Waves Take Your Bones

Waves Take Your Bones

by Athena Giles

Released August 5, 2025

The dead rise and the sea is calling.

Tallis and Finn, simple farmers, find their quiet village overrun by shriekers, a horde of undead revenants. After a devastating attack and heartbreaking losses, they must flee the only land they've known for the capital of the kingdom of Okaesa. Along the way, Tallis and Finn are separated from the other refugees, with their only escape across the Nightmare Bridge, a thing of horrific legends, which leaves them both scarred from the experience.

In the capital, there is still no safety, for Tallis and Finn are drafted into the navy aboard separate ships, under dueling commanders. Amid struggling with the loss of their home they might find themselves crossing blades with those dearest to them who have fallen to the mysterious undead disease. The capital, an island fortress, seems to be the last refuge of the kingdom, until Tallis discovers the undead have learned to sail...

Athena Giles grew up adventuring in the woods of Seacoast New Hampshire, wooden sword in hand. They graduated from Hampshire College, where they studied creative writing and children's literature, before running away to join the circus for 5 years. Athena is now a Special Education Teacher living in Arlington, Massachusetts. Their work with middle school and upper elementary students has inspired them to expand the books available for children and adolescents to see themselves in, especially for those identifying as trans and non-binary.