Name: Lauren Dale's review of The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
Item: The Bone Shard Daughter
Rating: 3.5
Author: Lauren Dale

Andrea Stewart

An emperor fights to reclaim her power and her place on the throne in this "utterly absorbing" fantasy tale of magic, mystery, and revolution (Emily Duncan). The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands. Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic. Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people. "One of the best debut fantasy novels of the year." --BuzzFeed News "An amazing start to a new trilogy." --Culturess "It grabs you by the heart and the throat from the first pages and doesn't let go." --Sarah J. Maas "Epic fantasy at its most human and heartfelt . . . inventive, adventurous and wonderfully written." --Alix E. Harrow "Utterly absorbing. I adored it." --Emily Duncan "A thoroughly fantastic read." --Kevin Hearne "Stewart's debut is sharp and compelling. It will hook readers in and make them fiercely anticipate the rest of the series." --Booklist "Groundbreaking epic fantasy for a new age." --Tasha Suri "Begins with a spark of intrigue that ignites into a thrilling adventure." --Hafsah Faizal

The Drowning Empire #1

The Bone Shard Daughter

In an empire controlled by bone shard magic, Lin, the former heir to the emperor will fight to reclaim her magic and her place on the throne. The Bone Shard Daughter marks the debut of a major new voice in epic fantasy. The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands. Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic. Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people.

Read about 5 chapters. The start was promising, it had managed to get me interested with both Lin's family dynamics and her lose of memory, but after that, the story kept switching between multiple perspectives which just made reading this tedious

THOU art I

Megan Lapides

The Bone Shard Emperor is the unmissable sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter, one of the biggest fantasy debuts of 2020 - a captivating tale of magic, revolution and mystery, where a young woman's sense of identity will make or break an empire. The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor. Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don't trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the northeast of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force. Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga - the powerful magicians of legend - have returned to the Empire. Lin may need their help to defeat the rebels and restore order. But can she trust them? Praise for the series 'One of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time . . . This book is truly special' Sarah J. Maas 'Epic fantasy at its most human and heartfelt . . . inventive, adventurous and wonderfully written' Alix E. Harrow 'Brilliant world-building, deep intrigue and incredible heart' Megan E. O'Keefe

The Bone Shard Emperor

Sophia 

'The Bone Shard Daughter is one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time . . . it grabs you by the heart and the throat from the first pages and doesn't let go until long after it's over. This book is truly special' Sarah J. Maas The Emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands. Lin is the Emperor's daughter and she spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic. Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people. The Bone Shard Daughter is an unmissable fantasy debut - a captivating tale of magic, revolution and mystery, where a young woman's sense of identity will make or break an empire. 'A bold, ambitious debut' M. R. Carey 'Epic fantasy at its most human and heartfelt . . . inventive, adventurous and wonderfully written' Alix E. Harrow 'Brilliant world-building, deep intrigue and incredible heart' Megan E. O'Keefe

The Drowning Empire Book One

Haleigh Marshall

Ashley Janssen

This book started out super slow and didn’t really pick up until the last 70ish pages which was frustrating. I get it, it’s a series but still pep in your step. But when it did pick up it was good. I need to think if I want to read book 2 tbh

Lauren Dale

I had so much fun reading this and wish I had started it when I bought this series two years ago. While the blurb focuses on Lin, it’s actually a multi-pov story about characters playing different roles in this ruling empire. Some of them are a cog in the machine while others seek to dismantle it. Each POV made sense. I understood the motivations and needs of all the people we meet, and there were no characters that I felt upset to be in the minds of.

The magic system was truly something I’ve never seen before; it fascinated (and confused me) the entire time. This confusion is what led to the loss of a star in my rating. It took me about 25% of the book to really get my bearings straight and have a complete picture of the world. It’s also clear to me that this was essentially one long prologue to set up the rest of the trilogy. I don’t think that’s a bad thing because I love watching the pieces maneuver into place, and it makes me really excited to see what is going to unfold after this point.

Nik ✨

I had so much fun reading this and wish I had started it when I bought this series two years ago. While the blurb focuses on Lin, it’s actually a multi-pov story about characters playing different roles in this ruling empire. Some of them are a cog in the machine while others seek to dismantle it. Each POV made sense. I understood the motivations and needs of all the people we meet, and there were no characters that I felt upset to be in the minds of.

