4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2020/09/14/the-bone-shard-daughter-the-drowning-empire-1-by-andrea-stewart/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Even Better Than The Hype

I loved this. It’s a great start to series. It’s creative, has excellent world building, characters you can really get on board with and fantastic imagination and it hints at so much more yet to come.

Set in a world of floating islands the early chapters get off to a very dramatic start when one of the islands sinks killing thousands of people. This is where we first meet Jovis, a smuggler and one of five pov voices. I must say I loved Jovis and his animal companion Mephi. I think it’s fairly safe to say that Mephi is going to be a firm favourite with many readers.

A little bit of history about the Empire. The islands were previously ruled by the Alanga – powerful, magic wielding entities that were highly destructive. We don’t really learn much about them in this instalment other than they were defeated by the magic of the first Emperor. That magic is passed down to the heir and is used to maintain control. The fear of course is that the Alanga will one day return and the fact that some of the ancient artefacts seem to be behaving rather oddly (for example statues opening their eyes) certainly fuels this fear.

Magic is used to create ‘constructs’ that help the Emperor maintain control. Constructs are made up of all sorts of body/animal parts and the magic that fuels them comes from bone shards removed from the Emperor’s subjects at an early age during a ‘Tithing’ ceremony. The shards are placed within the constructs and are used almost like a computer chip, to give the construct its own code at the same time as using the person’s life force to fuel the construct. Of course, people are becoming resentful of this process. The tithing ceremony itself is dangerous and painful and the shards, once placed within the construct slowly drain the donor of energy and life. This resentment is in fact the force behind a mounting rebellion that is gaining popularity across the Empire.

The story is narrated through five different POVs that help to give an all round view.

Lin is the Emperor’s daughter. She lost her memory five years ago following illness and whenever she recalls something from the past the Emperor rewards her with a key to one of the many locked doors within the palace. Lin’s story helps us to gain information about the constructs and the way they work.

Jovis relentlessly searches for his missing wife – she was abducted seven years prior and he sails the seas in pursuit of his only clue – a boat with a blue sail that was seen departing the island at the time of her disappearance. He’s a wanted man, his smuggling having earned him something of a reputation and he unwittingly becomes almost a saviour to the people, gaining hero status when he rescues a number of children before they can have their shards removed.

Phalue and Ranami are a couple who share a stormy relationship. Phalue is the daughter of one of the island’s governors. Ranami is one of the islanders, her life and upbringing provide a sharp contrast to the lifestyle of the governor and in fact their relationship is used to highlight the difference in the class system – the downtrodden, underfed famers at one end of the scale, living in abject poverty and working long hours for very little reward and the overfed, over indulged Governor at the other with his opulent lifestyle and scant regard for the masses.

Finally we have a character known as Sand who lives on an island with others who all seem to suffer from some form of memory loss. This is an intriguing element to the story and I confess I completely went down the wrong track with this particular thread. I won’t discuss this element further only to say this promises to be an intriguing element of the next book.

In terms of plot. Well, I would say that this has an almost ‘set up’ style feel to it. Don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a negative remark – this has great pace and I couldn’t put it down – but by the conclusion I would say that what has really been established here is a feel for the people and place plus the promise of so much more yet to come.

Criticisms? I don’t really have any to be honest. I think, as with any book with multiple povs, there will be firm favourites and povs that readers are more keen to return to. I would also like to learn more about the world depicted here. I love the asian influences and the idea of the constructs and the magic used, plus there are a couple of twists that were very eye popping. Basically, I want more and I want it now – so not really a criticisms but a desperate desire to visit this fascinating world again.

Overall, this is a very impressive debut. The writing is polished and there’s a stunning amount of imagination and creativity at play here that certainly provides plenty of food for thought. I can’t wait to read the next instalment.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

In an Empire of migrating islands that are governed by constructs made by the Emperor, we follow Lin, the Emperor's daughter, who is fighting to regain her memories and make herself worthy of learning his bone shard magic and being his heir. Jovis is a smuggler, trying to pay off his debts so that he can continue his search for someone perhaps lost to him. And Phalue is an island governor's daughter, watching her father give lavish parties whilst orphans starve in the streets.

These are some of the main players in The Bone Shard Daughter, which weaves together a series of different narratives that you know will come crashing together - whether in this book or the next, something will change ...

I absolutely loved this book from cover to cover. The characters are struggling, interesting and make mistakes. I particularly loved Jovis, not just for the adorable deadly 'pet' Mephi, but also for his own slow growth as he realises what role he can play in this world.

Alongside the whole terrifying concept of bone shard magic - of taking bone from people and using their life force to power the constructs that both protect and oppress them in the name of the Emperor - is an excellent underlying plot of rebellion and class struggle. None of the main characters are directly involved in this, which is even better - it may become their fight, or affect them, but it's not just one MC realising the world needs to change - the world is already changing with or without them

And add to that, the mysterious threat of the Alanga, the lost and fabled original inhabitants of these MIGRATING islands (did I mention how exciting it is to have migrating floating islands??). There is history and a little bit of mystery and depth to this world.

I was slightly disappointed by Lin's storyline - anyone who has read Girls Made of Snow and Glass might notice some strong similarities and, as I was reading, I was wondering what felt so familiar. I didn't read it as a copy, however. Instead it felt like a stronger darker retelling on the same theme. It meant that the Big Revelation wasn't quite so big for me, but it didn't detract from being a solid, good story.

It was great to read a genuine female/female romance between Phalue and Ranami - especially as they were not only an established couple, with multiple proposal attempts, but also on two very different sides of the class divide. There doesn't seem to be much of a 'women's roles are these things' society too, which is even better as fantasy does not need to be oppressive. Even better, same-sex couples don't seem to be rare or remarkable. There's talk of couples marrying and adopting children seems not at all rare or unusual - just really refreshing to read this as a norm, rather than something remarkable.

In any case, I'm very happy to take 4.5 stars and round it up to 5 for gripping adventure with strong and interesting characters, and plenty of excitement to come.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, Orbit books and Compulsive Readers in exchange for an honest review.

