The Bone Shard Emperor

The Drowning Empire #2

by Andrea Stewart

Andrea Stewart returns with The Bone Shard Emperor, the second installment of this unmissable, action-packed, magic-laced fantasy epic.

The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.  
 
Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force.  
 
Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga – the powerful magicians of legend – have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace.  
 
But can she trust them?  

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

560 pages, Hardcover

First published November 23, 2021

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.

The Bone Shard Emperor is a compelling sequel with a focus on politics and character development.

“Old men always think they know better than everyone else, even when the world has long since changed around them.”

One year and a half since its publication, I finally read The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart. The Bone Shard Daughter was my favorite fantasy debut of the year 2020. But despite how much I enjoyed that book, I am ashamed to admit I haven’t read the sequel until now. This is not because I’m not interested in reading the sequel, which is this book. It’s the other way around. I knew I would at least have a good time reading this, and that’s why I waited until the publication date of the third and last book of the trilogy, The Bone Shard War, is near to be released before I tackled this. I even reread The Bone Shard Daughter first in preparation for this read, and I’m not disappointed. This was, undoubtedly, another great book by Andrea Stewart.

“A coward is not a man who feels fear. A coward is one who would volunteer others for suffering he would not take on himself.”

The story in The Bone Shard Emperor starts shortly after what happened at the end of The Bone Shard Daughter. Lin is struggling in the new role that she won at so much cost, the drowning of the empire continues, and a rebel army of constructs is coming. It is imperative for Lin and Jovis to gather an army amid crumbling political alliances to counter this. Unlike the first book in the series, where mystery and identity played a big role in the narrative, the majority of The Bone Shard Emperor revolves around politics, scheming, manipulations, lies, and developing the characters. This isn't to say the mystery is not there anymore, the secrets about the Alanga are still there, but the mystery is not as prevalent as its predecessor. The Bone Shard Emperor dives deep into the meaning of leadership and responsibility. It showcased that toppling a ruler can be relatively easy compared to ruling over an empire. Yes, this kind of story has been done countless times in fantasy books, but I am not complaining when I'm reading a book where it feels like it's done right. The Bone Shard Emperor is another example where it's executed nicely. And I believe this is mostly thanks to the well-developed characters, even if I did not like some of the process they went through.

Picture: The Bone Shard Emperor by Marie Magny



Still told from five POV characters like in The Bone Shard Daughter, Stewart once again utilizes first-person and third-person narration to tell the story here. The first-person POV narration is used for Lin Sukai and Jovis' POV chapters; the third-person POV narration is used for Nisong, Phalue, and Ranami. Even though they are different styles, I still loved how seamless it felt to read. Out of the five main characters in The Bone Shard Emperor, we have the most story progression in Lin, Jovis, and Nisong's chapters. Do not get me wrong here. I still feel invested in Phalue and Ranami's chapters, but I did not feel they added too much importance to the main story. Not as I expected. That has been the case in the first book, and it's the same again here. Also, I must say I am not a fan of Ranami. It is understandable why she behaved the way she did in the book. And yes, she had a harsh past. But to boil it down to two words, she felt ridiculously self-righteous to me. To make things worse, every time Phalue or someone doesn't follow what she wants, she tantrums like an entitled spoiled brat.

“I’m learning to. What’s the point of having power if we can’t use it to help people? The farmers, the gutter orphans – they’re no different than you or me.”

The same, in a different way, also goes to Jovis. It was hard to read his POV chapters here. His actions in this book were filled with cowardice and lies, and I wanted Mephi to slap him constantly. He was rude and disrespectful. He relentlessly shifted the blame and mistrust he deserved to Lin. And Lin, who is struggling and doing her best to do everything for the empire, is repeatedly put in a worse situation because of his actions. In our world, I think what Jovis is doing, if I'm not mistaken, is gaslighting to the point where he cannot smell his own ass gas. I will say, though, as frustrating as they were to read, it felt like everything was intentional for the character's development. Fortunately, I truly liked where these two characters end up at the end of the book, and I hope they will be more likable in the last book.

“It wasn’t fair that Jovis should have the love and adoration of the Empire’s people, and I had to fight for even a modicum of respect.”

Other than Jovis and Ranami, I don't think I need to add many things to say regarding Lin, Nisong, and Phalue in my review here. Lin has been a constant since The Bone Shard Daughter, so it is not a surprise her POV remains the most engaging one for me here. But I am pleasantly surprised by Nisong. Nisong was a forgettable character in the first book, but I am so interested in reading her storyline in this book. Her chapters played an irreplaceable part in the entire narrative, and I am impressed by how Stewart made me care about her predicament with every chapter. With this intense focus on the character's development and relatively minimal plot progression, I can understand why some readers thought of The Bone Shard Emperor to be inflicted with the middle book syndrome. I still enjoyed it despite its flaws, and I think if you enjoyed reading the story structure in The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson, you might like this one. Now, they are very different from one another, but the story structure in The Bone Shard Emperor reminded me of The Well of Ascension a lot. As I said, most of the book revolves around politics, scheming, and character development, but then, the final 50 pages of the book were a non-stop thrilling action sequence. This last action sequence alone was enough to conclude that The Bone Shard Emperor is more action-oriented than its predecessor. We did not witness this kind of big-scale battle in The Bone Shard Daughter.

“One thing the monks taught me was that history is not a line; it is a spiral. We don’t repeat moments in time, but we come back around, echoing them.”

The Bone Shard Emperor was a great read. All the positives I mentioned aside, I wish the world-building and scope of the series get much bigger here. So in comparison, overall, I liked The Bone Shard Daughter slightly more than The Bone Shard Emperor. I hope the development and events established in this book will become a strong foundation in The Bone Shard War. I look forward to finishing the trilogy very soon.

“When you’re young, you think you can change the world. You think you can bend it to your will. When you’re old, you learn to change your small corner of it and live with the rest.”

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

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[Nataliya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not that enamored with the first book in the series, The Bone Shard Daughter, but I thought that for a debut novel it was promising. And since it was the first book in the trilogy (as is becoming obligatory, I suppose, in fantasy genre) I decided to check out the sequel, knowing well that it’s at the risk of the dreaded middle-book syndrome.

Well, I’m pleased to note that overall it didn’t end up being much of that dreaded middle red-headed stepchild. It was quite alright — nothing earth-shattering or life-changing, but entertaining and often clever and overall a fine continuation of the story. (Now keep in mind, I’m recovering from pretty rough brain fog after getting a Covid vaccine booster the day before I read this book, so don’t hold me responsible for my opinions).

“A coward is not a man who feels fear. A coward is one who would volunteer others for the suffering he would not take on himself,” Phalue said.

We have our former Emperor’s daughter Lin now trying on the role of the Emperor herself, and discovering that few in the Empire are particularly enamored with that turn of events. She’s trying to give up bloodthirsty bone shard magic while realizing that she needs to scramble for allies as a very real threat from the brutal constructs army is approaching and the Empire islands continue to sink — and realizes bit by bit that as she withdraws the threat of bone magic from her subjects, it also removes the reason for those subjects to subject themselves to her rule. All while she and her sidekick Jovis are coming to terms with their new magical powers.

