The Bone Shard Emperor is amazing. Rest assured it doesn’t fall into the second book slump, acting as a filler for characters to prepare for the impending “real” conflict in the final book. It’s a glorious read that met, maybe even exceeded, my expectations and I can’t thank Orbit Books enough for approving me for this ARC. The only bad thing about being approved is waiting another year for the final book. The Drowning Empire is on its way to being one of my favorite trilogies.

The strength of The Bone Shard Emperor continues to be the strong female characters and world-building. An already rich world is further expanded with the addition of the history of the Alanga, a history that is slowly revealed throughout the book. It was one of my favorite parts of the book.

The character development is also superb. While there continue to be multiple points of view, Lin and Jovis make up the majority with those of other characters kept to a minimum. This contributed to a much better reading experience than I had with the first novel. Lin was my favorite character from the beginning and remains so. She learns first-hand how difficult it can be to try to please the people and to make decisions she believes is best. It's hard to be the person in charge when people are scrutinizing your every move as well as prepared to depose you at any time. Despite being the emperor, she continues to be the girl who yearned for her father's love and approval, Rather than her father’s acceptance, she now needs the residents of the empire to place their faith in her. Throughout the book, I kept hoping her desire to find someone to connect with would be fulfilled.

The book is amazing. I finished reading it as soon as I got approved, but it took a while to get my thoughts translated from sighs, gasps, and grunts to words and finally to sentences that made sense. This is one of my favorite reads of 2021. (4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars)

BEST NEW VOICE IN FANTASY


***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

- Okay okay okay. I feel like I can't get too much into the plot of THE BONE SHARD EMPEROR because not only will it spoil some of THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER but also OMG SO MUCH HAPPENS. Questions answered! More questions raised!
- This book has a lot more political maneuvering than I typically enjoy in my fantasy books, but I'm so invested in not only Lin but the world of the Empire as a whole that I was hooked on every word. And then, aside from the politics, there are some truly epic battle scenes that had me on the edge of my seat.
- We also see a lot more of Phalue and Ranami, sapphic power couple of your dreams, in this book and I am here for it.
- Please just read these books already and come talk to me about the new developments in this book, and please @orbitbooks_us let's get the third book quickly!

I love this book! I love the first one too!
So many questions answered but still a lot of mystery about the characters.
I enjoyed the addition of a love story between Lin and Jovis. I kind of saw it coming but it still made me happy. This sequel brought all the little stories characters from the first book together. I have to admit in the first book I was a bit confused about the relevance of the island of workers with no history.
There are many surprises throughout the book and I really like that events were not quite predictable throughout the story. I can't wait for book three!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing this eArc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved The Bone Shard Daughter, so I was so ready to jump back into this world and see what was to come. This second installment didn't blow me away like The Bone Shard Daughter did, but it did not disappoint. It answered quite a few questions left by the first book without being too bogged down, but of course there's still more to know and to be answered in the final book.

Mephi is the star, obviously, and has a new friend who is like him, I love it. Jovis is frustratingly adorable as always. Lin is a total badass, but also shows a more vulnerable side, I was always so excited when I got to a chapter featuring her POV.

I felt that the human-like constructs weren't as fully fleshed out as the other characters, and they felt more one-dimensional, especially Nisong, but this decision kind of makes sense so it's not really a flaw in my opinion.

I want to know more about the relationship between Phalue and Ranami!

Also the romance between Jovis and Lin...I'm not sold on it.

But this installment definitely raised the stakes, and I can't wait to read the final installment in this series.

Thank you so much to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of this series. Let's just get that out of the way. I'm going to try as hard as I can to remain un-spoilery while I rave about this book while I do this review, but I absolutely loved both the first book and this one.

Following Lin and Jovis, specifically, will always be my favorite. In the first book, Jovis was far and away my favorite POV (Mephi 4EVER). Thrana made Lin's POV more interesting to me in this one, but I think I honestly still love Jovis just a little bit more. I'm a sucker for an animal companion, can't you tell? Jovis is just honestly such a cinnamon roll, and I adore him, whereas I can sometimes find Lin just a little bit....grating.

