The Bone Shard War

The Drowning Empire #3

by Andrea Stewart

From the author of  The Bone Shard Daughter , “one of the best debut fantasy novels of the year” ( BuzzFeed News ), comes the final book in the unmissable, action-packed, magic-laced Drowning Empire trilogy.

Lin Sukai has won her first victory as Emperor, but the future of the Phoenix Empire hangs in the balance – and Lin is dangerously short of allies.

Yet hopes lies in history. Legend tells of seven mythic swords, forged in centuries past. If Lin can find them before her enemies do, she may yet be able to turn the tide. If she fails, the Sukai dynasty – and the entire empire – will fall.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Adult, High Fantasy, Fiction, LGBT, Queer

656 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2023

About the author

Andrea Stewart is the Chinese American daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Her parents always emphasized science and education, so she spent her childhood immersed in Star Trek and odd-smelling library books. When her (admittedly ambitious) dreams of becoming a dragon slayer didn't pan out, she instead turned to writing books. She now lives in sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit Books—in exchange for an honest review.

In the words of Mephi, The Bone Shard War was a very good and satisfying conclusion.

“Popularity doesn’t make a thing less valid. On the contrary, I’d argue that the book is popular because the proverbs ring true to so many.”

It’s always a bittersweet feeling to say goodbye to a great fantasy series you’ve been following for a few years or more. I’ve been following Andrea Stewart’s journey for three years now. I read The Bone Shard Daughter for the first time on the first day of May 2020; I finished the book the next day. And The Bone Shard Daughter became my favorite fantasy debut of that year. Fast forward three years later, and here we are at the end of another trilogy. April 2023 is almost over, and The Drowning Empire is the first series I finished reading this year. I even reread the first book in preparation for this conclusion! I rarely do that. And I am happy with this decision. I do not think I would end up enjoying The Bone Shard War, the concluding installment of The Drowning Empire trilogy, this much without doing a reread to refresh my connection with the story, world, and characters first. I will do my best to share my thoughts about The Bone Shard War as spoiler-free as possible.

“All this talk of stories and history, and they were repeating it –actors on a stage putting on a slightly different rendition of the same play, night after night.”

The Bone Shard War started a bit unexpectedly for me. It starts with a time skip, and similar to Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett, which did the same thing in the final book of The Founders trilogy, I expect the time skip here will have a mixed reception from readers. Two years have passed since the end of The Bone Shard Emperor, and it did take me some time to adjust to this time skip decision. I have nothing against time skips in general. But in this book, initially, it felt like I missed reading an installment or a novella, and I did not think the book needed to utilize this time jump. But after reading it to its completion, I understood why Stewart decided to implement it. I cannot talk too much regarding the detail of the story in The Bone Shard War because this is the third and final book of the trilogy. However, I can safely say your investment and enjoyment of The Bone Shard War will rely a lot on the level of connection you place with the main characters. I feel this is crucial because the plot structure in the middle of the book did feel a bit repetitive. Fortunately, the themes of found family, identity, responsibility, leadership, sacrifice, and justice are heavily evident in the text. And at approximately 184,000 words, about 10,000 words longer than its predecessor, in my opinion The Bone Shard War provided a breathtaking and highly readable final 150 pages to conclude the trilogy.

“You say you’re doing this for the greater good, but how many tyrants have used that to justify the pain they’ve visited on innocents?”

One of the most pleasant surprises I had with The Bone Shard War was the satisfying and emotional ending. Although I liked Lin, Jovis, and the main characters, I never felt attached to them. That’s why I was surprised by the emotional impact the climax sequences inflicted on me. The last few chapters definitely tugged at my heartstring. Lin, Jovis, and Mephi have always taken center stage in the past two books. And that is still true in The Bone Shard War. But Stewart did a great job allocating the balance of the character’s spotlights with Phalue, Ranami, and Nisong, too, this time. In this book, I finally felt they were all the main characters of The Drowning Empire trilogy, rather than only Lin and Jovis, as in the previous two books. And I loved reading the resolution of these characters. One of the biggest reasons behind the time jump (from my analysis anyway) is to display the depth of affection or resentment all the characters have for the world and some individuals, depending on which perspective. Although I did say there were a few sections in the middle of The Bone Shard War that felt repetitive, I was rewarded by the final 150 pages. I absolutely loved the resolution of all the main characters. Also, Mephi… Actually, not just Mephi. All the ollassen (Thrana, Mephi, and Lozhi) were incredibly precious. Everyone has their own pain and struggles, and we all need individuals who care about us as affectionately as they did toward their partner. Someone who will accompany us when we make mistakes, someone who will be there with us during our journey toward redemption.

“If my good deed could be washed away by the terrible ones, then it had to work the other way. I could still wash away the terrible ones.”

With the character's journey and background throughout the trilogy, Stewart tackles other themes such as hope, privilege, and the harshness of social status. And I certainly enjoyed reading the exploration of the magic system. Stewart imbued a nice touch of creativity into the Bone Shard magic of construct and commands introduced in the first installment. Specifically, Stewart showcased just how simple and difficult it can be to navigate the unbending strength of the magic. More importantly, what I appreciate about this is how at the same time, Stewart also demonstrated the importance of our mindset as we proceed through life and struggles. If there's one thing I could add, I wished the characters would spend more time on each island before they move from one island to another so quickly, but that's more likely my preference speaking because I'm an avid fan of One Piece. If handled correctly, I think more page count to explore the intricacies of each island and the lore would have transformed the trilogy into something more epic. Stewart has the talent for it, as we can witness from the actions delivered at the end of The Bone Shard Emperor and the last 150 pages of The Bone Shard War.