It took me about 50% to really get into this book, but once it got going I was absolutely hooked! (And the fact that the sequel is so far away that it's not even listed on Goodreads makes me very sad.)
Hands down, my favourite thing about this was the worldbuilding, which I really want to see expanded in the coming books! The idea of islands that move in set migration patterns is so cool, and I loved the little way that Stewart followed it through to the social impacts as well, considering how it would affect the race relations and politics of the world. I’m not expecting it to be explored much further, but I would love to be wrong about that because I feel like it could be so interesting to explore its consequences a bit more! The bone magic is also horrifyingly fascinating, and I’m disproportionately thrilled by the fact that it’s only be feasible using a language written the way Chinese is, and would never work with the Latin alphabet.)

In terms of the characters, Lin is just the right balance of intelligent and resourceful without being too unrealistically capable. She has no memories of anything before the last five years, and her feelings as she slowly uncovers the truth of who she is and decides who she wants to be, as well as her struggle between wanting her father’s approval while also wanting to be a better person and ruler than him, were well-written and felt realistic. But, though I felt for her more and more as the book went on, somehow I wasn’t as emotionally connected to her as I wanted to be. Her plotline was definitely the most engrossing though, full of plot twists and mysteries! I was absolutely sure that I knew where it was going... and I was absolutely wrong (though looking back there were signs that I was stupid not to pick up, so other people may make better predictions than I did).

The synopsis is incredibly misleading as it doesn’t mention the other POV characters at all, and actually my favourite character was definitely Jovis, a wanted smuggler searching for his wife (who was kidnapped years ago) who gets inadvertently swept up in a rebellion. He tries so hard to project a hardened, irreverent persona, but it's so clear that he's actually an absolute cinnamon roll who cares so deeply about other people and can't help but do the right thing, and I couldn't help but root for him! (Plus, Mephi is one of the most adorable animal sidekicks I've read in a long time!)

Where Lin and Jovis’ POVs are in third person, the other three storylines are in third: unusual, but I think it works nicely to differentiate their voices. Ranami and Phalue are an established couple: Phalue the daughter of the governor of one of the islands, and Ranami a poor commoner, and their storyline, with its discussion of class privilege, hit particularly deeply. Phalue takes a long time to truly grasp the conditions that the people under her father’s rule endure, and I’m certain that her difficulties in acknowledging her privilege and the responsibility to others that comes with it, and her journey to realising that radical actions are necessary for true change, will be relatable to many.

Overall, I felt like each aspect of the book was well-developed and fully fleshed-out. I appreciated the way Stewart wove the threads together (although I would have liked it to happen a bit earlier in the book) and I’m excited to see where it all goes, after pretty huge cliffhanger endings for all five POVs!

The Bone Shard Daughter had me intrigued as soon as I had read the synopsis for it and seen the gorgeous cover. This Adult SFF was well executed in its plotline and and I loved the way the story came together. Its pacing did affect my reading but it left me happy in the end.

The Story
The story for Bone Shard Daughter is about the Emperor’s daughter Lin who does not remember any memories from before five years ago. It also has Jovis, who is a wanted smuggler who’s on the search for his missing lover. This book also has three other characters: Phalue, Ranami and Sand. Lin and Jovis had the most page time but all five of their pov’s were truly interesting to me. The synopsis does make it seem like the story is only about Lin but its a multiple pov book. These multiple POVs was a bit jarring in the start but after the first 10 or so chapters, I was pretty used to it. Honestly, this story was so unique and unexpected that I could never be truly sure which direction its headed in but the intriguing atmosphere of the book kept me invested.

I loved how the detailed the world was and the way it all came together was simple amazing. There were many secrets and twists to the story and some were partly predictable but others took me by surprise and made me go “OH” which is always a great feeling. This is why I say that this was a very well-executed book especially the storyline. This book gets dark and creepy also and it felt like a full package.

The Characters
There were five characters in this book of which Lin and Jovis have the most page time. I loved reading about all of them. Lin’s story was not just interesting but also always brimming with a sense of intrigue. I loved reading about her and her resilience and perseverance was amazing. Jovis who is a smuggler was super fun to read about. He also has the most adorable animal companion Mephi and he goes from “I don’t want a pet” to “I’ll hurt you bad if anything happens to him” and it was everything. Jovis was a realistic character who is just constantly tired of people around and kept being pushed into situations.

The other three were not as central characters as the other two but were equally important to the story. Phalue and Ranami were fascinating to read about and their relationship was also sweet. I really wished we got to see more of that but I am sure in the second book we will get to see more of them given how it ended. Sand was an interesting character and her story was filled with secrets. Sand doesn’t remember anything about her life and the reader and Sand discover it together as it goes ahead and the way her story was told was awesome. Sand had the least chapters but I can’t wait to read more of her story.

All in all, this book had a set of amazing characters and all different than the other but their stories came together beautifully and smoothly and it was truly such a great experience.

The World building
The world building was my favourite part about the book. It was intricate and so smartly done. Even though it was a big book, there was never any part where I felt bored or confused. It was so well put together and the author does an excellent job of weaving the world, the story and the characters together. It was seamless and the transition was also well done. More than anything, what I loved about the book was that it was very unique. The magic system was of bone shards and I loved how well it was constructed (pun intended). It was the kind of book which left me a little awed with the world because I was so in love with how it was set up. It was atmospheric and you can feel it while reading it.

The Writing and Pacing
The writing was good, simple and effective. It worked well with the story and the author’s simple writing with the intriguing plot really works well. Now the pacing was my biggest and probably only concern with the book. It was slow. As I said earlier, I did not get bored at any point but the slow pace did make me impatient at times and I wished it would hurry up. But reading how it all comes together, I honestly don’t count it as a major problem anymore. It’s slow but intriguing enough that you do not get bored and can push through it. It’s a lot like building blocks where the it can be a slow but the process and end make it totally worth it.