Ranami and Phalue were also interesting POVs in this, although I'm still not sure what their roles will be going forward in terms of the overall plot, but I do love their relationship, and the addition of Ayesh (SHARK!!!) to the cast was great, especially at the end!

Overall, I enjoyed this second installment in the series, but not quite as much as the first. The plot at the beginning just felt a lot like setup, and the romance...maybe I'm just blind, but it wasn't something I expected AT ALL. Maybe I should have, and once it happened I was all for it, but it just took me by surprise. As usual, the animal companions stole the show and I want every single one of them for my own. The ending though....I need to know what happens next. Immediately.

This was a 4 star read for me, for sure, and I can't wait for the next installment in the Drowning Empire series!

“Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for giving me the E-Arc”

Being back in this world was amazing. Lin is fighting to keep control of the kingdom she inherited. Jovis is fighting to figure out who to help and what he should be doing and trusting. This is one is much faster paced than the 1st and I loved it. For me this one was better than the first but I love these characters and story. I can’t wait to get book 3

One Sentence Summary: Now Emperor, Lin is determined to unite the empire with Jovis by her side, but secrets about their mysterious enemy the Alanga and challenges from constructs Lin didn’t know about threaten to topple her before she can do anything.

Warning: May contain spoilers for the first book, The Bone Shard Daughter.

Overall
The Bone Shard Emperor is a solid second book in The Drowning Empire trilogy. It builds on what was presented in the first book, deepening the characters, expanding the world, and providing more answers to questions while still leaving a good deal of mystery. Like the first book, this one continued to focus on Lin, Jovis, Nisong, Phalue, and Ranami. Mephi, of course, was a ton of fun to read and I’m really happy he has a new friend like himself. In this book, more of the threads are drawn together, bringing the characters into closer proximity and heightening the threats to Lin’s throne. While I wasn’t a fan of the romance and traveling around to the different islands, I did enjoy this book as it very nicely sets up for what should be an exciting conclusion as multiple stories and sides seem to be hurling towards each other.

Extended Thoughts
Set not long after the events of the first book, The Bone Shard Emperor finds Lin, the new emperor, trying to figure out her father’s secrets and preparing to set out to visit four islands. Jovis is now in her employ as her Captain of the Imperial Guard, though he finds himself torn between spying for the Shardless Few and keeping Lin’s secrets. With Mephi and Lin’s creature companion Thrana in tow, they set off for the islands as questions and revelations about the Alanga begin to come to light.

On the islands, Phalue and Ranami are enjoying their marriage as Phalue has become governor. But the Shardless Few are pushing Phalue to do as they wish while she tries to do what she can for her people. On a nearby island, Nisong is gathering the constructs as she seeks to conquer all the islands between her and Imperial as she believes she should be emperor.

With pressure and impending war on all sides and the Alanga seemingly returning, Lin and Jovis are up against almost too much, and sinking islands aren’t helping.

Just like the first book, The Bone Shard Emperor follows Lin, Jovis, Nisong, Phalue, and Ranami as the empire is held together by a thread. While I wasn’t a big fan of the traveling around to the islands as it reminded me too much of those fantasy stories that are little more than adventures across the land in order to showcase as much of the world as possible, this was still a solid installment in the trilogy that offered a lot of answers and still more questions for the third book to answer. I really liked that everything seemed to be heating up and more of the characters encountered each other. The Bone Shard Emperor takes its time, but it’s well worth it as the world unfolds little by little and danger and threats seem to lie in wait everywhere.

On Imperial, Lin and Jovis are preparing to travel to four islands in order to help secure the empire under Lin, who is acutely aware that her reclusive father did more damage than good during his rule. With Alanga relics awakening, there’s fear that this powerful people are returning to destroy them and Lin hopes to secure promises of people to join her guard as she has chosen to destroy the construct army. But she’s also still trying to demystify all of her father’s secrets and might have her own troubling new powers to contend with as her new creature companion, Thrana, learns to live without fear. In some ways, it’s good she has Jovis and Mephi by her side. The bond they form is sweet and just what both of them need, though I can’t say I was a huge fan of the romantic overtones as I felt they came off a little too strong. But Mephi, as always, was adorable with the cutest little quirk ever (though many characters might not agree!). I wish there had been more of him, but he’s growing up and adolescent Mephi was just as much fun as baby Mephi. Jovis, on the other hand, was one character I both wanted to hug and shake. He has a good heart, but his loyalties are just too divided. I enjoyed the tension it brought, but there were times I just wanted to slap some sense into him.

