The Bone Shard Emperor is the second book in Andrea Stewart's Drowning Empire trilogy, which began with last year's The Bone Shard Daughter. I liked The Bone Shard Daughter a good amount - it had a fun set of characters, particularly its main two, and its magic system, which largely was based upon a programming-esque language, was a lot of fun. It also read incredibly well for a book that was a decent length, of well over 400 pages. Still it read at times more like a prologue than the actual real story, which annoyed me a bit....although that made me curious how the second book would actually take the story, now that the characters are in position to make an impact.

And yeah, I really did like The Bone Shard Emperor, as a very well done piece of epic fantasy, even as it adds about 100 pages to its page-length (Amazon lists it as 561 pages). The characters remain incredibly strong, especially as one character tries to hold together and lead an Empire that had previously been held together through cruel magic, all the while trying not to repeat the cruelties of her predecessor - and the other characters try to figure out whether or not she has crossed the line. Add in a new set of magical powers, and the characters now all having chances to interact with each other, and you have a much stronger novel, even as it does rely at times on a few played out tropes.

Spoiler for book 1 are inevitable below, you have been warned:


--------------------------------------------------Plot Summary----------------------------------------------------
Lin Sukai is now Emperor of the Phoenix Emperor...and she is determined to be a different kind of emperor - a better kind of emperor - than the father that created her and held the Empire together with cruel bone-shard magic that tied the lives of his subjects to the magical constructs who enforced his every edict. But without the power of the constructs what does she have to offer to the governors who rule the islands of her Empire, especially when such local rulers do not know her or have reason to trust a girl they've never seen in their life? And Lin knows those governors will never trust her if they know the truths - that she's not her father's actual blood daughter, but a being created using his own evil magics.

Jovis didn't mean to become a legendary freedom fighting smuggler - and when he agreed to assassinate the emperor for the anti-Empire resistance, the Shardless Few, he had no intention of joining forces with the Emperor's successor. But here he is, along with his strange creature companion Mephi, now acting as the captain of Lin's guard. But can Jovis really trust her? Or should he act as the resistance wants and take her out? And what will happen if she discovers not just his strange powers, but that he has ties to both the resistance and an illicit smuggling group?

But the world will not let Lin and Jovis find these answers without pressure, as signs emerge that the Legendary Alanga, beings used powers like the Jovis' and Lin's to cause great destruction, are starting to arise throughout the Empire. And in the north, an army of constructs - armed with the memories of Lin's "mother" - are waging war on the Empire, and seemingly willing to do anything to destroy the Empire and anyone in their path.....
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Like its predecessor, The Bone Shard Emperor features a quintet of point of view characters, who the story alternates between - Lin and Jovis (see above plot summary), as well as Nisong (the Construct leader previously known as Sand), and Phalue & Ranami. Phalue and Ranami's chapters, on a small island in the Empire, still feel like a bit of a side story even as they finally intersect with the other main characters (previously they only interacted in a small role with Jovis). In fact, Phalue and Ranami disappear for long stretches at at time, which only magnifies this feeling.

Still, this isn't really a problem because the themes and characters involved with the two main characters - as well as with Nisong - are done really well. Lin's whole plot last book was trying to deal with her conflicting desires to prove herself to her father (and to uncover her father's secrets) and her desire to prove she was a better person than her father - now her father is dead, leaving Lin as Emperor....something she has never been prepared for. And so she still sets about proving herself to be better than him....but as the girl hidden away from the world, how can she prove herself when no one knows her and thus no one trusts her? Lin's frustration at it all, and desperate need for both answers as to what her father was actually doing and as to how she can attain respect like Jovis, is very easy to understand and relate to, and it's easy to see how she's clearly trying to be better in basically every way. Smartly, this book doesn't really ever suggest Lin is really being that tempted to turn to the dark side, with her actions always being justified by the context. Instead, Lin's conflict is largely driven by her fears of what she doesn't know about the Alanga, and about her fears of being exposed as not a real person (and an Alanga besides). Lin is driven, but at the same time desperately lonely and afraid of exposing her secrets to anyone else, even as those secrets only contribute to that loneliness.

