Tried reading this one and it just was not meant for me. This does not mean that it is not a good book, I just was not in the right place to be reading it and have decided to not try picking it up anytime in the near future.

Holy wow, Call of the Bone Ships is good! A more-than-worthy continuation of the story that began with The Bone Ships, this book adds new levels to an already amazing storyline, and new complexities to the characters.

I have to be honest: nothing went the way I expected it to when I opened the pages. It was a much murkier book than I expected-and I loved it. There were layers upon layers in the plot, and a grim sort of hopefulness in a world that isn’t particularly nice.

The story didn’t rush through at a break-neck pace; rather, I was given the time to really be sucked into the world. And what a world! The more I learn, the more I want to learn. This is one of the most fully-realized settings I’ve had the pleasure to read. Before I started The Bone Ships (book one in the trilogy), I said to myself, “Self, you might need to cut the expectations for a unique world down a notch. It’s a ‘boat book’, after all.” Oh, how wrong I was! Not only is this not just a ‘boat book’, the world continues to grow.

The characters were fantastic, of course. Everyone was flawed and delightfully complicated. The interactions made for interesting growth that- though unexpected- nonetheless made perfect sense. I made a huge mistake, though: I became too invested in some of the characters. Let’s just say that Barker happily stomps on people’s emotions. I both love and hate writing like that. It’s brilliant, but OUCH!

The Tide Child series is showing itself to be absolutely fantastic. I can’t wait to see what happens next, although I’m sure I’ll need about a box and a half of tissues once everything is said and done. Call of the Bones Ships is gripping and ridiculously well written. Read this series.

A funny, goofy take on animal detectives. The beginning pulls you in with warm humor and fun banter. The characters are at times stereotypical in nature, but the novel is lighthearted enough that you take this with a grain of salt. It is an adventure, mystery, with the right plot points to keep your pages turning. The humor dies down a bit as the chase to catch the criminals picks up. I wish the quips and laughter were maintained, but that must be a hard thing to balance as the mood of the story shifts and turns. Overall, a unique novel that tells a charming story.