Every new novel from RJ Barker is something to be celebrated. Engaging, intriguing, and very well-written. This is a great new fantasy world, and I think fans of the author — and fantasy in general — will find a lot to like, here. Definitely recommended.

I enjoyed this book, though it did take a while. I'd previously started it a while back, and I just had to put it down, I just didn't like the world as a whole, it was just so harsh. But I tried again, and while I still despised those elements, the rest of the story won me over.

One thing that I do have to say, is that the one big element of the world that I couldn't stand was the child sacrifice. Either their own, or their enemies. The countries are at war, and I'm like, maybe they're treating you like this because you treated them like this? But on the other hand, one great thing about this world was that same sex relationships were the only ones allowed on ship, that was really great!

If you didn't read the synopsis, you wouldn't know about the dragon being spotted was a thing in this book, at least for the world and the characters to be established. Though we did know that something was going on, because for Meas to be there, something had to be up!

There was a really compelling plot, with the dragons being a non-existence resource-until one is spotted. I had to know what was going to happen next, with this crew who were some of the worst, and were shaped up into a pretty well knit group!

This was a fantastic start to this series, and I can't wait to see where it goes from here!

I had been waffling about reading this book for a while- I don't always like books that take place on the ocean and epic fantasy, while it's one of my favorite genres, can be very hit-or-miss. I was under the impression that this was a Vikings sort of book. It is not!

I ended up loving it! I'd say it's sort of a cross between Master and Commander/Patrick O'Brian books and Pirates of the Caribbean, only with a much more interesting and competent captain than Jack Sparrow. Lucky Meas is the first-born daughter of the leader of the Bern. In this world, women may join the Bern if they have a first-born who is healthy and whole. That first-born child is sacrificed to the bone ships to become a corpse light that protects and powers the ship. The mother becomes part of the ruling class of the Hundred Isles. Women who have a child that is not perfect can never improved their role in society and if they die giving birth, their children are also stuck since their mother was "weak". Pretty grim stuff! Lucky Meas was supposed to have been sacrificed, but a tidal wave interrupted the process, killing all who were on the docks to witness or perform her sacrifice but leaving the baby untouched. Tide Child is a good name for a ship that Meas captains.

How she comes to captain Tide Child is not fully explained in this book. Tide Child is a black ship. Bone ships, made from the magical bones of the giant sea serpents that once swam the seas, begin their service stark white, crewed by the Fleet and protected by corpse lights. Once their lights have failed and they are damaged, they become black ships, crewed by criminals who have been sentenced to death and who are to live the rest of their lives on a black ship until they die in battle.

Joron Twiner is our POV character. He begins the book as captain of Tide Child, but Meas quickly ends his career as a captain and keeps him to be her second officer. She takes control of a truly raggedy crew and begins to whip (not literally, mostly) them into shape.

Joron resents Meas in the beginning but learns a lot from her. A lot of the book is about how to lead and inspire and create a team, and that's what I liked most about it. I also liked the unique and interesting world and its magic. In this world, there is very little wood and metal, and so sea serpent bones are the only things that are big enough and tough enough to form a tall masted ship. These serpents were precious resources but it's thought that they have disappeared from the world, which means no more ships can be built to fuel the war between the Hundred Islands and the Gaunt Islands. But are they truly gone forever?

I'm looking forward to the next book and have found a new author to add to my list of favorites!

I had a very hard time getting into this story. I am not sure where the break down was but I did not find it compelling.

This story was not my cup of tea. I tried multiple times to read this book but could not get into the rhythm of this story. Did not finish unfortunately.

The Tide Child Trilogy‘s first novel, The Bone Ships, is one of the best adventure stories I’ve ever read. If you were once a fan of the Horatio Hornblower series or, more recently, the Master and Commander books, you’ll take to this thrilling high seas action based in a finely imagined world of warring island nations. They confront each other in ships built of the bones of a supposedly extinct race of sea dragons. It’s a great tale of rebirth on many levels.

The drunken young shipwife (captain) Joron Twiner of the black bone ship of condemned crew is challenged and abruptly replaced in his command by the indomitable Lucky Meas. She offers Joron and the crew a chance to redeem themselves by finding and protecting a seemingly lone survivor of the sea dragon race. They set off on a series of adventures that put them all to the test. With the aid of a unique bird species that talks to the wind and thus powers the ship, Joron, the ship and the crew all find new meaning in life under Lucky Meas’ inspiring leadership. Call of the Bone Ships, the second novel in the trilogy, picks up on an equally strong note with a lyrical chapter that perfectly suits its language to the re-creation of a frigid storm. There is no falling off in this middle book, which leaves Lucky Meas in a tough spot and thus sets the stage for the final book. I look forward to doing a full review of The Bone Ship’s Wake soon on my blog SciFiMind.com.