And then there's Jovis, who spends the entire book at Lin's side. For Jovis, the Emperor was responsible for the capture of his beloved wife, and for the very system that drove him to smuggling and becoming unwillingly a rebel. And so he doesn't know what to do with Lin - who seems to agree about the horrors the last Emperor inflicted, who seems to trust him to be her guard despite not even knowing him, and who has a creature just like Mephi - and undoubtedly similar powers. And then there's the fact that Lin seems creepily to have his own wife's eyes. And so Jovis finds himself torn - between his prior commitment to the Shardless Few rebels, between his commitment to the family he still cares about even without having seen them for years, and towards feelings that he starts having for Lin - as he can tell that she truly means well, even as he constantly fears she's turning towards the very things he hated about her father. It's a plot arc that works really well in his conflict driven by his secret multiple allegiances, for the most part.

Jovis and Lin's plots deal strongly with the issues of power and control and the cost of holding to such power and control - after all by Lin giving up the bone shard magic and the constructs, Lin is losing the power that once stopped the Alanga, who seemingly are coming back, to say nothing of the construct rebellion that is growing...or the fact that several of her islands have now mysteriously sank (perhaps due to the mines of valuable material located on those islands). The power she had given up is cruel and monstrous...but can she actually be a meaningful emperor without it? Or without the cruel knowledge hidden away by her father? What is the cost of holding on to such power? And can one have such power - such as the Alanga power - without becoming what the Alanga legendarily became....people who held themselves above those without it, as if they were better, no matter the costs? Both Lin and Jovis' plots deal heavily with these themes in interesting ways as things go from bad to worse.

These themes are also dealt with in the other 3 characters' chapters. Nisong and her construct army, led by her four construct friends, want to destroy the Empire who cast them aside and who now, under Lin's guidance, has asked for their destruction...but what good is this campaign if it will cost Nisong the beings she cares for most? Phalue has made a full turn towards trying to a ruler FOR her people instead of OF her people like her father, but how can she do so while she's being blackmailed by the shardless few? Without being scared of a little orphan girl who might be spying on her? And for Ranami, now fully on Phalue's side, she finds herself unable to trust a girl who is exactly like how she used to be, a poor orphan desperate for anything, and thus afraid to help. And again with both Phalue and Ranami and the shardless few the conflict comes into play - what good is forcing a change if it will cause harm to so many innocents? All these themes play out interestingly and strongly (along with issues of past grudges and histories), which really makes this book work.

Really the only problem with this book is well, I'm very much tired of the trope of "two characters carry secrets they're afraid to reveal to one another, resulting in one exposing themselves to the other only to be heartbroken when they discover the other's secrets inadvertently" plot point - which you will see coming a mile away. It's done decently well, so it's understandable (especially from Lin's perspective") but it's a very tired trope which just had me waiting for the inevitable to occur, whereas otherwise I had little idea where the plot was going.

Still the themes are strong, the characters are strong, and the prose is super readable, and....well, I can't wait to read the conclusion, given where the cliffhangers come from here. Very worth your time.

An absolutely wonderful follow-up to an excellent first book, Andrea Stewart's return to her "Drowning Empire" series is fascinating, hard to put down, exciting and heartbreaking, with increasing tensions between characters, difficult questions raised about power, lots of secrets and action, and more Mephi! Thank you Andrea!

It’s hard to believe that the Lin Sukai we first met, intent on besting her foster brother and competitor Bayan for her father the Emperor’s attention and praise, has progressed as far as she has over the course of this novel. Her short time spent with Numeen and his family formed an indelible mark on her character, illustrated by the paper crane Lin keeps to remind her of what she needs to do and to honour. That, and the tortured creature, like Mephi, Lin finds in her castle’s underground, hidden rooms in which her father experimented with his bone shard magic. She names the poor creature Thrana, and begins building a strong bond with her, much like Jovis has with Mephi, and begins trying to build new relationships with the governors of the various islands.
Jovis meanwhile, is learning to be Lin’s Captain of the Guard, while questioning her strategies and rulings for the Empire, not yet convinced that she should be Emperor. He’s also in the odd position of having to enforce the very system he did his best to live on the margins of, leaving him confused, ambivalent and frustrated, and intrigued also by who Lin is and could be. It’s particularly interesting reading Lin’s and Jovis’ chapters, as we see each struggling separately with their new roles and responsibilities, and lonely, while becoming slowly reliant on the other.

