Wow, where to even begin.

So my first thought while reading was that I really loved the perspectives, but specifically Lin and Jovis in the beginning. Jovis is sort of a rebellious figure when the book begins – a smuggler that steals from the Empire – but not necessarily part of the “official” revolutionary force. Lin is the daughter to the emperor but she is pushed aside by her father in favor of her foster brother who is being taught the magic that she yearns to know, which is the bone shard magic.

On that note, the magic of this world is super interesting and the way the bone shards are acquired is really creepy – during a yearly festival soldiers of the empire will literally carve shards of bone out of the skulls of children for the emperor to use in his magic. This ceremony has a 1 in 25 chance of death. The emperor stores these shards, which every citizen has to get removed for use by the empire, in one big room to be used in his experiments to create constructs. Constructs are basically amalgamations of different animal parts powered by commands written onto bone shards by the emperor – which are supposed to help the emperor protect his empire from this race of people that existed way back in the day and are prophesied to come back.

One of my favorite characters, Jovis, starts his story by saving this little boy from the festival ceremony at the behest of his aunt to deliver him to his parents. As he is freeing this little boy, the island they are on starts to quake and he escapes with the boy with no time to spare before the island and everyone on it sank into the ocean. Once he arrives at the island and gives the boy to his parents, this is when we really start to understand his past as some people he owes money to comes to hunt him down. His wife disappeared overnight one day years ago and when he came to bed all he found was 19 silver coins on her bed, and rumors on the island of a boat with blue sails taking off during the night. This is really the driver of his story – finding his wife. He does eventually pick up an animal companion on the way who he names Mephi, that literally can speak to him, and any scene with him in it is 100% my favorite.

We also followed a character named Phalue throughout the story, but I didn’t really care for her. The daughter to a governor of the empire, she has lived her entire life in a palace but has disillusioned herself to think that she is not like her father because she has a commoner as a mother, and does things like wear non-fancy clothing and tossing a few coins to poor kids on her way to her mother’s house. Phalue has a history of being a philanderer, but when we meet her she has been in a committed relationship with a woman for a couple years now. This woman she is with is low born, and she has turned down Phalue’s marriage proposal on multiple occasions. She is really trying to make Phalue see how the commoners are treated and do her part to make their quality of life better, but it takes SO painfully long for Phalue to see her side of things that it was truly SO frustrating reading from her perspective. Someone who sees the poor people as just people who are lazy and never put in the effort to make their lives better, without truly trying to see what has happened to them or the actual requirements it would take for that to happen was just awful to read from. Even at the end, when inevitably she HAD to see it from the other perspective I had a hard time really liking her character, because her concern for the commoners and her role in how the story played out just didn’t seem genuine at any point.

The plot is pretty generic, but the twists and turns really kept the momentum of the story going. Basically it’s the all powerful empire versus the revolution (i.e. the Shardless Few) who wants to do away with the bone shard ceremonies and an emperor, and rule all the known islands by a council.

I will say everything that was supposed to be a big reveal was something that I predicted ahead of time, but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story and ultimately I think that it just speaks to the writing ability of the author that she planted enough seeds for me to able to predict plot items. I really hate when there’s twists that happen that you have no context for and seem to come out of left field – so I didn’t really mind the predictability. Additionally, maybe I’m alone in this but a lot of books I will just read through and wait to see what happens and I don’t find myself caring enough TO predict what will happen or certain plot points so even though it was predictable, the fact that I found myself theorizing throughout the book what would happen or who certain people were lets you know how much I cared about these characters and how much I was invested in the storyline.

Additionally, the end of the book REALLY sets up for the next one and I cannot wait to pick up the sequel. I think this world still has so much to be explored and so much we could discover that I am betting this will probably be more than a trilogy. I just think this world is so wide and expansive that I would really be a shame to only get a few books in it. Ultimately, this was an amazing debut and well worth the five star rating. Please, please, please go pick this up today on release day. If you like Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, or John Gwynne’s Faithful and the Fallen series you will absolutely love this debut.

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a good novel, and a very good debut novel.

The worldbuilding and writing really stand out in this book compared to other debuts I've read this year. From the start, I had the sense that the author has a fully fleshed out world in mind and that they were slowly revealing that world over the course of the novel. Each new piece of information slotted with what was already known about the setting and it never felt like things were shoehorned in to make the plot work. In other words, this world has rules and seemed to stick to them. Many debuts overlook this aspect of worldbuilding and the setting seems flimsy or generic. I thought the descriptions were also well done; they were detailed enough to sketch the surroundings without getting lost in minutia.