“Watching my father and reading and listening to you … if there’s one thing it’s all taught me it’s that if I try too hard to hold on to power at the expense of everything else, in the end that’s all I’ll have: power.”
“But that’s like winning the battle and losing the war.”
“I have to stand by my convictions. I won’t pick and choose when it’s convenient for me […]”

The good things first — it was easy to read, without any jarring plot inconsistencies. The romance was thankfully minimal (although it would have been better to not include it at all). The characters stayed in character — which unfortunately also means that Jovis, true to himself, can remain an idiot pretty often. A few plot threads left loose in book one were neatly picked up. And even in the slow beginning my attention still never wavered.

But still there were a few obligatory eyerolls. A big conflict between protagonists rests on miscommunication. Decisions only appropriate for young teenagers are made by adults. The scale of the large Empire somehow seems more appropriate to that of a few villages. Romance that was not necessary when friendship would have sufficed. Thin motivation for the villain barely rooted in revenge. Feudalism still relied upon — but as much as we know Lin is one of the good guys, that’s still not a good reason to support absolute monarchy.

“Her fingers curled into claws. “They want me to abdicate. They want to have no Emperor at all.”
———
Unthinkable, I say. Unthinkable. *eyeroll*

What this book suffers from initially, unfortunately, is the pacing. It starts slow and meanders a bit for about 2/3rds of the book, setting ground and revisiting emotional and physical conflicts, setting up pieces in motion for the last third of the story — and that does give it that dreaded lull of a middle book feel. Then in the last third things pick up as the climactic showdown finally happens, and pages are frantically turned, and the annoyances of the first 2/3rds fade. But it would have been much better had the first 2/3rds been condensed a bit more ruthlessly to decrease the duration of the lull in the story.

“The Empire expected a monster? She would be the monster.”

And yet by the time I got through the last third of the story, I was sufficiently entertained, and was overall not unhappy with the direction of the story, and still had a few characters that I did not want to smack upside the head. Even the overly cute “osselen” (familiars-type creatures) did not leave me too exasperated. There was an interesting revelation in the end that may have quite a potential for the final book.

All in all, it was pretty much what I expected from a fun weekend read, even if I wish the first 2/3rds was about 100 pages shorter. Maybe a duology instead of a trilogy would have made this one tighter. Still, Andrea Stewart has potential and I will give her future books a chance.

3.5 stars.

————
My review of the first book in the series, The Bone Shard Daughter is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

————
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5*

I love this series.

Bare bones: Lin is trying to prove she is better emperor than her father, but Sukai last name is a heavy burden to carry. Jovis is getting to know Lin better and that challenges his loyalties with Shardless Few. Phalue and Ranami are supporting coalition of islands to be self-ruled instead of part of the empire, but ideals are hard when they are facing real danger. And Nisong is determined to topple the empire and she is prepared to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.

Andrea Stewart almost dodged the dreadful curse of middle book in trilogy. On one hand it was expected because the first book had many things that made it memorable and couldn't be repeated in second one with same effect:
-baby Mephi and the first time he speaks and other surprises he offers.
-The beautifully crafted horror of palace with eery, monstrous constructs.
-the sudden sinking of Deerhead Island and chaos of running away.
These were really powerful moments, full of suspense, but considering where we left things I did wonder how she will top that.
So let's start with things I liked:
-Mephi! No need to explain, he is the best talking cat-seadragon ever. With the appearance of Thrana in last chapters of book #1 we got to see that Mephi is not the only one and in this novel we find out more about these mysterious creatures. Something tells me next book will bring the final piece of the puzzle. It's perfectly fair to say that Mephi holds a special place because we followed his growing and bonding with Jovis, but I think that huge part of that is his personality. In Bone Shard Emperor we got to see that ossalen are adapting a lot of traits of humans they bonded with and Jovis's mischievousness is certainly something Mephi picked up and it's just fun to read. Their friendship is precious.
- I was more emotionally invested in Jovis arc in first book, but Lin sneaked up on me in this one. I actually liked how Stewart showed that disposing her father and ending the Tithing festival didn't solve the problem for people in Empire. Lin's father was deeply distrustful which is why he surrounded himself with constructs. But, in this novel we actually see how he managed to rule many floating islands from his palace. It's through fear. That was also the point of his constructs and the way they looked: they were doing the job he etched in bone shards and they were scary. Lin is having a tough time getting governors of islands to trust her and back her up in her fight against rogue constructs and she can't scare them into using her bone shard magic the way her father did. It's the conundrum she constantly stumbles upon trying to lead an empire, especially against Nisong.
-I wasn't a big fan of Phalue 's and Ranami's arc from first book simply because it wasn't as important as the other two in the scope of the book. Well, finally we get to see these characters merge and interact and it brings the depth to this romance. It particularly enriches Phalue's character making their story more complex.
-Culmination. I love huge, epic battles at the end of the book. Plus., Lin was a badass and Nisong was terrifying. I mentioned in my review for the first book that Sand's/Nisong's arc reminded me of Dolores from Westworld and it seems I was spot on because her slow transformation into a villain was a good way for her story to progress.

Things I am not so sure about:
-It seems like nobody was aware of Nisong and her slow, approaching army and then there was just a scene where Lin mentions an impostor laying claim on her throne. It just seemed a very sudden shift from Lin going on diplomatic trips and making trading contracts to war and needing allies. It was written like she was aware of the threat and dismissed it because it was more important to do something else and it just seemed odd considering the extent of devastation Nisong was leaving behind. It was especially grating to see Lin showing her diplomatic skills and making deal...only to break it in next chapter. I read it and thought:"But, wait, that will not work because of you made a promise?" We got the huge battle at the end, so I am not that mad about it.
-The whole Shardless Few argument seemed devoid of logic.

Things I didn't like:
-We still didn't get the magic system completely explained. We do know alanga had powers and that ossalen bring some magic perks to those they bond with. But where does bone shard magic come from? Is it a learned skill? And where do monks with cloudberries come into equation in this magic system? I hope it's be clarified in final book. :)
-monk twist telegraphed and I wasn't a fan of this entire storyline.
-This is my personal pet peeve, but I dislike when an object or a person that's issue in one book isn't dealt with in that book, but just left to stand for no apparent reason... only to become an issue in book to come. I really want someone to explain to me logic of leaving a perfect clone of old emperor just floating in the palace and not being destroyed. I just know this thing will come to bite our characters in the ass and become a problem in next book. He was a deranged psychopath (as you will be reminded once again in this book), just why?!
-Jovis's character was a bit aimless in this novel. Luckily, Mephi was there to point errors in his thinking, but his shifting loyalty was not convincing for me, because I never doubted his intentions, but his inconsistency when it comes to his actions just annoyed me. It's like he made a stupid thing for plot reasons.

All in all, flew through one. And I didn't take that cliffhanger particularly well, because it's like Andrew Stewart thought to herself: "Hhm, what is Lila emotionally invested most in... ?" and cackled and decided to wreck me and made the wait million times harder.
The Bone Shard War is a fitting name, because I feel like waging one.
************************************
::furiously etching commands in spy constructs to inform me about Mephi's presence in the sequel::

[Lucie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Orbit Books). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✅✅ Magic system / Original concept
✅✅ Mephi and Thrana
✅ World-building
✅ Characters
✅ Action
✅🆗 Plot
🆗 Pace (except the last 30% that were ✅✅)
🆗 Romance

Strong 3.5 stars

I loved my father, but he didn’t love me. In the end, I wanted to live more than I wanted him to love me.