“Only, I’d hoped for something different, once. And hope was a clinging, grasping thing, an ember that refused to be extinguished no matter how much sand I heaped atop of it.”

There isn't much else I can explain in detail without spoilers here. Compelling, intimate, and fulfilling in equal measure, The Bone Shard War ended The Drowning Empire trilogy emotionally. Despite a few minor issues I have with The Bone Shard War, I do love this final installment almost as much as The Bone Shard Daughter. As I said, the ending and resolution of all the main characters written here were so rewarding. It felt like the time to say goodbye to the characters and world. And I guess it IS that time. If the first trilogy by Andrea Stewart is already this well-polished, I think the potential for her next series to be superior is massive, and I am excited to find out.

“Maybe no one was a hero. Maybe I’d gotten it wrong from the beginning. Maybe there were only heroic moments and decisions and we all had to keep choosing those as best we could. When we could. I felt the brittleness in my heart firm up, the edges still there, still tangible, but a thing I could live with.”

Picture: The Bone Shard War by Ethemos



Series Review:

The Bone Shard Daughter: 4.5/5 stars
The Bone Shard Emperor: 4/5 stars
The Bone Shard War: 4/5 stars

The Drowning Empire: 12.5/15 stars

You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: Alfred, Aliysa, Anastasia, Andrew, Andrew W, Annabeth, Arliss, Barbara, Brad, Cade, Casey, Chris, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jenn, Jesse, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Kristina, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Michael, Michael, Miracle, Nicholas, Norbert, Radiah, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Teri, Tori, Tracy, Wendy, Wick, Xero, Yuri, Zoe.

[Mai H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bone Shard War answers all the questions from the previous books and has a bittersweet ending.

This third and final book takes place two years after the events in Book Two.

Lin’s grasp on the empire is still slippery, even after defeating the construct army. She’s up against the Shardless Few, Ragan, and often, her governors. And she hasn’t seen Jovis since he left to rescue Mephi. In short, her allies are in limited supply, and people’s allegiances change with the wind.

This instalment follows the same POVs as the previous books. Nearly every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, which makes this a compelling read despite the length.

It’s an addictive fantasy series that improves with each book. Characters I didn’t much care for in the first book I came to love by the end, characters like Phalue. In book one, she was just sort of there and was a bit obtuse, but she went through a wonderful character arc showcasing her strength and love for her family.

The question of what’s causing the islands to sink is finally answered. I did not see it coming, but looking back, it makes sense.

My only issue was that it took Jovis quite a while to realize he already had the skill set to free himself.

I read the whole trilogy in the span of about six weeks. I tend to forget what happened in previous books, so binging the series worked well for me.

I’m a bit sad to see the series come to an end, but I can’t wait to see what else Andrea Stewart comes out with next.

4.5 rounded down.

Thank you to Orbit for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

[Samantha (ladybug.books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the e-ARC!

Links to my TikTok | Instagram

[Maisha Farzana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story felt a little silly by the end. However, I enjoyed my time reading this book. I finished it within a day. So of course it was very engaging...yet I feel underwhelmed. I had really really high hopes and the book failed to deliver accordingly

Full review to come....

[hiba · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book reads like one of my university essays - a long-winded crowd of words, circular arguments, saying the same thing in different ways over and over, anything to reach the word limit in time.

i'll say some nice things first: there's an interesting plot twist that i didn't see coming and i liked how it made sense. the ending (aka the last 4-5%) was done fairly well in a satisfying way. the worldbuilding is as solid as ever. also jovis and mephi's bond remains my favorite thing about this series. that's it.

in all honestly, the bone shard war simply did not have enough substance for 600+ pages, which you can tell from the sheer repetitiveness of the story and the useless subplots. the quest taking up the entire first half of the book is rendered completely pointless later on. characters have the same debates over and over, the same scenes occur again and again in different fonts. instead of clever strategies or schemes or intrigue (which you might expect from an action-packed political fantasy), we get a character making the same arguments and the same negotiations over and over until the other party eventually gives in. this isn't good writing, this is racking up your word count.

there are also way too many antagonists in this book - which could've actually made for an engaging plot if all these antagonists didn't have literally the same goal and such similar ways of going about it. it just added to the repetitive and tedious nature of the story and made some POVs feel tired.

plus, i have very mixed feelings about jovis's arc here. it felt like his character not only regressed but became completely different. we were introduced to him as this really smart, quick-witted smuggler and you're telling me it took him over two years to figure out an incredibly simple solution to his entrapment??

overall, a lackluster conclusion to a series that started out so promising. i wish the bone shard daughter could've been a standalone instead. sorry but not everything needs to be forcefully stretched into a long ass trilogy if you only have ideas for at most two 400 page books.

[paige (ptsungirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She was coming to realize that memories were fickle things, shifting with the light and the angle."