Then we have the governors, all resentful of the former Emperor, and harried by the Shardless Few, though less so on Nephilanu, where Phalue is governor. Phalue thankfully has Ranami at her side, and must figure out where her loyalties lie with respect to the new Emperor. With her typical bluff and direct approach to everything, Phalue’s one of the few characters who, though working through her own notions of how to rule and figuring out her island’s relationship to the Empire, has other concerns as well: disease arriving with the change of season, and an influx of refugees with the sinking of more islands for some unknown reason, and a dangerous threat in the form of attacking constructs.

Which brings us to Nisong, formerly known as Sand, who’s consumed by anger and wants revenge on the Empire, and what’s a little use of bone shard magic and murder of countless islanders to further her goals next to her perceived injustice of her incarceration along with other “failed” constructs?

And the mysterious and powerful Alanga are returning, which has everyone in the Empire terrified.

What a phenomenal story setup! There are lots of moving parts in this second book, with shifting and shifty alliances, and massive numbers of deaths thanks to islands disappearing underwater, and the growing, attacking hordes of Nisong’s army. And sensitive portrayals of main characters Lin, Jovis, Phalue, Ranami, and even Nisong, all working out who they want to be. And a huge battle at the end with great action and terrific, small story beats within it, and some truly lovely moments for each of Lin, Jovis, Phalue, and Ranami. And lots of great Mephi and Thrana moments (yay!)

This is a worthy second book to what was one of my favourite books last year. The ending left me glad, worried, and anxious about where events will take the characters next, and very eager to read the conclusion to this fantastic series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Did I fall in love with the series during the first book? No, not exactly. Did I read this entire book in one day though? Yes, absolutely. I loved it. I won’t pretend there weren’t still issues. The dialogue can feel strange and it can be a bit repetitive. However, I enjoy the characters, the magic systems, and the animal companions. It sometimes feels a little rushed but it is genuinely intriguing, fun, and unique.

I read The Bone Shard Daughter during one the strangest and most frightening time in my life (I think 2020 was the same for most people) and I thank God every day that books were the only constant in my life. They never changed and they never let me down (well, not often). Seeing as i enjoyed the first book, it was only natural to read the second.

The writing in this one felt more on the YA side of things, which is strange because I didn't get that vibe from book one. Lin's attitude felt a bit juvenile and her intentions felt a bit messy which is on par for someone inheriting an empire where allies are thin. She wants to remove bone shard magic from the people which upsets the balance. Change comes slow, but it doesn't come easy. Perhaps that's why it felt easier to read; there weren't a lot of confusing things going on and the plot was pretty straight forward this time around.

BUT

There were a few things I couldn't overlook and one came from the common trope of the characters not communicating. Lin has very few people she can trust, so I can understand, but I felt desperately needed someone close to her. Perhaps a wizened teacher, SOMEONE. Jovis was not that person at all. His loyalty wavered so much I got whiplash which is strange because the plot moved very slowly for the first half of the book (maybe longer).

That leads me into another reason my attention waned and that's the pacing. I loved seeing Lin come into her power, but the build-up to the climax felt like that time I set my elliptical's resistance so high I couldn't move at all. Simply put, the book was too long and we spent too much time meandering. I believe my relationship with the character's suffered because of this. The lack of action wasn't enough to keep reading for hours on end like I usually do at night. I found myself putting the book down often to do other things.

I wasn't feeling the romance. Lin and Jovis were complete strangers and do not completely trust one another, so without those moments of connection-those calm, peaceful, tender moments-I could not see a romance blossoming at all and I think the story would have been fine without it.

Overall, I did enjoy the book as a whole and the ending was superb. I am still compelled to know what happens next.