Turning to the constructs, I both loved and hated Nisong’s chapters. I loved that I completely understood her desires and drive, but she was also so one minded that she ended up lacking the depth I needed to really connect with her. It broke my heart to read about the constructs close to her and what happened to them, and then to see Nisong just plow on ahead. I do like the way the two sides clashed in kind of an epic way at the end, especially with the threat of the Alanga at full force, but I felt not enough time had been taken to develop her and her story, so it felt like the weakest part of the book to me even if I did enjoy how it played out at the end.

Phalue and Ranami still kind of confuse me. Their relationship feels strange, almost forced, and I’m still not completely sure why they are two of the main characters instead of one of the other governors or even someone from the Shardless Few. I find the Shardless Few more interesting and, while I appreciate they’re being brought into the story through Phalue and Ranami, I think it falls a little flat to me. Their marriage, while it gives me the relationship I was sorely lacking in the first book, comes across as two people clashing more than melding. I do like that they come from very different backgrounds and that has an interesting hand in how they govern and there was a nice twist thrown in, but their story line wasn’t quite as interesting as I had hoped it would be.

The Bone Shard Emperor not only has some really interesting characters, but also a fascinating story and world. I loved that the two felt like they went hand in hand. Not only did we learn more about the empire’s history in relation to the Alanga, but it also built up the world a little more. I didn’t get the sense of drifting islands in this one, but I liked that each island was a bit different from the others, but there was so much that still tied them together. I also enjoyed the different receptions Lin got even though I found the traveling from island to island kind of tiresome (traveling the world isn’t really my cup of tea right now). But my favorite was trying to figure out how the sinking islands and the return of the Alanga might be related. My mind kept spinning onto possible answers. While this book does give more history and more answers, there’s still so much left that I’m dying to know how it wraps up in the last book.

The Bone Shard Emperor is a solid second book offering just enough without being overwhelming and keeping cards close to its chest. It didn’t exactly impress me as much as the first book, but I really enjoyed how it built up and still has more to offer. I definitely enjoyed the second half more than the first as the first half felt more like steps backwards and the pressing issues of the Alanga and Nisong and her construct army were pushed out of the way when I really wanted them front and center. Overall, though, I did like what was offered and can’t wait to see how it plays out in the last book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angela Man from Orbit for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love this series and I love Andrea Stewart - I haven’t devoured books with such fervor since I first discovered the Throne of Glass series. I’m not gonna lie - I do not know how I’m going to wait for the third book to come out because THE CLIFHANGER she left us with broke me.

Now ahead of time I promise not to give spoilers so that everyone can enjoy this review but please if you read this already tell me how much you are ACHING over the ending - thank you.

first off - what did I not like about this book?

there was a lot - just a lot, shoved into one novel. at times it made things hard to follow because there is just so much developing from every angle. we have two different magic systems and both of them are evolving by the second. we have new characters coming in, multiple perspectives, and new + different aspects of the world coming in. At times its a lot and I couldn’t keep everything straight.

I think some of the human-like constructs are not given enough time to develop into characters that I can actually connect to and I’m not sure if Stewart did that on purpose or not, but I wouldn’t like to see them develop a bit into more 3 dimensional characters - but there is also huge space for commentary on humanity with the story as it is already.

what did I enjoy?

the characters in this book are so interesting and I love learning more about them. Everything is so cloaked in secrets and mystery that I feel like we’re often discovering and rediscovering these characters (while they are going thorugh the same process themselves).

it is so amazing to see a novel with main character engaged in a WLW romance. the representation actually seems realistic and while the relationship is complicated - its so interesting to see how the couple develops. I appreciate the slow burn romance that begins to develop between our other two main characters which I shall say no more about.