I really appreciated the diversity in the ages and experiences of all of the characters, which ranges from older teenagers/early twenty something, to clearly middle aged and elderly. The author doesn't divide their characters into "young spunky heroes" and "older wise people/older villains". Characters feel fully realized and they react to setbacks and trauma in a believable way.

One thing that dropped the rating down for me was the pacing, especially in the first 1/3 of the book, because each chapter starts a new POV and different storyline. This is pretty jarring since most of the early chapters end on cliff hangers--right when you start to get immersed in one narrative, it abruptly ends and you're forced to switch to another one. Luckily almost all of the different POVs were pretty interesting (I found the Ranami/Phaldue story the hardest to get into but that's because I prefer less relationship drama in political fiction), which saves the reading experience from being a complete drag. Later on in the book, you do get multiple chapters in a row from the same POV which I enjoyed a lot more.

Plot was interesting, the magic system isn't totally unique (Branden Sanderson's The Emperor's Soul has a magic system that has a very similar premise to the bone shard/chimaera concept used in this book), but the integration with an Asian/Southeast Asian-like setting and island cultures helps it stand out a bit more.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot more than I was expecting and ended up finishing it all in one sitting. Even setting aside the fact that this is a debut novel, I'd comfortably rate this book as a 3 to 4 star read. I'm interested to see how this series continues.

*****
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I took my time reading this because I knew I'd love it. A debut fantasy novel about bone magic? Count me in. We follow multiple POV's which I love in fantasy, a cool magic system. Andrea Stewart's writing has such a flow that as a reader you just want to soak in all the words. All in all I loved this book and i need the sequel.
The book is about an empire controlled by bone shard magic, and the emperor's rule is failing, revolution is coming. We follow Lin who when is no longer recognized as heir to the throne will fight to prove her worth and will vow to master the forbidden magic.

I was not prepared for how good The Bone Shard Daughter is! I just finished it and my brain is still reeling from this book. What a great debut! I can't get over how much I enjoyed this book. Amazing world building, magic, suspense, unexpected twists - so good!

I didn't have a problem with the slower pacing of the book; it was deliberately and perfectly setting up for the sequel. The few times I was certain that I had figured out what was coming, I ended up being completely wrong - I love it when that happens! I already know I"m going to have a hard time waiting for the next book in this trilogy, which is my strongest recommendation for a book- you have to read this!

This was a solid first book for the series. I am a big fantasy fan and I really enjoyed it.
The setting was interesting and different and I LOVED the bone shard magic. Characters were well developed and I cared about them. While reading I had felt that the book was organized and well written. The author has a plan and I am here for it. if maybe a little slow. Would continue with the series and I am exciting to see what the author does with these characters.
Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC

Wow, what a book! I suppose it’s a mark of a good reading year that so many of the books I’ve read are so excellent as to leave me speechless, and I’m thrilled to add The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart to that list.

I’m not always a huge fan of books with more than two POVs, but when the characters are as fully realized as the cast of this novel, I make an exception. Reading The Bone Shard Daughter was delightful. I would describe the pacing as leisurely rather than slow, giving the reader ample time to sink into the world and peel back layer upon layer of intrigue without feeling lost.

I highly recommend The Bone Shard Daughter, and I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy!

This high fantasy masterpiece has so many things I loved:
- Multiple casually queer characters
- Established f/f relationship with a sword wielding disaster lesbian second only to Gideon Nav
Adorable mythical animal companions or as yet unknown origins
- Social commentary centered around classism/economic privilege
- A badass magic system that had necromancy vibes, but also felt totally fresh & new

Content Warnings: Graphic violence, body horror, needles, passing mention of past CSA, death of loved ones, child death (off page). And one more that I'm not sure how to succinctly word - there is a medical procedure in the world that can turn into an unintentional lobotomy if done incorrectly, which happens once on page during a flash back.

Told by different POVs, The Bone Shard Daughter is a wonderful and intense epic fantasy book, set in a world where an Emperor rules on everything and his daughter is ready to do anything in her power to prove her worth to him and become his heir. While rebellion is brewing across the many islands of the Empire, there are murmuring of mysterious powers, captivating characters and a magic, so dangerous and peculiar.
The worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic and the writing style is brilliant, creating a world where the reader is right away captured and thrown into the book. The characterization is amazing, the characters are moved by their motives, finding one other through mysteries and plot twists and the plot is full of twists and mysteries.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much, Orbit books, for the chance to read it!