There are still many POVs in this book, but it is mostly focused on Lin and Jovis, we follow Ranami and Phalue only when it's directly linked to what happens with Lin, and I think that made a difference in the pacing of the story (we also have a few chapters in Nisong/Sand's POV). The fact that Lin's and Jovis' chapters are written in the first person and that Ranami's, Phalue's, and Nisong's chapters are written in the third person also accentuate the focus put on Lin and Jovis and the fact that they are the main characters.

"Watching my father and reading and listening to you... if there's one thing it's all taught me it's that if I try too hard to hold on to power at the expense of everything else, in the end that's all I'll have: power."

The pace is a little slow at first, but it does pick up after the 40%-50% mark and the last 30% redeemed the book. The last part is non-stop battle, planning, and scheming, with a dash of shocking revelations on top of it. Some plot twists I did see coming, others I did not and I always love it when a book surprises me. Still, I had to push through the first part of the book because while it was politics and it was kinda interesting, I feel that not many things of real importance happened and it was mostly traveling, meeting with governors, and trying to convince them to support Lin... I was expecting something more action-filled after the end of the first book.

The world-building and magic systems are as interesting as in the first book, and the characters have more interactions together, so that's great. This book focuses more on the lore and history of the Empire, and the magic system even expands as we learn more about the Alanga's history and powers, and realize that some people are able to wield Alanga magic. We also learn more about Lin's father's mad plans and motivations, and it was nice to have some light shed on those mysteries because while the first book was very good, I still had questions when I picked up this one. The islands are still sinking, and what was introduced in the first book is expanded in this second book as Lin is trying to rule the Empire, make alliances, and save her people, while everyone wants her to abdicate because they want more power for themselves.

I’d thought nothing could hurt worse than my father’s betrayal, learning that he’d never actually loved me, but merely the ghost I would never become. My heart was guarded against such things, I’d thought.
Time and experience make fools of us all.
And the worst was, I wasn’t sure what hurt more – the fact that Jovis had lied to me from the beginning, or the way the door had shut behind him, leaving me alone. Somewhere in the time we’d spent together, I’d started to feel like I could rely on him, that we had a kinship. I thought the only thing that could make me feel better was an embrace, and the only hug I could remember receiving had been from him.

Lin and Jovis grow a lot in this book as individual characters, but their relationship grows too, even in the middle of all the spying and lying Jovis is doing. I have to say though that the romantic aspect of their relationship that is slowly budding is not really pertinent in my humble opinion. From the start, I saw them as reluctant allies, that would become friends and confidants maybe, but I never hoped or wished for them to become more... So seeing that they are on the way to becoming a couple just seemed like a way to add extra drama because they would go back and forth between distrusting and lying to each other and then wanting to kiss each other, but it did not add much to the story. Overall it felt a little like it came out of nowhere and I did not really feel the emotional connection between them or even the physical attraction. I know many people want to see them end up together though so this is really more of a personal preference.

Jovis was still there, Mephi next to him. He was showing the beast a deck of lacquered cards. Mephi reached out with a webbed claw and touched one.
"This one."
Jovis sighed. "No, no, no - if you play a fish on a sea serpent, that means you lose that turn."
Mephi tilted his head and sat back on his haunches. "Feed the fish to the sea serpent. Make the sea serpent your friend."
"That's not how it works."
"It worked on me."
"Are you a sea serpent?"
Mephi clacked his teeth. "Your game makes no sense."
"You said you were bored and wanted to learn," Jovis said. He started to tuck the cards back in his pocket.
Mephi's ears flattened against his skull.
"Wait. Waaaaait."

The real stars of the book though are, without hesitation, Thrana and Mephi. I love them so much! They made me smile, laugh, and feel and now that there are even more ossalens (that's what they are) in the book, I'm even more excited to read the next one because I need more cute talking animals in my life.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Ranami and Phalue in the first book. They are not bad characters, they just did not grow on me that much, but I liked them much more in this book. I love their relationship and how they are trying their best to help everyone and do the right thing. Their chapters also gave us a break from all the politics and lying that were going on with Lin and Jovis.

Sand/Nisong is still in the book, and she is much more important than in the first book as she now is "the villain" of the story. We finally understand more about her and her fellow islanders, but honestly except for the words "psycho-power-hungry-that-does-not-know-when-to-quit" I'm not sure how to describe her. She has her role to play in the series, but I really don't like her, and I find that even her POVs were not that interesting to read.


1. The Bone Shard Daughter ⭐⭐⭐⭐


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[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Althea ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”When you’re young, you think you can change the world. You think you can bend it to your will. When you’re old, you learn to change your small corner of it and live with the rest.”

I just want to go around screaming at everyone to read this series. Especially if you want an Adult High Fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic style fantastical world with the awakening of magic and animal companions.

I’m going to be honest: this wasn’t really the book I thought it was going to be… but I’m not mad!!! This played with emotions so much in the best ways I could imagine, what a wild time.

If there’s one reason to read this book: It’s Jovis and Mephi.

The way Andrea Stewart writes the chapters makes the story flow so well. The plot is still slow paced relative to the first novel but the ending was so explosive that it had me gasping. The way Stewart wraps up her books always manages to bump itself up my rating. Talk about the ending making the book.

All the back and forth “betrayals” but “not betrayals” was so amusing to watch and I just loved how unsure we all were of what was happening in this book (in a good way). By “we” I mean both the characters and us, as the readers.

“Because even if I am the Emperor, I am still one of them.”

I do think the writing style and intrigue died down somewhere in the middle (relative to the first book) which was a little disappointing to me. Especially since I am already considering the first book as one of my faves of the whole year with the mystery and intrigued it was able to uphold.

My problem with this is that I think it didn’t have the best follow throughs to an extremely promising first novel. Some specific plot choices made were sounding so cliche to me, especially somewhere in the half way point. For the most part in book 1, we were trying to figure out who they were alongside them and I think in this book, it lacked the build up for me to feel fully invested in that certain characters motivation.

Admittedly, while i did like certain other developments in this book, i overall enjoyed the atmosphere and the mystery of the first book more. There were certain characters developments that were so satisfying to see where they are from the first novel. I keep hyping Jovis up but really he’s just an idiot that makes me laugh. Lin’s dynamic with absolutely anyone in this series amuses me to no end and created a compelling dynamic that just kept me reading.

”A coward is not a man who feels fear. A coward is one who would volunteer others for the suffering he would not take on himself,”

I love how lgbtq+ relationships are so normalized (even poly) and are just casually mentioned. The language used regarding pronouns and queerness is probably one of the, or the most inclusive one I have come across in Adult High Fantasy.

The vibes and the atmosphere /is/ different from the first book,, a lot of the mystery turned into suspense for the reveals that you already know and socio-political scheming. So it might have been slightly disappointing in that aspect but really this just jumped from one type of book that I love to another.