The bone shard and alanga magic systems are so different from what I’ve read in fantasy before. I feel like nowadays its rare to find different magic systems in fantasy - I love that we are learning more about the magic systems as the characters do.

a couple of my favorite quotes:

“‘ you never have to do anything. You chose to. Don’t lie to me and don’t like to yourself’” (41.3%).

“i'd been so involved in the larger things, the bigger picture, that i'd forgotten to think of smaller things. And sometimes these were the things that mattered most" (42.9%).

After being left with so many questions after the first book I was really excited to get this one! It picks up right where we left off, and thankfully wasn't a victim of "second book syndrome" that I've been seeing a lot of in fantasy lately. This was exciting, magical, and just awesome. I can't wait for the next!!!

Can I just read an entire book dedicated to the trials and tribulations of Mephi and Jovis?! They absolutely must be protected at all costs.

The Bone Shard Emperor is not quite as action packed and secret revealing as it’s predecessor, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the progression of the story as well as the characters that I loved in The Bone Shard Daughter.

The stakes are definitely much higher, and I have a whole new appreciation for Lin.

There’s also some new players in this story, that I can’t wait to see grow and develop in book three.

I love sinking into a sequel, my investment already high and connections with the world and characters well-established. In my opinion, a great sequel rewards you for that investment by taking you deeper and showing you more. This sequel more than delivers on that promise. I am satisfied that I came to understand more about Lin, Jovis, Phalue, Ranami, and Sand, as well as some crucial side characters. Their motivations and goals are clarified for readers and for themselves. Sometimes they clash. They struggle. Their revelations raise new questions and create new problems. Relationships grow and shift.

One thing I especially admire about this book is the true morally grey situations. The characters try to make the best decisions for not only themselves but the world at large and sometimes disagree or directly argue about the best path. In some cases, a character's personal blind spots are clearly at work; in others, it's a horrible choice with alarming ramifications either way. The journey is so well-executed with all perspectives on view for the reader whether you ultimately support them or not. Lin is a particular standout for me as she navigates her father's legacy and unforeseen responsibilities, but I don't say that to diminish my deep affection for all the character POVs in the book.

I lingered at the end, drawing out my read because I feared the end, the inevitable wait for the trilogy's finale. This coping mechanism is reserved for the strongest fantasy series on my shelf-- the ones I struggle to let go of.

PS Jovis' mom is a treasure

PPS Long live the ossalen

Thanks to Orbit for my copy to read and review!

The Bone Shard Emperor feels very much like a second book. Its a continuation of the story setting up for the big finale without solving any main conflicts on its own.

I like the idea of the relationship budding in this book and I'm looking forward to more of that. I also appreciate the cliff hangers at the end of this book making me want to continue but not being such big cliff hangers that I'm pissed the next book isn't out already.

I'm not super sold on the multiple prospectives. It was hard to tell characters apart sometimes. They were all written the same.

Overall I recommend this series (so far) and I'm exciting to continue.

I really loved the first book and this did not disappoint! We get a deeper dive into the lore and history of this world as well as a deeper connection to the characters. There were several twists, some I didn't see coming and a few I called (but discovered in a satisfying way) The pacing was excellent and characters (even minor ones) were well rounded. I can't wait until the next one!

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart was one of my favourite novels of last year, so I went into The Bone Shard Emperor with admittedly high expectations. While still a great read with intriguing developments and engaging writing, The Bone Shard Emperor fell prey to a bit of second book syndrome in its meandering pace and diffuse focus.

Lin Sukai has finally taken the throne she worked so hard to get, and this book revolves by and large around her struggles on that front. Jovis, Phalue, and Ranami return as POV characters in the second book of the trilogy. It’s hard to talk in detail without going too much into spoilers, but what I can say is this book has a more widespread focus with plots within plots going on, unlike the relatively linear journey of the first book leading to a more narrow culmination.

I loved the new worldbuilding we get in this one and I can’t wait to see where book three goes; the Alanga are fascinating and though we learn a bit more about them, there are still lots of unanswered questions. There’s lots of swashbuckling and politicking and rising stakes, so though the focus on several disparate plot threads detracts a bit from the overall flow, there’s a lot to love there as well. And of course, Thrana and Mephi continue to be the MVPs of the book to be honest, so readers who enjoyed them in the first book will be pleased to know they make a return.

