In The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller, a dying emperor tasks his necromancer concubine, Charm, with solving his murder and disposing of his wretched sons so they cannot seize the crown. The story takes place in a Victorian-esque era and uses a unique blend of guns, magic, and technology. As the name implies, the bone orchard grows bones, and Charm uses them to construct “boneghosts”— Frankensteinian beings that are imbued with a fractured part of her personality and memories in order to protect the most innocent part of herself. I thought this was an interesting way to explore trauma à la fantasy, and as confirmed in an interview, the concept of the boneghosts was inspired by Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). For me, the creative magic system and the boneghost named Pain, who is able to absorb the pain of others, are the highlights of the story. However, as intricate as this world is, there are gaps in the worldbuilding and magic system that go unexplained. For instance...