The Bone Shard Emperor is a solid sequel to one of my top reads of 2020. I was extremely hyped to dive back into this world, particularly because I was unsure where the story was headed next.
My favorite parts had to be watching all five POVs come into contact with one another— if they hadn't already previously. Everything is politically driven in the sequel, so the governors and Lin's interactions were some of my highlights too. Readers are getting to see Lin's growth from the more naive version of herself at the start of TBSD to now where she's politically maneuvering pawns and relationships because otherwise she may not live to continue making Imperial better. Also, while Lin does make promises to be better and typically keeps them, they're strong moments when she has to put those aside with consent. I was trembling in reading those scenes because decisions like that are not idly made by her. It's a huge adult change for her as a character, and I appreciated just how serious she is taking her role as a young Emperor.
As always, Mephi (and now Thrana) are another huge love of mine within this series. It isn't often that animals/ creature splay such a vital role to a story, so it was refreshing to follow and learn more about their lore. Also, the expansion on the Alanga and creature relationships is VERY interesting. We start to see other relationships of Alanga who... aren't exactly like Lin or Jovis. It's not something easy to watch, but I think it tells us a lot about this world and the Alanga in general— or those who aren't so noble hearted.
Overall, I do still prefer the first book more because the pacing and slow plot did take a number on how invested I was within the story. It took me waaay too long to get through the first 20%, but as soon as that portion was done, I was smooth sailing from then on. I'm all for a slow political plot, but for some reason, TBSE just felt like it was dragging its feet, which is never good. It's probably the deep lore world building that led to this if I'm honest. I wish a bit more had been given to readers in the first book because it wouldn't have made those portions as dense.
Even as this is a bit of a filler book, I did enjoy it! It's probably the only time I'll like a thriller book because Andrea is just that much of a genius with her writing and relationship/ character building. Loved it!
TW:war, violence, gore, animal cruelty/ abuse, corpse reanimation, body horror, natural disasters (major flooding and earthquakes), mass casualties, rebellion, regicide, genocide (discussed), poverty— specifically child homelessness

Andrea Stewart’s debut novel, The Bone Shard Daughter, was an engaging beginning to a new fantasy trilogy, showing some originality in setting and magic system, introducing a few interesting characters, and incorporating several complex moral questions. While it also had its fair share of weakness (half the characters were far less interesting, a major implausible narrative contrivance, and some predictable plotting), they were outweighed by the novel’s strengths enough to make it a solid recommendation. Unfortunately, although that also holds true in the follow-up, The Bone Shard Emperor, it’s only just barely, leading to my thinking that big fans of the first book will probably enjoy this one nearly as much, while those who found the first to be a bit of a mixed bag, as I did, might want to hold off to see what happens with book three. Warning, there will be some inevitable spoilers for The Bone Shard Daughter.

The sequel picks up shortly after the end of its predecessor, with Lin (the titular daughter of book one) trying to consolidate her rule as the new Emperor, as well as pry out her tyrannical father’s secrets regarding constructs, replicas, and how to deal with the possible return of the Alanga (the thought long-gone group of uber-powerful magic users). She also has to deal with what she learned about her own past, the sinking of several of the archipelago Empire’s islands, a revolt inside the Empire against its system of government by a group known as the Shardless Few, and an island-to-island invasion by an army of constructs. To accomplish her goals, she begins an island tour in an attempt to have the governors pledge fealty to her and lend her soldiers to deal with the construct invasion.

She’s aided in all the above by her Captain of the Guard, Jovis — former smuggler, current folk hero, and also a spy for the Shardless Few, though he’s conflicted in that role, seeing both the risk of absolutist rule but also seeing how hard Lin is trying to protect people. He also has his burgeoning Alanga powers to both learn and keep secret and remains entangled with the criminal underground he’s so tried to avoid.

Meanwhile, having overthrown her father the governor, Phalue and her lover Ranami are trying to better the lives of their people on the island and instill a more fair and responsive form of government. Lastly, the final POV character from book one, Sand, is the one leading the construct invasion.

With regard to character, Lin remains compelling in her struggles: to gain and maintain her role as Emperor, to find out the truth about herself, to deal with the trauma of her relationship with her father, to suss out the secrets of the Alanga, and to walk the fine line between necessity and principle to protect the Empire and its people (and herself). Jovis is engaging as ever and adds his own share of moral complexity to the story. Phalue and Ranami, whose sections in the first book were the weakest, are improved here, with a more interesting arc, though that storyline remains less strong than the Lin-Jovis one. Sand, unfortunately, is a bit too much of a stock villain type, which felt like a missed opportunity as her past lent her the possibility of a far more emotionally rich character arc, one we all too rarely get flashes of potential of. Two new characters add even less to the story. One is a tough street orphan who acts like all the other tough street orphans you’ve seen in fantasy. The other is a character whose intent I think we’re supposed to be confused about but which really is pretty obvious all along, to the reader if not to the main characters.