°•*⁀➷

When I got the notification that I received an arc for the ending of this beautiful series, I couldn't believe it. The Bone Shard Daughter was one of my favorite unexpected loves from 2021 and I have been following its growth ever since. The Bone Shard Emperor only expanded my love, and I found that The Bone Shard War quickly became a most anticipated read for this year. Being able to read it early feels like a gift.

It was all I wanted it to be. Tragic and heart breaking. Full of so many different kinds of grief and loss. A lesson on how to go about life without your partner next to you. I love that this series focuses so much on side characters, that nobody seems lost in an epic fantasy plot. Whether it be our main character Lin, or our favorite creature Mephi, we know their story inside and out.

I continued to be in awe of the bone shard magic, and loved that so many unanswered questions from book one get answers here. What incredible writing to not forgot such small details over such a large expanse of time!

I do have to admit that I was a little lost at times simply because with a two year gap in the plot, the first half of this book was a lot of going back and forth in time. It didn't impact my experience as much as I thought, though, because by the end I was flipping pages faster than I could read waiting to find out how it all concludes.

I love Lin. I think she is one of the best written female characters I've ever read. From the questioning daughter in the first book, to the powerful ruling emperor she becomes, I have never known someone so genuine. Among the years of her life she needs to figure herself out, she's also taking care of an empire and a people who don't necessarily want her. It's unbelievably endearing and exciting.

I already can't wait to read this series through again from start to finish. This has such five star potential, and I can't wait to see if it gets there.

If you haven't read The Drowning Empire books yet, now is the perfect time to start!! This beauty comes out on April 18, and I know she can't wait to spill her secrets to you.

- Paige

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/7NRtYJ9t7jc

The first book in this series is one of my favourite fantasy debuts so I’ve been dying to see how this trilogy would wrap up.

I enjoyed turning to this world and spending more time with the characters. Like the second book, this third one is heavily relationship focused in a way that I found frustrating.

I think the challenge of this trilogy is that the first book almost worked too well as a standalone. For that reason, the second book created inter relationship turmoil in order to predictably resolve it in book three. I felt like the main resolution of the trilogy could have simply worked in an epilogue, which made the climax feel rather underwhelming.

I would still highly recommend the first book in this series, The Bone Shard Daughter, but I will admit I have mixed feelings towards the sequels.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bone Shard Daughter ★★★★
The Bone Shard Emperor ★★★★
The Bone Shard War ★★★★

Once again, I did the mistake of not reviewing a book immediately and almost forgot what I wanted to say but here we go. I read this entry soon as I finished the middle book, so things were still fresh in my mind, but I was still taken aback when I started it due to a time jump. It was a bit unexpected, and it took me some time to get oriented and get into the story again.

The book is large, larger than it should be, I think it could have been shorter, faster and more concise, there were moments where things were going in circle, and they did not add much to the story. I think a little bit more of editing and cutting could have made this even better.

That being said, it was intriguing, I like the magic system from the previous books and liked it even more with this entry. The characters kept improving specially towards the ending. The pacing went crazy, and the ending was great. I think an ending could make or break a series and this one here redeemed the stagging part in the middle.

Overall, it was a good series, and I am keeping an eye on Stewart's next series!

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little worried that I wouldn't remember everything that happened because I read the second book in 2021, but when I opened it, I was easily sucked into this world, and things started coming back.

I ended up loving book three almost as much as book two, even if my main ship was apart for just about all of it. Their ending was kinda bittersweet, I was hoping that Jovis would regain his memories and we'd get to see them together again, instead of just that one scene where they agreed to try.

While I really liked the attention these two got in the previous installment, in this one I liked that the side characters got to shine again. They're all on equal footing now, no one is the most important character. But I do still have favourites and yes, they're both not human.

There were multiple villains, and one even got a redemption arc. It's funny, because in my review of The Bone Shard Emperor I said if this character did the right thing, maybe they'd deserve a redemption arc. Guess what happened?

I'm not mad about it at all, but I feel like the book ended too soon after that to fully explore what that means for said character.

And I wasn't a fan of the time skip at the start, it was hard to believe it took Jovis so long to escape, and that Lin didn't even look for him, if it had been two months instead of two years, yeah, sure, I could see it.

Jovis also changed as a character, and not necessarily in a good way, it was as if he lost the spark that made him, him.

But I enjoyed the rest of it, it was so easy to read, I loved the magic system expansion we got, and I'll definitely be reading Stewart's other series.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

I received an ARC from the publisher

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set two years after the last book, Lin is dangerously short of allies, Jovis’s disappearance weighing on her heavily. 
As her own governors plot treason, the Shardless Few invigorate action and hostilities. Worse, Nisong and Ragan have joined forces, allied in the desire of Lin’s death. Every choice she makes seems to bring the empire she loved closer to ruin.

Ragan would rather rule over an Empire of one island that follows him than an Empire of many that resists.

Different factions war for power, all for different reasons and Stewart manages to show them all as genuine and motivating. How do you know who to root for if they all have valid arguments and all appear to be heroes to themselves?

”...power is like a wolf howling at night, calling others to him, forming a pack that makes the hunting of prey easier."