The Bone Shard daughter is the intense and absolutely brilliant beginning of new book series, The drowning empire. Set in a world controlled by a peculiar kind of magic, called bone shard magic, The bone shard daughter is a wonderful epic fantasy, told by multiple POVs:

- Lin, the emperor's daughter, lives in a palace full of locked doors and secrets and she's determined to prove her worth to her father and be named his heir, conquering his love and approval, even by going against his rules and trying to master the bone shard magic on her own.

- Yovis is a smuggler, who is looking for the woman he loves and finds himself involved in the rebellion that is sweeping across the Empire's islands and becoming a sort of hero he wasn't expecting to be, with a very peculiar companion.

-Phalue is the daughter of an island's governor and, with the help of her lover, Ranami, she's forced to open her eyes to her people's sufferings an reevaluate her beliefs.

-Ranami is a stubborn woman, who is willing to do anything to help the revolution and save her people from the Empire's hard rules.

- Sand is a young woman, who finds herself prisoner of an island, with many other people, without knowing how she arrived there and who she is, but, after an accident, she's determined to find the truth about their situations and memories.

The author wrote a stunning book, with an amazing worldbuilding with captivating and new magic, the realities of the constructs (so, so interesting), set in a Empire made of many islands and with such complex and thrilling characters, who find one other in an intricate net of plot twists, mysteries, lies and secrets.
I loved everything about this book, the author's imagination is brilliant!
The bone shard magic is creative and interesting, even though the paid price is high, introducing to the reader the moral questions of what people are willing (or not) to sacrifice to be kept safe and when it's time to rebel

The characterization is absolutely amazing and I fell in love with these brave, brilliant and so human characters, who have to face so many twists, secrets, dangers, they can't even catch a breath!against who is a tyrant and what's the right thing to do.
During all the book, all the characters are forced to make decisions and reevaluate their beliefs and things they thought they were true, growing up and creating an interesting development in every character.
Captivating is the mention of the Alanga, with their powers and the threat they posed if they were coming back and the interesting realities of tmagic and peculiar creatures.

I loved reading about the relationship between characters, above all the one between Yovis and Mephi, so funny and sweet and I really liked how they like and trust one other. I laughed so much reading their interactions and I can't wait to know more about their shared connection and powers.
Phalue and Ranami are such an amazing couple and it's very realistic the way the author wrote about their relationship and their misunderstandings, often born because they came from different social classes and it's clear, in the whole book, that they are ready to do anything to understand one other, even, for Phalue, opening her own eyes to what they have to do.
The relationship between Lin and her father, the Emperor is very complex, because she's trying to do anything in her power to prove her worth to him, facing mysteries, locked doors and unexpected allies, as her rival, Bayan.

The Bone Shard daughter is full of strong characters, a sweet queer love story, rebellion, mysteries, powers and it's a captivating beginning. I can't wait to know what will happen next!

Wow wow wow! What a stellar and solid adult fantasy debut!

THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER follows Lin, the Emperor's daughter who wants to earn her father's respect and proves her worth to be heir to the throne by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Told in multiple POVs, Stewart presents well-written fascinating characters which stories come together throughout the narrative. When it comes to different perspectives, I usually prefer one over another, however in this book I was drawn into each character in a unique way. My favorite character oscillated between Lin and Jovis (and can we talk about how captivating was Mephi?). I was amazed by the Chinese inspired world-building, painted with fantastic magic, magical creature and Chinese proverbs. Additionally, a plot with secrets that unraveled satisfyingly was the cherry on top of the cake.

The mysterious atmosphere made me guess the entire time and I could not put this book down. I found the concept of constructs thoroughly creative yet dark. Stewart also touches on topics of abuse of power, classism and privilege.
It was interesting to read the fact that Lin could be heir to the throne, opportunity mostly exclusive for men in Asian culture.

THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER is a character-driven fantasy with an immersive story that I fell in love with. I need some answers and I can't wait to read the sequel!