Took me a bit of time to get into this one. The world building is impressive and I had to really slow down to grasp all of the terms and really get to know the characters. I was pulled along by a rather decent story. I am not one for maritime books, but I got into the workings of the ships and the mystery of the dragons. Not sure if I will plow through the next two in the series, but this book was definitely enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me a copy of the e-Arc. I am very grateful! This one was very anticipated and will definitely read more from this author in the future!

The Bone Ships // RJ Barker

I heard several book blogger friends raving about this book so when I had the opportunity to request it for review, I jumped at the chance. I enjoy fantasy a lot, especially when magic and dragons are involved so I was looking forward to it a lot. Despite this, I was not prepared for how much I would love this book! I mean, I could not stop thinking about it even when I was supposed to focus on other things, such as work! All I wanted to do was get back to the book so I could see what would happen next!

At first, the unknown world and terms were a little confusing. The writing was on a different level from my last read as well so I had to readjust to the more descriptive style of this author, which I did not mind at all as this is something I enjoy a lot. Once you get further in though, you realize that while you may feel a bit lost at first, the author actually does a fantastic job at explaining everything along the way without making it obvious that he’s simply explaining it to the unknowledgable. It fits very smoothly into the story.

The world building is – simply put – amazing. One of my favorite parts about starting a new fantasy series is learning about the world the author came up with. This is what makes me love this book so much. It’s obvious how thorough the author is with so many amazing details. From the flora and fauna in the sea and on land to the traditions of the people and the cruel religious practices, there is so much to absorb. The social system based on fertility and strength of blood was new to me also, but I have been enjoying the trend in my books lately where men and women seem to be on a more equal footing in professions that are more gendered in the real world (such as pirates and shipwives).

While the narration is in third person, it does focus on one specific character and lets us know about his personal thoughts and motivations. I tend to analyze my own and others’ thoughts deeply myself so this has always worked great for me in books as well. Joron has a huge learning curve in this book, which allows the reader to learn right along with him, and it was great to see him grow, especially since he is not a perfect character. There are doubts and loses, fears and regrets along the way but there is also conviction, victory and celebration that we get to experience right along with him. But of course I cannot talk about characters in The Bone Ships without mentioning Lucky Meas. This is not a story with a man that slides in, saves the day, and is hailed a hero. This is actually far from that. Joron and the crew are on a ship of the dead, just waiting for the sentence to be carried out. These are outcasts, criminals, unwanteds. But Meas is the glue that holds them together, gives them a purpose, and makes them feel important again. She is confident, knowledgable, and experienced in a way Joron didn’t expect and also did not appreciate right away but needed nonetheless. She is one of my favorite female characters in a long time.

While I feel like I have a relatively good understanding of this world now, I do suspect there is so much left to learn as well and I am thrilled for that. This book has a very satisfying ending that at the same time leaves enough open to make you very excited for Call of the Bone Ships and I am lucky to be able to dive into that one immediately. If you like a world with dragons, windtalkers, coursers, ships, pirates, and epic battles, then this will be the perfect series for you to get lost in.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliantly imagined saga of honor, glory, and warfare, The Bone Ships is the epic launch of a new fantasy from David Gemmell Award-nominated RJ Barker.

Two nations at war. A prize beyond compare.

For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war.

The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted.

Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favour. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war.

Not for me. I tried several times to read this and couldn't get into it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.

3 stars. Took me forever to get into the book and I almost DNF’d a couple times. Idk what it was but my brain just couldn’t grasp the ships or half the descriptions of things so it was hard to get really into the story. For someone who almost exclusively reads high adult fantasy it was odd for me to be so lost and I think that really effected my overall enjoyment of the book. Picked up about halfway through and was an ok deal din the end.

Cool premise! Pirates and dragons? Love it. Great detail in the fantasy. Seemed to be missing something though. I can't put my finger on it, but it is missing something

This was an interesting, and different, fantasy book than I’m used to. I admit, it took me a bit to get into it and to delve into the world and characters. I felt a little off kilter with them and the world - confused.

But I enjoyed the unique writing and look forward to trying more by this author.

I want to say thank you to Netgalley, Orbit, and the author for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

We all know that I love fantasy, yes? And we know that I love a character-driven fantasy most of all. When I saw The Bone Ships up for request on Netgalley, it sounded like a book that would be right up my alley! We’re following a man named Joron Twiner who has been sentenced to a life on a black ship, large ships made of dragon bones that are crewed by convicts. He’s basically given up on life until Lucky Meas shows up and takes his command. He soon finds himself on a dangerous mission to find something that most people thought would never be seen again: a sea dragon.