Jovis has admittedly always been my favourite: reminded me of Flynn Rider from Tangled. That should tell you all you need to know. So events from the ending of the 2nd book, and the start of this book, really keep tensions high - the perfect platform to launch an incredible last book.

The ending was so satisfying and fulfilling. Stewart could write an entire new series on the back of this exploring how the empire may fare and I would read it. The dreams and doubts of these cast of characters inspired and emoted.

Yet.... yet this felt like the weakest of the three, with book one remaining my favourite. I think too much was attempted in this final instalment and stories lost focus and purpose at times.

Maybe no one was a hero. Maybe I'd gotten it wrong from the beginning. Maybe there were only heroic moments and decisions and we all had to keep choosing those as best we could. When we could.

The magic system reminded of the world-building in Robert Jackson Bennetts’ Foundryside and Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and the Alang creatures (Mephi, etc) reminded me of Appa from Avatar the Last Airbender. Too cute.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for a review.
Updated 08/23 :))

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[Althea ☾]

this is a waiting game

[Scarlett Readz and Runz....Through Novel Time & Distance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a book of a rare, exquisite quality makes it into your hands whereas upon reading just a few pages, you almost can’t handle the melody of the written word. The Bone Shard War, the last book in The Drowning Empire trilogy, excelled in its construct and beauty. A story so perfectly well composed, it’s nothing short of marvelous.

If you have read the first two books in the trilogy, then you know that something big is about to happen. For those not familiar, here is what these books are all about:

- A rare magic of bone shards inscribed with commands.

- A young Empress struggling to keep her kingdom safe.

- Rogue characters and groups of opposition.

- Treason and hostilities from other governing factions.

- Sinking islands and the loss of resources.

- Loyal animal companions.

I had the pleasure of reading all three of these novels and would recommend starting at the beginning so you understand how Lin became an Empress and discovered bone shard magic. That first novel, the Bone Shard Daughter, is really endearing and highly engaging. In the second book, The Bone Shard Emperor, Lin is first confronted with opposing forces in leadership and a darker plot that is developing in the background, while catastrophe hits and in an empire of islands, one after another is threatened to sink.

The Bone Shard War leads into the ultimate crescendo of the trilogy. Told in alternating POV’s of our favorite beloved and disliked malevolent characters, Stewart perfectly planted small breadcrumbs or memory bridges from previous stories if you will, without sounding repetitive while keeping the plot moving forward. In this world and among these characters, I felt immediately at home and eager to see where this is going.

After her first victories, there is still much at stake for Lin. Personally, she misses Jovis and what they shared so shortly. At the same time, her concern to unite the islands and the worry over the people, the policies on witstone, and the search for blades from ancient texts have her very busy. Finding whom to trust prevails to be a challenge in the ever-changing hand of cards, and her way of maneuvering through treacherous waters isn’t always perfect, but she learns fairly quickly. Finding herself trapped in a rather compromising situation, she has to rely on reading characters and stealth to see her way through.

The corner of his mouth quirked. “It’ll be a delight to show her your head before I kill her too. For her to know, briefly, that you were alive when she’d thought you were gone.”

We find Jovis, a beloved favorite character of mine, roaming The Endless Sea and under Kaphra’s ruling command. His story arc remains to be most captivating and heartbreaking. Through his inner dialogue, we learn how torn he is about what he has done and how he has been used. To the reader, he feels in near reach with his vulnerability laid bare and his grappling with morality. The struggles to choose between being a villain or fighting against the commands he was under hindered his full potential at times, but the brokenness in him was one that many readers can relate to. The moment he encounters Lin was most heart-achingly compelling, yet devastating.

Phalue and Ranami’s story has grown on me. I didn’t care for them as characters as much in the previous book as in this one. Ranami’s part was riveting and interesting and given greater weight in this novel. Their relationship holds something sincere and special despite being separated so much and Ranami’s gravitas is a powerful addition to the plot.

Overall the story moves with constraint, eagerly winding more and more tightly. Each chapter slices deeper and with more precision toward the last moments. The dialogue, plot, and intrigue move swiftly, yet they are well-fleshed out and rich. The idea of Bone Shard Magic remains a fascinating concept to me as well as the lore of the islands. Mephi will forever be unforgettable.

The change of hands, uncovering of lies, harrowing scenes, and twists in the story are captivating. I have not felt so consumed and invested in characters in a while. Everything about this third book is exquisite, a labor of love and care. Its hum resides in the pages. The Bone Shard War was the absolute best of the trilogy to me. With that, I have gained an even greater respect for the author and can’t wait to pick up everything she writes in the future.

In the meantime, This is one trilogy I want to read over and over and pass on to others.

Happy Reading!

I received a copy of this novel from the auhor in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, Thank you!

More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance

[Chloe Frizzle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good end to the Drowned Empire trilogy, but longer than it needs to be.

There are large swaths of this book that were so boring, I almost gave up on it. The protagonists are just sailing from place to place, running into a villain, trying to talk it out with them, and then exchanging a few blows. And rinse, repeat for hundreds of pages.
At some point, Lin asks, "[Are] we truly negotiating in the middle of a battle?" And I'm like, EXACTLY, YOU GET IT! Because after many confrontations that were just people talking in circles, I was irritated with the pattern.

