Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books!
The Drowning Empire has then one of my favorite series so far, as I think each book does a fantastic job of continuing the series. This series has always been fantastic at bringing out my emotion and setting the stage to really feel a part of the world. The characters are always detailed and grow throughout the books. The series does a great job of taking characters that we've seen since the beginning and giving them plots and developments that makes sense and feel real.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the conclusion to the series and will recommend this to anyone looking for an LGBTQ high fantasy book.

The plot of The Bone Shard War is very interesting, however sometimes it seems that the author lost interest in finishing this book and the story becomes boring, slow, with redundant episodes and too many detours.
It is the book that has cost me the most to finish, since my expectations were very high. In the end, (about 75% of the book) the story picks up the path of the first book, with action scenes that make the reader not want to put the book down.
As for the ending, only the part related to Sand was really satisfying to me, leaving me with mixed feelings about this book: I don't feel like I really liked it, but just finished reading it to see where Lin and Jovis's story ends. .
Something that I have liked in the three books have been the covers: they maintain the same style, very consistent.
My favorite characters? They ossalen, of course!
I thank the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think and feel about this book.

I am one of the few readers who enjoyed but was not obsessed with the first two installments. I found the magic system to be unique and the plot intriguing. I also enjoyed following many of the characters. My overall issue with Bone Shard War was that I found it incredibly repetitive. I honestly think that Bone Shard Emp. and Bone Shard War could have been merged and condensed into a better-executed duology.

That being said, I was pleased with how the story ended and liked how everything wrapped up.

I enjoy Stewart's writing and look forward to whatever she writes next.

Andrea Stewart is one of the most underrated fantasy authors writing today, and if you haven’t heard of her (truly excellent) Drowning Empire trilogy before, please consider this a plea to fix your life immediately. A rich, character-driven story about an island kingdom and the unique magical system based on literal human bone shards that both powers its advances and oppresses its citizens, Stewart’s series is captivating from its very first pages.

Final installment The Bone Shard War is an engrossing, thrilling series conclusion, one that’s as full of thoughtful character dynamics and interpersonal growth as it is sweeping carefully plotted battle sequences. Though it runs for over six hundred pages, its energy is quick and propulsive, full of narrative twists and turns that will leave readers guessing not just about who will be the ultimate victors in the war for control of the Phoenix Empire, but what “winning” such a war truly means.

The Drowning Empire comes to an end. This magic system is so interesting and different from many of the fantasy novels I've read. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I do believe that this was not her best work.
I felt like this book was just running in circles. Some pieces were not explained well and honestly the ending wasn't as grand as I was hoping. I think this could have done better and just fell short. I still think book one was the best.
I think I will read future Stewart books but maybe not request them as arcs. Allow others to read it so I can get an idea of whether or not her writing has improved.
The only thing that kept this from a lower rating was Mephi. He and his personality kept this story afloat.
I felt like a lot of characters lost their flame. They became 2D and I just was disappointed with their character development.

If a certain person at the end of the novel didn't come back for a second chance this would be sitting at a 3.75...

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “The Bone Shard War” by Andrea Stewart. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this series so much! I’m sad it’s over but I know I’ll reread it again one day. I actually reread the first two books so I’d be ready for the finale. I was a little thrown by the two year time jump between this book and the previous one. It makes sense as the book goes on but at the start I was a little surprised by the time jump.

This was a very satisfying conclusion. I definitely teared up a few times. I will definitely reread all the books one day with all the information from the third book to see how it weaves throughout. The ending made me sad but I understand why it had to be that way. It was bittersweet. I’d love to get to read more stories set in this world if the author is one day inspired to write them. Throughout the series I have been so impressed by how every POV was enjoyable to read. It’s hard to do that in fantasy books with a lot of POVs as there’s often some that are less enjoyable to read. All the POVs made sense and I never dreaded any of them. I’ll be thinking about these characters for a long time and I look forward to seeing them again in future rereads.

Andrea Stewart is an autobuy author for me!

5/5 stars

Though this series had periods where it seemed slow, it was all important and came together very nicely in this last book. The magic system became even more unique and interesting in this book, and you learned more about the history of the empire, the Alanga, and the Ossalen.

While the characters were not the most vibrant I’ve ever read, I believe they will stick with me because of how original the storyline and world-building was. I also like that while the ending was generally a happy ending, it wasn’t completely tidy with perfect endings for everyone. It was more realistic despite being a fantasy series.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy. When I start a trilogy shortly after it begins, I often have a hard time remembering to finish it, but this was one that I enjoyed enough to read the next book as soon as it’s published. I was incredibly excited to be granted an ARC through NetGalley for this last installment. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy and unique world-building and magic systems.