This book also discusses classism and privilege and the economic problems faced by the lower class because of the ignorance of those in power. It has themes about revolution and it talks about how is important to sacrifice and be true to your beliefs to bring in some real change. This forms a good part of the story.

Overall, The Bone Shard Daughter was a solid debut with a well written storyline and stunning world building and a unique magic system. If you’re a fan of adult epic fantasy and atmospheric and intriguing books with multiple characters, lots of secrets, twists and sapphic goodness, you MUST READ The Bone Shard Daughter.

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with an eARC through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group/Orbit for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Bone Shard Daughter’ by Andrea Stewart.

This is Book 1 in Stewart’s Drowning Empire series. It is an epic fantasy told from five narrative points of view.

The Phoenix Empire has been ruled by the Sukai Dynasty for over a century. They are masters of a dark magic that uses bone shards to power monstrous constructs that maintain law and order throughout the empire. Yet the emperor’s health is failing and revolution is stirring across the Empire's many islands.

Lin is the Emperor's only daughter though a mysterious illness has stolen her childhood memories and threatened her status as heir to the empire. Lin is determined to reclaim her birthright by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Alongside Lin’s story is that of Jovis, a smuggler, seeking his lost wife and the blue-sailed ship that took her. He becomes caught up in the struggles of those seeking freedom from the oppressive empire. He has a companion in Mephi, a mysterious cat-like creature, that he rescued from drowning. Mephi is awesome!

There is also Phalue, the daughter of one of the island governors, who is hoping that her beloved Ranami will finally accept her marriage proposal. Ranami, a bookseller, is very aware that she and Phalue come from very different worlds. The final narrative voice is Sand, who lives on Maila Isle at the edge of the Empire. Who she is remains a mystery as her memory, along with those of her companions, seem to be in a continual fog.

Of the five main characters in this first volume Lin and Jovis have the most chapters. Apart from Phalue and Ranami, who are a couple, these four threads initially develop on their own before starting to weave together. Halfway through the novel Jovis comes to the island of Nephilanu and meets Ranami and later Phalue. By the final pages the weaving comes together to create a beautiful tapestry.

I accompanied my reading of the eARC with its audiobook edition, narrated by Feodor Chin, Natalie Naudus, and Emily Woo. Having three narrators worked well given the novel’s narrative structure. I have also ordered its exquisitely bound hardback edition.

This was an excellent debut novel with breathtakingly crafted world building and brilliant characters. I will be looking forward to the next volume in this outstanding fantasy series.

The Bone Shard Daughter is a stunning fantasy debut that opens up a wildly imaginative world with a unique magic system and wonderful characters.

The story takes place in a drowning empire (literally and figuratively) that runs on bone shard magic, but rebellion is brewing.

I'm keeping descriptions around this book vague purposefully because I think going in with as little information as possible is the best way, there is so much to discover as you dig into layer upon layer of mystery surrounding all of the characters.

The story is told from five different POVs, although the majority of the book focuses on two:

Lin, the former heir to the Empire. She's lost the memory of who she once was due to a crippling illness and she must fight to find her way back to herself and her rightful place on the throne.

Jovis, a rogue smuggler with a heart of gold, hunting down a mysterious boat with distinctive sails that snatched up the love of his life several years earlier.

The other three POVs add even more complex and interesting layers to the world and the story. Stewart masterfully pulls together the disparate threads of all of the POVs in the most spectacular fashion.

The story is fast paced, brimming with tension and rammed full of action and so many twists and reveals it made my head spin (in the best possible way!)

I'm hesitant to draw comparisons with this because it's such a unique read, but if you like the sound of the magic from The Daughter of Smoke & Bone in a setting similar to The Poppy War, this book is definitely for you.

STRONG POINTS & HIGHLIGHTS

🌻 Dark and cruel magic system. In The Bone Shard Daughter, magic is performed through the use of bone shards, which are forcibly taken from the kingdom’s children through a tithing ceremony. These shards are used to create and power terrifying magical constructs that carry out their maker’s commands. But this comes at a very steep price. In fact, shards under strenuous use can cause citizens to fall into shard-sickness, which eventually becomes fatal.

🌻 Sapphic goodness and addressing class privilege. There is an established romantic relationship between two women, who come from opposing social classes. Specifically, Phalue is the vastly privileged daughter of a corrupt governor, while Ranami belongs to the poorest sector of society. Their differences in social standing contribute to the rough patches of their relationship. As they both strive to work out their personal issues, Phalue and Ranami are forced to confront larger ills on the island they live in. Phalue’s beliefs, in particular, are challenged as she faces the greed and corruption of her own father.

🌻 Exploration of power, revolution, and free will. The key themes tackled by this book provoked a lot of thought. For instance, through Jovis, Lin, and Bayan, we learn about power, its sources, and its equally many forms. How far are we willing to go to obtain power? And how should power be used? Who should benefit from it? It is also through Lin that we start to speculate the complexities of agency and our perceived notions of free will. What governs our choices and our sense of purpose? Is our destiny designed by someone else or crafted by our own will? Are there limitations to freedom? Finally, through Phalue and Ranami, we are introduced to the critical role of revolution in overthrowing a corrupt system. What must be done and what must be sacrificed to actualize change?

🌻 Secrets and twists that will have your skin crawling. At the onset of the story, I instinctively felt a sense of creepiness and inexplicable wrongness. Reading this book felt like roaming a haunted house at the darkest hour of the night and expecting a monster of some sort to suddenly appear. In other words, I was very tense as I anticipated the reveals. The Bone Shard Daughter is brimming with closely guarded secrets, creepy mysteries, and disturbing twists.

🌻 A promising first installment to an addictive, high-stakes series. The story’s pacing is incredibly slow-going, and this sluggishness is maintained throughout the majority of the book. But everything quickly picks up steam once I made it past the 70 to 75% mark. Additionally, the last quarter of The Bone Shard Daughter shines the brightest for me. In fact, without giving anything away, the book ends with a spectacular finish that’ll leave readers wanting more.

