An intriguing start to a new series, from a debut author to watch. Good prose, plot, pacing, and characters. Interested enough to continue reading the series.

This was a solid first book. I was immediately hooked by the worldbuilding and soon after by the characters. We’re leaked information at a good pace so it’s not so overwhelming to the point of distraction, but just enough to keep turning that page. It worked well on its own but also was a great setup for the rest of the series. Stewart expertly tied together multiple stories in a way that felt entirely seamless, weaving back and forth until everything is so intertwined I couldn’t tell you where it started (nor did I care). I loved the risk taking, the commentary on power within the empire, the complicated dynamics between characters and overall entrance into this world. Looking forward to the next one!

Amazing!! An absolute tour de force. This book is incredible.
My time taken to read it is only because I decided to savour it and read many books in-between. I’ll be onto the second book immediately and do not intend to take near as long to devour it.
The plot, the magic, the characters, the beasts; all of it is just so well throughout, written, and intricately put together. Andrea Stewart has given us a new world of magic with characters to adore and intrigue in how to rebuild a fallen Empire. I cannot say enough good things about this series.
At the end of the day if you love fantasy then this is a MUST READ book. I truly hope the series continues on just as strong. I expect in ten years for this series to be listed alongside other pinnacles of achievement in fantasy like Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones, Broken Empire, and more.

What tickles me even more is that a women wrote it!! Proof that we don’t need old white men to write all our fantasy. In fact anyone can write this genre successfully. I cannot wait to continue on with Bone Shard series; but also for all of Stewart’s future stories. I’m sure she has many to tell and I am here for them all.

Per the usual for me it seems, sometimes what it takes to get me to finally pick up a trilogy…is for that trilogy to end! Such is the case with this fantasy series. I had seen this one floating around on readings lists for a year or two now, but when Orbit sent out there titles for this spring and I saw the final book the trilogy was due to drop, I figured now was the time! So, let’s see what all the fuss has been about!

Lin continues to work day and night to earn the approval of her father and her place as the heir to his kingdom. But she is hindered by the large blank that is her memory past the point of a few years ago. She may not remember what happened in her past, but she knows that her future hinges on her ability to learn the magic behind her father’s ability to use bone shards to build the powerful magical constructs to allow their vast empire to run. And in other parts of the world, a smuggler who has been on a years-long search for his missing wife, runs across the darker price this bone shard magic extracts from the populace.

There was a lot to like about this book! The first thing that struck me was the interesting world-building and magic system at the heart of the story. And much of this information is unfurled slowly to the reader as one goes along, so there’s a sense of exploration and wonder as new layers of this world are pealed back. Things like the fact that the large islands that make up this empire move through the ocean in a way that must be carefully navigated by all those who travel between them. Hints that there may be more to the constructs than straight-forward magical tools that they seem to be. The discovery of magical creatures that are unknown to even the characters of this world. It made the reading experience, in a simple term, fun.

I also really liked the characters of the story. The POVs switch between four different characters, but Lin and Jovis, the smuggler, are by far the more main characters of the group. I really liked both of them; they each had solid character arcs and voices that lent excitement and interest to their chapters. Lin’s story is very much the heart of this book (as evidenced by the title of the book), but I almost found myself enjoying Jovis’s story the most. For one thing, he’s the one that ends up with the adorable, magical animal companion. And I’m always going to gravitate towards and adorable, magical animal companion. But his story was also full of adventure and danger, leading his chapters to feel fast-moving and action-packed. For her part, Lin’s story is much more one of self-discovery and the slow pealing back of the truths at the heart of her father’s dynasty. Due to her own lack of memories, it’s only naturally that her story plays out a bit slower.

