Hello beautiful people! Welcome to a new review! For this review, I get into a beloved Stephen King book, Bag of Bones. A different pace and style than his usual books, with still plenty of high stakes and dynamic moments, Bag of Bones hits differently in a lot of interesting ways. I enjoyed getting to see his usual style be presented in this way.
Main Characters:
Mike Noonan – A grieving author trying to navigate life after the death of his wife, and honestly, one of the more emotionally grounded Stephen King protagonists I’ve read. His grief feels incredibly real throughout the book, but so does his compassion. Watching him slowly reconnect with people and find purpose again through protecting others was one of the strongest parts of the story for me.
Mattie Devore – Young, vulnerable, and stuck in an incredibly difficult situation, but also strong in ways people often overlook. Her relationship with Mike develops naturally, and she adds a lot of emotional weight to the story.
Kyra Devore – The heart of the book, in a lot of ways. Her bond with Mike and Mattie brings warmth into a story that’s otherwise very eerie and emotionally heavy.
Jo Noonan – Even in death, her presence shapes everything. Mike’s love for his late wife is woven through the entire novel, and the way that love continues to motivate and strengthen him adds such an emotional layer to the story.
Sara Tidwell – A 1930’s blues singer who haunts Mike’s house but also helps him answer questions and figure out himself in ways he never expected.
Max Devore – Mattie’s very wealthy father-in-law, who is looking to take Kyra from Mattie in any way he can.
My Review
This book was very much a wow for me. I really enjoy Stephen King’s books, but Bag of Bones was just so much more emotional and intense (not always in the spooky way) than other books of his I read, and I just really enjoyed the characters in this one. This book breaks your heart in so many ways and hits on so many different topics while also sprinkling in a bit of fright and fear amongst the pages. I gave Bag of Bones an 8/10 rating and would totally recommend checking it out if you enjoy Stephen King and are just looking for something a bit different in his repertoire.
After the sudden death of his wife Jo, author Mike Noonan finds himself unable to write and overwhelmed by grief. Hoping for peace, he returns to the couple’s lakeside cabin in Maine, only to find himself caught in a haunting mystery tied to the town’s dark past. As strange occurrences around the lake intensify, Mike becomes connected to young widow Mattie Devore and her daughter Kyra, who are facing threats of their own. What follows is a deeply personal story of grief, love, protection, and the lingering power of the past, all wrapped inside a chilling ghost story.
As mentioned before, this felt like a very different kind of Stephen King book for me, and I mean that in a good way. Yes, it’s eerie. Yes, there are ghosts, haunting moments, and high-stakes situations. But underneath all of that, this story feels incredibly intimate and human. It focuses so heavily on grief, love, protection, and emotional connection in a way that makes it stand out from some of his other works.
The emotional core of this book is what really worked for me. Mike’s grief over his wife feels raw throughout the entire story, but what I found especially interesting is how that love continues to shape him even after her death. His relationship with Jo isn’t just backstory; it actively drives his actions and his need to protect the people around him. There’s something really powerful about the idea that grief and love can exist together in that way. And honestly, I just really loved the relationships in this book. The dynamic between Mike, Mattie, and Kyra felt genuine and emotionally grounded, which made the stakes hit harder. You become invested in them as people, not just as characters trapped in a ghost story.
The supernatural side of the story also works really well because of that. The haunting elements don’t feel disconnected from the emotional story; they actually deepen it. The ghost story ties everything together and strengthens the bond between the characters instead of overshadowing them.
I also appreciated that I genuinely liked the cast overall. Sometimes Stephen King protagonists can feel a little frustrating or insufferable to me, but that wasn’t really the case here. Everyone felt layered and believable in a way that made the story easier to connect with emotionally.
The pacing can feel slower at times, but for this kind of story, I actually think it works. It gives the relationships and emotional tension time to breathe while still maintaining that constant eerie feeling underneath everything.
Overall, this was just a super enjoyable and surprisingly emotional read. Creepy, heartfelt, and layered in a way that made it feel much more personal than I initially expected.
Thank you for checking out this review. I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to subscribe to the page to be one of the first to know when I release a new review.
*** Don’t read any further if you don’t want to read any spoilers ***
My heart broke at so many different points in this book.
The toughest part for me is when Mattie is murdered on her front lawn with Mike and Kyra present, by her in-laws. Max, Kyra’s paternal grandfather, is obsessed with proving Mattie to be a bad parent and getting Kyra into his care. When Mike becomes involved, this becomes harder, and Max makes unimaginable choices to get what he wants. Mike, knowing Mattie’s desires for Kyra, takes her into his care and protects her from her father’s family, who will do everything to hurt her.
Mike discovers that the spirit haunting the area is tied to a long history of violence against young girls in the town, particularly connected to the wealthy Devore family and the abuse/power they held over others. The ghostly events aren’t random; they’re tied to buried crimes, generational trauma, and revenge.
One of the biggest reveals is that Jo, Mike’s late wife, had discovered important information before her death and had essentially been guiding Mike through the haunting after she died. Her love for him and her attempts to protect him continue even beyond death, which ties into the emotional core of the novel. Mike eventually uncovers evidence exposing the historical crimes and corruption surrounding the town. The spirits haunting Sara Laughs are finally acknowledged and, in some ways, allowed peace after the truth comes out.
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