↣ A little dark, a little heartwarming, a little intense. Definitely recommended if you are in the mood for an Adult High Fantasy that keeps you curious and refreshing characters. This was more character driven and does have a slow-paced plot but I think it was all extremely worth it in the end. ↢

P.S. the cover makes so much sense now after finishing the book T_T

— 4.25 —
⇢ content warnings// Animal Abuse (implied, mentioned), Childhood abuse (mentioned), Emotional Trauma, Body Horror, Violence, Death

[EmmaSkies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when a sequel is even better than the first book 😍

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my most anticipated read of the year, and I'm so disappointed that I did not love it as much as the first book. I'm not even sure where to begin. The writing and world building were good. There is more political intrigue too. Mephi and Thrana remain my favorite thing about this trilogy. That's about as far as I can extend my praise.

This book did very little to move the plot forward, or do much in terms of character development in my opinion. Lin and Jovis were so frustrating at times. Were these really the same two characters I adore and love? I also thought the romance in this book lacked any chemistry and was completely unnecessary.

The pacing was slow with very little payoff, and honestly the book could have been at least 100 pages shorter. It truly pains me to write anything other than a glowing review. I'm honestly unsure if I will pick up the last book in the trilogy 😔

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Se tocó la cara y palmó la humedad. De modo que sí podía llorar”.
+4
Simplemente, a veces hay que encontrar el momento justo para leer una novela. Menos mal que lo pospuse el tiempo necesario, sino habría sido un caos.

“Nunca tenemos que hacer nada. Escogemos hacerlo. No me mientas, y tampoco te mientras a ti mismo”.

Segunda parte de esta trilogía. No saben las ganas que tenía de leerla después de lo sucedido al final del primer libro. Por este motivo estaba muy nerviosa, porque no sabía que me podía deparar en esta entrega. Entre ello y otra serie de percances he tardado en leer el libro en un par de meses.

“Secretos dentro de otros secretos”.

A pesar del tiempo, esta segunda parte me ha gustado de igual manera que el primer libro y me gustaría destacar varias cosas:

En primer lugar, el mundo que crea me encanta, sobre todo el hecho que no sea un continente sino islas aisladas con autonomías insulares. Lo siento, pero es uno de mis muchos puntos débiles porque al ser isleña me he sentido identificada muchas veces con la novela. Qué le vamos a hacer, me recuerda a donde vivo.

“Si sabes que una persona está mintiendo, no le des una contraorden, porque se empecinará en su postura. Sigue adelante con lo que tú sepas que es verdad”.

El segundo lugar es el sistema de magia, me parece bastante interesante y siento que tiene mucho potencial y a la vez tiene su punto de macabro. Por otro lado, los personajes, aunque puedan a ser un poco pesados a veces y no quisiese leer sobre ellos concretamente en ciertos puntos de la novela, siento que tienen muy buen desarrollo, al menos para mí en lo que concierne a esta segunda novela.

“Un cobarde no es aquel que no tiene miedo, sino el que propone a otros para que soporten un sufrimiento que no quiere soportar él”.

En tercer y último lugar, el argumento. Tengo que admitir que me ha gustado y ha sido buena continuación en referencia a su anterior entrega. Sin embargo, si tengo que ponerle una pega es que no estoy del todo de acuerdo con ciertos giros. Una cosa no quita la otra.

En conclusión, una buena continuación, no me ha dejado con tanta ansia como el primer libro, pero ya espero con ganas su traducción en español.

“¿Sabe alguien lo que es lo correcto?”

[Jenny Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the series. Middle books are almost always the hardest books to love in a series but this one was still captivating and rewarding. I totally want Jovis and Mephi to have their own spin-off.

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I seem to be in the minority on this one, so I thought I'd briefly explain why I didn't love it as much as the first (even though I still liked it—I am, as always, reminding everyone that 3.5 stars is a good rating) :

▪ most of the book (let's say, the first 2/3 at least) suffered from a very slow pacing or what I'll call "characters going from point A to point B to point C without the plot moving further" : if that's your thing, great. I know I struggle with this kind of plots however, especially when so many important questions have already been answered in the first book. It wasn't hard to get through by any means, and I wasn't bored per se, but I didn't feel any real urgency to go on either. There were also a few twists rather easy to spot imo.

▪ The romance was SO unnecessary : I usually enjoy romance in fantasy books but honestly I couldn't feel any chemistry between them?? Where was the build-up? Why did we jump from reluctant allies to whatever this is so quickly? And no, the back and forth doesn't constitute a believable build-up for a romance. The romance was kept minimal thankfully, but it did make me roll my eyes at characters I used to love, sadly.

▪ The secondary characters took a step back, even when they were here : I didn't check my copy of The Bone Shard Daughter so I'm not sure if they really were less present, proportionally speaking, and maybe it's only a matter of perception? Who knows. "Sand" was less compelling a character than in the first book—maybe because the secret is out and her objectives seem simpler?—and I wish we'd get more of Ramani and Phalue because I love them, period.

▪ I still don't understand why Lin should be the emperor, or why there should be an empire at all 🤷‍♀️. I don't know, I don't really buy into the "we need an empire to defend ourselves against our common enemy" rhetoric : what happened to being allies????? It is discussed in the book however, so I'm not sure that's even a negative, but I needed to say it lmao.

It does seem like I only have negatives, right? I don't though, or I wouldn't have given it a positive rating. The world and magic system(s) still shows potential even if I wish they were explored further. The writing is compelling : I've read books I literally couldn't finish because the pacing was slow, and it wasn't the case at all here. It was more like this : I kept reading, while the thought "why isn't the plot moving forward" came into my mind. Finally, the last part of the book was WAY more engaging and I enjoyed it a lot.

All in all, I'm still looking forward to reading the last book, but this book wasn't a favorite. Oh, well. It happens 🤷‍♀️

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Bone Shard Emperor even more than the first book.

Book Two begins shortly after the events of Book One. Lin is now the emperor, and she must garner the support of her people to maintain stability and keep her throne. Also, Jovis must adjust to his new role and decide where his loyalties lay. Meanwhile, his animal companion, Mephi, is as adorable and funny as ever. Then, there is Nisong, who is out for blood and revenge. Plus, the rebellion is gaining more influence.

While all of this is occurring, islands are still sinking, and no one knows why.

The reader learns more about the Alanga, and it is surprisingly unexpected. It adds another compelling layer to the story.

In Book Two, Lin comes into her own. In The Bone Shard Daughter, I wanted a little more from her. She is still trying to find her footing but is willing to take more risks. She is compassionate, but is learning to be more ruthless.

As with Book One, the plot moves along incrementally. But the pacing doesn’t suffer because the characters are so compelling. Whether you are rooting for them or not, they are all well-developed.

This instalment has a lot more politicking and betrayals.

It all leads up to a huge battle that has ramifications for the third and final book, which, thankfully, I already have in my hands.

I am happy that this offering did not suffer from second book syndrome. If you’re looking for your next addictive fantasy series, this is it.

4.5 rounded down.

Thank you to Orbit for sending me a finished copy to review.

https://booksandwheels.com

[Nils | nilsreviewsit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note this review will contain spoilers for The Bone Shard Daughter.