So, to recap, we have seafaring adventures, potentially morally grey characters, and dragons. I was all set to love this! I started this book August 2nd, 2019.

I legit just finished this book last month 😬

What can I say? I started reading this and was almost immediately bored to tears. This is most definitely not a character-driven story, though I will say that the character development was one of my favorite aspects of the book. This book was all about extensive world-building and focused more so on the plot and establishing the world. Which would have been fine if it hadn’t had such a slow start! I just couldn’t bring myself to care and it felt like it took forever for anything interesting to happen. Every time I picked the e-book up to read, I would only get through a few pages before I would find myself fooling around on Twitter or doing something else besides actually reading. So I put the book down and, honestly, kind of forgot about it.

Then inspiration struck. Though I received an e-ARC of this book, it’s clearly been out for quite some time, so I figured I’d pick up the audiobook to see if that would make my reading experience better. Y’all… it was like night and day! I quickly found myself completely engrossed in the story! I got through the audiobook in just a couple of days and ended up really enjoying it. Once you get past the slow start, this was an epic tale about duty and prejudices and what people will go through to see an end to war. The sea battles were incredibly wrought and, as I mentioned, watching the characters grow and come together as a crew was my favorite part of the whole book. I’m so glad that I gave this book a second chance because I ended up quite liking it!

Just another reminder that anyone who says that audiobooks “aren’t reading” are not to be trusted. Because this audiobook helped introduce me to an adult fantasy series that I now wish to continue and it saved my Netgalley ratio!

Final thoughts: Though this book has a slow start, it’s worth pushing through! The world-building is thorough, the sea battles are heart-pounding, and watching the characters grow is incredibly satisfying. If you want a well-developed epic fantasy that makes you feel as though your walking the deck alongside the crew, definitely check out The Bone Ships. And, if you find yourself getting stuck, try out the audiobook!

The Bone Ships draw me in with the cover that reminded me of Robin Hobb's style.. That and the mention of dragons made me want to read it. Unfortunately, this wasn't the book for me.The beginning felt very tedious to read. I couldn't get into it. I tried, I really did. I even bought the audiobook on Audible to push myself as I thought it would be easier. Turns out, it wasn't easier and I had to DNF The Bone Ships. Maybe someday I'll try again but it's not very likely. I listened to two hours out of the seventeen and it was a chore already so I'm not going to drag this book down by writing a long negative review when I haven't read enough in my opinion.



(Thank you for giving me an ARC via Netgalley)

I tried, and I could not get into this book. Maybe if I read it with an audiobook, it would be better. I had high hopes for this but I couldn't get past the first 50 pages. I will try again later this year.

I’ve decided the book was a little to unfamiliar in feeling. Books need to be familiar while also unfamiliar and it can be a hard balance, I just wasn’t pushed to keep reading. The pace never really changes, the voice is steady but this results in it being left behind if the reader gets distracted or bored.

I received a reviewer copy of The Bone Ships by RJ Barker from Orbit Books from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: In the Hundred Islands, all the glory goes to the fleet who sail to protect the islands from their enemy the Gaunt Islanders. There ships are built of Dragon Bones and the war seems endless, no one seems to know what their fighting for. In this land of ships, those who have been sentenced to death are sentenced to crew of a black Ship. Joron Twiner is the sea wife of a black ship, Tide Child, until one day Lucky Meas, Hundred Islands legendary sea wife challenges him for control of his ship. She wins and the adventure of hunting dragons and fighting for glory starts there.

What I Loved: I read this book with my boyfriend which was so delightful for me because we both love to read but rarely read the same genre, so doing a read aloud with him was so fun and enhanced my reading experience. I loved that we got to see character development, I loved the characters (for the most part), and I loved the adventures and escaping into a new world. I also loved how the book dropped little pieces throughout and set up mysteries to discuss and consider. I forgot what it was like to get lost in a good fantasy novel.

What I didn’t like so much: Honestly, I think this is probably because world building demands details, but I think that part of the length and descriptions could have been shut down.

Who Should Read It: People who love books set at sea. People who love fantasy books. People who love seeing character development.

General Summary: A high stakes adventure where characters seek glory and also grow.

Bone Ships was an intriguing novel. The world building was imaginative. And there was a lot of focus on sea voyages and naval warfare, which I expected from the title and synopsis. I struggled with the first half of this book however. I found it to be a slow read and difficult to connect with the characters. The story did pick up in the second half, which was pleasant. It is not an easy read, but definitely worth it.