That was a satisfying end to a good trilogy. Yes, there is heartbreak and loss but there are also a bunch of brave people willing to fight for those who cannot. There is redemption too, for those who have gone astray during the previous two books. I kept rooting for everyone, except Ragan. He did despicable things all because he wanted power and if he couldn't have it then no one else could. And I really want an osslan! They are so cool and so very necessary for the drowning isles. They are so cool.

This was a good book and a good trilogy that I am glad I read.

Although I did not love this conclusion as much as I liked the start of the series, I do think it tied together the main plot points well and was an engaging read. Started off slow, but picked up the pace and then I couldn't stop reading to the final conclusion of this trilogy. This was such an inventive use of magic, and it was well conceived- mostly it's the pacing (and the fact that the only characters we really cared about kept not making logical choices consistent with their character...). If you've read the first two books in the series you absolutely do have to read this third book- but does not stand alone.

2.5

From the first book, I was less enthralled in this series than many of the reviewers I follow but I was intrigued enough in the world to see it through to the end. Unfortunately, I think for me the first book was the strongest. I do seem to have an unpopular opinion though.

This world is really fascinating, and I liked seeing the world expand with each book; however, I think parts of the sequels felt a little long, and I think that hindered my enjoyment because it got to the point where I didn’t feel like this book earned its length. There was a romantic relationship introduced in Book 2 that I didn’t really like (though it did start to grow on me in this book) and overall I felt like each of the characters had some sort of plot point where it took them too long to realize something that would move the plot forward. For example, <spoiler>why did it take Jovis so long to figure out a work around of the commands he was given?</spoiler>

That being said, I did overall like the arcs of each of the characters and the arc of the story, and I would recommend giving this series (or at least the first book) a shot if it sounds interesting to you!

A big shoutout to Netgalley for allowing me to read the conclusion to the Drowning Empire series by Andrea Stewart!

Since Bone Shard War is the conclusion to the trilogy I won't go too deep into what happens in the book.

I do want to say that I loved this conclusion to the series and the way that it opens up a few more questions that will hopefully be explored in future works by the author.

Some of the elements that were revealed in this book were actually really amazing and it brought a lot of the themes full circle from the first book. We also see a lot of characters scrabbling to find their purpose and questioning themselves, learning from what happens and having great character growth.

Here and there some easy resolutions were made to more difficult matters, and I kind of wished that the characters weren't rescued quite as much. But that could just be me. :)

And as always, I still want a Mephi. He will possibly always be my favourite animal companion. I can't wait to see what wonders come from Andrea Stewart in the future!

An excellent end to a truly great trilogy. I was glad to see all my favorite characters survive (that's rare in a fantasy). I'll miss Mephi and Thrana and of course the humans too. Can't wait to see what's next for this author!

Fantastic conclusion to a great trilogy. Loved the twists and turns and character development. Great story and can’t wait for more from Andrea Stewart.

I am so sad that this series is finished now but it was SO good and I want to go and re-read it all again as soon as possible. If you haven't picked up this series, Please do yourself a favor and pick it up!

This one is just as packed as the last 2, tons of action, twists and a bit of darkness. I love when puzzle pieces through a series all come together at the end, I was a big fan of all of the paired endings we got as well! so much love for these characters and this world.

Thank you to Orbit books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review!

Prior to this book, I devoured books one and two. I was so excited to read The Bone Shard War. I was unfortunately a little disappointed. The book started out with our cast of characters trying to move on after the battle on Gaelung. It was kind of jarring to me that we began with a 2 year time jump. I also felt like a lot of the beginning was very repetitive and took me a while to get into.

Overall, I thought this was a bittersweet ending to a wonderful series. I found the characters interesting. The mysteries fun to figure out. I would recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy sprinkled with politics.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Boneshard War was a difficult read for me. It’s pace was slower than I prefer and I was a little lost at first as I read this final book as a stand alone, which I do not recommend. I expect those who read books 1 and 2 were much more engaged with how this story resolved.

Despite my struggles, it was an interesting book and I did finish it. It does have an LGBTQ story arc and multiple POVs. This might be great for sci-if, magic, or dystopian fiction lovers.

I'm lowkey devastated this series is over. I'll miss Mephi most of all, but I really love the main characters. If you liked the previous two books, I think you'll love this one. It's a good ending to the story and everything was tied up nicely. Fantastic end to a fantastic series!

