The Bone Shard Daughter is a great story with a fantastic magic system that hasn't been done before. The world building is excellent but it did take a number of chapters to connect with all the different characters. We get four different character points of view throughout the book. Lin (the emperor's daughter), Jovis, Phalue, and Sand. The plot and pace of the story is great and I loved both Lin and Jovis's characters. Phalue and Sand didn't get their full story told in this book but Sand's story is well set up for book 2 which I have a feeling is going to bring a lot of angst and intrigue.

This fantasy is well paced and set up perfectly for book 2. Book one mainly deals with Lin's story and there were elements of this I really didn't see coming. Jovis and Mephi were brilliant and I think they were the characters that really made me love the book. Lin was a strong character from the beginning and I love that this didn't change even as she uncovered he secrets her father had hidden from her. She was fully formed as were all the other characters.

The world building and the different islands were excellent and the bone shard magic itself was unique and very well done.

All in all, I enjoyed the story once I got to grips with the different points of view and characters and I look forward to reading book two of the Drowning Empire Trilogy when it becomes available.

Bone Shard Daughter has one of the most intriguing magical systems that I've ever read! The world building is fantastic and I was completely immersed within the first few pages.

The plot moves reasonably quickly and the different character arcs are brilliantly interwoven. I rushed through this book, desperate to know what happened next... And then was immeasurably disappointed to reach the end! I eagerly await the next installment.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

I loved this book.

The characters are so believable and I was invested in all of them from the start.

The plot strands are woven together flawlessly so the ending is a dawning realisation rather than an in your face boom and it's all the better for that.

The pacing is perfect throughout the entire book.

It's a really well written, well constructed book that was a real pleasure to read.

I found The Bone Shard Daughter to be a very interesting read. While it took me longer to get into it than I would like, I did enjoy it. Really good concept, great world-building and well-written characters made the story flow really well. Would happily read more if it’s a series!

The Bone Shard Daughter is a fantastic fantasy debut and is the first book in the Drowning Empire series. I love the concept and the world Stewart has created. The characters are so well written and each chapter perspective is as compelling as the last, although I would definitely say Lin was my favourite perspective. I thought this is an amazing start to this series and I cannot wait for more.

I seem to have fallen into a habit lately of falling in love with a book’s cover first and foremost, although in this case, I think that is more than warranted because the cover art is amazing and combined with the title, it makes you want to know more about the book. The synopsis sealed the deal for me, and I was delighted when I was approved for this arc.

I will say that it took me a little while to get into this book, in fact at one point I did wonder if this was the book for me, and then it all fell in to place. It was actually the second POV character – Jovis, who made me fall in love with this book. I hadn’t engaged quite so well with Lin – although she certainly grew on me as the book progressed, and it was Jovis that hooked me into the world and the story and remained my favourite of the five POV characters throughout. Perhaps, because he was such a reluctant hero, getting caught up in the action even when he was trying to follow his own path and mission, but I also like his personality a lot, and of course, there was Mephi. Once, I was fully immersed, I found that I appreciated all the characters in different ways – and going back I reread the start after finishing and found myself enjoying Lin’s POV at the beginning a lot more.

Another thing that did take a little while to get used to was the use of the two different types of point of view, and I found the first few transitions a little jarring. Still, I think that was more due to it being something I’ve rarely encountered than anything else because the prose was otherwise was fluid and beautiful. Still, I enjoyed the very different voices between the five.

One thing I did love was that we had an established couple in Phalue and Ranami. And while their relationship is complicated – realistically so, even if you did want to occasionally bang their heads together – it was wonderful to see that kind of relationship, especially between main characters. It’s felt refreshing to read, and I looked forward to their POVs, and their conflict, based on class and the difficulty of finding understanding and balance when coming from different positions in society was very well done, and to me made their relationship more faceted and extraordinary. The last POV character was fascinating too in a completely different way to the others, but I also felt that after Lin, Sand was probably my least favourite POV. However, I still enjoyed her chapters, and I feel that she is the kind of character that will continue to grow on you.