BUT ON THE DOWNSIDE

🌻 Unmet expectations due to marketing.* My biggest bone to pick (no pun intended) is how this book is marketed to readers, which leads to misconceptions about what it’s about. A lot of my expectations were unmet, which negatively affected my reading experience of The Bone Shard Daughter. For instance, since I wasn’t prepared for multiple points of view, the switching of POVs felt jarring. Also, it hindered me from connecting with any of the major characters.

* For example, the book’s synopsis solely pertains to the emperor’s daughter, Lin. Because of that (and the book’s title), I expected the story to focus on Lin’s determination to master bone shard magic. However, The Bone Shard Daughter is actually told from multiple points of view, which highlight different character arcs and personal journeys. Furthermore, among all these perspectives, Lin does not come across as the leading character. In fact, Jovis has more chapters than her. And I also have several more arguments supporting Jovis’ position as the real main character. But I digress. In addition to this, selecting The Poppy War as a comp title for this book is similarly misleading. Because the similarities shared by these two books are far and few in between.

🌻 Frustratingly slow build-up to an impactful ending. As good and thrilling as the ending was, it sure was an absolute agonizing pain to get there. I’d compare reading The Bone Shard Daughter to a day-long, uphill hike. By the time I reached the summit, I was too exhausted by the hike to fully appreciate the great view.

RECOMMENDED*

Hauntingly eerie and disturbing, The Bone Shard Daughter is a solid adult fantasy debut with a very rewarding conclusion. It is an epic fantasy teeming with dark magic and much darker secrets. Its glacial pacing might be a dealbreaker for some readers. However, if you can power through and be patient, then you’re certainly in for a delightfully creepy treat.

Oh this is such a satisfying epic fantasy! It has everything I look for in a book: detailed world building, intricate magic systems, intriguing characters, seamless LGBT+ and POC rep, a plot that pulls you in and holds you tight aw well as a sass-talking magical companion too boot! What more could you want?

The blurb really doesn't show the multitudes of layers there is to this tale. It really only captures one aspect of a fascinating world and the stories within it. I will admit at first I was a little off put by the large number of perspectives there was within this book. It was a little confusing at first, but as we learned about them and how they fit into the world I really liked how the switch in perspectives were used. It allowed us to learn about the world, the government, the magic systems and the characters in a very organic way. The stories of each of these characters layers and intertwined in a way that really built the plot beautifully, while also building tension and excitement. It was so well structured that I quickly lost myself in the story. I didn't find myself hurrying to get through any particular perspective, each had a unique and interesting story while also playing into the plot lines too.

The world is fascinating and I honestly could happily read a book based on each individual island. The concept on migrating and moving islands that would move within its position in the world, of long wet and dry seasons and some islands only being close every 30-40 years was fascinating. We got so much insight into how the people of those islands went about daily life, how the islands were governed, their history but it also felt like there was so much more behind it all, we haven't got to see yet. We got their myths and legends, how these differed and spread through the different islands. We got insight into all different tears of life in the Empire. They daily life, fears and hardships of those at the lowest rung of society, the lavishness of a corrupt government, the real enigma of the Palace itself, hidden behind its doors, there is just soooo much to explore. I can't praise it enough, It just felt so rich and detailed.

I also really loved how much the magic system effected the populous of the world, how it played into there lives in every way. It really was so interesting to read about.The Magic system is dark and gruesome. From its methods to what the bone shard magic is capable of it just felt so inventive but also really creepy. As we discovered more and more of its secrets along side Lin it became darker, with real consequence to its use.

It is also a heavily character driven story. Lin is fantastic, I loved how her perspective puzzled out the magic system, its uses etc. Jovis, was the perfect reluctant hero- just the perfect mix of cocky, with the warm heart underneath. Determined to keep his Smuggler brovado as he searches for his missing wife. Phalue and Ranami, two sides of the same coin, an established f/f romance that are from opposite sides of status, figuring out where they stand with each other, within the empire and where their loyalties lie. Mephi, a magical talking horned-otter-cat - do I need to say more, we know my love for sassy animal companions. Finally Sand, a perspective that is is an enigma wrapped in a mystery! There are also so many side characters that will make you smile, laugh, scowl at or grieve for. You will love some and hate others but all the while be invested in there stories.

It has been a year of amazing books in the SFF world and this is one of the top. I cannot do it justice in this review other than it is worth reading. The next book cannot make its way into my hands quick enough.

One word that sums up how I feel. Bereft. I’ve had the biggest book hangover since I can’t remember! Yes, The Bone Shard Daughter really is that good.

Floating islands that follow a migrating pattern, mysterious previous inhabitants that have left artefacts behind, creatures built from different animal body parts and known as constructs, a couple of mysterious independent beings who have gifts to share, items that have magical properties, factions, rebels, fights, blood, gore, relationships, and, and so much more! What’s not to love…

Lin, Jovis, Phalue and Sand have their own chapters and I loved the suspense. Leaving each character at a pivotal point meant I pondered where they might lead us next before going on to the next chapter. Each of those chapters are totally absorbing for different reasons. Lin and her loss of memory doesn’t stop her from finding a way around things, Jovis on his quest to ease his heart, Phalue in love with a commoner but blind to the realities outside her cushioned governor’s daughter existence and Sand, an accident causing the veil to lift. All connected to the Emperor and bone shards in one way or another.

All have inner strength and leadership abilities (even if some don’t want to accept it).

All are driven and motivated, not for themselves but by the powerful emotion of ‘other.’

I can’t really share much more without giving spoilers. If you’re a fantasy reader then this is a must read. There is much more to this world that we have yet to uncover. So excited for this trilogy to continue!