[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review ]

The Story

There is a rich story within The Bone Shard Daughter. With notes of adventure, rivalry, desperation, and mystery Stewart weaves a phenomenal tale of epic proportions. The Phoenix Empire is made up of many islands in a world ruled by water and trade and we get to see from so many viewpoints what the Sukai Dynasty has done to the people of the empire. This story also not only involves Lin as a protagonist, but several other people as well that are just as important to the story as the emperor’s daughter is. The magic system itself is very unique and the creatures born from are both beautiful and frightening at the same time. And the way that this system is introduced to us shows us exactly why people are rebelling against it, even though it is supposedly in place to keep the people in the empire safe. I don’t want to talk too much about the story because I don’t wish to give anything away, but needless to say Andrea Stewart’s novel is just the beginning of an epic fantasy that I want to see through to the end.

The Characters

After reading the blurb for this book I expected the full book to be about Lin and her journey, but goodness was I in for a pleasant surprise. There were 5 points of view instead of 1! And each POV relayed important details of the story as a whole. Lin is the emperor’s daughter and her journey consisted of learning bone shard magic to earn her father’s favor, but she makes some morally gray decisions along the way. I loved seeing the way her character grew through the story. Then we have Jovis and his search for his missing wife. He claims to not want to be involved in the rebellion going on within the empire, but his actions say otherwise and I don’t even think that Jovis himself realizes this for a long while. That brings me to my favorite characters in the book, Phalue and Ranami. Stewart portrayed this sapphic relationship beautifully and the writing surrounding them was beautiful. They truly loved each other, but they had to deal with some political and moral differences along the way, which is normal for any couple in their situation.

The Writing

The Bone Shard Daughter’s writing was interesting, descriptive, and well paced. For me, multiple POVs can cause me to lose interest in a story quickly, especially if I favor one character over the others. I find myself skipping other character’s chapters in order to get back to my favorite (it’s bad I know), but with this novel I found myself very invested in each of the characters. Each POV offered up unique details that added pieces to the puzzle on other POVs and it just fit together so nicely. Stewart definitely does multiple POVs very well. The creatures and magic system that Stewart introduces to us will have your imagination reaching new heights. There is just so much detail in the descriptions of the constructs and the other creatures that we are come across as well. It becomes very easy to picture what everything looks like while you are reading. I also really love the way that Stewart wrote the people in this world. Men and women fought along each other as equals and LGBTQ relationships were seen as normal and natural, as they should be. Adopting in order to have heirs to a position is also a very normal thing in this story. You don’t get this that often in novels and I am so happy that I picked up this book and got to experience it. I just loved this world so much and if I could write a separate novel on why Andrea Stewart’s writing is great I absolutely would.

The Bone Shard Daughter is one of those books that burrows into your brain and makes a home there. I’ve typed and deleted three introductions because nothing I’ve said feels like an adequate way to introduce this book, and I want to talk about it while avoiding spoilers.

This story follows multiple POV characters. It takes considerable skill to be able to weave the narratives together in a compelling way, without readers struggling to keep track of characters and storylines. Andrea Stewart does this effortlessly, and every POV character is distinct and developed. Stewart has almost mastered making the reader gasp at the end of a chapter by raising the stakes and increasing the tension.

In fact, Stewart’s skills as a storyteller rival those of seasoned authors. Introducing characters that are at one point loathed and eventually liked is a hard thing to do, but even some of the secondary characters who don’t have POV chapters earn redemption or fall from grace through the narrative. I found my sympathies changing throughout the story, right up until the end.

There were also some surprises in store. I thought I knew where some of the threads were going, but didn’t foresee all the outcomes. In fact, I didn’t anticipate a lot of the developments in the story. Stewart had laid the groundwork, however, and it was my own assumptions and hopes that drove some of my projections.

I was particularly invested in Lin and Jovis. Lin’s journey was one that twisted and turned as she tried to prove herself worthy of being her father’s heir. Part of her problem is that she has no memories from before she was sick, and the emperor grills her to determine if she’s started to recall things from before that date. Instead of trying to unravel the secrets that are supposed to be buried in her mind, Lin uses her wits to try to learn the bone shard magic her father won’t teach her. In the process of trying to prove herself, Lin must come to terms with what she’s doing and who she is, and some of the revelations will force her to consider what she really wants for her future. At one point, she reflects: I didn’t live in a palace. I lived in a dollhouse of my father’s making, a living graveyard.

Can Lin ever be happy trapped in an artificial reality, a home that’s nothing more than a construct, designed by her father for his own nefarious purposes?

Jovis is searching for his long-lost wife, Emahla, who was taken from him years before. Everywhere he goes he runs into trouble, and is given opportunities to prove himself a hero again and again. His reputation jeopardizes his personal mission as people beg him for help. He must come to terms with his grief and decide how he will spend his future.

