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Avery Kessner reviews the book "Old Bones" by Preston and Child. The authors, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, are known for their thrillers and mystery novels. The story follows archaeologist Nora Kelly and historian Clive Benton on an expedition to find the lost camp of the Donner Party, known for their tragic survival ordeal and cannibalism. As they explore, they uncover secrets and danger, linking the past and present. Major themes include archaeology, survival, trust, and personal growth. The characters, particularly Clive Benton and Nora Kelly, play important roles. Avery enjoyed the suspenseful writing and found the ending surprising. They rated the book 3 out of 5 and recommend it to fans of mystery and thriller novels. Hello, I am Avery Kessner, and today I will be reviewing the book Old Bones by Preston and Child. So Preston and Child is a collaborative pen name of two American authors, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, who are known for their thrillers and mystery novels. They often co-write books that blend elements of science fiction, horror, and adventure. So about Douglas Preston, he's written several works and worked as a journalist for publications such as National Geographic. And Lincoln Child has also written solo novels and has a background in the publishing industry. I think they both produce very well-acclaimed and well-written thriller novels. So enough about the authors, let's get into the book. So Old Bones follows an archaeologist named Nora Kelly, who is approached by Clive Benton, a historian. He wants to lead an expedition to find the lost camp of the Donor Party. If you didn't know, the Donor Party was a group of American pioneers who became stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the winter of 1846 to 1847. It led to a tragic ordeal of survival. I'm sure you've heard of it. It's lots of cannibalism. So Nora, along with the other historians, head to the remote and treacherous area to find the lost camp, and also to prove rumors of gold. The expedition takes a sinister turn when they discover a recently buried corpse in the vicinity of the Donor Party's camp. Nora and her friend Corey must navigate through a complex web of secrets and danger, uncovering hidden truths that link the past and the present. The story goes back and forth through past and present, using the past to unravel the future in a very suspenseful way. Let's just say the book took a very unexpected turn. A quote that I found to be very symbolic, but also makes a lot of sense having finished the book, is, quote, you know the kind of person who's never satisfied, always looking for greener grass, end quote. So what I wrote down as major themes in this book include archaeology and history, survival and perseverance, trust and betrayal, personal growth and redemption. So starting with archaeology and history. So the novel revolves around an archaeological expedition, and the characters are deeply involved in uncovering historical mysteries. I think that this is one of the main topics because it emphasizes the importance of exploring the past to understand the present and uncover hidden truths. The next topic that's widely discussed is survival and perseverance. So as you know, it very much revolves around the historical part of the donor party. The novel highlights the struggle for survival in the harsh conditions. The characters in Old Bones also face challenging situations. I think it also highlights the human capacity for perseverance. Another theme that's very important is trust and betrayal. The novel explores themes of trust and betrayal as characters work together to uncover historical secrets. The dynamics between characters and their relationships are tested, adding layers of complexity to the storyline. That topic also ties into personal growth and redemption. The characters have to undergo personal growth and transformation as they navigate the challenges presented by the historical mystery. Themes of redemption and self-discovery emerge as characters confront their past and face the consequences of their actions. So let's talk about the characters. I think the two most influential characters are Clive Benton and Nora Kelly. So Clive Benton is the one who started the idea of the trip because Benton is actually a descendant of a member of the party. He also just so happened to find the diary of a victim named Tamsin Donor. In the diary she wrote detailed information about the event as well as death and location and she also mentioned gold that would be worth $20 million worth nowadays. The next character that I found very influential is Dr. Nora Kelly. She is an archaeologist and the main protagonist of the novel. She also works at Santa Fe Archaeological Institute. Clive approached her and asked for help since she had led excavations before. I think throughout the whole book there was definitely a sense of fear and it was kind of eerie to read it. I think it was a good book and I enjoyed reading it as somebody who doesn't like to read. Characters have very creative writing styles and I love suspense novels and for once this is a story that I'm actually shocked about the ending and most thrillers you already know what will happen but this was just a great ending. I did also enjoy learning the historical parts of the donor party. I think I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 but if I did enjoy reading more definitely a 4 out of 5. If you like mystery or thriller novels I highly recommend reading this book. Thank you guys so much for listening. I know you don't have a choice but thank you.