Aside from pacing, two things weren’t my favourite in this novel. Even though I saw it coming a mile away, I wasn’t really sold on a particular romance that was introduced this book; I actually feel it would have been more compelling as a platonic relationship. The second is that the antagonistic forces in this novel either lack sufficient believable motivation, come out of nowhere, or both. They feel tailored to serve the plot rather than working with it, and to that end, they didn’t impact me as much as they could.

All in all, The Bone Shard Emperor is a solid follow up to the first book in the trilogy and promises an absolute knockout of a conclusion when all the dominoes begin to fall. Fans of the first book will find much to enjoy in this one and it’s definitely a go-to recommendation of mine for those looking to pick up a new high fantasy series.

I enjoyed The Bone Shard Emperor, but I don’t think that this book lived up to its predecessor, which I found groundbreaking. This installment was just fine in comparison. I don’t have any major criticisms, but I will say that I didn’t love the book’s reliance on the miscommunication trope. All in all, I enjoyed this one just fine and am looking forward to reading the final installment in the trilogy.

I’m starting to adore adult fantasy. Omg this one was absolutely amazing. I loved the bone shard daughter and now the bond shard emperor. I cannot wait for the third!

This series is absolutely incredible and I was so excited to read The Bone Shard Emperor and continue with this world! The magic system and character development was great even though the book did fall into the second in a series slump in terms of plot. The pacing was a little slow moving in the beginning of the book but definitely picked up the last 1/3 . There were plot twists that were surprising and kept me reading along but the action itself was a bit lacking. I still really enjoyed this follow up and am excited to continue with the series!

I love this series so so much! This book did have a little bit of second book syndrome. It didn't feel like filler, but it didn't necessarily move the plot forward as much as the first book did.

With that said, I loved seeing the character growth and Mephi and Thrana are still my ride or dies. Lin is a fascinating character and I really relate to a lot of her struggles.

Where this book SHINES is the world! Stewart has created something so unique and special and I can't wait to learn more about the mythology and background of the Alanga.

The Bone Shard Daughter was one of my favorite books of 2021. I absolutely adored it. So it was with no small amount of anticipation that I waited for the sequel. And then, to my shock, I was approved for an eARC on Netgalley. Did I read it on time? Obviously not. I didn’t even start it until the book was released. Oops. But hey, better late than never.

I went into The Bone Shard Daughter with lowered expectations, and wound up giving it five stars. Therefore, I went into Emperor expecting another knockout. And, well… it’s not bad or anything. It just isn’t as good as the first book.

The main things I liked– the world and the characters– I mostly found enjoyable from the previous book. I mean, the story here is interesting enough, but isn’t as solid as I know Stewart is capable of. At least it’s compulsively readable. I couldn’t put it down!

Honestly, the main problem with this book is that it feels like set-up for the final book. So many threads and plotlines are stuffed in here, none of them fully resolved. It feels messy. In some ways, it’s meant to be. But it didn’t quite feel messy-on-purpose.

In a similar vein, many of the twists and reveals are rather obvious and clumsily handled. I could see so many of them coming a mile away. Predictable twists aren’t necessarily a problem, but Stewart gave us much better twists in Daughter. I know she’s capable of more, so it’s all the more disappointing.

Speaking of disappointing, I feel so let down by the lack of character development. Lin and Jovis keep cycling through the same inner conflicts and disputes. By the end, they’re almost right back where they started. I think the only character that really changes at all is Ranami, and even then it’s minute.

Lastly, I need to talk about the Lin/Jovis romance. I haven’t read a romance that felt more forced in a long time. They have no romantic chemistry whatsoever. In fact, they could’ve just been friends and their story and conflict would have the exact same impact. Their romance is completely unnecessary.

Would I recommend this book? Yeah, if you’re a fan of the series. Will I continue? Of course. I just hope The Bone Shard Emperor is suffering from middle book syndrome, and not a portent of what the finale will be like. Andrea Stewart, please don’t let me down.