I am completely lost for words, this is just....wow. It’s amazing, I think if I say what I think I’ll be accused of verbal diarrhoea, I just can’t put into words how much this book stunned me, amazed and enthralled me. It’s a future classic surely. Andrea’s writing and world building is just beautiful and such a talent ! This isn’t a grab you from the start read, but there is just something there that intrigues you and keeps you turning pages, starts as curiosity and then you have to know what is happening, it’s a slow build to addictive reading. The plots are just threaded and twisted so perfectly and cleverly. The characters are fully fleshed relatable characters, you watch them develop and grow and I loved that, the representation is just brilliant. I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like in reading this , well other than it ended. An amazing debut I am so excited for the books to come from this beautiful talented author


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart was an intriguing and exciting start to a new adult fantasy series, set in a world controlled by bone shard magic as the Emperor’s rule begins to fail and revolution sweeps across the Empire’s islands.
Led by a complex and determined princess, a brave rebel and her high ranking girlfriend and a smuggler seeking his lost love, Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart was an intricately woven fantasy with several intertwining storylines and exciting reveals. The highlights of this book include sapphics, incredibly unique magic and a stubborn talking animal.
From the get go, the world of Bone Shard Daughter intrigued me. It was confusing at first, as such a complex and interesting world can be, but Andrea Stewart was able to relatively quickly build the groundwork for her world and then elaborate with unique details. Bone Shard Daughter is set in an Empire ruled by the Sukai dynasty, who defeated the magical creatures known as the Alanga centuries before and put themselves in charm. It’s a large cluster of Islands, with the biggest being where the Emperor lives. There are also other countries outside of the Empire and further away, that we learn of but do not visit yet.
The magic of Bone Shard Daughter was incredibly unique and so, so fascinating. The Bone Shard Magic is one that’s knowledge is closely guarded by the Emperor, so that only those of the Sukai dynasty can work it. Each year, there is a tithing festival and citizens of the Empire are selected to have a small shard of bone cut from them and given to the Emperor, who can program these shards with instructions and insert them into things known as “constructs”, who will then follow his demands. It’s a lot more complex than I can explain, but it was executed wonderfully and I loved finding out more about how it works as Lin learned more too.
Lin was my favourite character. The determined daughter of the Emperor and heir to the Sukai throne, Lin lost her memories five years ago, and her father desperately wants her to remember them. All Lin wants is to prove her worth to her father, so she starts to learn Bone Shard Magic behind his back. But as she learns more about the magic, she also learns more about her father, herself, and secrets that will change her world forever. She’s a wonderful character, and her narrative was definitely my favourite and the most exciting!
Jovis was the other character with a first person POV, and he actually had more page time than any of the others. At first I was like, what is this smuggler man doing here, I wanna hear about the badass princess and the sapphics, but I definitely warmed to him. He’s one of those characters who is like “I only care about myself” and then rescues children and looks after a cute talking animal and helps the commoners in their rebellion.
And yes, we have to talk about Mephi. Mephi was the animal that Jovis rescues early-ish in the book. We don’t know what kind of animal Mephi is, he seems to be a rare mythical creature with magical powers WHO CAN TALK. And he was adorable. Stubborn and loving and smart, I just want more Mephi content. He quickly becomes enamoured to Jovis, and Jovis cares for Mephi a little too much to get away with all his “heart of steel” talk.
Part of the main reason I read this book was for the sapphics, because of course. Going in, I expected Lin to be the one in a f/f relationship, and that wasn’t the case. Our sapphic couple is Phalue, the daughter of one of the Island’s governors, and Ranami, her rebel girlfriend, who is a part of the lower class. They’re an already an established couple and have been together for five years. Phalue wants to marry Ranami but Ranami doesn’t want to be the governor’s wife or marry Phalue until she enacts more change on their island. Both of these characters have POVs, and I loved seeing their relationship and conflicts from both sides, as Phalue is not completely aware of her privilege but trying her best, and Ranami is exasperated at the women she loves but wants to work past it. I loved their relationship, I really did, but it was a much smaller part of the plot than I had hoped, and that did disappoint me. Still, I loved the way this relationship showed the class differences and hierarchy problems of the Empire, and it was the only romance subplot so at least there weren’t any heterosexuals overshadowing it! I vote for Sapphic Lin in the sequel, too. Andrea, I believe in you.
The plot of this book was great, with it’s intricately intertwined storylines, exciting reveals and high stakes, though the beginning was a little slower and I didn’t get properly invested in the plot until a little way in.
Overall, I loved Bone Shard Daughter. I was hoping for a little more from the characters and a bit more sapphic content, and the pacing was rather slow at first, so it wasn’t without it’s flaws, but it’s one I really recommend and I can’t wait for the sequel.

I don’t think it would be fair to delve into this book without first talking about this absolutely gorgeous cover. It’s possibly one of my favourite book covers of 2020 because it perfectly captures so many bits of plot and intrigue from the book. The key, the waves, the fact that it looks as though it really has been carved from bone, it’s just stunning. If the synopsis for this novel hadn’t already caught my attention, this cover absolutely would.

If we’re being totally honest here, I wasn’t immediately hooked by The Bone Shard Daughter. I can’t remember if I just wasn’t feeling like reading, or if the plot was maybe a touch too slow for me at the start, but it wasn’t a love at first sight kind of grab. But it did intrigue me! From the very first page, I was drawn to the concept of the magic in this world. It’s a really unique magic system, one that is intricate and thought-provoking and made me know from the start that I was in good hands with this novel. In all honesty, I didn’t mind too much that the first few pages were a little on the slower paced side, because in the end it gave me glimpses into the mystery that really did hook me for the rest of this book– how does the magic work? Every time there was some bone shard magic happening on the page, I perked up. I was so intrigued by it, and it definitely made me hungry for Lin’s chapters.