The magic system was truly something I’ve never seen before; it fascinated (and confused me) the entire time. This confusion is what led to the loss of a star in my rating. It took me about 25% of the book to really get my bearings straight and have a complete picture of the world. It’s also clear to me that this was essentially one long prologue to set up the rest of the trilogy. I don’t think that’s a bad thing because I love watching the pieces maneuver into place, and it makes me really excited to see what is going to unfold after this point.

Finally, I’d die for Mephi.

kelsey

this book????? idk what to say it’s crazy. like the world building is perfect. the way the characters connect i never would’ve guessed. the twists were almost all unexpected

and also: sometimes patricide is completely okay

Bone Shard Daughter

Such an epic way to start a book. And that single line can arouse your interest, as it did mine. 

This has such a fascinating yet cruel magic system, a power which claims to protect the people of the empire, but also requires the life of those same people in the first place. I think the Bone Shard magic has some resemblance with the Scriving magic system, in the sense that both magic system requires 'coding'/inscribing instructions onto a specific object. In this book, that object only has to be a person's shard of bone, planting it to a construct to act on one's command. It only fed us little information so far but it's very intriguing to know more about it as I continue with the series. 

This book has multiple POVs: Lin, the Emperor's daughter; Jovis, a famous smuggler (those two were told in first person); Phalue, a governor's daughter and her lover Ranami; and Sand, a woman without memories, trapped in an island with others like her (the last three were told in third person).

I really don't mind books with multiple POVs. I've read countless books with the same format and it shouldn't bother me, but that isn't the case here. There are multiple characters here that are scattered throughout the story, with different roles who initially didn't cross paths. Whenever a certain character's POV ended, no matter how gripping it was, it also pulled me out of the perspective and forcefully put me in another, and it frustratingly left me hanging. I didn't mind it at first, but whenever I was on the edge of my seat, only to turn a page and see another POV, it was taking me out of the story for a bit and all my accumulated feelings were unfortunately stamped out. And because there are a couple of them, it took quite a while to come back to that perspective and sometimes I ended up forgetting where the scene stopped. Maybe it only goes to show how much invested I was in the story that I don't want anything to drag me out of any scene. 

Regardless of my complaints about the author's format, I thoroughly enjoyed this book a lot. Though I haven't built a deep attachment with the characters yet like I wanted to because of the quick back and forth in POV, I still have a character that I want to follow the most, which is Jovis, if only to see his animal companion, the sweet little thing Mephi. All the characters seems to be going about their lives separately, having no connections with one another. But as the story continues, they seem to be slowly converging in this one massive situation. I liked that all characters, though their positions in the situation hugely differed, have depths in their own characterization. You can put yourself in their situation and understand where they are coming from, makes you easily empathize with them. 

There are still a lot more to unravel in the story. The whole of book 1 felt like a long set up for the next books. A lot has happened here but at the same time, this just felt like a prologue of a huge story that was about to unfold. I actually can't believe that this is a debut novel from the author because of how solid this was.

“Father told me I’m broken”

Such an epic way to start a book. And that single line can arouse your interest, as it did mine. 

This has such a fascinating yet cruel magic system, a power which claims to protect the people of the empire, but also requires the life of those same people in the first place. I think the Bone Shard magic has some resemblance with the Scriving magic system, in the sense that both magic system requires 'coding'/inscribing instructions onto a specific object. In this book, that object only has to be a person's shard of bone, planting it to a construct to act on one's command. It only fed us little information so far but it's very intriguing to know more about it as I continue with the series. 

This book has multiple POVs: Lin, the Emperor's daughter; Jovis, a famous smuggler (those two were told in first person); Phalue, a governor's daughter and her lover Ranami; and Sand, a woman without memories, trapped in an island with others like her (the last three were told in third person).

I really don't mind books with multiple POVs. I've read countless books with the same format and it shouldn't bother me, but that isn't the case here. There are multiple characters here that are scattered throughout the story, with different roles who initially didn't cross paths. Whenever a certain character's POV ended, no matter how gripping it was, it also pulled me out of the perspective and forcefully put me in another, and it frustratingly left me hanging. I didn't mind it at first, but whenever I was on the edge of my seat, only to turn a page and see another POV, it was taking me out of the story for a bit and all my accumulated feelings were unfortunately stamped out. And because there are a couple of them, it took quite a while to come back to that perspective and sometimes I ended up forgetting where the scene stopped. Maybe it only goes to show how much invested I was in the story that I don't want anything to drag me out of any scene. 