One of the key themes in the story is about family and love. Jovis is searching for his wife. Phalue is desperate to win Ranami’s heart. Sand is trying to remember who she is and where she belongs. Lin is trying to win her father’s love and approval. This theme is paralleled by the heroics of Jovis, as he saves children from having their bone shards removed.

That ties to one of the most intriguing elements of the story. Constructs are made from parts of animals and powered by bone shards removed from children. When bone shards are in use, they slowly drain away the life of the person they came from. In the end, the donor will become sick and die. The emperor thinks it’s a small price to pay for safety. He perpetuates the idea that the mysterious Alanga could return and threaten their lives at any moment to keep the people in line. Anyone who dares to speak ill of him or defy him could be executed. This is something Lin has to grapple with as she tries to learn his magic. As she sneaks out into town and meets the people affected by her father’s decisions, she struggles with how the bone shard magic affects them, and whether it’s right to use it at all.

Another important theme in the story is forgiveness. Can Lin and Bayan find a way to overcome their past rivalry and work together? Can Ranami and Phalue forgive each other for mistakes they’ve both made? Can Jovis forgive himself if he gives up his quest to find his wife?

These key themes play an important role in the progression of the character arcs that unfold throughout the novel. The primary characters will all have to make deliberate decisions before the end, and none of them can avoid change. The only question is whether they’ll change for the better.

Like all good stories with multiple POV characters, the characters intersect in interesting ways. Jovis forms the thread that connects Lin to Phalue and Ranami. Will the outcome of Lin’s quest be enough to save the empire? The answers may lie in the conclusion to this book, which I don’t want to spoil for anyone. Let’s just say I, once again, thought book 2 was shaping up one way and found myself surprised by an unexpected development.

This is the first work in a series. Stewart manages to balance the art of giving this book a sense of resolution and set the stage for the next book at the same time. Within a handful of pages at the end I’d experienced both fear and hope, and I have no doubt that book two will raise the stakes for all the protagonists.

The Bone Shard Daughter is an original, engrossing fantasy story that introduces compelling characters and concepts. I loved every minute of this impressive debut and highly recommend it. 5/5 stars.

The Bone Shard Daughter is a unique adult fantasy novel with multiple POV's, an interesting magic system, and an animal sidekick I would actually die for. Andrea Stewart doesn't hold back, effortlessly weaving together the main characters' story lines to create an action packed, political drama you won't want to miss.

OMG! I freaking loved this book. We had no internet or cable yesterday and I read the entire book in one day. You know what? I didn't mind not having the internet because I was so into this book.

It is so good. I love the writing and the characters.

This one one of the best fantasy books I have read this year.

I highly recommend it.

Content warnings: surgery, body horror

There are few things I love more in a story than messy families, magical constructs powered by bones, and mythological lore returning. The Bone Shard Daughter has it all and then some.

The main POVs are the emperor's daughter, a governor's daughter, her girlfriend, and a smuggler. Stewart expertly balances these POVs to tell a story about a falling empire. But they don't just do that, they all have their own goals and aspirations. The places where they intersect are particularly exciting, the choices made there driving the plot.

Much of the interior journey for the characters have one thing in common: they focus heavily on identity. Lin lost a bunch of her memories and tries to discover who she in her father's shadow, in competitive solidarity with foster-brother Bayan. Both Ranami and Phalue are trying to work through the fact that Phalue is the governor's daughter and Ranami is a commoner. Jovis, meanwhile, is burdened by how much he misses his wife and the deals he's willing to make to find her. There is so much pain, but so much hope throughout. I definitely won't spoil the endings here, but wow the twists were all incredible, and could not be separated from the greater world of the Empire. Every choice has consequences big and small, and the intricacy is simply impeccable.

Speaking of, the world-building filled me with glee. The incorporation of the constructs and the magical way shards powered them blew my mind. Stewart lays out the rules and programming for how the constructs work throughout, but in a deft way where it doesn't interrupt the narrative. The concept of migrating islands also made me want to learn even more about the world. The fact that Book 2 is being worked on brings me so much joy.

On 9/8/2020, a empire begins its descent as the emperor's daughter tries to uncover her father's secrets and rebellion brews throughout migrating islands.

5 out of 5 Stars
World building: 5 Stars
Character Development: 4.2 stars
Pacing: 3.5 Stars
Plot: 4.5 stars

link to review: https://youtu.be/ah_VK22EA9A

You never know what you’re going to get with a debut author, but in this case, it’s a terrific epic fantasy, one of the best I’ve read in a while.