To the relief of many, Emperor Shiyen is no more, his legacy of tyranny and oppression has finally reached its end, and new horizons lay ahead for The Phoenix Empire. But can the people learn to trust their new Emperor? As Emperor Lin Sukai sits upon her newly won throne, she ponders the same question. You see she may now be their leader but the people have no love for the Sukai’s, her alliances from the other island leaders are weak as they are reluctant to lend their support, and amidst all this several new threats emerge, all determined to bring the Emperor’s rule to its knees. A growing army of constructs has set its sights on conquering the Imperial Island, and the Alanga, the believed magical enemies of old, have returned. Yet do they come in peace?

The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart is the much anticipated sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter. Stewart delivers another thrilling tale of secrets and long forgotten memories, of cryptic Bone Shard magic, and of characters who are pushed to their limits… and beyond.

Emperor Lin begins her rule by finally putting an end to the horrific Tithing Festival, whereupon the Emperor would take shards from its citizens to create constructs. It is clear that Lin is not her father, her intentions truly are for the good of the empire, but even with this revolutionary act she cannot win over the people’s support. Therefore she realises, with the protection of her Captain of the Imperial Guard, her best chances are to visit each island, to return their shards in good faith, to once again prove her worth. Time is of the essence though as she hears rumours of two rebellious forces gathering on two different fronts, that being The Shardless Few and another infamous figure. Lin desperately needs an army, she needs to unite the islands.

“I was Lin. And that would have to be enough.”

Once again, through each character, Stewart explores the themes of secrets and family, both of which go hand in hand. Lin was a character who held my sympathies and admiration throughout. She certainly felt the constraints of becoming an emperor, the lack of privacy, her every act being scrutinised, of having the weight of the nation on her shoulders. With her whole heart she cared for her people but doubts and insecurities still clouded her mind. Her father may be dead, but his presence lingered and his memories still haunted her every step. Stewart illustrates the complexities of family bonds, at the end of the day he was still her father, the only parent she had ever known, and as pointless as it may have seemed, she still longed for his love. Lin desperately wants to be better than her father ever was, to be the emperor The Phoenix Nation finally deserved, yet she still couldn’t reveal the truth of who she really was. In part because she still didn’t know.

Here is where Stewart once more played with memory and identity as she portrays how they can shape a person, a concept of which I absolutely loved seeing examined in more depth this time around. It is within this narrative arc where subsequently both Lin and Jovis are at the forefront of the novel. Lin goes to desperate measures to uncover her father’s secrets by unlocking his memories which lay hidden in the Imperial palace. She hopes to learn more about her, Jovis, Mephi and Thrana’s growing powers and bond, both of which are becoming hard to hide. Unfortunately the past is filled with unimaginable horrors, blood and pain, and the truth tastes rather bitter. Each memory leaves Lin a little more broken, and I desperately hoped she wouldn’t lose herself completely. As sad as I felt for Lin, I too felt empathy for Jovis. Emahla, his wife long dead, remained an anchor that pulled Jovis back to a happier time, memories of her reminding him of all that he’d lost. Who was Jovis without Emahla?

“I'd told myself so many times I wasn't a hero. I lifted my staff to the side, opening my arms, inviting the
construct to attack.
Maybe I was a hero. And heroes were idiots.”

As much insecurity, pain and loneliness as Lin held, my beloved Jovis did too. They may have both had their companions Mephi and Thrana, but another type of companionship was missing. In this instalment Jovis is a character torn in several ways and by several opposing forces. He is loved by the common folk, known in the songs as the saviour of children, hence he is appointed as Captain of the Imperial Guard and his loyalty now resides with Emperor Lin, or so it would seem. Much to Jovis’ displeasure, he cannot escape the clutches of Gio from The Shardless Few, and Kaphra from Ioph Carn. It is no wonder that he is a man much conflicted, a man who cannot for the life of him decide whether to trust Lin, or betray her. Stewart spends a large proportion of this novel exploring Jovis and Lin’s relationship as they travel through the empire, and as stressful as I found their mistrust, there was also a longing and tension between them which kept me captivated. Jovis and Lin remain my favourite characters, their first person narration offered much deeper insight into their feelings and I ached for them to find happiness… with each other. Was that so wrong to ask for, Andrea Stewart?!

Out of all the characters, it is Phalue who doesn’t face her hardship alone as her wife Ranami stood loyally by her side, even when they disagreed. Although I never quite warmed to Ranami’s character, I felt her criticisms towards Phalue’s decisions far outweighed her actual support, I could see her rougher life experiences had shaped her to be more sceptical and perhaps less idealistic. Ranami truly loved Phalue, she just didn’t want to see her fail.

"Is there a sliding scale of good? And if so, where do my actions fall? I'm trying to do better, but I don't quite know what that looks like.”

In The Bone Shard Daughter, Lin and Phalue, were linked by the way their father’s were incompetent, uncaring leaders. In The Bone Shard Emperor they both share the task of stepping out of their father’s shadow, and they both feel overwhelmed. Phalue, the newly appointed Governor of Nephilanu Island, struggled to administer the safety of her people, her father may have been a cruel leader but he had held peace, and with Phalue being pulled in several directions, could she do the same? It seemed that helping the poorest proved to be much harder in reality compared to her previous idealist vision.

Having said that this instalment maintained a large focus on secrets, an aspect which I loved seeing was all the revelations. Without delving into detail, we learn a great deal about the Alanga, which begins with Jovis’ discovery of Dione’s, the last known living Alanga, journal. I was also delighted to discover more about Mephi and Thrana, and every scene with them included was a joy to read. There are also a few new characters who turn out to be not as they seem. As more islands face collapse, we get hints of theories as to why this occurrence may happen, and once again the Bone Shard magic and the creation of constructs is as gruesome yet fascinating as ever. Stewart truly packs so many unique concepts within her worldbuilding and constantly keeps her readers wanting to know more.

The Bone Shard Emperor is a story set in a world which revels in the macabre, where a fight for survival and a hunt to uncover the truths of the past are done in hopes of building a better future. Stewart elevates her characters and world to new heights and leaves her readers with a heartstopping climax filled with war and chaos.

“I wished I could live in this moment. I wished it never had to end. But forever was a term for fools and poets.”

ARC provided by Nazia at Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! The Bone Shard Emperor is out now.

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Old men always think they know better than everyone else, even when the world has long since changed around them.”

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

I used my usual strategy with this series, read the first book when it was released and hyped and waited for it to be finished to continue reading it. I am going to be honest, the second and third book were not as hyped which put me on the fence as I thought the quality of the series went down but this entry proved me wrong. I am glad I finally took the plunge and continued.

I read a summary of the first book before starting this (People who share great summaries should have a special place in heaven) which made me remember the details as I remembered only the major stuff. Stewart also tries to remind the readers of important things while telling the story which is something I always appreciate too.

The writing was great, I missed reading fantasy like this where it is not overly complex for the sake of being so but also is original at the same time. The story is told through five point of views, and they all are interesting but in different ways and they converge towards the ending to an epic conclusion.

The characters are all interesting in varying degrees and I loved the shift of the story tone to characters and politics in this book. All the characters grow in their own way and the plot twists regarding them kept going till the end. Speaking of change and shifting stuff, the magic system was also different. In book one it focused on the bone shard magic where in this one it involved the Alanga magic more and we finally learn more about Mephi and his friends.