Regardless of my complaints about the author's format, I thoroughly enjoyed this book a lot. Though I haven't built a deep attachment with the characters yet like I wanted to because of the quick back and forth in POV, I still have a character that I want to follow the most, which is Jovis, if only to see his animal companion, the sweet little thing Mephi. All the characters seems to be going about their lives separately, having no connections with one another. But as the story continues, they seem to be slowly converging in this one massive situation. I liked that all characters, though their positions in the situation hugely differed, have depths in their own characterization. You can put yourself in their situation and understand where they are coming from, makes you easily empathize with them. 

There are still a lot more to unravel in the story. The whole of book 1 felt like a long set up for the next books. A lot has happened here but at the same time, this just felt like a prologue of a huge story that was about to unfold. I actually can't believe that this is a debut novel from the author because of how solid this was.

The Bone Shard War

Lara Engle

It took a long time to get going, but then it got really good! A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. The world of these books is so beautiful and interesting ... I'd read more stories there.

Sometimes predictable, but still engaging and action packed. This is one of those books that ends each chapter with a cliffhanger and then switches you another character's POV, so you're left in suspense for a chapter or two. The world building is excellent. I was left wanting more. I'll seek out the next in the series when it comes out. I would also read prequel short stories of Jovis and his smuggling or the fall of the Alanga.

Adeline

The plot held so much potential, but the execution did not fulfil these, in my opinion.

There were a lot of POVs in this book, which, with the complex magic system this book introduced, just left a lot of confusion and made everything feel unresolved slightly.

The characters fell a bit flat in places, as if they lacked the development they deserved. The exception to this is Mephi, who frankly was the only character I wanted to read more from!

I managed to guess most of the plot twists, and as I progressed through the chapters, everything began to feel somewhat cliché and predictable YA, despite it being pushed as what I thought would be an adult fantasy.

I'm left feeling kind of disappointed, and I don't know if I will continue with the rest of the trilogy.

Victoria Justice

The plot held so much potential, but the execution did not fulfil these, in my opinion.

There were a lot of POVs in this book, which, with the complex magic system this book introduced, just left a lot of confusion and made everything feel unresolved slightly.

The characters fell a bit flat in places, as if they lacked the development they deserved. The exception to this is Mephi, who frankly was the only character I wanted to read more from!

I managed to guess most of the plot twists, and as I progressed through the chapters, everything began to feel somewhat cliché and predictable YA, despite it being pushed as what I thought would be an adult fantasy.

I'm left feeling kind of disappointed, and I don't know if I will continue with the rest of the trilogy.

Sade A

*ARC Copy from Netgalley 

🖤

  
    
"I wondered how festive they would be when they realized that changing rulers didn't mean the end to all problems."
 ‒ Jovis

  

Gather round people, there's a new fantasy author in town😊.

If there's one thing Andrea Stewart got absolutely right in this book, it's not making Lin the singular PoV or sole focus of this book. 
If ever a character was written to tank a book no matter how unconsciously, it's Lin, but luckily there's a prolific cast in this first book to save the day.

The Bone Shard daughter is a tale of a kingdom tittering on the edge of rebellion with these main players calling the shots
📍A king that has little use for ruling his kingdom except when it concerns bone shards, 
📍A daughter determined not to let the kingdom fall into ruin, 📍A man searching for answers with his accidental cute little pet, hey mephi 😊😊. 📍An idealistic woman with the ultimate utopian dream (because that always works out so well) and her lover who would do anything for her, 📍 a woman without an identity 
📍The looming shadow of a dead (but are they really dead?🤔) civilisation with magic
and obviously 🥁 🥁🥁🥁
📍the shadow of rebellion fighters (can a city teeter on rebellion without people dreaming of better? absolutely not)

🖤🖤
Anyways, this first book is less freedom fighting and more getting all the players into position for whatever comes next in the series.

The plot was intriguing enough and the mystery surrounding the keys and the woman without the identity definitely sparked my interest but ultimately it did feel like everything was set up way too conveniently for the characters', leaving the plot to progress inorganically in my opinion. I mean (view spoiler)[
💡 Lin presumably stole random keys but all the keys somehow turned out to lead to rooms she actually needed?? That happening once, is like okay maybe blind luck, but more than once, that's just the author trying to fit things in, and leading to a contrived plot.