The narrative is a little bit complex, in so much as you sort of have to trust that the author has a plan for the novel. There’s a few different POVs going on, and it takes a good chunk of the book before you start to see how those narratives connect. For me, Lin’s and Jovi’s chapters were probably the easiest to read, simply because they have more twists and turns going on and more action in general, though I did also love reading Phalue’s and Ranami’s chapters too. I struggled a little bit with Sand’s, possibly because it took me a while to figure out what was going on, but again patience is rewarded later down the line. With the amount of POV characters this book has going on, it should’ve felt a bit clunky, but (like the magic system) I think this is clearly one of Stewart’s strengths. Her characters are very well-developed, especially their motivations for doing things. There’s a lot of balance going on, and I loved how complicated their motives and ambitions could be. Phalue, in particular, leapt out of the page at me, because I could understand how she was thinking and feeling for most of the book and it really added a lot to her relationship with Ranami, since they both saw the world in such different ways but frequently saw the good in each other too. I think the character development is truly standout. All too often, fiction can struggle with that line between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters, and things like rebellions or class status or privilege can be overly simplified in the quest for a clearer narrative. The Bone Shard Daughter embraces complex characters whose motives, needs, and desires are complicated, messy, and (at times) at odds with one another. The attention to detail added a lot of depth to the book.

There are moments which do snag a bit. While I was interested in the mysteries of the palace and the big event that happens partway through the book (which I can’t say more about because SPOILERS!) I was a little bit disappointed that it took a while to get to find out more. But again, I guess there’s two more books (?) to come, so hopefully answers will be more forthcoming later down the line. There’s also some plot twists that I wasn’t entirely sold on, but again I kinda feel like I need to hold my tongue until I read more of the series. And the worldbuilding, particularly when it comes to the history of the world prior to the Emperor’s reign, seems so far to be a lot of repeating the same little chunks of info without really giving you much to sink your teeth into, which sometimes made it more difficult to remember that there was more going on behind the scenes. Again, I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be resolved in a satisfactory manner later down the line, but if we’re just going off first impressions it was a sticking point for me.

Overall. I’m giving The Bone Shard Daughter 8.5/10 stars. I loved the magic system, and thought it was well developed, intricate, and clever. I feel like we’re going to get some jaw-dropping plot that links to the bone shard magic in one of the other books in the series. The characters were all complex, fascinating people and this was probably my favourite thing about the book. I’m definitely curious to know what happens next and will be excited to read on!

The Bone Shard Daughter is the first book in The Drowning Empire trilogy. The gorgeous cover art completely grabbed my attention as did the synopsis. This is Asian inspired fantasy which is told from the point of view of five different characters. Although this is a lot of POVs it actually worked really well. All the characters are brilliantly portrayed, really diverse and from different backgrounds, each facing their own different challenges.

The storyline is quite complex but the story telling itself is wonderful and with great pacing it is very easy to read and well executed. It is infused with many twists and turns which kept me engrossed and guessing throughout. A few of the revelations I didn’t see coming at all and completely took me by surprise.

Based around an empire consisting of different islands, the world building is brilliant along with the intriguing magic system called bone shard magic, which creates monstrous constructs made up of different animal parts. The creation of these constructs is absolutely fascinating and at the same time quite horrific.

This is a really interesting story with fabulous world building, a unique magic system and carefully constructed and well developed characters. A must read for all fantasy lovers and a fantastic debut novel. It clearly paves the way for a sequel, which I’m very much looking forward to reading and learning so much more about this amazing world.

Thank you so much to the publisher via Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book.

The Bone Shard Daughter was a delight to read in every aspect - the world-building, the characters, the themes, the plot, everything. Told by five narrators, the story takes place in a world where the empire is a series of floating islands migrating in patterns in an Endless Sea. The current emperor, Shiyen, is from a dynasty who had ended a previous dynasty of superpowered/god-like people, by using bone shard magic (and whose return they fear), and his daughter Lin is his heir who yearns for his approval and his tutelage of the magic; the bone shards and the life force for said magic comes from the populace. Obviously, people are not happy with this arrangement, and a revolt from a group called the Shardless Few seeks to depose the emperor; Ramani and her girlfriend Phalue get involved in the cause; Phalue being daughter and heir of one of the governors, is reluctant at first. Jovis is a smuggler who is running from a pirate operation, and who has been searching for his missing wife for seven years, and inadvertently gains notoriety and is hailed as a hero for saving kids from Tithing. Sand is living on a distant isle, without any memory and only driven by routine until she realizes something was off.

The story primarily focuses on Lin, Jovis and Ramani-Phalue come in to fill up some perspectives. Lin doesn't have her memories from more than five years ago, and she is constantly trying to live up to her father's expectations, which are primarily that she remember. She is competing with her father's foster son Bayan, who is being taught the bone shard magic that she isn't. Currently, the magic fuels constructs - creatures that have the bone shards with instructions embedded into them (think organic machines running on AI)- and four top-tier constructs run the empire's daily business under her father's instructions. Frustrated with her progress, she goes about sneaking into the forbidden libraries using stolen keys and learning herself, as she feels Bayan being too similar to her father would make for a terrible emperor. Along the way, she uncovers much more to the constructs and her father's plans. I particularly liked the magical element - it is sorta like necromancy, but more intricate in its rules. Lin cleverly uses the knowledge she learns from books, and tries to turn her father's constructs to obey her instead. Her emotional attachment to a blacksmith's family as well as concern for the citizens of her empire fuel her ambition primarily, and are her anchor when it comes to making decisions.

Jovis' story brings out the world set-up, i.e., the floating islands which I am still so entranced by! I wanted to know more about how the previous rulers influenced the lands, and the possibility of creatures in that Endless Sea! Anyway, back to Jovis - so he smuggles out a kid marked for Tithing when an island sinks into the sea (I guess that's why this series is the Drowning Empire and I wonder if it is going to coincide with the rise of the previous rulers) - and soon, he is being inundated by parents who want him to save their kids from 'bone donation'. He also gains an animal companion, Mephi, who is the cutest thing ever, and who he first thought to be a kitten but turns out to be a magical talking creature, who also gives him superpowers. Now, Jovis wants to keep searching for his wife Emahla, but he also can't ignore the plea for help, and also Mephi encourages him to do good. I particularly loved the bond between them, starting from an unwilling pet to something he would care for immensely.