But I also have to say I really didn’t understand the inclusion of the other two characters. They have something like 4-5 chapters between them in the entire book! And the chapters they did have I found frustrating to read. Each, in their own way, seemed to operate in a world of black and whites, neither able to understand the nuances of the other’s position (this was the classic romantic tension of one member being from an upper class and the other a lower). Neither character felt like they were bringing anything unique to the table, either to this conversation about societal structures (which I’ve seen done better) or to this book overall. As this is a trilogy, there’s a possibility that these two will gain importance in future books. But I wish the author had just introduced them then, instead of shoe-horning them in here in a way that left them feeling out of place. I’m not sure why authors are so nervous about doing this, adding characters in as they go, but it’s definitely possible and can definitely enhance a reading experience if done right!

The writing was also solid and neatly laid out themes of power, family, and the lengths we will go to for those we love. The story also ended in such a way that definitely left me eager to check out the next book. I can definitely see why this trilogy got off to such a great start and I recommend it to any fantasy reader who enjoys multi-POV fantasy stories with a strong focus on world-building.

Rating 8: Full of exploration and adventure, this fantasy novel arrives on the scene with a bang and leaves the reader aching for more by the end.

(Link will go live May 3)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Andrea Stewart's debut is one everyone should read. Rich in fantasy and culture, Bone Shard Daughter is threaded with beauty and mystique!

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 building 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!

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart is a solid option in the fantasy genre. It is the first in a series, with the sequel, The Bone Shard Emperor already available. The third, The Bone Shard War, appears as though it will not be available until 2023. The first two books ended with the most immediate plotlines resolved, but if you are like me, you should wait to read all three books in a row, because you will likely not want to wait for the third after reading this!

"Father told me I'm broken."

There are few first lines more intriguing than that. If you like a book with bone magic, smugglers, secrets, established queer relationship, mysterious islands, and magical animal companions, this book is for you.

I absolutely loved the magic system in this book. I thought it was unique but also had logical limitations that posed challenges to users who weren't well versed in it. I love the idea of bone constructs - how they work, what you need to do, and how you can modify them. I particularly appreciated how the magic system affected the people of the empire and how it dictated their relationship with the emperor.

My absolute favourite thing about this book is Mephi, one of the character's animal companions. He is cat-like, clever, and downright adorable.

The book is written in multiple POVs which give the reader a small snapshot of the lives of the main cast. I'm not the biggest fan of switching POVs but I also don't hate them. I was weary I wouldn't particularly come to care for all of them, but the further I got into the book, the more established each character felt and I was able to better understand their motivations. I also got the sense that the author trusted the reader enough to piece together information revealed between these POVs and guess where the story could be heading.

This is a promising start to a series. I have a feeling there will be more twists ahead and I'm curious to see how that plays out.

Thank you to Orbit for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a fantastic start to a series that I'm sure I will love through to its conclusion.

The magic system is top notch. The characters are well written and interesting. Plus it's queer!

I'm very excited to read book two soon.

In a world of floating islands, various narrators try to achieve or avoid their destiny, or understand the mysteries of their existence. There’s Lin, the Emperor’s daughter, set against her foster brother by the manipulative Emperor himself, who fosters the rivalry between them by bestowing keys as mark of his favor. The keys open various rooms which hold the secret to his power. The Emperor’s most powerful tool is the bone shard magic that he uses to program constructs, assemblages of beasts that he builds which then execute his commands. When the Emperor begins to show Lin’s foster brother how to use the bone shards, Lin is determined to find out the secret as well and position herself to be the next Emperor.

Then there’s Jovis, a talkative smuggler whose one aim in life is to find the woman he loves, who disappeared one day on a boat with blue sails. Jovis’s quest keeps getting sidelined though, as he becomes more and more involved with the resistance movement against the Emperor, led by the Shardless Few. The Emperor’s constructs are animated with small pieces of bone harvested from children, which he engraves with magical commands. Once the bone shard is activated, life drains from the donor. The Shardless Few have managed to evade the Emperor, and hope to break his rule over the Islands.

Other characters include a woman who gathers mangoes all day and has only dim memories of being brought there by a boat with blue sails. Who is she and why is she on this remote island? Does she know anything about Jovis’s lost love?

We also meet the governor’s daughter, whose lover embroils her in the struggle of the Shardless. Will the governor’s daughter turn against her own father?