What truly delighted me with this book is that the magic/lore was deepened in surprising ways. There were some interesting plots twists that explained the mysteries in the magic, without feeling like cheap tricks. I think that fans of the magic system in these books will be delighted.

This novel does solid romantic relationships so well. There are stable couples in this book, simply loving each other with very little drama. It's somewhat refreshing after reading other novels with lots of drama in the romance.

The audiobook was great. There are different narrators for our POV characters, and they all do their performance well.


Thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

[Julie - One Book More · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book that you knew you were going to love, but it still moved you in ways you didn’t expect? That’s exactly what happened when I read The Bone Shard War. Now, I binged this trilogy, and based on how much I loved the first two books, I knew I’d love this one too. But I didn’t expect it to rip my heart out, leaving me broken and satisfied and happy all at the same time. It’s a brilliant conclusion to The Drowning Empire series, and I’m still thinking about all of the epic characters and that masterful ending!

There’s so much to say about this story, and yet I find writing a review for it difficult. Do I discuss the compelling characters and the growth each has undergone since the first book? Do I discuss the complex and immersive world-building and how captivating the magic, lore, land, and creatures are? I definitely want to talk about how I need my very own ossalen!!! They’re the best!!

Jovis’s arc broke my heart. He’s my favorite character, and what he went through was so devastating. But his relationship with Melphi is everything, and he has another friendship that developed in the story that I ended up loving. I admit, I cried more than once when reading about him and when reading about Lin.

Lin has gone from a naive woman to a sharp and astute leader, and she has developed some friendships that I adored. But Lin doesn’t have an easy journey, and she sacrifices a lot for what she believes in. It’s interesting because her enemies are working to oust Lin, yet Lin truly is selfless in her determination to do right by her kingdom and people. Other characters like Phalue, Ranami, and their daughter also went through a lot. Between kidnappings, war, and so many other obstacles, their lives, like Lin’s and Jovis’s, are in constant danger. There are also some brilliant full-circle moments with these characters that I loved.

Something that really surprised me is that there are characters that I detested in the other books that I grudgingly came to appreciate in this one. I’m always so impressed when an author can write a redemption arc that makes me sympathize with and forgive someone I previously hated. Of course, there are many villains in the story, and not all are redeemable, and I liked that there were different types of antagonists in the story. There were morally grey characters that did shady things for good reasons, redeemable villains, and truly power-hungry and evil enemies. I think having chapters from a bunch of points of view was really effective in giving the reader an in-depth look at different perspectives and journeys. It created dynamically developed characters with unique and strong voices.

On top of the world-building and characters, the plot is fantastic. It’s layered and complicated and engrossing, and I found it hard to put the book down. It’s definitely a great book to buddy read! I read it with Leah and Leslie, and I was so glad I had two friends to shout with because there were scenes that made my mind explode. And there were other scenes that moved me deeply like one scene about grief and loss. It might be a fantastical world with magic, but the way the characters feel about love, loss, friendship, and more is very relatable.

I don’t think I can say enough about how much I enjoyed The Bone Shard War. It’s exciting and emotional, well-paced and gripping, and the ending is everything I never knew I needed. It destroyed me and then put all the fragmented pieces of my heart back together.

Special thanks to Orbit Books for gifting me copies of the trilogy. All thoughts are my own.

[Alina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A not so strong ending to a quite enjoyable series.

[S. ≽^•⩊•^≼ I'm not here yet · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Here’s a secret: the world has wronged all of us in some way. There is no one on all the islands who hasn’t suffered something they didn’t deserve.”

This book reminded me why I've enjoyed reading the entire series in line and never forgot those books.

It's been a while since I had an eye on The Drowning Empire and thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley for the third book ARC, I started reading the whole series.

For those who haven't read any of the Drowning Empire books, I might only say that this is a fantasy book with a unique world and realistic magic system, very well character development, heartwarming and engaging story.

For those who did read one of the Drowning Empire books, I wonder how could you haven't finished the whole series yet!

"memories were fickle things, shifting with the light and the angle.
... Memories were slippery things, but feelings were true – always." *Nisong

Overall, this is the world of islands in one emperor's reign, the world of some lost magical creatures and the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order.

There are 5 narrators in the story but as I don't want to say any spoilers I just have to confess my love for Jovis and Mephi, and as the writer herself Andrea Stewart said in the end, may we all always have someone in our life who loves us as much as Mephi does Jovis.

Some books broke my heart, some stay with me, always, and some characters can never be forgotten even if they weren't heroes.
There are many lines that I thought I heard before, in my heart:

“It has been a long time, but you don’t really know what that means. I have seen countless seasons pass, and to me they are like the whisper of waves on the shore, ceaseless and beneath notice. Sometimes . . .I forget their names. Sometimes I don’t even remember the way their voices sounded.”
He wished he did – and that told her more than enough. Even if he’d forgotten their faces, he’d never forgotten the way it felt to lose them.