The pacing was middle, and it goes faster toward the ending. I honestly thought it would take me a long time to finish the book, but I did so in three days which is not bad at all. The chapters were also kind of short which is my favorite kind of chapters.

“One thing the monks taught me was that history is not a line; it is a spiral. We don’t repeat moments in time, but we come back around, echoing them.”

Summary: I am happy I finally got to read this. It is hard to explain but I have been looking for a fantasy story of this sort for a while now and this squinched the thirst. It had a great balance of good writing, world-building, character development and pacing. I am definitely reading book three soon.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL THE STARS!!!! Fantastic follow up to The Bone Shard Daughter! Everyone loves an Underdog story, but you don’t often get one in the position of Emperor! We really benefit in this book from the complex world building laid out previously, leaving the reader perfectly placed to deal with all of Lin’s troubles in this book. We delve deeper into the world of the Alanga (although there’s still plenty we don’t know by the end) and there’s a big battle that the reader has been anticipating for the whole book. Terrific stuff! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
This was a solid sequel in one of my new favourite fantasy series. 

I am happy to announce that this did not suffer at all from the dreaded "second book slump" that plagues so many fantasy series. Instead, this one more along at a good pace with a fair amount of plot progression. As a story built around mystery, I was actually surprised how much was revealed in this book. 

This series includes a lot of my favourite fantasy tropes, including magical companions and a love scoundrel. The story is a touch predictable in places, yet that fact has not diminished my enjoyment of these books. I love the hard magic system which is dark and satisfying in its set of rules. This second novel had more of a focus on relationships than I personally prefer, but I know other readers enjoy more romance in their fantasy.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel and am now highly anticipating the third and final book in this epic trilogy.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Orbit Books.

[Maisha Farzana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This blew my mind away. As good as the first book if not better. Didn't see the romantic subplot coming to play. But it was well handled. I am worried about the author's mental health. How is she gonna wrap everything up in the final book??? The mess is so much!

[Maria Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡PASOTE DE PASOTE!

En serio, ¡es que no te puedes imaginar cómo de potente es esta historia😯!

🌸Tiene un SLOW BURN de esos que te calientan el corazón y que deseas a gritos que se besen ya. ¡Por Dios, que se besen ya! Vamos, de los que te hacen descubrir a un nuevo crush y vaya crush😍 Y ya ni te cuento del SISTEMA DE MAGIA tan único y original que se ha sacado de la manga la autora, porque lo vas a flipar!🤩 Y, por si fuera poco, los personajes están tan bien caracterizados que te enamoras de todos y no sabes cuál te gusta más.

🌸Pero, como sabes, toda historia que se precie tiene que tener sus malos malotes y sus dificultades, y aquí tienes unos ENEMIGOS que, en serio, a unos les echarías un cubo de agua fría y a otros no sabes si les harías un sitio en tu cama...🤭Y, ojo, porque si crees que esto es todo, prepárate, porque las dificultades con las que se encuentran nuestros héroes son de las que te enganchan tanto que no puedes parar de leer.

🌸ES MÁS DE LOS MASES, ESTO NO SE HACE, LEÑE! Que una venía sin enganche y, zasca, enganche que se lleva sin verlo a venir. Tanto así que al terminar este libro, corrí como loca despeinada con pantuflas incluidas a por el siguiente... (Aunque aquí tengo que hacer una pequeña aclaración: este libro es el segundo de la trilogía🤭! Sí, ya sabes cómo son estas cosas, hay lectoras despistadas que en vez de empezar por el primero, se lo saltan y van directo al segundo y, claro, después pasa lo que pasa...)

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

I am SCREAMING.

The build-up. The scope. The reveals. The ending.

Although I wanted more characterization from Nisong—and more page time for Phalue and Ranami and Ayesh!

And more Mephi.

But, here are my initial thoughts:

Thrana

SHARK!

MEPHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Oh hey Gio.

Full RTC.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

[charlotte, · Rating 3 out of 5]

On my blog.

Actual rating 3.5

Rep: lesbian mcs

CWs: gore, violence, blood

Galley provided by publisher

The Bone Shard Daughter was one of my favourite reads of 2020, so The Bone Shard Emperor was always going to be one of my most anticipated. If this sounds like a set-up to say I was disappointed, that’s because it kind of is. Aspects I loved about the first book somewhat fell flat here and, although it redeemed itself for me in the final 30%, ultimately I didn’t love this one. I liked it, and I’ll read the final book in the series, but I didn’t love it like I did the first.

I think there are three major reasons why this is, the first of which relates to the pacing. While in book one, the slow build of the plot, raising a myriad of questions and ratcheting up the tension, really worked for me, here, it did not. Primarily I think that’s because a lot of the questions were actually answered in the first book, so this time around, there were only a handful remaining. And as such, the slowness of the plot started to work against it. In a 560 page book, I only felt properly into it around the 430 page mark. The plot, for me, stagnated up until then. Each chapter inched it forwards only the slightest bit and, for a 560 page book, that’s not fun to read. Of course, I still liked the characters, and they’re really why I kept reading, but honestly? I was expecting something more action-filled from the second book in a series. If only the slightest bit more.

The second reason I didn’t enjoy it so much links into the third. Simply put, I didn’t really care all that much about Lin and Jovis’ burgeoning relationship. I never thought of them as something that could become romantic in book one, so I found the whole transition from strangers reluctantly on the same side to a potential romance… not exactly compelling. Not to mention it went a bit back-and-forth. One moment they were potentially trusting, the next cold and aloof, the next back to maybe trusting. And so on. As such, various milestones (for want of a better word) seemed to come out of nowhere, and didn’t hit emotionally like they might have. In all, I went in unconvinced of them, I came out just as unconvinced as before.

In comparison, I’ve always loved Phalue and Ranami. Here, though, they became very second-fiddle to Lin and Jovis’ storyline. I mean, they were already distinctly secondary protagonists in the first book, but they were even more so here. And, in all honesty, looking back, they had almost nothing to do in the whole book. Like, even less to do than the plot in general for the first 70%. Frankly, for me, this book could have done with more of them (and cutting its length down by about 100 pages, but that’s just my opinion).

This all said, however, I did overall like the book. It picked up towards the end and, as I said, I will be reading book three. I still enjoyed the characters as much as before (albeit with the occasional exception of Lin, who, at times, was really not very likeable, but in a frustrating way). The book was still good.

It just wasn’t great.

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

As I write this I am halfway through the third, and final, book of this series. I know two things already: Andrea Stewart is now on my 'must-read' list, and second, that I LOVE the diversity of the points of view Stewart shows and her ability to give us realistic, meaningful characters. Even the companions (who are creatures of a sort, but they talk) are sooo well done.

My worry going into a second book in a three part series is always that it will just be set-up and nothing else. Thus falling into middle book syndrome (as I call it). Let me reassure you The Bone Shard Emperor does NOT have that problem. By the end of this book so much has changed that you couldn't have anticipated the next book's plot from the start of book two. This is a real talent, to see ahead but still develop and give meaningful moments for your characters as you get to the climax of each novel in a series. And boy does Stewart give us a climax!