💡 Jovis just deciding after how many years' to accept the person he was looking for was presumably dead, the person who was the whole reason why he was at sea in the first place, on the word of someone he just met just so he could arrive at the palace right at that time was just poor plotting really. 

💡The king very clearly realised Lin had messed with his top constructs but somehow didn't think to change them back? 

💡Lin was obviously made, why didn't he just reprogram her when he saw she was out of control? For that matter, why didn't he just make her loyal the way he wanted her to be in the first place??  (hide spoiler)]

This need the author had to connect the dots by any means necessary stymies what was an otherwise solid story & enjoyable writing .

🖤🖤🖤

  ⚡Random peeve:
 The writing did get a little YAish for me especially where Lin was concerned. All that, 
  'I am the emperor's daughter, I know who I am'
 schtick really gets old after a time' but the writings for the other characters' more than made up for that annoying part.


  
All in all, an otherwise solid story held back by the author's need to fit the whole thread in a tidy box. 
Definitely, somewhat disappointed with the way book 1 unraveled, especially as it started out so well.

However, as far as debuts go, it's definitely on the money.

I must be missing something because how is this so lauded. In fact, I am convinced the problem is largely with me and I will tell you.

This book is entirely competent. However, as fantasy loves to do but rarely actually succeeds in, it incorporates several different P.O.V.s. It is challenging to make all, at least most, of them sufficiently enticing for the reader to keep them engaged throughout and, unfortunately, 'The Bone Shard Daughter' did not quite achieve this.

I cannot stress enough how disinterested I felt at multiple points of this book and thank god the plotlines eventually converge in a somewhat interesting and substantial way. But the fact remains, I simply cannot value highly a book where I could barely get through whole sections.

Perhaps part of this is the book, perhaps part of it is it being an audiobook. (And not because fantasy is inherently ill-suited for audiobooks - 'The Fifth Season' by N.K. Jemisin still holds up 

. If I had to pinpoint it, my issue was with the narration itself.)

The sole positive I can highlight is that the magic system is very creative and interesting. And that the novel features a very solid lesbian couple that is actually relevant to its plot and not subject to ~fantasy homophobia~. But that is about it.

I must be missing something because how is this so lauded. In fact, I am convinced the problem is largely with me and I will tell you.

This book is entirely competent. However, as fantasy loves to do but rarely actually succeeds in, it incorporates several different P.O.V.s. It is challenging to make all, at least most, of them sufficiently enticing for the reader to keep them engaged throughout and, unfortunately, 'The Bone Shard Daughter' did not quite achieve this.

I cannot stress enough how disinterested I felt at multiple points of this book and thank god the plotlines eventually converge in a somewhat interesting and substantial way. But the fact remains, I simply cannot value highly a book where I could barely get through whole sections.

Perhaps part of this is the book, perhaps part of it is it being an audiobook. (And not because fantasy is inherently ill-suited for audiobooks - 'The Fifth Season' by N.K. Jemisin still holds up excellently. If I had to pinpoint it, my issue was with the narration itself.)

The sole positive I can highlight is that the magic system is very creative and interesting. And that the novel features a very solid lesbian couple that is actually relevant to its plot and not subject to ~fantasy homophobia~. But that is about it.

Janice Hopper

I liked this fantasy well enough. It has an unusual magic system. Every year, children are taken to a "Tithing festival" where they get a shard of bone chopped out of their skulls. These shards are used by the emperor to create constructs, creatures made of bits and pieces of other creatures, and programmed by the bits of bone saved from the Tithing festivals. 

The only problem with this is that the shards of bone draw their power from their original owners, leading to the slow draining of that person's life - "shard sickness" - leading to a slow draining death. Obviously this system is prone to abuse, and the book explores some of the implications. 

The characters are fine, nothing exciting. There's the emperor's daughter, a governor's daughter, a roguish smuggler with a heart of gold, doing good in spite of himself**, etc. There is a nice and interesting animal character that I liked a lot.

I listened to it on audio, and I suspect I might have liked it a little better if I'd eye-read it. I just wasn't that crazy about the narration.

**Sorry, I've been over the "roguish criminal with heart of gold" for a long time. I'd've like Jovis better but for that attitude. Oh well.