Plot is far more problematic in The Bone Shard Emperor than in the prior book, which had its own occasional plotting issue. Pacing feels way off here, and the tour of the islands lends the book both a meandering, aimless sort of structure but also one that feels pretty contrived. Contrivance is an issue throughout, with some clunky exposition, some convenient timing of particular events, and several implausible events, the worst of which was so unbelievable that after some marginal notes that included comments like “” doesn’t make sense,” “don’t buy this,” “what the hell” and “sigh”, ended with a comment not printable in a daily newspaper. Unsurprisingly, one of the contributing elements to that scene was the romance between Jovis and Lin, which was another plot problem as I found it to be by far the least interesting (and most annoying) part of their story: predicable, trite in spots, and overall a distraction. Fight scenes, whether smaller scale or big climactic battles, were muddy logistically in terms of placement, timing, and strategy (I asked more than once “why don’t they just . . . “.

The archipelago setting remains better in theory than execution, with the islands still mostly seemingly indistinguishable. It was also hard to get a sense of scale for the Empire in terms of size and population, with most of it appearing to be small towns or villages, which didn’t always seem to match the language of the Empire.

The Bone Shard Daughter was able to overcome its flaws because they tended to be singular occurrences, save for the weak characterization/plotting of Phalue and Ranami’s storyline. Here though, the issues are both more frequent (more contrivances, more fuzzy fight scenes) and more pervasive (the ongoing will they – won’t they thread, the is-he-a-good-guy-or-a-bad-guy thread, the consistent pacing issues, etc.). The Bone Shard Emperor isn’t a bad book, but rather than a pretty good book occasionally marred by a slip up now and then, it’s a flawed book that occasionally rises to its potential.

So as noted in the intro, if you liked the first book a lot, there’s probably enough here so that while you might be a bit disappointed, you’ll still mostly enjoy it. But if you were a bit bothered by those occasional nagging flaws in book one so that the experience of reading it was more mixed, I’d recommend pausing to see which of the two first books the third follows in the steps of.

Book two in the Drowning Empire series, The Bone Shard Emperor was a wild ride full of action, betrayal, and heart-in-your-throat plot twists. Nothing happens as expected, and it’s fantastic.

The Bone Shard Emperor picks up soon after The Bone Shard Daughter ends. We are still following the points of view found in book one, although a few characters find themselves crossing paths. This is one of the main changes in dynamic: the new interactions. Instead of being on separate but related paths, the book slowly brings the characters into contact with each other. Some form alliances. Others…not so much.
While the world is well developed (and massive), it’s the characters that drew me in and kept me enthralled. Phalue and Ranami, now married, grapple with Phalue’s new role as governor. There are new obstacles and a new twist in their relationship: a scrawny urchin who may be hiding something. While still not my favorite points of view, Phalue and Ranami add a different angle to the story, fleshing it out well.

Meanwhile, Lin finds herself head of a kingdom that is, quite literally, drowning. I am always curious why anyone in their right mind would actually want to be in charge, so seeing her motives and the shifts in her viewpoint was fascinating. She is no longer the idealistic and motivated character she was in The Bone Shard Daughter. Instead, she is a person struggling to keep her head above the dark waters of politics, alliances, secrets she must keep, and an approaching army. From being rather ambivalent about her for the first half of book one, I have gone to eagerly reading the next part of her storyline, wondering if she can somehow hold the fraying kingdom together. I loved the combination of vulnerability and sheer stick-to-it-ness that Lin displayed. She didn’t quit, even when she really probably should have.

Jovis (and Mephi!) once again stood out as my favorite storyline, although things are a little different now. Jovis is now Lin’s Captain of the Guard, and his relationship with her is complicated, to say the least. They are both hiding big things, while at the same time trying to learn who to trust. His part of the book felt like it was always about to tip over into chaos, but never quite did. Author Andrea Stewart kept the multiple threads of his narrative held together wonderfully. Nothing was forgotten, and every action had consequences that were both far-reaching and sometimes flat-out terrifying.

Stewart has come into her own, her writing skillful and confident. The narrative flows wonderfully and the pacing is magnificent. The Bone Shard Emperor felt like a roller coaster, building up speed as it hurtles from drop to turn, turning everything on its head before plunging you straight into an astonishing confrontation. If the series continues on in this vein, it will easily become one of my favorites.