The story is much richer than the synopsis suggests, a tale of empire and rebellion told from the viewpoints of five different characters. The two main ones are Lin, the emperor’s daughter, who is desperate to master the bone shard magic that will confirm her place as her father’s heir, and Jovis (my favorite), a smuggler whose driving force is a search for his wife, who disappeared seven years ago. Then there’s Phalue and her lover, Ranami; Ranami hates the way the people suffer under the rule of the governor of her island, which makes her relationship with Phalue difficult, since Phalue is the governor’s daughter. The final character is Sand, a woman with only sketchy memories of her past who is desperate to figure out who she is and where she came from.

All their disparate plot threads are woven together as the story unfolds into an incredibly rich fantasy. Mysteries abound throughout the novel, some of which are resolved, while others remain to be explored in succeeding books. At the beginning, for example, Jovis flees an island that unexpectedly sinks into the sea; no one knows why. During his escape, he rescues what he thinks is a kitten, but it is actually an odd creature that turns out to be much more amazing than Jovis could ever have imagined. Meanwhile, Lin spends much of the book uncovering the secrets of the emperor’s magic, only to discover that they go much deeper than she could ever have imagined.

The magic as well as the other aspects of the worldbuilding are all very well realized. It’s a detailed world, both in terms of its physical setting, which consists of islands at least some of which are themselves adrift on the ocean, and its history, which includes stories of the Alanga, a vanished people with godlike powers. The author does an especially good job thoroughly setting out the nature of the bone magic employed by Lin and her father. It’s unique and somewhat gross, since it involves taking bits and pieces from dead animals, joining them together, and then animating the constructs by using the vitality drawn from bits of human bone that were forcibly taken from the emperor’s living subjects when they were children.

I’d highly recommend this book for anyone who loves epic fantasy. The worst thing about it is that now I’ll have a long wait to find out what happens next!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Orbit for allowing me to read and to review The Bone Shard Daughter!

The Bone Shard Daughter is a phenomenal debut fantasy novel. It is a polished work that even an experienced author writes once in a lifetime. I was absolutely blown away by the characters, the magic system, and the writing. I was never once bored while reading The Bone Shard Daughter, with its complex story-telling methods, countless mysteries, and beautiful themes.

From the very first page of The Bone Shard Daughter, I was hooked. The story is told from several different perspectives and follows young Lin, the Emperor's daughter and heir—as well as Jovis, a smuggler who doesn't realize he has a heart of gold—Phalue, a privileged governor's daughter—Phalue's girlfriend, a rebel and activist called Ranami—and a woman stranded on a deserted island called Sand. Not only did I like every single one of the five point of views in The Bone Shard Daughter, which is practically unheard of for me, but the narratives were incredibly layered. I could see events coming together and make connections with skillfully laid clues from the different perspectives. It was like I was in the story, observing and experiencing things for myself, rather than just reading and and taking things in as unbiased spectator.

"My memory was lacking. But I know 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."

As characters work to piece together the mysteries of their world, I felt like I was trying to figure them out as well. I loved the air of mystery that shrouds the entirety of The Bone Shard Daughter and watching the characters try to see past it. Lin, the Emperor's daughter, lives in a palace with her cruel, aging father and his ward. The Emperor gives her an impossible task--remember a memory of her past--and he will give her a key to unlock one of the countless locked doors in his castle. He pits her against his ward, Bayan, in a competition for keys that unlocks more than just doors. And Lin is soon be faced with the gruesome realities of the powers of bone shard magic, which only the royal family can use.

But this is only one of many gripping mysteries of The Bone Shard Daughter. Jovis, a smuggler, searches for his wife who was kidnapped by an impossibly fast-travelling boat with blue sails, which no one seems to know anything about—other than that it has taken many people who have never returned. Sand, gains sudden awareness on an island in the middle-of-nowhere with no memories, and a strange compulsion to not question anything about her past. Phalue, a wealthy and privileged governor's daughter, grapples with whether or not she should assist her long-term girlfriend, Ranami, in overthrowing her corrupt father and the empire he serves.

"My father always said the Alanga would one day come back, and when they did, they'd try to reclaim the Empire. All the Alanga had powers, but their rulers had more than most. When one island's ruler's fought with another the clash of their magics had killed so many hapless bystanders. Enormous walls of water, windstorms that flattened cities. The greatest of them, Dione, could drown a city while saving all the flies, but most Alanga didn't have that level of control."