Isabela H 

When I first started reading, I was a little off-put by how weird and different the whole world was, and I stayed veryyyyyy creeped out through the whole story because if you really stop to think about everything that was actually happening, you get really disturbed. 
I absolutely loved the way in which the stories of the different characters were all woven together, with enough hints given for the reader to figure out how all the different points of view fit with each other. I also really appreciated the development of each character, especially because about halfway through the book, I was starting to worry that the ending would be pretty bad. 
I would say that this book is slightly slower than what I'm used to, but I didn't mind it because of all the characters we were following.

Megan Lowe

DNFed at page 62.

I should’ve loved this book. Asian themed books are my jam, I love them, but the sci-fi elements, the constructs, the weird animals, the islands, and the memory loss just wasn’t for me. 
I was hoping it would be a small element, but it wasn’t, and it just wasn’t for me.

Anastasia 

"I am Lin Sukai and I will remake this Empire.”

YESSSSSSS BABY GIRL , ugh it felt good reading an SFF that brought something different to the table , the idea behind bone shard system of magic is exquisite , I look forward to how much she expands on this in the bone shard emperor 

Moving on, of the main MCs Lin and Jovis had my attention the most because they're stories were more captivating than the rest, no surprises there 

The pacing was really good, the sapphic couple were pretty interesting but I would like to see more of their POV in the second book please, the writing is good as well, loved the way this ended, though I must say Sand's POV is still a bit confusing cos I don't know how they fit into all this but from what I gathered is seems they know about bone shard magic as well 

The animal companions/ connection is something I really enjoyed its been a while since a read a fantasy with this included it's nice to see this added again ....in summary this is not a generic story....I totally recommend this if you're looking for something different and is also an easy read

Stephanie Ridiculous

The Bone Shard Daughter was nothing like I thought it was going to be, but in the best way possible.
-Multiple POV's, used effectively
-Hints and clues dropped across the POV's which had me scrambling to remember details and piece things together before the characters did
-Unique magic system
-Expertly done world building with minimal info-dumping
-Characters with unique and distinct voices
-Really good revealing of plot twists/hidden info.

One thing I didn't see mentioned anywhere is a content warning for body horror. Stewart does an excellent job of conveying without belaboring the point, but the underworkings of this world are down right horrific and I wasn't totally prepared for that. 

All in all, an excellent read and I look forward to the next installments!

Lia Yuliana

Update 15/08/2021

Find my reviews on :  An Ode to Fiction
Official Release Date : 8th September 2020
Buy the book :
 Amazon |  Book Depository


4.25 rounded to 4.5/5 ⭐️


  
    I told a great many lies to others, and I told a great many to myself. This perhaps was the greatest lie of all.
  


The Bone Shard Daughter is a strong first book to promising new series by Andrea Stewart proving to be one of the best fantasy debuts in 2020.

When I first started my reading journey in 2020 The Bone Shard Daughter is one of the first books I put in my TBR but somehow took me a while to finally get to it. The book is well loved by my Twitter mutuals and close friends alike. I don’t know what was holding me back from reading it. So I made it my mission in August to pick up this book. The sequel, The Bone Shard Emperor, is coming out in November 2021 it is perfect timing too! Before I dive into the review I would like to appreciate the gorgeous cover done by Sasha Vinogradova. The level of detail of the marble-esque engraving is just so so so stunning!

The Bone Shard Daughter is the debut and first book to the The Drowning Empire trilogy by Andrea Stewart that made their debut back in Fall of 2020. It is a multi POV story that follows multiple characters on four different islands of the empire. On these islands, the Emperor governs the people through his constructs to maintain law and order. This causes the Emperor to become more estranged from his own people spending his days locked up in the palace investing as minimum effort as possible in running the Empire. The Emperor has reigned for decades over the islands protecting the people from the looming threat and return of the Alanga, the powerful former ruler of the islands. But now years since the war against the Alanga there are rumors spreading amongst the people that Emperor’s could no longer protect the people, his rule is failing, and a rebellion is brewing across the islands.


  
    My memory was lacking. But I knew who I was now. I was Lin. I was the Emperor’s daughter. And I would show him that even broken daughters could wield power.
  


In the many POVs we follow all of the characters come from different backgrounds and are in different situations to show the many facets of the world across the archipelago. The story focuses on five different perspectives all scattered on different islands. It is quite unique to find that two POVs—Lin and Jovis—is written in first person and the other three—Phalue, Ranami, and Sand—are written in third person. I’ve read a lot of multi POV books this is the first time I’ve encountered this approach of writing the POVs. In my personal opinion this approach would only work for this story and these characters. The back and forth from first person to third person enhances the story telling creating a much more immersive experience for readers to get to know the characters. The results speaks for itself—all of the characters have a much more distinct voice, a clearer motivation drive, and a personality that shines beyond the pages.