Now, the worldbuilding and especially the magic system, is what really sold me on this book once Jovis had pulled me in. There were so many layers to this world, from the lives of smugglers to soldiers and the daughter of an Emperor, to the government, magic and even the environment itself, and each was vividly described without being overwhelmed, creating an engaging, immersive world that was often just as disturbing as it was interesting.

And the magic system.

To be honest, I was sold, just on the idea of using bones – or bone shards – in magic, even before learning that it was tithed from the population and that bones were only really the starting point. The idea of combining them with animal parts to make constructs was fascinating and dark, and I honestly can’t wait to see more of this magic system explored in the future books, as there is still so much that isn’t known. It’s the kind of magic that can only spell trouble, and I am interested to see just what will happen.

I found the Bone Shard Daughter, to be a fascinating read overall, that explored many themes that were woven so beautifully into the story that they slip under your skin and consume your thoughts. The magic system stands out in particular, as do the questions it raises about the value of human lives in a system like this. The POV characters were compelling in their own ways, offering unique insights into this world, and altogether it made for a very memorable read that I would highly recommend for anyone looking for something different and incredibly thought-provoking.

To be posted to Goodreads and blog: www.beneathathousandskies.com on the 3rd September.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book. At first I was a bit confused and the multiple POV's lost me as I was only expecting the daughter to be written from the daughter's perspective. The magic system in this series is unique and I loved Lin, Mephi and Jovis.

ARC received from the publishers in exchange for an honest review - Thank you

The Bone Shard Daughter has probably become my favourite fantasy debut of 2020.

Book one in the 'Drowning Empire trilogy'.

The amazing cover art was the first point for me to stop and wonder what this book was really about and after reading the synopsis, I was officially intrigued and desperate to find out more. Honestly, I'm so glad that I stopped and kept my fingers crossed for this ARC.

There was 5 POV's in this book (Lin, Jovis Phalue, Ranami and Sand) and usually, I struggle with multiple POV's as I prefer to be taken through the story in only one person BUT through Stewart's fantastic writing, it was almost a flawless movement between the characters and they all seemed to work wonderfully together to really create this magical world.

We have Lin who by far, was the most interesting character for me. She is the daughter of the Empire and she reminded me of Jasmine from Aladdin in her views and how she is kept locked up by her father because she is a woman.
She had the most intriguing character arc followed very closely by the smuggler, Jovis.

In society, we always wish to believe that we are all the same but we are still all in separate classes eg. Working class, middle class etc. This is very much put forward in this book with the relationship between Phalue and Ranami where we get to see how they struggle with their different classes but yet still manage to maintain a relationship. Stewart successfully managed to keep this feeling very realistic and not like other books where you think that this relationship is very much a fantasy as it would never manage to survive through the challenges of society.

The magic building was really interesting and something totally different to anything I have ever read before. The building of objects by using the bones of dead animals and the different commands and spells used to bring them to life and control them is one which I personally have never read before and thoroughly enjoyed.

There are so many other things I wish to include here and I may release another spoiler review once it's been released into the world so I can fully discuss everything I want to, especially those twists that even despite being an avid reader, I never saw coming at all.
The full trilogy title is very understandable especially once the book has been read and that will have to be in the spoiler review.

I'd highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of YA fantasy, magic and a woman disregarding that only men can be in charge and taking all that power for herself and proving she is just as good, if not better, than any previous male rulers of the Empire.

I loved this epic story, one of the best fantasy novels I've read this year, which is a gripping engaging look at power and love, the value of human life and what we owe to those above and beneath us in a society. This is a world of bone shard magic, where the ruling Empire takes a tithe of one bone shard from each member of society, which are used to build constructs that perform a variety of tasks.

With five main characters this story could have become confusing or difficult to follow but the different POVs were handled skillfully. There's Lin, the Emporer's daughter who is desperate to prove her worth, Jovis, the smuggler/reluctant hero of the people, Ramani and Phalue who are struggling to understand each other across a class divide, and the mysterious Sand, who doesn't really know who she is. Often when there are this many narrators, I find myself looking forward to one or two above the others but in this case I was equally interested in and attached to all five of them. With a slight preference for Jovis because Jovis was accompanied by Mephi, who I'm pretty certain everyone will fall in love with.