Read this one sooner rather than later.

The Bone Shard Emperor is the second novel in The Drowned Kingdom trilogy. As it is a continuation of the story presented in the first installment, it is highly recommended to read the series in order to have a better understanding of the world and characters. Since the story takes place after The Bone Shard Daughter, this review will have some spoilers for that novel while attempting to avoid any spoilers for this one. Alliances and loyalties are tested throughout this novel after the events of the previous story.

Lin is now the ruling Emperor after her father was killed in the previous story. As she tries to find her footing as ruler, she tours the empire to try and gain loyalty from the governors. Jovis is now the captain of Lin’s imperial guard. Not only is his relationship with Lin growing as they spend time together, but he is a double agent for the Shardless Few who want him to find and report Lin’s weakness. He goes through a lot of internal conflicts because of his two loyalties which added great tension to the story. Lin and Jovis continue to be written in first person POV, while the other perspectives are kept in the third person. It was a nice continuity from the first installment and I continued to enjoy the mix. Since I am a fan of both types, I enjoyed having both together as it gave me, as a reader, some nice variety while reading. Sand’s true identity was revealed in the previous installment after recovering her memories. After finding out the truth, she is set on seeking out revenge on those responsible. While Ramani and Phalue are now married and rule an island within Lin’s empire. They are still secondary characters, I would have liked more from them.

While the first novel gave an in-depth introduction to the characters, this novel set out to add a deeper exploration of the world and magic. Together with the two novels perfectly set up the final novel where everything will come together to what I assume will be an epic conclusion (my expectations are high for the third novel after the first two books). The pacing of this novel is slower than I expected as there is world-building and a bigger exploration of the impending dangers waiting in the finale. While I love the vivid descriptions, at times, it felt a bit too much, especially for the second novel in a trilogy. This novel does end with a cliffhanger, so now I have to try and be patient until the final installment is available. Overall, this series continues to have multiple fantastic elements and I cannot wait to see how it all concludes in 2022!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Orbit Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This was a very strong second novel in the trilogy. I love how it built off of where the previous novel left off, giving us some great character development/drama in addition to the action that just kept right on happening. I also really liked how we learned more about a, shall I say, second type of magic system. Looking forward to the third novel!

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for sending me a copy of this fantastic book in exchange for a review.


The Bone Shard Daughter is hands down one of the most intriguing books I’ve ever read. The world is so fascinating to me that while the different perspectives from the characters confused me at first by the time I got to the Bone Shard Emperor I was looking forward to them. I love this world. It’s dark and magical and kind of reminds me of Game of Thrones in some aspects. I always try to predict what’s going to happen but this story has constantly surprised me. I can’t reccomend this enough.

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for sending me a copy of this my way in exchange for an honest review.

So let me just say that the Bone Shard Daughter is definitely my favorite book of 2020 and so naturally when I saw it’s fantastic sequel up on Netgalley. I knew I had to request it.

This story is so mind blowing in the sequel and I want to scream about it but I don’t want to spoil anyone. I’ve never read anything quite like this before and the whole world is fantastic and Lin is probably one of the best morally grey characters I’ve read in a really long time and who wouldn’t want their own Mephy? Come on?

Thank you again!

Holy Crap!! This sequel! 🤌*Chef's kiss*💙

First off thank you Netgalley and Andrea Stewart for sending me an eARC of this amazing book!

I absolutely loved the The Bone Shard Daughter when I read it earlier this year. And ever since I've been impatiently waiting for the sequel. So when I got the notification saying I received the ARC I was ecstatic!!

This sequel picks up right where the first one leaves off with all our main POVs in new roles and dealing with the events of the first book. There's some epic action scenes⚔, some mysteries 🔎, some big reveals 💥, and some romantic moments 😋 Pretty much everything you could want from a great fantasy book!