A satisfying perfect and bittersweet end to a solid trilogy.
There's a little bit of a time jump from the end of book two to book three (about two years) so that allowed the plot to move forward quickly.
I love Mephi and Jovis! Their relationship is the best in the series. However, I did feel like it should have taken him a little bit less time to figure out a way to use his wits to outsmart his captors, rather than simple escape or brute force. I'd thought he was smarter than that especially given the time jump.

I enjoyed seeing Lin and Phalue questing together for the white sword together. Their relationship, sometimes contentious, sometimes partners, was one of my favorites.

There were some times that I felt that it could have been shorter, and there were some scenes that dragged on a bit. And we could have gotten rid of Nisong altogether. I get that she was wronged, but also she just drove me nuts with her stupid, stubborn entitlement. And Dion... so old and should be so wise... but also so stubborn and stuck in a his vengeance...

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars (+ half a star just for Mephi)

The Drowned Empire is one of the most unique and engaging fantasy series that I have ever read. The world is rich and intricate and the characters are very easy to root for. Unfortunately, The Bone Shard War is a lackluster conclusion to an amazing series.

I know it seems like fantasy books always get longer with every book in a series, but The Bone Shard War simply did not have enough substance to support over 600 pages. I even wonder if this series really needed to be a trilogy. Overall, I really enjoy how the series wrapped up. Most of the characters had very fitting endings and I enjoyed the bittersweet conclusion. The big reveal about the world/magic system genuinely made my jaw drop. Though these moments were incredible, they were connected by painfully dull and repetitive stretches.

The book follows a predictable pattern of sail to one place, encounter villain, try to talk their way out of it, barely escape, and repeat. After the third time watching Lin try to end a war through mid-battle negotiation, I was fed up. Every conversation was ultimately the same and the only reason the conflict continued for as long as it did was mindless prejudice and stubbornness. I found it really unsatisfying how the plot essentially relied on characters changing their minds and switching sides rather than on strategy or action. This was likely the only solution because Stewart created such an uneven conflict. The second half of the book was much more engaging, though still repetitive, and I binge-read that half in 24 hours. However, that made the first half seem like an unnecessary delay before the main events of the story. Their quest is completely dropped and the motivation for hunting down the swords is never explained.

I admit that I read each book in the series as it came out, therefore, I have likely forgotten some of the smaller moments in the plot. But there were a few moments in The Bone Shard War that just didn't make sense. As the finale in a multi-POV series, there are many, many POV characters involved at this point in the story. We would go hundreds of pages without hearing from some of these characters. I do appreciate that Stewart committed to one big event at a time rather than including "nothing" chapters from other characters to build suspense. However, some of these sections felt disconnected. The chronology between POVs felt off as a lot more would happen for some characters than others. There were also far too many villains for this story and they all had essentially the same motivation. They were never all in play at once and it made the conflict feel disjointed. Dione is the "big bad" of the first half and he is a constant, threatening presence. But then he almost completely vanishes from the story and suddenly Ragan is the deranged monster that we should be concerned about. The multitude of plot threads would have worked if there had been more variation in goals, personalities, and type of threat.

I adore the characters in this series, but I grew really exasperated with them in this book. Lin's constant assumption that she is the smartest person in the room even though she is almost always outsmarted was endearing at first. But when she never learned from all the times she got her ass kicked I just got frustrated. I refuse to believe that Lin was actually able to hold Dione off for the two-year time jump. I have incredibly mixed feelings about Jovis' character arc. I recognize that traumatic events will greatly change a character. However, he really didn't feel like the same character from the first two books. We have seen how clever Jovis can be and yet it takes him forever to figure out an incredibly simple solution to his problem. Once again, the two-year time jump is what makes this element really difficult to believe. Ramani and Phalue were fine. They have always felt like background main characters and that was still true in this book, but making them any more prominent would have weighed the story down even more. On the other hand, we got way too many chapters from Nisong's POV. Mephi is the only character that I have no complaints about, other than that I wanted more of him.

There are genuinely amazing moments in this book that remind me of why I adore the series. Unfortunately, The Bone Shard War hides these incredible pieces in a repetitive plot that ruined character arcs and made the reveals feel disjointed.

This was a disappointing final installment. To be honest, I felt mediocre about the first two installments, but when I saw a Chinese American author was writing high fantasy, I had to read. While Andrea's writing remains consistent, I found myself bored by the repetitiveness occurring in this book. I was bored with Lin. I was even more bored with Jovis. The two stars are for Mephi, and only Mephi.