Each of the characters have different world views, which gives a nice varied insight into the world and the power hierarchy within it. This was cleverly done and really helped with the lush detailed world building.

I raced through the book, desperate to find out how it was all going to come together, equally invested in the development of all of the characters. I can't wait to spend more time in this world. Highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

Actual rating - 4.5*

First of all I just have to say, this COVER!! It’s absolutely friggin gorgeous. I love it! Seriously stunning!

As soon as I read the synopsis for this one I knew instantly that I needed to read it. It just grabbed me from the get go. And honestly, I was not disappointed. I loved the plot, any kind of magic has me instantly intrigued but bone magic!! It was fairly unique, I don’t recall having read anything similar before so that was refreshing.

The plot follows a number of characters, some were more predominant than others and they were all easy to follow as the voices were very distinct. I really liked all of the characters, but my favourite was probably Jovis with his not pet companion, Mephi. Jovis was the reluctant hero type (which I always love) and out on a mission of his own but just kept getting swept up in the revolution and well, being the hero! We see Jovis and Mephi meet and then witness their friendship and connection develop from the start, this was great to read. Lin, the other main character was great too, she was was fierce and strong and determined. I loved the plot with it’s little twists, especially those surrounding Lin, even if I did see some of it coming. The ending, which was certainly not a cliffhanger, does have me desperate for book two like it was. I am definitely intrigued to see where the story goes considering that end position.

My only criticism and the reason for the less than five star rating was purely the pacing. It just felt off in places, especially between scenes for Jovis. He seemed to island hop sometimes with seemingly no consistency in direction or sense of time for travel. This wasn’t a huge problem by any means but something I was certainly conscious of whilst reading. Hopefully the finished copy will have a map so this will be even less of an issue.

I highly recommend this one to anybody who loves fantasy (ya or adult), magic systems and strong lead characters!

This review will be posted to Goodreads the week prior to publication.

I LOVED this book. From the first chapter I was invested in the story, the world building was really well done and easy to understand. I found the magic system to be very unique and interesting as well the protagonists. I became committed to every single one of them. The formatting of the ebook was quite odd, every first page had formatting issues but nothing major, and I would have loved a map to get a better sense of the world but neither of these stopped me from loving this book. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequels.

I was drawn to The Bone Shard Daughter by its gorgeous cover, but you know what they say about judging books...I found it to be a fairly standard fantasy story, and struggled to have much interest in any of the characters. The best part of the book is the bone shard magic itself, used to created monstrous constructs powered by small pieces of bone taken from ordinary people, but I felt like this wasn't explored as much as it could have been. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The blurb on this book made me think it was going to all be from the perspective of the Emperor's daughter Lin. I would not have been angry at that I thought Lin's story was exceptionally cool and I loved her characterisation. I liked the mixture of power and self-doubt, she's one of my favourite heroines of recent reads. But no, this is a multiple POV book and the characters and different perspectives are probably my favourite thing aside from the magic system. There's something for everyone - the emperor's daughter and her quiet subterfuge plot, the smuggler and the 'unlikely hero' plot, the queer couple who have to deal with coming to terms with privilege, and you have the mysterious POV about whom I will say no more to preserve the intrigue. 

There wasn't a single perspective that I didn't enjoy - every different story was great. 

The setting is also wonderful - the drowning empire is fascinating and terrifying in equal parts. From the government down to the environment it all comes together to make a place that captured my imagination. I can't wait for later books in the series where we'll hopefully get to see even more!

It's the magic system that really sold me. Imagine combining bone magic (already cool) with...almost a fantasy programming language? Imagine then combining that AWESOME mixture with a macabre combining of animal parts to make weird hybrid constructs that obey your pre-written commands. 

I mean IT'S JUST COOL. 

I love a hard magic system and this is a great example of that. The implications of bone magic are horrific, and it'll be interesting to see how later books tackle the fact that the coolest aspect of the book (in my opinion) is also the darkest. 

There are also elements of magical animals in this story - in case you wanted another dose of 'this book was basically written with me in mind get out of my head'.