Even though there are five perspectives the main focus is Lin’s POV and Jovis’ POV. Lin is the Emperor’s daughter and heir to the Empire that spends her days in the palace surrounded by hidden secrets and locked doors. Being the heir there is a lot of pressure for Lin to prove herself to her father, the Emperor, that she is worthy of her position. She is pitted against Bayan, her father’s foster child, to earn keys to rooms in the palace that will lead to knowledge of the bone shard magic behind the constructs. But to do that she needs to regain the memories she lost. In Lin’s POV the theme that is highlighted by Stewart is about identity. Identity and validation are two things Lin seeks within her story arc. For a good part of Lin’s POV she pushes herself to re-discover who she was before she lost her memories to get the validation from her father that she is the daughter he can be proud of. What I love about Lin is her unbending will and courage to push herself to her limits then taking charge of her life defying her father’s expectations. The only gripe I have with Lin’s POV is that it took a while for me to warm up to her. Being the POV that is separate from the others I didn’t get excited or felt that Lin is compelling as a character up until in the later chapters of the book around 55-60% of the book.


  
    And that was the worst thing about this grief – not just knowing that she was gone, but knowing that eventually new memories and experiences would layer on top of them, making the distance between us ever wider. The days we’d spent swimming and fishing at the beach, the first time I’d kissed her, the dreams we’d shared – I was now the only keeper of these memories, and that was the truest sort of loneliness.
  


Personally, I favored Jovis’ POV more in the book because he goes on a lot of adventures across different islands and connects with other characters. Jovis is an ex navigator turned smuggler that has sacrificed everything to go find his missing lover. For years Jovis has been going on a wild goose chase going from island to island gathering clues of her whereabouts. One day while leaving an island Jovis finds a creature swimming beside his boat so he saved it and named the creature Mephi. Lo and behold Mephi isn’t an ordinary creature but something powerful. Together they both formed a bond with each other—a bond so mysterious and strong that formed since the time Jovis saved Mephi. The relationship Jovis and Mephi has is heartwarming and wholesome. Somehow along the journey Jovis has let this mysterious being become his most trusted friend to share his worries and expose his vulnerability. Jovis’ development throughout the book amazes me! The stages of grief Jovis goes through to finally accept the reality in front of him and then come to the realization to turn his life around—is one of the most monumental moments in the book. The themes of grief, abandonment, and loneliness is weaved expertly in Jovis’ characterization by Stewart. There is always a special place in my heart for characters that struggle with grief and acceptance especially if they have an animal companion.


  
    “It’s hard to remake one’s view of the world, to admit to complacency. I thought remaking myself for you was hard enough, but doing that was something I wanted. I didn’t want to realize how much I’ve hurt the people around me, and that’s what confronting my beliefs meant. We all tell ourselves stories of who we are, and in my mind, I was always the hero. But I wasn’t. Not in all the ways I should have been.”
  


Now on to the only couple in the story, Ranami and Phalue. What made their POV impactful to the story is their relationship. They both come from different backgrounds, grew up in different environments, and have different values. Phalue is the governor’s daughter that grew up in a palace surrounded in luxury while Ranami grew up in slums having to fight in order to survive. It is refreshing to see that they started out neck and neck ready to fight each other but in the end they found a way to bridge the gap. They are like any other couple readers could’ve encountered in real life. Their dynamic and disputes all felt genuine and believable. Andrea Stewart did a great job in depicting the difficulties and struggles of couples that have different social status’ from one another. The discussions are nuanced, fair, and covers both sides really well. Ranami and Phalue’s POVs offers a view point that explores the glimmer of hope within the failing empire that change is coming no matter how small the change is.

Another aspect of The Bone Shard Daughter that has piqued my interest is the bone shard magic. I like that the bone shard magic is simple yet complex at the same time. The easiest way to explain the bone shard magic it is similar to coding or programming. The constructs are powered by commands that is given by the creator. The commands range from simple things such as guard or attack to more complex ones such as manage the docks or analyze the economy. Similar to coding sometimes the programs fails to run if the command isn’t done well or if there is a bug that ruining the set of commands within the construct.


  
    “You are doing a good, but you are alone. Alone is bad. Alone is not good.”
  