Phalue is the governor's heir but her long-time girlfriend (and who she hopes to make her wife) Ramani wishes that she were more, ahem, woke. See, Phalue thinks she will wait for the governorship to pass onto her to make changes, but she is still not clear on how much needs to be changed about the world they live in. Ramani sort of forces her hand, when she gets involved with the Shardless, to see the plight of the people, and face her own privilege. Their relationship is strained a bit by Phalue's obliviousness and Ramani's frustration with it, but it also explores class structure, and the worldview therein, and how to reconcile with that. I wish that there was more about them, especially Phalue who wakes up and realizes how much of her father's injustices she let slide - they sort of go into the background when Jovis gets into Shardless business. By the way, did I mention this is a world without homophobia or misogyny? Like, Phalue's desire to marry Ramani had no objection, and both Phalue and Lin being female heirs to their respective titles was never in doubt just because of their gender.

While the story at its core is about people being oppressed by a powerful ruler, and our protagonists working to change the world they live in, the bone shard magic element adds a powerful aspect to the world building. The current dynasty being built on a revolution itself, it speaks to how power and ambition are a heady mix; there are some cynical elements presented by Jovis, who doesn't truly believe that the change wrought by the Shardless will be all that good either. Additionally, the reveals about the extent of the Emperor's magical abilities were quite awesome - the constructs are all mostly sentient enough, but the four that run his empire were also independently thinking and having Lin matched against such a powerful adversary was quite a challenge for her story. Additionally, I'm interested in how Lin will fare from hereon out - with the bone shard magic that was supposedly for protection but was eventually used to make things easier for governance, and the two new challenges for her that arise at the end of the story. Jovis being a character with complex desires also makes me eager to see what he does next.

loved every bit of this debut novel. The Bone Shard Daughter is the first book in the Drowning Empire wherein bones are the essential ingredient for these whole magic system. It is dark, haunting, and magical.

The Bone Shard Daughter was narrated by different perspectives. A perspective of a daughter whom her father expects so much of her, a rogue smuggler who helps to abolish the rotten agenda of the empire, a nobleman's daughter who struggles to choose between her own heart and her loyalty, and an unknown woman who was lost and trying to figure out who she really was.

The whole world-building was inspired in the Chinese-themed era. I loved that the author slowly narrates every character and intertwining every story to one certain plot, to free the Empire to the reigns of Emperor. The Emperor is keeping every single piece of bone or what they called shard and kept it inside the palace. The Emperor believes that the Alanga people, will come back and destroy the whole empire. Because of this, he focuses on the matters of the Alanga more than his people.


It is a great debut for Andrea Stewart. I am looking forward to her works and for this trilogy.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review, which I'll always be!

In the world of The Bone Shard Daughter, the 4 (?) islands have won over the ancient and terrible reign of the Alanga and are now ruled by their saviours: the Sukai's.
The emperor is strongly relying on his boneshard magic to run the isles and protect them from the potential re-rise of the Alanga, carving command into the shards to create constructs (a frankenstein-esque animal hybrid).
These boneshards are taken from his citizens , potentially risking and definitely draining them of their life force and so, naturally, the people rebel.

Through the story we follow 5 characters. Our two main characters, Lin and Joven are written in 1st person perspective,while our 3 side characters,Phalue, Ranami and Sand, are written from the 3rd person perspective.
The change between the two was barely perceived by me it was so seamless.

Lin is the daughter of the emperor, who lost her memory due to a sickness and because of that, her father doesn't want to teach her the secret arts of her family, the boneshard magic.
Jovis is on a 7 year long search for his wife. While on this journey he finds himself with a mysterious animal familiar named Mephi (Mephi just found a place in my heart from the very beginning and made a nest in it. I'll eliminate anyone who dares to harm him.)

The mechanics of the magic system reminded me a lot of science fiction which was an interesting thing to think of while reading a fantasy. It, too, showed itself without disturbing the story.

All in all, this was an interesting story to read. I had never before stumbled upon a book where magic relied on bones.
And though his book was clearly a set up for the ones to come, it was not tenuous and rather a quick read. Cannot wait for the next book to come.

What can I say about this book? Wow.

What an incredible debut.

I am thoroughly obsessed with this story, I need more and I need it now!

Being adult fantasy, it took me slightly longer to get into, but once I was into it there was no stopping me.

There are 5 different POV's to follow in this book, which is a couple more than I'm used to, however once I wrapped my head around who was who and what they were all doing I was beyond invested in the story.

The intricacies discovered in this book were incredible, it's such a well developed, interesting story. The plot is well executed, and the characters just astounded me - little Mephi is my absolute favourite!

This is one of my favourite books this year so far, and I will absolutely be shouting about it for a long time to come, I cannot wait for book 2!

Happy publication day to Andrea Stewart, thank you for your incredible book.

I absolutely loved everything about The Bone Shard Daughter! The author created a world full of captivating characters, interesting kind of magic, action packed and with a worlbuilding so perfect you feel like you are there with the characters.

The story is told by multiple POVs:

Lin is the Emperor's daughter, who is willing to learn a peculiar and thrilling kind of magic to prove her worth to her father.

Yovis is a smuggler, who finds himself involved in something much bigger than he is, while trying to find answer about his wife's disappereance.

Phalue is the daughter of a governor and, through the stubborness and love of her lover, Ranami, she's forced to open her own eyes to the cruelty of the Empire and to do something about her own father's reign on her island.

Ranami, Phalue's lover, is a strong character, willing to do anything to get a fair government and to save her own people.

Sand is a woman who, after an accident, finds herself stranded on a mysterious island with many other people, while trying to know how they get there and what and who are they.

The bone shard daughter is an amazing book, full of plot twists, interesting characters and I couldn't put it down!

Firstly, I must comment on the cover. It’s amazing. It looked great before I read the book, but once you read the book and absorb the cover again, it’s even more stunning.

The Bone Shard Daughter is the first book in The Drowning Empire series trilogy and is the debut book from Andrea Stewart. It’s been getting excellent reviews from many bloggers in the community—283 rating on GR with an average of 4.42—and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Orbit, via NetGalley.

Stewart has created an interesting world in The Bone Shard Daughter. It hooked me. There is certainly an interesting history there which has yet to be truly revealed. In truth, Stewart has done a masterful job of building a world and not really giving up that much in book one of the series. There is so much more to come. I believe The Bone Shard Daughter only scratches the surface.
The empire is made up of a collection of islands which float and move position as the seasons and currents change. The empire itself is ruled by Emperor Sukai, whose family have ruled the islands since they figured out how to defeat the Alanga—a powerful race, mysterious, and somewhat mythical, which we don’t learn much about, but will!

The Sukai family rule because they are the only ones who could defeat the Alanga, and they maintain rule because it is said one day the Alanga will return. Well, that and they possess bone shard magic (more on that shortly). However, the empire is in the early stages of rebellion. Its citizens are not happy with how they are being ruled. Many no longer believe the Alanga will ever come back. Many no longer believe it is worth sacrificing their live, through bone shard magic, for the good of the empire.

A census is periodically carried out on the islands, by the military. Children of a certain age are then taken to a ceremony where a chisel is used to remove a small piece of bone from behind their ear. For one in 25 children, this means death. For those whose bone shard is used in a construct, it also means death, though slowly.

On to the magic… the Emperor creates what are referred to as constructs. A construct is made up of pieces of various animals. For example, a rat’s body with the wings of a raven, or a bear’s body, with an ape’s arms, and a wolf’s head. Pretty terrifying right? However, these constructs must be powered and programmed. This is where bone shards come in. The Emperor takes uses the bone shards from the empire’s inhabitants and inscribes them with rules. These shards are them placed inside the body of the construct to power it. This drains the life of the people whose bone shards are being used in the construct. Some constructs are simple things, others use dozens of shards. The shards closest to the brain possess the higher, more important behavioural rules, taking precedence over those lower down. It’s a unique system which Stewart has created.

I’m sure you can now see why the empire is in the early stages of rebellion and people are not happy. However, it isn’t easy to rise against an emperor, especially one who has become a recluse. One who doesn’t allow people near him for fear of betrayal. The palace has been closed off from over two-decades. So how does he rule his empire? Constructs of course. He has four extremely complex and powerful constructs who form a council of sorts. One each of war, trade, bureaucracy, and spying. Each of these constructs has many constructs across the islands who report directly to them. They in-turn report to the Emperor.

On to the actual POV characters. The story is told from the POV of five main characters, Lin, the Emperor’s daughter; Jovis, a wanted smuggler; Phalue, a Governor’s daughter; Ranami, Phalue’s girlfriend; and Sand, a person whose memory is somewhat lost.

I can’t really discuss the paths each character takes without spoilers, which I always avoid, but I can give a brief overview.

Lin’s story feels the most individual and detached from the others until later in the book but was the storyline which most gripped me. She is suffering from memory loss due to a sickness and competes with her adopted brother for the approval or her father and keys… yes keys. The palace is full of locked doors, each with its own key. Lin is given a key to a new area of the palace when she pleases her father during questioning. The quest for keys and proving she is the rightful heir is what drives her. She gets involved in a little espionage and I found her a really interesting character. Though, I was able to predict her storyline accurately. There is a twist which may catch a lot of people out, but I knew what was coming. The breadcrumbs were there. However, she’s still an interesting character and I’m really looking forward to how she moves forward in book two.

While on the topic of individual story lines, I’ll touch on Sand. It is easy to see how her storyline will collide with the others, particularly as we reach the end of the book. However, her story is also somewhat separate in book one and the person I was least invested in. She’s the character who plays a rather small part in The Bone Shard Daughter, but I think a major role is coming in book two. So, look out!

Jovis, alongside Lin, is one of the two main characters (their POV is told from a first-person perspective) and I really like him. He’s a character who is going through a transformation in his priorities, in-part during to a mysterious creature he found, Mephi, who, somehow, has bestowed powers upon him. Namely strength, speed, and an ability to heal quickly, but there is definitely more to come—I’ll just say water.

Finally, we have Phalue and Ranami, who have a complicated relationship. Phalue is a governor’s daughter, born into wealth. On the other hand, Ranami grew up in poverty. Phalue believes she is nothing like her father and people love her because her mother was a commoner. She walks the streets and gives money to orphans and helps where she can, thinking this is enough. Ranami, however, knows what it is like to be truly poor and pushes Phalue to do more, creating conflict. Their relationship is used excellently by Stewart to highlight the difference in this class divide and challenge what it means to really stand up for change.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoy The Bone Shard Daughter. The pace isn’t quick, it’s more about character development, relationships, building the foundations of the world and society, but it is all done extremely well, and the pace does pick up later in the book. Also, as I mentioned, Stewart really didn’t give a lot away, there is much more to come, I am sure of it. I highly recommend you pickup this book and I’m really looking forward to book two.

Oh my god, this book was brilliant. As I’m writing this it has been a few days since I finished it and I cannot stop thinking about it. I had seen The Bone Shard Daughter around a lot on bookstagram and twitter and found myself falling in love with the cover of the book! I mean, just look at it! Once I read the synopsis, I knew this was a book I needed to read.

Andrea Stewart has this magical way of writing that instantly captivates you and has you needing more. The amount of detail and world building is brilliant, and I found myself intrigued by the idea of the constructs and how bone shard magic works!

In this book you get five different perspectives. You have Lin and Jovis who are told in first person with Phalue, Ranami and Sand written in third person. At first I found this a bit strange but honestly, I soon began to not even notice and found that it added to the story and development of these individual characters. Also can we take a moment to talk about Mephi? I am completely and utterly obsessed with him and cannot wait to learn more about his species!

There was a moment in this book when everything just clicked into place for me and there is honestly no better feeling then realising what an author has done and planned to get to that certain point in the story when everything comes to light. You know that something is going to happen and when it does it hits you like a ton of bricks.

The Bone Shard Daughter is an epic and fantastic fantasy debut! This has definitely become one of my favourite books of 2020 and I cannot wait to read the next one when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.