*Jovis
Lies were better for the soul than truth sometimes.
***
We are not just what one person sees us as.
***
You can forgive yourself for being human, you know.
***
I should have stayed put; I should have stayed in formation. But, as my mother had often said, “should” was a word I’d only ever used to describe regret. I’d always had to learn the hard way.
***
"I was not a hero, but maybe –I could still do heroic things...
Maybe no one was a hero. Maybe I’d gotten it wrong from the beginning. Maybe there were only heroic moments and decisions and we all had to keep choosing those as best we could. When we could. I felt the brittleness in my heart firm up, the edges still there, still tangible, but a thing I could live with."

[Patrycja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo mi się ta seria podobała!
Chociaż fakt, że ten tom był ciut przegadany 😅

———————————————

[ współpraca reklamowa @fabrykaslow ]

Recenzja może zawierać spoilery do poprzednich tomów.

“Wojna kości” Andrei Stewart to już ostatni tom serii “Tonące Cesarstwo”. Po sukcesie Lin w poprzednim tomie czeka ją jeszcze wiele pracy, aby w pełni zapanować nad sytuacją Cesarstwa. W międzyczasie zawiązuje się wiele frontów, które widziałyby u władzy kogoś zupełnie innego. Czy ona sama będzie w stanie poradzić sobie z nadchodzącym z różnych stron zagrożeniem, czy raczej ktoś inny przejmie jej rolę?

“Tonące Cesarstwo” to jedna z tych serii, które podczas czytania sprawiły mi ogrom radości. Autorka stworzyła świeży i interesujący system magiczny, a bardzo udane zwroty akcji utrzymywały moją ciekawość do samego końca. Ostatni tom jest tego świetnym przykładem. Mimo, że finalnie mam wrażenie, że mógłby być krótszy i zawierać nieco mniej powtarzających się przemyśleń bohaterów, tak w całości spełnił pokładane w nim oczekiwania.

W tym tomie, poza znaną nam już magią odłamków, dostajemy również tajemnicze artefakty i powoli możemy odkrywać jak łączą się one z Alanga. Od początku widać, że całość jest spójna i przemyślana, tak, aby czytelnik był w odpowiednich momentach po raz kolejny zaskakiwany. Natomiast samo zakończenie było dla mnie bardzo emocjonujące i zdecydowanie zagrało na odpowiednich strunach.

Jeśli jeszcze nie znacie tej serii, a lubicie angażującą fantastykę ze świeżymi pomysłami, szczególnie jeśli chodzi o system magiczny, koniecznie sięgnijcie po “Tonące Cesarstwo”. A jeśli czytaliście już dwa pierwsze tomy, cóż mogę rzec, przed Wami zakończenie tej fantastycznej przygody!

[Cassidy Chivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the most disappointing conclusion of a trilogy. It just went in circles and everything I loved about the first book slowly was lost as the series went on.

[Agnieszka na grzbietowisku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo solidne zakończenie serii. Lin i Jovis 🥰

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publishers really need to start including mini summaries of the key points of the previous novels in fantasy series. My enjoyment of this novel would have been so much better had I remembered more from the previous novels.

The Bone Shard War continues as Lin is left alone after Jovis leaves to find Mephi and attempt to save the empire, Dione and Ragan continue their relentless fight to dethrone Lin, and Renami and Phalue fight for their home and each other.

Jovis’ chapters were my favourite. His situation was heartbreaking, but watching him rise to the occasion despite some of his low moments was uplifting.

Stewart continues to expand her world with incredible reveals I didn’t see coming. I don’t think they were fleshed out as much as they should have been, the reveal itself was truly incredible. I did not see it coming.

The end is bittersweet and perfect. Too many novels wrap the story up with a neat little bow with little to no consequences. Stewart strikes the perfect balance between happily ever after and reality after fighting for so many years.

Overall, The Drowning Empire is a vastly underrated fantasy series you don’t want to miss out on. It’s full of adventure, love, magic, and battles.

** I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took a fair bit longer than I thougth it would to finish. I was only in it for my babies Jovis and Mephi. I ended up skimming all the other chapters that wasn't from Jovis' POV.

Also didn't like several stuff with the ending.

[Nils | nilsreviewsit · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No matter what you carve from this Empire, no matter who you hurt, no matter how much you take for yourself, you will never be worthy. Not of being a master, not of Alanga power, not of being a leader. They will never follow you for who you are, only for what they think you might do for them and only out of fear."

The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart picks up two years after the events of The Bone Shard Emperor. Lin has two sets of enemies vying to destroy her and bring the empire to its knees, Jovis is believed dead but when rumours of The Maelstrom, an Alanga with such incredible powers who is wreaking havoc across the islands begin to circulate, people begin to wonder if this could be the same person they once thought of as their hero. Ranami finally faces The Shardless Few but with her people and her daughter, Ayesh, in danger, and Phalue on errands with the Emperor, Ranami’s options run thin. This is the book where the Empire’s fate is finally decided, where our characters decide which side they are on.

This is the last book in the trilogy and therefore hard to discuss without spoilers, but at some point I’ll be writing a spoilery in depth review/discussion with Beth whom I buddy read this book with, so I’ll keep it spoiler free as possible here.

The first half of this novel sees our characters on side quests or on missions to thwart each other’s plans. In this part I did find the pacing rather slow and felt eager for the plot to move forward but overall I enjoyed being with these characters again and watching them grow. I really feel Stewart does a fantastic job here; Lin, Jovis and Mephi have always been my favourites and though by the end of this book their journey broke me, I was thoroughly captivated by their story arcs and how certain aspects had come full-circle from book one.