The Bone Shard Daughter is very much a character driven story which one of the staple things I look for in books I read. From each of the characters Stewart shows the multiple plot lines that feeds into the main plot which climaxed to a domino effect of reveals that sprouts even more questions. The pacing of the story is immaculate and well detailed with each chapter we are given the key to open doors to the history and secrets that binds all the POVs together. The quality of writing is on the same level as any reputable author making The Bone Shard Daughter as one of the most solid debuts out there. The Asian inspired world Andrea Stewart has created is vivid and written. Reading the book it feels like we’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the lore of the world. The are still a lot of mystery regarding The Endless Sea and the illusive Alanga. I’m excited for what’s in store in the sequel because I think it can go anywhere from here.

Final thoughts, The Bone Shard Daughter is a strong first book to a promising series that has checked everything on the list for an amazing fantasy debut. It is a well balanced story with great characterization and development, intricate yet simple world buildng and magic system, a gripping plot, and wondrous potential for growth. Andrea Stewart’s prose is polished, concise, and accessible—making this book a perfect introduction to the adult fantasy genre. Everything is written in detail and is exceptionally lush that each sentence flows smooth as butter. The slow build of the tension and stakes is done marvelously which climaxed to a satisfying ending that hints to readers enough that it doesn’t leave you hanging. I seriously regret not picking this book up sooner but I’m glad I did this year because now I just need to wait a few months to read the sequel. I highly recommend readers to pick up this book, whether you’re new to the adult fantasy genre or if you’re looking for an Asian inspired fantasy that is fresh and intriguing that includes an animal companion, definitely check this book out. In the words of Mephi, the cutest thing that exist in The Bone Shard Daughter, this book is “A very good” and everyone should read it!

Naty Corbett

I enjoyed the book a lot, but I wish it were longer with more detail.

Mia Kern

One more life saved. It was a pittance, unutterably small against the scale of the lives lost. But it was there. And one life certainly made a difference to the one living it. p. 35 

I know this is a relatively new book, but I'm upset more people haven't read it yet because I'm in desperate need of fanart.

This book started off a little slow. Although I grew to love the different perspectives, it made it hard at first to get invested in any of the character arcs. However, once they took of, they really took off. I'll break down my review by arc, but I want to say that the writing is really well done. Beautiful style, but not so dense that it slowed down my reading.

 Lin:  Hers ended up being my favorite storyline despite its slow start. It's chalked full of action and twists. The bone shard magic, which is most fully explored in this arc, is really interesting. I wish Lin herself were a little better developed, however. Her backstory is super interesting, but I felt like her personality was fairly generic female protagonist. (view spoiler)[ I'm looking forward to seeing what Stewart does with Lin in the second book. As the new emperor, I'm hoping to see her tempted by the darker side of bone shard magic. 👀  (hide spoiler)]

 Jovis:  *sigh* I love this idiot. Definitely gave me Jesper (Six of Crows) vibes in the best way. His companionship with Mephi is super wholesome. Although his arc is action-packed, it's filled with great character moments as well.

 Phalue and Ranami:  I love these two. I love their relationship. I love their struggles. I loved hearing both of their perspectives on the realities of the lower class, Phalue having grown up as the governor's daughter and Ranami as a 'gutter orphan.'

 Sand:  This one was quite the change of pace. Like Sand, the reader has no idea what's going on, but it has really interesting implications in the overarching plot.

 Phew,  okay that was a lot. This book was a lot of fun and I'm really excited to see where the series goes. Unlike other first-books, I thought it tied up a lot of loose ends. There's absolutely room for more to happen, but I expect the following books to be a pretty dramatic change of pace.

Elizabeth Neill

Riley

I was really enjoying this book - the characters are promising, the world is interesting, the style is compelling - and I usually love an alternating POV in fantasy, but half the characters are shown in first person and the others in third person.
The tense doesn't change, so I can't see a distinct reason for it, and I'm just not invested enough to get past how jarring it is.
I might pick this up again if I find out there's a narrative purpose for it, but for now it's going back to the library, DNF.

A great sequel to continue the adventures! And book 3 on the horizon?! 

Ok but besides the incredible plot: WLW!!! I thought that this relationship was written so well - it was rich & deep & meaningful. It really stood out to me. 

"The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands. Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic. Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people"--

Sahi K

I’m again late in reading this book despite having an advance copy but I just couldn’t make myself pick it up earlier. But I have been quite excited about it for a while now and I have to say, it lived up to all my expectations. 