Underneath all of these smaller mysteries is a much larger and inscrutable one, that of the mystical and powerful Alanga race. The entire reason the Emperor practices his titular bone shard magic, which requires his citizens to give up their bone, so he can then use them to create magical constructs—is to keep these powerful and enigmatic beings suppressed. Artifacts remaining from the time the destructive Alanga roamed the land—paintings and fountains and the like—have gone quiet, closing their eyes to the world ever since the Emperor began practicing this magic. But even Lin doesn't know how her father's magic keeps these creatures at bay, or if they even exist anymore.

All of these puzzles, big and small, captured my imagination from the very start of the novel. Stewart deftly weaves this intricate and palpable web of mystery that suffuses the atmosphere and touches every single part of The Bone Shard Daughter. What’s more, is that the author's writing is so smooth and captivating, that I, an ardent hater of first person writing, didn’t even mind that two of the five point-of-views were written in first-person. In a style fitting for 2020, the year I read a book in mostly second person, the three other point-of-views were written in a different style--third person. And. I. Didn’t. Even. Notice. It was not until I started writing my review that I realized that The Bone Shard Daughter was written in completely different persons/point-of-views. That is how natural the writing feels and how sucked into the novel I was when reading it! I’m pretty sure Andrea Stewart could sell me anything with her writing. Broken egg? I’d buy it in a heartbeat if she wrote the advertisement. And I certainly plan on buying a physical copy of The Bone Shard Daughter for my shelves, as I loved every minute of it—and every character.

A novel where I didn’t hate one or many of the characters and their viewpoints? I would have thought it impossible, but The Bone Shard Daughter proves me wrong. Every single character is developed and flawed. I was most invested in Jovis and Lin’s narratives, but I also enjoyed that of Phalue and Ranami’s. I loved how Stewart deftly uses the latter's relationship to realistically highlight class disparities and the negative effects it can have on a romance. Though Stewart doesn't focus as much on these two characters or get too detailed with their LGBT romance, she portrays the long-term relationship of Phalue and Ranami in such a human way, that it feels so poignantly familiar, and anyone can relate to their struggles—even if they're not a governor's daughter or a resistance fighter.

"The Emperor's sworn duty - to protect us from their magic with his own - is looking more and more like we've sent an old dog to guard a pair of unworn slippers."

Not only were the characters relatable and interesting, but so were the universal themes that all of the cast were dealing with. In a society held together by a high cost magic system—the Empire’s takes bones from its citizens to use in the Emperor’s magic, which consequently drains the original bone owner of their force—the novel begs the question if the safety of the whole is worth the quality of life or even the lives of the few? If the Emperor continues to take bones from its citizens to build his magical constructs to protect from the feared race of the Alanga in order to protect his citizens, is it worth the potential loss of young lives in the extraction of the shards, and in the slow decay of others? Is this presumed safety against a feared people that hasn’t been seen in years really worth this cruel loss of life? 

"Constructs weren't people, even if a few bore human parts. The lives of the shards in their bodies powered them, and the commands written on them gave them purpose."

When there are constructs made from human bones, are the constructs, in fact human? Or a lesser being deserving of less freedom? And where does a ruler draw the line when creating this life? I found these moral questions extremely interesting, especially as Lin, the Emperor’s daughter, grapples with them herself, as she unlocks secret door after secret door in her palace, and realizes that she too can utilize bone shard magic as well. I literally could not put the book down because I was so interested in what decisions Lin would make. These choices become especially important when she involves citizens in her plan to unlock more of her father's secrets, hidden behind locked doors and missing memories.

Likewise, other main character Jovis, a former smuggler in search of his missing wife, is also tasked with figuring out the value of life on a smaller scale. Should he rescue children from the requisite bone shard tithe instead of searching for a wife that’s most likely been dead for years? I love watching the snowball effect of Jovis doing one good deed and watching him discover that he is a good person capable of doing extraordinary things. And oh, I cannot sing enough praises for Jovis’s bond with his rescued sea-otter-dragon-kitten thing, Mephi. I freaking love it. I was super invested in their relationship and how a mystical creature was able to teach Jovis to be a better human, despite not being human itself. 