A character who surprised me was Nisong. I particularly love when an author makes me sympathise and connect with a character who I have previously disliked and I found myself really warming to Nisong. She’s complex, messy, full of confusion, anger and regret but I felt her ending was fitting. As for the outright villains, I also thought they were well developed with Stewart giving them enough depth for me to fully understand their psyche. Even though I still hated them!

Stewart’s Bone Shard and Alanga magic system has always been superb and the way it develops in this novel was mind blowing. I loved how every aspect of the magic was connected to one another and even connected to nature. So many questions are answered in this final instalment, we learn so much about the Alanga, their artefacts, witstone and the Ossalen. Though some of these revelations are heartbreaking they are nonetheless astonishing.

The Drowning Empire trilogy will take readers on a journey that is both dazzling, addictive and moving. I highly recommend plunging into its depths.

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, it is imperative that you read his fantasy trilogy in order. You must read book 1, The Bone Shard Daughter before moving onto book 2 and finally, this, book 3.

Second, I spent 3 months reading this in small spurts. Not because it was long or difficult but because I wanted to savour every minute left in this world and with these characters. I loved almost all our characters, but especially Jarvis. His sweet disposition, along with unique moral sense, and intense connection with his familiar (Mephi!!) were so endearing in a leading man. He might be a rogue smuggler; but in the end he is just a man in love who’s trying to navigate impossible circumstances with unbelievable power in his hands (literally!).

Third, and most important is that this ending is amazing!!! The majority of the time my biggest complaint about epic fantasy is the ending. Yet, that was not the case here! Andrea Stewart has built a truly unique world, with a fascinating magical system, included realistic characters, and put them all into situations that challenge them (and the reader) to really think about what is right and wrong, how many shades of grey there are; and just how much of our lives is led by fate, destiny, karma, or whatever you want to call it.

This is one of the best fantasy trilogies I have read in the last few years. If you are a big fantasy reader, a fan of female fantasy writers like Robin Hobb or Lois McMaster Bujold then this world is for you. As is worthy of my high regard this full trilogy now has a place of honour on my print bookshelf (where space is very limited and only the best are elevated to).

Thank you Ms Stewart for giving me a trilogy I love to think back on and will look forward to rereading in the future.

[himbeerbuch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine spoilerfreie Reihenrezension findet ihr auf meinem Instagram-Account

Nachdem ich nach dem ersten Band das Gefühl hatte, dass sich die Reihe mehr in Richtung Genremix aus Fantasy, Sci-Fi und Horrorelementen entwickelt, war ich vom eher klassischen High-Fantasy-Mittelband enttäuscht. Auch wenn ich mir wieder mehr Tiefe im Umgang mit dem speziellen Magiesystem, der Knochensplittermagie, gewünscht hätte, wurde ich gut unterhalten.

Vor allem die Charaktere werden mir in Erinnerung bleiben. Mit Jovis und Mephi habe ich zeitweise richtig mitgefiebert! Fans von tierischen Begleitern kommen hier wieder voll auf ihre Kosten ❤ Auch war der Band trotz der stolzen 700 Seiten relativ schnell durchgelesen. Die kurzen Kapitel, die zwischendurch eingestreuten Actionszenen und die vielen verschiedenen PoVs sorgen hier einfach für reichlich Abwechslung und regen den Lesefluss an.

Zugegeben, im Mittelteil war etwas die Luft raus und ich hatte das Gefühl, dass sich die Handlung irgendwann im Kreis drehte und ich keine neuen Infos mehr bekam. Das Finale war definitiv nicht perfekt. Die Antagonist*innen waren, wie im Mittelband, klischeehaft böse und einige Punkte waren mir zu zufällig. Insgesamt hätte ich mir mehr Konsequenzen gewünscht, um die Spannung aufrechtzuerhalten. Außerdem mochte ich eine spezifische Charakterisierung eines Charakters nicht, bzw. empfand es ich als unglaubwürdig – aus Spoilergründen kann ich hier nicht mehr verraten.

Trotzdem, insgesamt hat es mir Spaß gemacht, mich im „Drowning Empire“ aufzuhalten. Das Setting der versinkenden Inseln, deren Geheimnis man zusammen mit den Figuren lüftet, und die politischen Verstrickungen, die sich daraus ergeben, waren originell und boten mir etwas Neues im Genre. Sehr gut gefallen hat mir auch, wie sensibel die Themen Kultur, Herkunft und kulturelles Erbe, und die damit verbundenen Erwartungen von außen ergründet wurden. Man merkt hier wahrscheinlich, dass die Figuren mir richtig ans Herz gewachsen sind 😊

Ich vergebe ausgewogene 3.5 ⭐ - für Fantasy Fans ist die Reihe einen zweiten Blick wert. Ich bin nach diesem Debüt gespannt, was wir als nächstes von Andrea Stewart zu lesen bekommen – die nächste Trilogie trägt den spannenden Titel „The Gods Below“, der erste Band erscheint bereits nächstes Jahr auf Englisch. Ich hoffe, eine Übersetzung lässt nicht allzu lange auf sich warten!