I don’t think I have been a fan of island/sea navigation based stories before but I’ve happened to read quite a few of them this year and they’ve all been a lot of fun. This world is even more fascinating because it’s made up of floating islands and I’ve never seen that before. I loved how the author gave us enough information about how the empire and the governorships run across all the islands, but the writing is so cleverly done that we never get bogged down in details. We get to see the perspectives of both people in power with privilege, as well as the common people whose lives are much worse. 

While the politics of the world itself was so interesting to read, it’s the titular “Bone Shard” magic thats the best part of this book. As everyone who reads my blog knows, Foundryside is one of my favorite fantasy novels and I always call the scriving magic in it one of the best ever. And there were quite a bit of similarities between the two, but this book took the concept of etching commands on objects to make them obey you to a whole another level and I was instantly captivated. It still has enough resemblance to database management and sql scripting, so that was an absolute joy to read. I would recommend both this book and Foundryside just for the sake of their magic systems, because I’ve come to realize that I love this kind of concept which is so familiar to me. 

There are quite a few reviews out there where the readers were surprised to see multiple POVs in the book because the blurb gives an entirely different impression, and I feel that’s a disservice to this amazing debut. But like always, I went in knowing this information, so I wasn’t jarred and really enjoyed getting to know so many different characters. I also decided to listen to the audiobook despite having the eARC because listening seems to be working for me during this pandemic, and the multiple narrators blew me away with their storytelling styles. The pacing may seem a bit slow but the buildup of the story is excellent, and the author takes us on a journey that gets exciting through every chapter. The way that all the multiple storylines converge is also done masterfully, with some excellent foreshadowing as well as misdirection, and I was thrilled when the twists and reveals happened. 

Not all of the characters get the same page time, but we quickly come to like each one of them on their own merits and what they bring to the overall story - but Lin and Jovis can be considered the main driving forces in this debut. Lin is the Emperor’s daughter and wants to prove herself to him, that she is a worthy heir. She is resourceful and resilient, strong and compassionate, while also being willful enough to do what’s necessary to achieve her goals. I really admired how she kept going despite any obstacles and can’t wait to see what she does next. Jovis on the other hand has his own goal but is thrust into a bigger game that he doesn’t ask to be a part of, but nevertheless can’t abandon. He tries to come across as a selfish smuggler with no care for anyone, but he does have a bleeding heart and I fell in love with him immediately. And his relationship with his animal companion Mephi is the most adorable ever, and one of my top highlights of this book. 

Phalue and Ramani are an established sapphic couple and it’s again something I see so rarely, that it was refreshing. While they may not have many chapters between them, I think as the governor’s daughter and a member of the rebellion respectively, they give unique glimpses into the problems affecting the empire and how indifferent the ruling class is. Ramani is also a great foil to Phalue’s privileged life, making her see the truth of the common people. Phalue does have the bigger character arc, understanding and learning what she can do with her power, but I felt that Ramani also changed in the process, realizing that idealism and governance might not always go hand in hand. 

Sand is the final POV and most mysterious of them all and to be honest, we still don’t know much about her at all. Except that the twist in her arc towards the end was something that I did not see coming at all and it sets up for a very unexpected thorn in the side for every other character’s plans in the sequel. 

There are many inherent themes across the story but the author executes it in such a way that they are very understated but also clear if we are looking deeply. I think the bone shard magic system itself presents a very existential and realistic question, that is also relevant to us - how much should common people be ready to sacrifice for the sake of security provided by the rulers; and is shortened life span and early unexpected death really worth what the emperor provides, especially when there is no accountability and the sacrifice is literally forced on the people. The other aspect of the story is about rebellions and it’s leaders - the foot soldiers of a rebellion might be full of commoners who believe in the cause and other idealists who have very noble intentions; but coups are never bloodless and power changing hands is not as peaceful or easy as making plans or giving lofty speeches. 

To conclude, this is an absolutely fantastic adult SFF debut with a unique world, intriguing magic system, politics of empire and rebellions, and an ensemble of beautifully written characters. I never try to recommend books using comparisons, but in this case I would like to say that if you loved the magic system of Foundryside, you should totally checkout this book. A great story with even better cast of audiobook narrators, this is now clearly in my favorites of the year list and I can’t wait to read what happens next.

Ashley Janssen &
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

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Ashley Janssen &The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

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Ashley Janssen &
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart