at the end. I really hope the final book in this trilogy recaptures the excitement, interest, and love I had for the first book.

when is the next book coming out!?

I fell in love with the first book and was so relieved that the map of bones was released so quickly after i finished the fire sermon. when is the next book coming out!??!

Better than the the Fire Sermon

... In both story and performance. I will admit I struggled through the first one with no intention of reading the second but after doing so I am glad that I did. The reader did much better in this book than she did in the first one but she is still not my favorite. I probably would avoid the audible version of a new series with the same reader. That being said she did pretty good this time with only the hint of the nasally whine from the first. It may be the book itself lending toward the reoccurring whiny monologue from the main character, who believe it or not is still my least favorite character in the book. The author did manage to flesh the characters out a bit more which was interesting. I like the idea of the story and I will probably read the third which I fear only can end with tragedy (although who knows maybe Haig can surprise me?)

Alpha and Omega, the saga continues

The Map of Bones is book 2 in the Fire Sermon trilogy by Francesca Haig. This is not a stand-alone book, you must read book 1, The Fire Sermon, first to understand what happened in the before and the fantastical effects it had on the future inhabitants of Earth, 400 years in the future. Many questions I had after book 1 were answered in book 2, which made me happy, but of course, it’s a trilogy, so book 2 brings about even more questions. So, if you haven’t read The Map of Bones yet, don’t read further into my review. I will try to limit any spoilers as much as I can.

The Map of Bones continues the story of Cass, a very rare Omega, one who can see what may happen in the future, although it’s not quite clear at times, and trying to figure it out is frustrating. Her twin Zach is an Alpha who has weaseled his way into power on the Alpha council and is intent on tanking Cass so that he can ensure a long and prosperous life, without worry that what happens to Cass will happen to him. We learn more about the characters Zoe and Piper and see them evolve throughout this book. I felt closer to Zoe as the book went along, more so than I did Cass in book 1.

The character development was good as was the additional world-building. We get to see more of their world and the sadness and heartache it brought out in me was amazing. I felt the full range of emotions, happiness for Cass and the friends she has made, hatred for the council and what they have done and are wanting to do, and sadness at the unnecessary loss of life. It’s rare for a story to bring out such strong emotions in me, so this is saying something. There are many twists, turns, and unexpected abrupt endings in The Map of Bones that I think many will thoroughly enjoy it.

The narrator, Lauren Fortgang is my top narrator, I will gravitate to books that are narrated by her, even when it’s not my normal genre; she just has a voice that changes with each character and drags me into the story. She doesn’t “read” the story, she becomes the story, and I often forget I’m listening to an audiobook, she keeps me engaged, wondering what is going to happen next.

Just a tip for those who said they had difficulty understanding Lauren at times because she puts the story into her voice so if the characters are whispering, she whispers too, if they are angry, her tone is too, which I find amazingly wonderful, listen using earbuds or headphones that have noise canceling capability, it’s SO much better when the outside world is removed and all you hear is the story, that’s when you can really meld with it.

My final recommendation is…. what the heck are you waiting for, listen to it already (or read it if you prefer), but hurry up, stop thinking, and just do it!

Great Story

I am a fan of the Hunger Games. This isn't quite as good, but is well worth the time. If there is a third book, I'll be all over it!!!
Well time spent listening!!!