I won't pretend to have captured all the nuance of the story, as a white lady, but I thought that the discussion of power and privilege was really important in this book, and much appreciated. I liked that it came into play in a lot of different aspects of the story, not just one. 

I'm so excited for more people to read this book - but it's taking a spot as one of my favourite books of the year so far. 

My rating:5/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. 

The Bone Shard Daughter is out September 10th!

A brilliant fantasy debut featuring the most imaginative world building and magic system. The empire described is Asian inspired and the story follows five povs of which Lin and Mephi were my favourite. The writing style is beautiful and once the story has its claws in you, it doesn't let go. I'm glad to learn it's part of a trilogy and there's more to come.

This book sadly didn't work for me. I have little to say, as this book was just simply not up my alley. I am sure others may enjoy it but I sadly could not get into it.

The Bone Shard Daughter is the first book in The Drowning Empire trilogy by Andrea Stewart. It's a book set in an asian-coded world although I personally would like more clearance about any specific countries that it might be inspired in, because I couldn't really tell.

The story introduces us to the Bone Shard magic system, which felt quite unique and amazing, but also a bit horrifying. It takes place in an empire consisting of many islands and the book revolves around the life of a princess, a smuggler, a revolutionary and the daughter of a governor. The themes involve the abuse of the poor and lower classes, revolution and extremism, love, family, mystery and identity. Each of the characters is there for a reason and they have a distinct arc. Oh, and it also includes magical creatures, some which are also cute animals. Seems awesome, right? I personally really like how the author executed these themes. The POV of Jovis and Lin were my favorites for different reasons. Jovis because his arc with the children and Mephi was absolutely captivating and Lin because the mystery surrounding her family and the bone shard magic was very interesting to solve.

Now, onto the things I didn't like about the book, first of all was the established relationship between Phalue and Ranami. I thought that the themes explored in their relationship, the class difference, the struggle to understand another person's perspective when you grew up in very opposite ends of the economic spectrum, were very well done. But it also was upsetting to read, I couldn't really comprehend why these two people still wanted to be together, except for the fact that the narrative kept telling me that they loved each other. It felt like a case of telling instead of showing because I didn't see these people falling in love, so how am I supposed to root for it to work when I don't see what lead them to those moments and feelings? I find it quite hard to be invested in a relationship that already exists by the time the book starts, and The Bone Shard Daughter, unfortunely, wasn't an exception to that. Still, I did appreciate these characters' arcs individually, and that wasn't a major downside because the book wasn't supposed to be about their romance anyway.

The second downside was the most obvious to me. I think if we were just talking about the relationship between Phalue and Ranami I could have still given this book 4.5 rounding up to 5 stars, but the difference between POV voices was something that I couldn't really get used to. See, overall we have the POV of 5 characters, some of them feel a bit more important, like Jovis and Lin, both of them whose chapters are in first person. But the other 3, Phalue, Ranami and Sand were in third person. Now, I'm personally not bothered when there's multiple POV's in first person, although I know some readers prefer it in third person, but the narrative decision to make point of views in different voices didn't work for me. This was not a deal breaker because I still enjoyed the story, the characters, and the world building but going from a chapter in first person to one in third person kind of put me off a little. I personally prefer when the author chooses one voice and sticks to it, specially when there's many characters, and third person is always the best option for that.

Overall, I would still highly recommend this title. I think many Fantasy fans will love it and will be dying to read the sequel by the end of the book.

4.5 Stars out of 5!

The Bone Shard Daughter is an exceptionally good fantasy debut. With its imaginative word-building, unique magic and a brilliant cast of characters The Bone Shard Daughter hooks you and doesn't let go.

The Bone Shard Daughter is set within a failing empire which is made up of several islands. The emperor rules in name only, while he spends his days hidden away in one of his many locked rooms while his monstrous constructs regulate and police the empire. But at what cost? Rebellion is brewing and his people dying, this debuts follows several characters as they make their way through this world and find their place.

Stewart tells this unique and intriguing story through the eyes of five very different people, Lin, Jovis, Ranami, Phalue and Sand, and in a slightly different way. