Reading The Bone Shard War felt like coming home. I missed this world so much with its uniqueness and characters. There were a few pieces I felt I was missing as I decided not to reread before starting the final book. It didn’t take away from slowly understanding the missing pieces.
I literally have not stopped thinking about this book after finished reading it. This book and this entire series owns my soul. I am not mad about it. I took my time reading this as I didn’t want it to end. I was not ready to say goodbye mainly to Jovis and Mephi.
At times the story progressed too and then it would pick back up again and we were moving along. The Bone Shard War wrapped this series nicely and added a little bow.
This series owns me heart and soul and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The series ended so nicely and I am happy about it. While the Bone Shard War was different than the first two books it was just as good. There were slow parts that I found myself rushing through. But overall it was a good conclusion to the story.

thank you to netgalley and orbit books for the opportunity to read an advance copy. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

with each book, i love the core of this story more and more. the world building is fantastic, and the lore continues to grow richer. the magic of both the alanga and the bone shards is so creative and so interesting to me, and i loved the deeper dive into the history of the alanga that we get in this book. the major characters are all very well rounded, too. at times, all of them annoyed me, but i could always see where they were coming from, which is such a tell of well developed characters. even the one pov character i’ve barely been able to stand throughout the series continues to grow less infuriating as it goes along. i have my problems with the villains of this story, but dione in particular is very well rounded even if ragan and nisong weren’t nearly as much.

one thing this series does particularly well which i think it doesn’t get enough credit for is the balance of power within the magic system. it’s always a little frustrating when there’s a centuries-old character who’s had all this time to hone his skills, but the mc with a year or two of training can take them down pretty easily. especially with the way the alanga powers grow over time, i worried a bit that lin would match dione’s power levels too easily. instead, throughout the book, dione’s powers far surpass any of the other alanga. lin only ever really escapes him, not beating him; as her power grows she gains more headway, but more importantly as she slowly does better against him it’s more because she learns how to fight him specifically each time they fight. beyond that, too, the power levels make sense. lin has had her powers the longest and has trained for a few years at this point, so beyond dione she is probably the strongest. ragan’s anger and background make him stronger than he would be with just his powers alone, and so on and so forth. this series is one of the best i’ve read where the relative strengths make sense.

while i have a lot of nit picks and things that bothered me, i want to be clear that for the most part that’s all they are: nit picks. i give this book four stars because i did actually love it. the plot is so good and it’s fast paced enough that once you get past the first chunk you’re constantly on edge. after i hit about 25%, i really didn’t want to put it down. i wanted to know what happened next, and where the story was going, and i was often surprised and rarely disappointed. my issues with the book only really come once you get into the details, and ultimately with how much i enjoyed the book despite that, i think it’s earned its four stars.

so, now, what i didn’t love about the bone shard war.

first of all, i would’ve appreciated more references back to the previous two books just because it’s been a year since i read them and i don’t remember them too well.

from there, the time skip seems a bit pointless, as it doesn’t really move the plot forward. all characters save jovis are in virtually the same position as before, and the political landscape is virtually the same.

i love love love a war on multiple fronts story, so i was very excited to dive back into that aspect. and while it’s well done, i do wish the other factions weren’t so clearly bad guys. it’s shown that some of dione’s followers aren’t bad people, but he is, and ragan and nisong are. it’s just a bit boring—part of the appeal of having so many factions is when there’s ambiguity and when some of the other sides kind of make points. i will say, though, the final arc of the book changes this for me with some conversations that happen, and makes me view the various factions a bit differently.

similarly, the characters are a little too black and white for me. ranami, jovis, phalue, and lin are all flawed and complex characters—but they’re also always right, even when everyone else thinks otherwise. it’s a bit boring and a bit annoying.

ragan as a villain is pretty hit or miss. the ease with which ragan recruits followers, many of whom have been dedicated to a different cause for virtually their entire lives, is a bit ridiculous, and unbelievable enough to pull me out of the story at times. i understand the power of appealing to people’s anger, but when he turns masses of people in three sentences, especially when it’s repeatedly said that he’s neither charismatic nor likable, it’s a weird choice.

the writing gets a bit repetitive at times, which to me always sticks out more in longer books that already feel endless. jovis and philine are excellent examples of this. throughout the book, jovis is constantly in situations where he can betray philine somehow, and each time there’s a few paragraphs on how easy it would be to do so and how he owes her nothing—just for him to not betray her. towards the end, it gets a bit heavy handed and repetitive with all of the grand morals and grand personal revelations being spoken out loud as dialogue instead of internally, which caused some eye rolling, but certainly doesn’t ruin the story.

the ending has me a bit iffy. the main battle was very interesting, and i really enjoyed most of the character arcs (besides the one pov character i’m already not a fan of). however, it involves one of my least favorite things about most war-centric fantasy series (which i won’t spoil here), which automatically loses some points for me. but beyond that, there’s a major pov character who we know is present at the final battle but is just … entirely absent from the story, for some reason? their last pov is some 20%+ before the end, and to me their pov would’ve been both interesting and really useful during the final fight especially. i actually thought they’d died in the battle for a bit, since they’d neither shown up nor were even mentioned.

actually, no, i do have to complain about ranami instead of just alluding to not liking her. yes, she is much better in this book compared to the first, and yes, she is still a complete and well rounded character. but, god is she infuriating. i don’t know if she’s meant to be very delusional or if the author misses the mark in making these grand statements about her accomplishments and skills despite showing that she really lacks these very things. several times she claims she’s reformed nephilanu into what she wants to reform the empire into—but that’s just not true? her whole goal is to set up a council of the people, while on nephilanu she became governor and then simply stayed governor? she reforms parts of the society but does not seem to even really consider setting up a council. i do love this parallel to dione, with the grand statements about sharing power but no intention to actually do so, but there’s no follow through on this similarity. there are always going to be characters in series that i don’t like, but there were too many times in her povs where i couldn’t tell if there was bad/inconsistent writing or if she’s meant to be delusional.

I was given an Arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! What an ending to the trilogy! I felt like this started off a bit rocky and jumped 2 years from where the second book ended, but then it got going and kept you on the edge of your seat the whole rest of the book.

I cannot believe how amazing this whole series was and I cannot recommend it enough!

FIVE SNOT-FILLED, CHEST-HEAVING STARS

All the stars! Every single one!

Oh this book. This BOOK. I am still crying (good tears, I swear). Full review coming, hopefully, because THIS BOOK. THIS TRILOGY. OMG.

Anywho, it started off rough, with a really jarring two-year time jump that took a hot minute (and several jump scares) to settle into, but when it got rocking I was hooked.

Ugh this is so good.

This book was so amazing! I can't even begin to say how excited I was when I seen where I was approved for this! I had to do a reread but I was hooked from page one and I couldn't put it down.

4.5 stars

Series Info/Source: This is the 3rd (and final) book in The Drowning Empire. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I was thrilled to get this book for review and ended up really enjoying how the series wrapped up. I struggled a bit through the beginning of this book. It wasn't bad, it was just hard to stay engaged because of all the POV switches and the long chapter length. Things really picked up in the last third of the book through and then I struggled to stop reading it!

I am not going to do any sort of synopsis here, there is just so much going on at this point in the series. The book changes POV between Lin, Jovis, Ranami, Phalue and Nisong. Having this many POVs did draw out the story quite a bit, especially at the beginning. According to my Kindle, the chapters were 20-30 minutes long in a lot of cases. This made it harder for me to read the book quickly because I would finish a long chapter and then set it aside because I didn't have time to start another long chapter.

This book did an amazing job of tying up this epic fantasy series and I loved how the ending was done. It does feel slightly rushed at the end, but I still really enjoyed how everything was concluded. I would love to read more about these characters and this world in the future. Some of the reveals here were amazing. Especially the reveals around how the islands were formed and why they were collapsing.

My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this series as a whole and loved how this book wrapped things up. The first book in this series remains my favorite, while the second was my least favorite. I really enjoyed the characters, world-building, and bone magic here. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what Stewart writes next. I would recommend this series to those that enjoy epic fantasy and in particular intriguing magic systems and engaging characters.

One amazing wild ride, seeing everything happen over the course of all three books and seeing how everything culminates here in the end; changing for the better or for the worse no matter your intentions. Or no matter how hard you try to keep things going in the right direction. Stewart did a fantastic job with this trilogy and seeing how despite a ruler doing everything in their power to do right by their citizens, there will always be some element of unhappiness or unrest laying in wait somewhere.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.
The Bone Shard War completes The Drowning Empire trilogy, an epic fantasy saga with a truly original magic system and Chinese historical influences. I really loved book 1, book 2 added many characters viewpoints which I think diluted the story. I can see where the author was going, trying to add more diverse viewpoints, including great lgbtq+ representation. Book 3 has a slow start but the last third of the book is a non stop action sequence that had me truly worrying about my favorite characters. This third book connects all the different characters and all of their varying stories and goals and has some truly cinematic action sequences. I still say there are too many viewpoints in this story, and I think it would have been a tighter story focusing on our main two characters Lin & Jovis, I genuinely enjoyed this trilogy and would recommend. This is a perfect gateway fantasy for readers of YA who want to start on adult fantasy. 4⭐️

The way I have been waiting for this book since last year.. ugh. The Bone Shard War lived up to all expectations and then some.

The book starts off a bit slow, though with a rather heart stopping moment, and then crescendos up to a non stop, well-paced ending. Be prepared for a 2 year time jump; it will take the reader some time to adjust to this new world where presence Alanga are public knowledge.

Lin is such an amazing character. Her growth from book 1 to the conclusion of book 3 is so well done. Really, all of the characters have fantastic arcs.. from Jovis,to Phalue, Ranami, Nisong and even Gio. And of course the ossalen continue to capture your heart (Lozhi has especially won a special place).

I loved that all the questions that have been floating around have been answered, in a way that make sense. I think the only thing that I really found wanting (and I could totally see this as a companion novel), though totally unneccessary, was a better understanding of the ossalens' evolution. Its more so curiosity than anything. Andrea Stewart has created such a loveable race of creatures that I would love to write/present a biology report on them (if I were still in high school).

The Bone Shard War is an excellent conclusion to The Drowning Empire and I look forward to more books by this author! Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

WOW. Thank you a million times over to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-ARC. The Bone Shard War was such an amazing finale to the Drowning Empire trilogy. The pacing was steady and the characters well rounded. I wanted more, but it felt like a very natural well planned ending to the journey. Formal review will be available on GoodReads, socials & Amazon.

This is one of my favorite series ever, so when I was given the chance to review it, I was over the moon! I feel so incredibly lucky to have been able to read this early. This story felt cozy, in a way, because I have spent so much time with the characters in the previous books and I love the world so much. I continue to love this world, and these characters. I don't want to give too much away, as it is the third installment in this wonderful series, but I think you're going to love this. The character growth, especially for Lin, makes me love her all the more and I'm so sad that it's over. The writing and the plot--all of it is so well-crafted and intricate, and I am already itching to reread the series again. I have had the physical version of The Bone Shard War pre-ordered from the very moment it showed up for pre-order, so I think I'm going to have to give this a reread once it's out physically. I cannot recommend this series enough, and Stewart's new series just got announced (The Gods Below series, first book expected in 2024) for those who are interested in that!
If you're interested in an amazingly well-realized, but very accessible, fantasy story surrounding bone magic and lost magical artifacts, political conspiracy and the threat of revolution, this is right up your alley! Something is brewing in the empire and Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people!

I love this series. Period.
In this third book, we get a much larger view of the world and a deep dive into the lore that surrounds the magic. There is a two year time jump that threw me at first, especially when it came to Jovis's character, but that was quickly smoothed over with a pretty sizeable twist. There is a good amount of action with political intrigue and character building sprinkled in.I was kept on the edge of my seat with the ups and downs, and now I cannot WAIT for the next one!

Honestly, after how much I loved 'The Drowning Empire' trilogy, I will read anything Andrea Stewart wants to write even if it's only her grocery list. I absolutely adored the first book - the magic system, incredible characters, twists and turns, and of course Mephi - and while I didn't love the second book as much I still could not wait to find out how this story would end - and it certainly did not disappoint.

Andrea Stewart knows exactly how to draw a reader in with her words, spinning a tale that is beautiful, tragic, and full of bone magic. There is a time skip at the start of this book but I'm glad for it. So much happened at the end of "the Bone Shard Emperor" that I think it would have been too much to just jump directly back in. I won't give away any spoilers but this book is such a perfect ending to this amazing trilogy. Any lingering questions from the first and second book are answered. As with the first two, the story is fast paced, and once you are hooked you are not going to want to put this down.

Can't wait to add this one to my shelf beside the first two!

This is absolutely one of my new favorite fantasy series!! I binge read the whole series and had such a great time with it! I’m so sad it’s over, but I will return one day. I would recommend this whole series to any fantasy lovely. Highly highly recommend!

Awesome series and great final installment This whole trilogy is very well done and I look forward to reading more from Andrea Stewart in the future.

Thank you to ORBIT and NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for a review. This review reflect my personal opinion.

I loved reading the bone shard daughter, it is one of my favorite first book in a fantasy serie, The universe is amazing and the pace was impeccable.
I like the Bone shard emperor even if I found the plot to be a bit more messy I still loved the characters and especially Jovis arc so it was still a good experience.
So of course Bone Shard War is one of my most anticipated release of 2023.

In the Bone shard war we find again the impeccable writing style of Andrea Stewart and our favorite character. We have a feeling of growth and they stay consistent in their personalities.

But I am sad to say I am DNFing at 40%
I have tried to pursue my reading of this book but I just can't get myself to go back to it. I feel like nothing is happening and I don't feel any urge to read or ever wondering what will happen to these characters.
The progression is slow and feels repetitive. Character go somewhere, are confronted with the antagonists, they lose a battle or an artefact... repeat.

I am still excited to read more by Andrea Stewart in a future and might come back to give another go to this book but for now it will be the end of my journey in the drowning empire.

4.5 stars, rounded up because this was overall an extremely satisfying conclusion to a trilogy!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Two years have passed since the events of the Bone Shard Emperor, and the Phoenix Empire is on the brink of war. The emperor, Lin is on the search for seven magic swords while her governors plot treason and the Shardless Few seek to move against her, and more importantly Nisong and Ragan have reappeared. Jovis is missing and presumed dead, and more and more Alanga are appearing.

It's been a little bit since I read the first two books in Andrea Stewart's debut trilogy, but I had all of the major plot points and generally had an idea of what I'd hoped to see in the final installment. Though at first the two year timeskip is a bit jarring, I got into the groove pretty quickly and found that it was a meaningful one—I felt like enough time had passed from the events of the second novel that the empire teetering on the edge of war felt very tense and believable. Over the course of the novel Stewart gives us Lin and Jovis's POVs, as well as Nisong, Ranami, and Phalue's. As always I thought it was clever to give the main two leads first person POVs and the secondary but still important characters third person POV chapters. It was nice to see what was happening on all three sides of the war (Lin's, Dione's, and Ragan's) and I thought that Stewart placed each POV shift well. The way the characters developed over the course of this novel was also really nice, and I enjoyed spending time with each of them and found myself wanting to see them all win in some way.

The first 50% to 60% is a bit slow and can be a bit repetitive though, as there's a lot of failed attempts happening and this is mostly why I've knocked off half a star. There was still interesting stuff going on and I was compelled to keep reading, but the second half of the book really ramps up the action and intrigue and I found myself gasping at the things Stewart unraveled for us. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about the way bone shard magic works and some more information on the ossalen, and by the end got to a point where I had to keep going to find out what happens next. Besides the slow start, I had a few other quibbles, mostly that I still don't feel one way or another about Lin and Jovis's romance and at times the dialogue felt a bit clunky, but I was invested! I really enjoyed reading this! So it's fine.

Overall, I found the ending to be extremely satisfying and well worth the wait, and I can't wait to see what Stewart does next.

I love this series so much I own multiple copies. SMH. The hard copies, the kindle copies, and 2 arcs. I regret nothing. Money well spent.

I cannot begin to explain how much I love this series. It has solidified its place as one of my all time favorite trilogies for which I reserve only the best of the best.

The first book is truly a gem full of twists and very unique. It was the first story in along time that kept me guessing and was very hard to figure out until the end. Book 2 and 3 have been more of the same!

Now, I will not lie, I feel like each book has a slow start. Once you get past that (since its necessary to lay the foundation of mystery woven through the book) you will quickly find that the story picks up the pace. Each book remains fast paced after that inital slow start which again, I think is detrimental to the story.

Lin is such an incredible character. She is often faced with impossible choices, revelations, and dilemma and using her cunning and logic to handle each of them. Some were not ones I agreed with so I almost felt like one of her people. And I also felt like I knew what it was like to be a ruler having to make decisions based on whats best for the many not the few.

A moment of silence for the animal companions here. They are real ones 🥺

The twists kept coming and left me with a conclusion I was satisfied with. I can't wait for the last book to come out so I can own a physical copy of it as well - and reread the whole series again.

Stewart has created an action packed finale to an already impressive series. You can expect friends turned into rivals, rivals turned into allies as well as the forging, testing, and breaking of alliances. The trilogy’s conclusion will have you on the edge of your seat through battles as the various parties fight to control the Phoenix Empire.
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It is a truly impressive feat that Stewart managed to interweave so many different characters, motivations, and conflicts without missing a beat. More than that, what I found truly impressive with The Bone Shard War is the depth Stewart can make you feel for characters. Stewart writes in such a way that you feel like you’re experiencing the emotions and events with the characters not just reading about them.
Without giving spoilers, there are some truly incredible revelations that once the curtain is pulled back, you can see the breadcrumbs woven throughout the first two books to set up the reveal. Like the previous book, the ossalen continued to be my absolute favorite aspect of the series.
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Review will be posted to socials the week of April 10th, and I will update with links at that time.

4.5 stars

I was so shocked to discover I received an ARC of The Bone Shard War. The Bone Shard Daughter and The Bone Shard Emperor were two stand out books for me last year, so I was very excited to dive back into this world.

It took me a bit to get reacquainted with the characters and story, but everything clicked pretty quickly. The first 30% of the book felt pretty slow and a bit repetitive. However, once the pace and plot picked up….boy it picked up. I found myself unable to put this book down.

The bond Lin and Thrana had was so special. I thought Lin had some incredible character growth. Ranami’s character really stood out to me this time around. I found myself rooting for her quite a bit.

The political intrigue and war bits were also really well fleshed out. The world building left a little to be desired, but with everything else going on that didn’t bother me too much.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Time to go cry some more.