Vielen Dank an das Bloggerportal und den Verlag für das Rezensionsexemplar.

[The Captain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ahoy there me mateys!  There be spoilers for the other books because this be for book three so proceed at yer own peril. This is getting five stars all over the place.  Not from me.  This was a very uneven read.  Part of the weirdness was the pacing.  I had chapters and character povs that I wanted to read and others that were a slog to get through and some that I hated reading altogether.  The strangest thing was that Lin went from being me favorite character (by far) to being irritating and whiny.  I wanted a decisive leader and didn't get that.  She seemed to be making horrible choices the entire book and not using her intelligence at all.

Jovis, who I hated in book two, ended up being a more interesting character in this one.  I loved the two year time jump that began the book in how it affected his character.  His struggle to come to terms with his actions and fight the magic was engaging and I ended up rooting for him the most.  Though I think the author could have done way more with Jovis' use of lies to .  And of course Melphi was the highlight of the book for me.

Ragan's chapters were also infuriating because he is so one-dimensional with all hate and no thinking.  I didn't like reading about him or Sand at all.  Though Sand I could at least sympathize for somewhat.  Though her teaming up with Ragan really made no sense.  Neither did Ragan's survival in several keys parts of the book.

The Ranami scenes with the Shardless Few were lackluster.  If fact the Shardless Few resolution really didn't make a lot of sense either and kinda got dropped in the final conflicts of the book.  This was especially true for how the Dione's narrative resolves.  His stated goals contradicted each other and his role peters out during the final showdown.

The author made some interesting choices with how the war ends.  I enjoyed Lin's decisions in that regard.  I did not think the logic behind the reason for witstone and alanga magic made any sense.  How to take down an island was absurdly easy.

Overall the major problem with this book was the separate povs never really come together satisfactorily.  The internal logic failed in multiple ways in trying to bring the series to a conclusion.  And I didn't like the magic water which served as a deus ex machina.  I will read more of the author's work though based on the parts of this series that I loved.  Arrr!

[Jukaschar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying and well-written, at times a bit rambling conclusion to the trilogy.

The magic system Stewart creates and the worldbuilding surrounding it are what make this series as good as it is. It's a stunning idea and for once, I really wish the author would add to it in the future, after the conclusion of the trilogy. It's just that good!

This last book splits time quite evenly between the different protagonists, and even though the series began and ended with Lin, the other characters feel of nearly equal standing over the course of the series. In my opinion, this is a very good decision, more choice is nearly always better.

For me, this is truly one of the stand-out epic fantasy series of the last years and I'm curious about the next project Andrea Stewart will present to us in the future.

[Dannii Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third and final conclusion in The Drowning Empire series.

[Read By Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably should not have continued with this series, as I found book two to be pretty bad, and I didn't love book one. However, I was really determined to figure out why this wasn't clicking, because on paper I should like this series. It just wasn't working.

And I had a random thought while reading this book, and then I searched the book for a phrase. And once I did, it allowed my issues with this series to coalesce. Bear with me here: this book says the phrase "The Shardless Few" 307 times.

The Shardless Few is the name of the organization/rebellion trying to overthrow the government. And their name is said CONSTANTLY. Why is this the problem? It's not. It's a symptom of the problem. My issue with this series is that none of it feels believable, none of the characters act like real people, none of the political stakes feel like real stakes. Everything is extraordinarily hollow to me.

I first realized this because we are presented this story through five POV characters from various backgrounds, and each of them interacts with many others, and every single one of these characters say "The Shardless Few X. The Shardless Few Y. We can't ignore the Shardless Few. The Shardless Few are here. Whose here? The Shardless Few." and I just don't think everyone would always talk like this. That's a long phrase and especially people who have to interact with the group daily would shorten it. The Shardless. The Few. The SFs, dammit. Can you imagine if every single time a person in the FBI referred to the FBI, they said "Federal Bureau of Investigation"? They would sound absurd. Their vocal cords would rebel. People just don't do this.

And that's a silly nitpick, that was just taking me out of it a little. But once I realized that, I was aware of how every character felt like that. They talked as if they were being written. The scheming was written as if they were being told to pretend to scheme, like an acting workshop without the instructor's presence. The political aspects were like if a child just said "hey in my story, these are the bad guys. Why? They do bad stuff I guess." Most of the high stakes drama boils down to someone being like:

"We must stop the abuse! The Shardless Few want to stop the abuse! We will not ignore The Shardless Fee's desires. We agree with the Shardless Few."
"Okay I will work with the Shardless Few, because I also don't like abuse and stuff."
"Thank you for helping the Shardless Few! The Shardless Few will appreciate it! The Shardless Few will fill help the children. With the orphanages and stuff."
"The children? Oh yeah, children. Orphanages. Yes, this is a big problem. I will help the Shardless Few with the orphanages"

Like what is this series even about? Why do any of these people do the things they do? There are all these islands and we are supposed to care about rebellions on each island and various injustices on these islands but each island's personality is "island". There's "island X" and "Island Y" and everyone has the same thoughts and opinions; they want the children to be taken care of and for the abuses to stop. Down with the emperor! Long live the Shardless Few!

K.

I will also say that the audiobook narrators were mostly really good, and got me through this entire series.