As the story progresses, the characters come together in surprising ways. New alliances are forged, and secrets revealed.

I think this book was really well done. Going into the book, it was quite different from what I was expecting but that was not a bad thing. I was under the impression that it just followed one character but was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a multi POV book.

I enjoyed getting to see all the different perspectives because they all had their own plot lines and you were able to discover different parts the world/social standings through different sets of eyes.

The magic system was really intriguing and I found that it was a bit reminiscent of Foundryside where they use coding but done through bones. The magic system comes at a cost and that makes it more exciting. There were also hints of a secondary magic system that I’m looking forward to learning more about in the sequels.

Although the two POVs that were part of the sapphic romance were my least favourite of the 5 POVs, I really liked the way the author portrayed LGBTQ+ rep in this book. She chose to normalize same-sex relationships in this world which was quite refreshing, as no one would bat an eye at you if they discovered you were part of this community.

There were some mystery elements to the book that made for exciting plot twists. Even when I guessed some of them, it was still a lot of fun seeing the big reveals.

This book has a bit of everything. I would recommend this for anyone into adorable magical companions, interesting magic systems and rebellions.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favorite books of 2020! Andrea Stewart does world-building in a subtle, yet epic way. The characters are all endearing, and so rich.
Can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.

LOVELY. a read that i will remember for a long time. took a while for me to get into the story but once i did i was hooked, and this duology is so very incredible.

I really enjoyed this debut. This magic system was very interesting and different than what I normally read. I was interested in all of the characters and did not want it to end. Very excited to continue this series!

WOW what a debut! A unique fantasy story. It wasn’t what I was expecting. It was so much more! Twists, daring characters, animal companions, and complicated friendships are just a smidge of what’s in the book! Can’t wait to get to the sequel.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Even getting the Netgalley was exciting for this as I had never done it before. This was my first digital ARC. Which was an experience in it’s way. Getting Netgalley going and working out how to get it to my kobo was a puzzle but I managed it.

The Bone Shard Daughter is a high fantasy novel where a kingdom and it’s islands are ruled over by the Emperor after he banished an evil of the lands. However he is a tyrannical and paranoid man who is ruling the kingdom with an iron fist through his constructs which he controls through shards of his peoples bones. His daughter Lin is stuck in a battle against her foster brother Bayan in who will earn her Father’s respect first. Meanwhile there are rebellions afoot, couples who have to make tough decisions and very strange beasts around the place.

Honestly this book was even better than I expected. It’s so incredibly immersive that I honestly felt like It was glued to my fingers. The level of world building was insane. I honestly felt that I had lived there.

There are a lot of POV’s to keep up with which generally isn’t my favourite however here I would say I only got lost a couple of times. Some of the characters have already become new faviorites while others well lets just say a few of these characters need to learn a few lessons on how to treat their partners because I will be honest that really annoyed me.

In fact the book was probably at it's slowest at these moments of interplay between two characters who I don't wanna spoil who they are but they are important. However how dysfunctional hideous their relationship was just a little bit triggering for me so be careful on that.

On the other hand the running story of a smuggler and his new talking pet cat thing is honestly the most important and wholesome plot thread and I love them both. I wish them well and if anything bad happens to them I will have to revolt!

This book honestly feels massive. As we’re living in a post Game of Thrones world I kinda hope this becomes the next one. The concepts in this are awesome. The magic is scary as hell and the stakes are higher than high.

This one builds up to what is obviously going to be a series and frankly I can’t wait to see what happens next. The stakes are high and the stage is set for The Bone Shard Daughter to be Fantasies next big thing!!

Lin doesn't remember much before the day she woke in the room with the chrysanthemum ceiling. Her father--the emperor--said her amnesia is the result of an illness that stole her memories. She doesn't remember her mother (long since dead), her childhood, or the bond shard magic lessons she's supposedly been learning from her father the years previous. Instead, her current life is full of competition with Bayan, a young man who is also learning the bone shard magic and may take her place as emperor if he learns it better than her. But Lin will do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if it means sneaking around the palace to get the information she needs.