I gave this a 4.8⭐ I think the sequel was on par with the first book and left you wanting more! So now I am desperately waiting for the 3rd book 😫

The Bone Shard Emperor is released November 23rd. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!
Happy Reading 📚

This is the continuing story of Lin Sukai, the new Emperor, as well as a few other recurring characters. Lin’s reign as Emperor has just started, and nobody trusts her, because nobody knows her. She ends the bone shard tithing tradition, but constructs still exist across the empire, and some are amassing as a rebellious army. Lin takes her new bodyguard Jovis and his companion Mephi on a tour of the empire to meet the governors and see if she can win them to her side. And there were many shenanigans.

I liked this sequel a lot. I picked it up one day hoping to get a chapter or two in before bed and before I knew it I was 15% in and it was past midnight. I love it when that happens. Jovis is definitely still my favorite character (and it may or may not have something to do with Mephi’s presence in all of his chapters). He’s grown a lot as a character since book one, and despite some of the things he does in this one, I really thought he grew more. He’s easygoing, and easy to cheer for. I also cheered for Lin in this one, more than I thought I would, really.

This one was well written, well paced, and added a lot of intrigue and action to the Drowning Empire series. That ending tho… I have questions, and hopes and dreams, and questions. I hope they get answered in book three! Fingers crossed!!

I’ve been waiting for The Bone Shard Emperor ever since I read The Bone Shard Daughter last year. (Thank you, Orbit, for the e-ARC! It comes out November 23.) This one has all the same great world-building, imagination, and excitement, and the ending was so good.

TBSE picks up pretty much right where TBSD leaves off. No spoilers for either book here, but I will say that this one turns its attention to the question of the Alanga in a way that I was SO ready for. It’s essentially tackling a whole new mystery, so there was a lot of information and continued world-building in the first half, plus a whole new stretch of character arcs (that I was at first a little skeptical of but am now on board for). So it started a bit slow, but I wasn’t mad about it.

The ending, though, is where this book really shines. Can I just say that Andrea Stewart knows how to RAISE THE STAKES? Just when you think the situation can’t get any more complicated or complex…it does. So many pieces in play, so well woven together.

I’m hooked and so intrigued about how this is all going to get resolved. Third book, where are you?

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After loving and devouring the first book in The Drowning Empire series, I was very excited to get my hands on The Bone Shard Emperor. I was last left with so many questions and feelings that I didn't know what was going to exactly happen in this. So, when things went chaotic pretty quickly I just sort of went with it all.

The whole who to trust and to not trust was a huge question for me. The characters were all over the place and constantly gave me mini whiplashes. Yet, I kept going because I just needed to know what the overall outcome of everything was going to be. I honestly didn't expect most of what went down to go down but I ate it all up anyway.

In the end, I'm slightly freaking out because I still have unanswered questions and the next book comes out next year. I'm excited to find out what happens next but I'm also here for the betrayal, revenge, and love too. Seriously, I'm so freaking excited.

I was so excited to get the sequel!! I loved The Bone Shard Daughter it gave me Avatar The Last Airbender vibes in the best way and The Bone Shard Emperor did not disappoint!!

For me this was a sort of a frustrating read in some ways. I would start reading and then want to read something else. Usually came right back to reading this after a couple of chapters reading something different. I think I was not in best mood read this but had to keep reading it as was quite good. Didn't like everything about but enjoyed reading it for sure. The longer I read this one I started to think about thee issues that seemed to motivating the characters. I will be thinking about these thoughts and ideas for a bit. Nothing that complicated but still makes you think and feel. The romance wasn't unexpected but could I have done without it out, probably. If they didn't fall for each other though I would wonder why didn't they and why the author didn't make that happen. Their are little twists that kept popping up which kept me wondering what will be next surprise. There were a few things that made parts a little slow at times but this story was all part of the journey despite the second book it did avoid the dreaded second book lameness of a series I think. As usual these are my first thoughts and don't want to talk to much about it as I don't want to spoil anything for those who pick this one to enjoy. Three and half to four stars for me. Thanks to the author for another good read, her publishers and NetGalley.

Lin now knows who, or rather what, she is. She can also add murderer and usurper to the list. After Lin discovered just the start of the terrible things Shiyen did to his citizens, she deposes her father and began a new rule at the end of The Bone Shard Daughter. As Emperor, Lin rejects a reign by fear and instead yearns to prove she can justly lead the Phoenix Empire.

But first she must prove to the people she is not like her father if she hopes to continue the Sukai dynasty. Complicating this goal is the fact that Shiyen's war constructs are now on the loose attacking the people. There are also rumors that the Alanga are back.