As I said for book one I love the uniqueness of this series, the struggle with determining what is 'alive' or 'human' versus just a 'thing', the creativity of the bone shard magic, the complexity of the history of the realm (especially the Allanga), and the intricate politics that each of our characters is carefully navigating. This is one of the best fantasy series I have read in a little while (that wasn't written by someone we already know can write fantasy). There is a special something you have to have to write fantasy novels well and without a doubt Andrea Stewart has it!
But be sure you start at book 1. As with most epic/high fantasy, there is no jumping in mid-way. And besides you wouldn't want to miss out on all the juicy events that happened before you get to the start of this installment.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bone Shard Emperor was even better than The Bone Shard Daughter.

I think in part this is due to the side PoVs being cut down to only the most necessary bits which I'm fully on board with.

I love how Lin and Jovis grow as characters during the course of the book, and how their relationship develops. I had an inkling at the beginning of book one that they'd probably end up together and it seems I was right.

Melphi and Thrana were the stars of the book though, as expected. In just about every scene where I teared up, it had something to do with those two (and Lozhi and Shark as well). I just love them so much.

I wasn't very attached to Phalue and Ranami before, but they grew on me here. Their married life is so cute and I also really like the new addition(s) to the family.

As for Sand (now Nisong)...she annoys me, but what's funny is that what I dislike about her, I love about Lin.

Nisong does not give up, even when she should, she will not. And that's frustrating because she's kind of the villain and I want everyone to be happy, but she keeps ruining it.

I'm not sure if she deserves a redemption arc, somewhere down the road. If only she made the right choice at the end...

There were a few plot twists, one of them I definitely did not see coming. It was really good.

What I also enjoyed was all the islands we visited with Lin and Jovis and the characters we met on them. The world building stays consistently interesting.

We also got an expansion of the magic system, the Alanga magic system, which will most likely grow even more. There was a little less focus on bone shard magic in favour of it, but I trust it'll balance itself out in book three.

All in all, this was a great book. I'm expecting a five billion star conclusion to the series.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one I went straight into after finishing the first, so everything was fresh in my mind and I really enjoyed reading them back to back. In this story we are once more following Lin but now she sits in a position of power and tumult. Her time in charge could come to an end very fast if she doesn’t start to win people to her side, and doing that is a lonely and long road.

Lin as a character is definitely easy to relate to and just to enjoy reading about. Her life has been very sheltered in many ways, but also filled with magic and having to teach and learn herself so she’s resourceful. She has tenacity and determination and she loves her people and is keen to do the best she can for them. I always liked her PoVs and I look forward to more of her and especially the magic she’s just unlocking in herself.

Jovis is a smuggler-turned something else. He could be a spy, he could be a guard, he could be something else entirely and to be honest even he doesn’t really know where his loyalties lie. His story in this one is one where his resolve is tested and he has to challenge what he believes is right and is challenged on what he believes. I like him and his companion Mephi a lot too.

Magic-wise we learn a fair bit more about the mysterious Alonga race, the ‘big bad’ of the past. Their magic is shown through a journal and two companion creatures and I loved getting to learn what’s possible and what these beings may be gearing up for. I think there’s more to come but I love the ideas of the magic and the Bone Shard magic is as cruel and bleak as ever in this, if utilised by different enemies.

I’ll certainly continue this series as it’s very easy to read and the last section of this one had a lot of fun reveals about where the series is heading and how we may be able to fight back or learn more. I’m intrigued by the minor characters who now seem like they will have a more major role and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next one. 4*s again!

[Wick Welker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is by no means a bad book. Stewart is a great writer and story teller but this sequel had some issues for me. First for the good. The plot is very good with some decent political intrigue. The world building is unique with some mysterious lore that is very enticing. The issue is that is just all such a slow burn. The politics are slow. The unfolding of the lore is slow and the character development progresses at a snail's pace.

Minor spoilies ahead:

The main character, Lin, the Emperor, is not dynamic enough to be center stage. Most of her development is rehashing her conflicts with the first book and navigating her inadequacies as the new emperor. She's not fun and her identity struggle is old hat. I needed more dynamic character development. The romance between her and Jovis which is so obviously bubbling up form page one is unneeded, contrived and had me rolling my eyes. Jovis is supposed to be the fun maverik but Stewart nerfed this character in the second book for reasons beyond me. Mephi, his adorable and magical creature from the first book, can now talk and isn't as adorable and is just kind of a dead weight character who doesn't' really do anything. Making the animal talk completely sapped the animal of his whimsy and mystery.

The pacing was ok but certainly not dynamic. The choices the author made for this book are really perplexing and don't really give the reader what they want. The constant first person narrative reiteration of plot points and character identity was highly repetitive and hurt the readability. The combination of slow pacing along with static characters told over mildly interesting politicking was a bit of a slog.

[Ashley Marie]

DNF @ 62%

I feel like I just got punched in the face. I have no idea what happened. I loved the first book. LOVED it. Couldn't stop talking about it. I picked this one up and it was like a complete 180 shift had happened. The story dragged, I was irked by tedious repetition and all the errors editing should've caught, and the pairing makes zero sense to me.

[Darcey · Rating 4 out of 5]

buddy read with my BRing bestie, Ashley!

phew, and we're back into this series! The Bone Shard Emperor had the same complx, intricate, beautifully-written world-building as The Bone Shard Daughter , and once i, hmm, remembered (or relearnt, i definitely had to look at a summary of the happenings of book #1) who everyone was and what was going on, i fell back into the swing of this series with much excitement!

the sequel to the first stunning book in this trilogy did not disappoint. i felt the start may have dragged a veryyyy little, but that also could just have been me, confused and wondering who everyone was, and once the plot picked up, it really picked up. so much was happening that sometimes the pages flew by more quickly than i could imagine, and though this is definitely not a light or easy book to read, it's masterfully written and beautifully crafted. the world is exquisite, and the characters realistic and believable - which also meant that they irritated me at stages, but i guess everyone is human! Mephi was quite possibly the absolute star of the show, and i treasure every sentence mentioning him, because he's so funny and adorable - an absolute icon.

can't wait to see how Andrea Stewart ties off this series!

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars. This is the second instalment in The Drowning Empire series.

Review to follow.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

ROUND 2... FIGHT!

haha jk BUT EQUALLY AS EXCITING... this IS round two of a Read in the Clouds aka DARCE & ASH BR that started with the first book in the series, for which we BOTH left RAVEEEE REVIEWS!

SO DAMN EXCITED — Bone Shard Emperor—(C'MON, GIMME SOME MEPHIIIII, Hahaha) Lehhhgoooooo!!!!! ;))

[Aoife - Bookish_Babbling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bone Shard Daughter was such a wonderful intro to this rich word of islands & reawakening secret magics + bone shard constructs that it stayed fresh in my mind even though it’s been about 2 years since I listened to it.
The ending of that book flipped the script and this one picks up a little after the dust settles with our main PoV characters trying to pick up the pieces + figure out how to move forward in the new roles they each find themselves in.

Phalue and Ranami have gotten married and inherited their own problems in the wake of the power shift on their Island + the potential consequences of their own acquaintances, agreements and behaviour in the previous book. I loved checking in with these two, especially with the intro of the new character and how all those interactions help P&R grow alongside the clues + potential tie ins sprinkled throughout these chapters to help the interlinking of the PoV/storylines as the book progresses.