You see, bone shard magic is what the emperor uses to protect his people from the ancient race that used to enslave the population. Bone shards power the golem-like constructs that act as guards, spies, and warriors. But, of course, there is a price. Bone shards come from each child as they come of age. And sometimes the child dies in the harvesting process. Eventually the bone shard wears out, and the person it's tied to will die.

Jovis was able to escape the bone shard harvest when his older brother died as a result of it. That was many years ago, and since then Jovis has earned his navigator training. But circumstances have led him to a life of trading goods in a way that's not exactly legal. Years ago his wife disappeared, kidnapped and stolen away by a blue-sailed ship. He's been searching for her ever since. In a life-threatening escape from an island, he saves a little boy and a creature from the sea--both events which change the course of his life.

Phalue and Ranami are in love. But Phalue is the daughter-heir of the governor and Ranami a young woman of the streets. Will their love survive their vast socio-economic divide and Ranami's fervent need to change how the governor treats the local populace?

THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER by Andrea Stewart is something a little different than the usual, which was a nice change of pace. The setting is an archipelago of islands that shift (and they can sometimes disappear in to the sea!), so that means Jovis' navigation skills are more important than first glance. This book has themes of loss, love, social justice, and trust that move through all the stories in ways that are often thought-provoking and disturbing. Stewart takes these themes and twists them around in ways that often torture the main characters--which can be fun to read, but simultaneously frustrating.

The story is long and takes its time in the telling as it builds the world, the magic, and the characters. The narration rotates between the four main characters (and a 5th mystery) and their individual trials as they search for acceptance and love. While there are plenty of exciting parts, the forward pace is a little uneven. By the last quarter of the book it finally starts to really take off and move in a direction where you can start to see the characters take hold of their stories and create their own destiny. Some resolutions you see coming, some you don't.

The magic is interesting and it's the focus of Lin's storyline as she learns bone shards and what you can do with them. Most of her learning is her own and not from the emperor, so there's a deal of trial and error (oh so many errors). But it's fascinating to watch as she struggles through the limitations the emperor has given her, forcing her to take matters into her own hands.

I must admit it took me a while to work my way through this book. The Phalue/Ranami chapters were the least interesting and didn't move the plot forward, they felt tacked on and forced. Jovis' story was slightly less problematic than P/R, but still took too long to work through (and I'm not sure how I feel about the resolution). Only Lin's story really had deeper interest for me. It just took too long for these disparate stories to converge and begin to get interesting.

But finally the story reaches a conclusion that promises more. The question is how it will build on what we learn in THE BONE SHARD'S DAUGHTER?

This book was the one I was most excited for and it was amazing. The world building was truly impeccable and there aren't enough words to describe how much I loved this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

The Bones Shard Daughter follows Lin, the emperor's daughter, as she struggles to gain her father's trust and learn to use the bone shard magic that is her birthright. Of course there are a few obstacles in her path such as her competition and foster sibling Bayan, a brewing rebellion, the possible return of a hostile ancient race, and the pesky fact that she can't remember her past.

We also travel with the renowned smuggler, Jovis, who is searching for his wife that disappeared seven years ago, his only clue being a boat with blue sails. During his search he rescues a mysterious creature that is much more than it seems. To top it off, Jovis continually finds himself helping others, in direct opposition of the Empire, which draws the rebellion to him and forces him to choose between his future and his past.

Next we follow Phalue, a governor's daughter who is okay with the way things are until forced to question the status quo. Phalue has to confront her ideas around privilege, responsibility, and how the people should be treated. The last POV is Sandu, whose story involves waking up from a haze and trying to uncover the details of how she and the others with her came to be trapped where they were.

The world building and the build up to the next book are insane! There are several hints/clues as to a larger plot for the series that I can't wait for the resolution to. This book drops you right into the middle of the character's lives and offers very little in the way of answers, even up to the end. I love this in a book, but others may not. I will say, I would have liked just a couple more answers at the end, but I am still anxiously awaiting the sequel.