As I mentioned earlier, the bone shard magic system and Mephi were my favorite aspects of the first book. Bone shard magic takes a little bit of a back seat to the politics Lin plays to entreaty herself to various islands to try to gain their support. But fear not, it does play a part in the sequel, but you must be patient. For the Mephi lovers, this kleptomaniac has his share of page time. Mephi remains a mischievous critter, but I also enjoyed reading about the trust he and Jovis have in one another. I love that we learn more about what Mephi and Thrana are...I wish I could say more, but that would involve significant spoilage!

In The Bone Shard Daughter the Alanga are an ephemeral concept. They haven't been seen for several generations, and the Sukai dynasty made sure that no one forgot the danger they posed. But suddenly there are whispers that the Alanga are back and we start to learn more about them. It's a tough call since I love Mephi, but the Alanga plotline, and the artefacts associated with them, is probably my favorite aspect of this book. For a while I wasn't sure where it was going and then boom, the plot twist hits you in the face.

In my review of the last book I mentioned that I wasn't terribly invested in the Phalue and Ranami plotline. However, I warmed up to them a lot in this book. Phalue finally understands what Ranami was trying to teach her. We now get to read about them as a united front to combat corruption and their maturing trust and loyalty to each other.

For any Nisong fans out there, well, she plays an unexpectedly large part in the politics of things. I was curious about her storyline in the last book, but found myself not as invested this time around. I had a hard time understanding her reasoning for her decisions once they were revealed. Again, it's hard to say more without giving out spoilers.

Lastly, there were a couple of aspects that surprised me. The first is the romance that develops between two key characters. There wasn't any sort of chemistry alluded to in the last book; and I felt like the chemistry written in this book fell a bit flat. I understand why the relationship happened, but I also would've been happy if it hadn't developed.

I also felt like the writing style changed a little between the two books, but not necessarily in a bad way. The writing style in The Bone Shard Emperor seems more casual. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of The Bone Shard Daughter to compare, so I could be misremembering. I also felt like the portrayal of Jovis and Lin in this book made them seem more rash and therefore less mature. But I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, or if this is because they're both in new roles trying to navigate their way.

Overall, I enjoyed this sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter. Personally, I liked the first book more, maybe because there was so much unknown. However, I really enjoyed learning about the Alanga and what type of animals Mephi and Thrana are. I'm also curious to see how the plot twist at the end plays out in the next book. I also like that Stewart explores, via several plotlines, the concept of the "lesser evil," or whether the ends justify the means; how emotion can cloud judgment; and how loyalty to a party can be challenged when one witnesses for oneself that their beliefs and predictions might not hold true.

That said, I do recommend this book and I look forward to reading the next one. Until we meet again, Mephi.

This review will be posted on my book review blog, A Literary Escape, on November 21, 2021.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Boneshard Daughter" and so I was very pleased to have been granted a free copy of "The Boneshard Emperor" via NetGalley. "Daughter" is, indeed, a perfectly fine continuation of the story. The much expanded world-building and magic systems are intriguing, and made me look forward to more hints and revelations. The novel is told from multiple points of view (5, in fact), but is mostly focused on Lin and Jovis; the other POVs expanding the scope of the novel to offer differing opinions/outlooks or glimpses into areas and events that would be otherwise inaccessible to the main characters.

Speaking of whom... Emperor's-daughter-turned-Emperor herself, Lin, struggles to find herself in the new role, discovering that the Empire's populace is not actually too happy with the new turn of events. As she is scrambling for allies, she is assisted by smuggler-turned-Captain-of-the-Guard, Jovis, who has hidden motives of his own. As they forge ahead (quite often stumbling along), close ties form and firm between them, helped by the fact that they are both coming to terms with their new magical powers.

The one detriment to the novel is its pacing. Indeed, I had to do a fair share of my own "forging ahead" to get through the majority of the book (yes, it is quite slow). It's not till the last third of the novel that it becomes a truly breathless page-turner.

Overall, it is a fine continuation to the first in the series, and if you enjoyed "Daughter" you will enjoy "Emperor" - and, I suspect, the conclusion of the trilogy as well.

I never read the first one but I was still intrigued by the premise of this one. This book is pretty entertaining and interesting.