Sand has embraced her role as the leader of the “escapees”. Her chapters were such a mystery in the previous book and I’m not going to ruin anything about those reveals here – but the way her chapters influence the rest of the MCs takes on a much stronger role in this instalment.
I cannot heap enough praise on how this author interweaves the storylines between our characters & how the choices of the previous ruler are way more far reaching than we can even begin to understand until they are wonderfully hinted at & revealed to us in this while still leaving so many questions, theories and possibilities for where the next book will go 🤪

Lin, Jovis, Mephi & Thrana (spelling? 🙈 sorry audiobook fail) are navigating the inheritance & big picture “running of an Empire” aka dealing with the rudderless constructs, getting the other Islands on side at the same time as they figure one another out (considering they did not know each other before the events ending book1) and the meaning/connections of the awakening powers they discover thanks to Mephi & Thrana - these two precious beans have my whole heart and 100% steal the show for me 🤩🥰

Lin & Jovis story thruline is kind of the main story for me, with Lin being the new Emperor she obviously has to be involved in a lot – this was all great and the reveals as they trickle through the story while she figures out where to go and who to trust were such a tasty addictive “page turner” for me...I mean I audiobooked – so maybe more of I couldn’t put it down vibes 😅

The only weakness, for me with this instalment is the romance byline 🙊 🤫
Normally I’m all here for a spot of romance between MCs, and don’t get me wrong I was all for the hints as they appeared and the extra twists + reveals that affect all relationships in this book (I *promise* no spoilers) are soooo well done!
But the romantic leanings don’t feel fleshed out enough, certain secrets are revealed but at the same time they didn’t feel properly addressed to me…it’s just a bit meh & I think it might have been better as more back burner angst for it to potentially be more explored in the next book – but who knows what’ll happen there so maybe this was the best place for it…I dunno it just didn’t really work for me particularly when so much of Jovis' storyline in the previous book surrounded his search for his missing wife and as we already have P&R established romance I just think a friendship here would have been a better sell for me vs the sort of rushed feeling I’ve been left with instead. 🤷

I’m just not really invested and honestly kind of ick based off some reveals but also don’t want to give anything away nor judge (this is so hard to “talk” about without giving things away please jump into spoiler tagged comments with me if you wanna know more/share thoughts) because so much of what we learn is outside of our characters control and was done to them that I am still totes rooting for them as individuals. I guess I just need things more fleshed out on page or left as friendship would also have been grand because there is so much else happening that I find this thread more of a niggle/distraction than something I’m wholly invested in – soz if I’m being too harsh 🤐

Final take away the new characters we meet and reveals about characters we met in book1 are all adding to the mix as this series builds to its final instalment. It is such a rich series that I would love to know so much more about everything and absolutely cannot wait to see where the last book will take us!

Woops, I thought I might struggle to share thoughts on this read, yet here I am once again at the end of an absolute wafflefest of a disjointed "review"...some day I might learn to stfu - but today is not that day 🤦
The audio version, was again a fabulous experience - I LOVE a full cast audio 😍🎧

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannende Fortsetzung: Geheimnisse und Intrigen

Enthält Spoiler zum Vorgänger!

Lin ist nun der neue Kaiser, aber damit fangen die Probleme gerade erst an. Auch wenn Lin gute Absichten hat, kennt das Volk sie nicht, vertraut ihr nicht und es gibt viele Parteien, die alle ihre eigenen Wünsche haben - und die meisten wollen nicht, dass Lin auf dem Thron bleibt.

In dieser Geschichte geht es zu einem großen Teil um Politik und die Probleme des Machtwechsels, weil viele nur das Beste für sich selbst wollen, andere wollen selbst an der Macht sein und sind bereit, dafür Opfer zu bringen. Auch wenn Lin nicht alles weiß, weiß sie mehr als die meisten und mit der Macht über die Konstrukte hält sie sich selbst auch für die beste Option zu diesem Zeitpunkt. Zwar liegt ihr auch viel daran, sich selbst am Leben zu halten, aber die anderen Parteien haben auch ihre eigenen egoistischen Ziele - bei Lin hatte ich zumindest immer das Gefühl, dass sie sich viel Mühe gibt. Ich fand es da schon schade, dass man ihr keine Chance gibt, sich zu beweisen, aber den Vertrauensvorschuss muss man sich wohl auch verdienen.

Lin ist einsam aufgewachsen, trotzdem kennt sie sich durch ihren Vater mit kleinen Machtspielchen aus, dafür fehlen ihr sowohl Verbindungen zu den Inselgouverneuren als auch Wissen über das Leben außerhalb des Palasts. Sie beendet die Zehntfeiern und gibt dem Volk ihre Knochensplitter zurück, obwohl die Konstrukte ein bedeutender Teil der Macht des Kaisers sind - für manche eine großzügige Geste, für andere ein Zeichen der Schwäche. Ich fand es spannend, wenn Lin gezeigt hat, wie clever sie ist, aber sie scheint wegen ihrer friedlichen Absichten auch oft verzweifelt und ein bisschen naiv.

Sie hat kaum Verbündete, aber sie vertraut sich oft Jovis an, dessen Perspektive mir wieder sehr gut gefallen hat, obwohl es mich auch ein bisschen genervt hat, wie unentschlossen er oft ist und wie er Lin ausspioniert, obwohl sie dem beliebten Volkshelden immer wieder ihre Geheimnisse offenbart. Inzwischen glaubt er nicht mehr, dass er seine Frau noch retten kann, daher hat er kein richtiges Ziel mehr und lässt sich eher von Forderungen und Erpressungen antreiben.

Auch Phalue und Ranami haben es nach dem Machtwechsel nicht leicht. Phalue ist schon selbstbewusster als Lin und ist dem Volk näher, aber die Splitterlosen hatten nie gewollt, dass sie den Posten ihres Vaters übernimmt, also muss sie sich gegen die Erpressungen behaupten. Ranami hingegen muss ihre Vertrauensprobleme mit ihrer neuen Stellung als Frau der Inselgouverneurin unter einen Hut bringen, wenn sie Phalue helfen und beschützen möchte.

Man weiß inzwischen mehr über Nisong, die durch die besonderen Erinnerungen die Knochensplittermagie beherrscht, die Lin aufgeben möchte. Sie und ihre Leute sind schon auf Rache aus, aber nun kämpft Nisong auch gegen das Ende der Konstrukte und wird zu einer Gefahr. Als Lins Gegnerin und auch mit ihren Motiven war Nisong für mich einfach die Antagonistin des Buches.

Fazit
Insgesamt fand ich die Geschichte etwas spannender als den Vorgänger, weil die verschiedenen Handlungsstränge mehr miteinander zu tun haben, und die Machtspielchen haben mir auch sehr gut gefallen. Ich fand es schön, mehr über die Vergangenheit des Phönixreichs, die Alanga und die fantastischen tierischen Begleiter zu erfahren, obwohl es noch viele Mysterien gibt. Ich bin gespannt, wie die Fäden in der Fortsetzung zusammenlaufen werden!