Honestly, if you read one new release this fall, let it be The Bone Shard Daughter. I was absolutely blown away by every facet of Andrea Stewart's masterful writing. I was never once bored while reading the novel, could barely put it down, and loved every bit of all of the mysteries unfolding in this debut. The characters, the magic system, the themes, and the writing are spectacular. The only downside of The Bone Shard Daughter is that it isn't even officially published yet, and I want the next novel. I will be waiting with baited breath for the next entry in The Drowning Empire series.

This book has it all, great story line with a complex magic system. That I have never seen in all my years of reading. The characters are well developed and makes you want to keep reading to see where they are heading within the storyline. The details of the book are well thought out and very imaginative. I am being vague about the storyline because I am not into spoiling the book. This is a ride you will have to enjoy. The searching of Lin’s father palace but for what?!? Let the author tell you that. A must read of 2020

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 recognize 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 by Andrea Stewart is one of my top debuts of the year, ranking with The Kingdom of Liars and We Ride the Storm. I had heard good things going into this one but was blown away by the way this story was presented. Here is a character driven story that has enough twists to give you whiplash.

I dont know if I can cohesively string together enough words to describe my feelingd fpr this book. The world is unlike anything I have ever read before, there is history and lore without major infodumps, and the characters feel like they are about to walk off the page and great you, and then there is the magic.

The world is made up of floating islands that move, and most of the islands are in the Empire, that’s is ruled through fear by the Emperors constructs. The Empire has been in control for centuries after the first emperor defeated the Alanga and the emperors ever since have dedicated their lives to protecting the people from the possible return of the mysterious Alanga.

The story starts with one Lin the daughter of the Emperor working with her father to recover her memories that she lost from her sickness. Then we meet Jovis as he is escaping an island sinking into the depths of the ocean, and picks up what he thought was a kitten swimming from the island, that one act alters life for him in unimaginable ways. The animal he saved from the ocean, Mephi, ends up not being a cat but becomes a close companion to Jovis as the story progresses. The first 6 chapters are written from four different POVs, but after that most of the chapters are focused on either Lin or Jovis. The Jovis story is my favorite but Mephi steals the show through most of that.

My favorite part of the book was the magic this book had not one but two different magic systems. One is the bone shard magic that the book is named for. This magic deals with, for lack of a better term, programming construct by inscribing commands on to shards of bone that every resident in the empire is forced to donate. This forced donations and the effects of the bone shard magic have led to an open rebellion in the Empire. The other magic system comes from the bond between Jovis and Mephi. Mephi is somehow able to boost Jovis’ strength, speed, and healing to an insane level, allowing Jovis to take on almost a dozen people at one time by himself.

I had not heard anything about this book other than it was a phenomenal read, and I was not disappointed in it at all. I am highly anticipating the next book in this series and recommend that every one get a copy of this book as soon as they can. Andrea Stewart may be a new voice in fantasy but she made her entry with an exclamation mark!

What a gorgeous, innovative read!

Set in a world where bone shard magic rules, The Bone Shard Daughter follows four characters as they intertwine on their individual quests to save the empire. Beautifully written and intriguing, The Bone Shard Daughter held up to the hype as an inventive new fantasy. Andrea Stewart's talent shines in this piece as she wove an artistic, yet gruesome world in which the emperors and his constructs are they only thing between citizens and the Alanga, magical tyrants who were long since eradicated.

The Bone Shard Daughter centers on four points of view: Lin, Jovis, Phalue/Ranami, and Sand. Lin, the Emperor's daughter struggles to find her place as she is thrust into a competition for her father's favor. Her ability to win and survive will depend on if she can recover her memories lost after a sickness. Jovis, the empire's most wanted smuggler, sets out on a very distinct mission, but soon discovers that sometimes the heart blinds us from the true issues at hand. Phalue is the daughter of a governor and is Ranami's girlfriend. Together, they navigate the Shardless resistance and seek to change the empire, one family at a time. Sand, brain foggy, is trapped on a mystery island with dozens of others, the only problem is, none of them know who they truly are. Individually, they each play a role in attempting to bring change to the empire, but as the story continues, they soon find many of their tasks are more interwoven than they ever could have imagined.

Stewart truly shines in her character development. Each character was deep and interesting with many layers. I was wowed by how realistic these characters were. There were a few weak points in plot development, and there were a few moments, especially in the beginning, where I was a little confused. Despite this, I think it was beautifully written overall. The storyline is so creative compared to much of what I've read recently. Today, with so much of fantasy having the same ideas, The Bone Shard Daughter is a breath of fresh air. I absolutely recommend it to fantasy fans or anyone who wants to read an inventive new book!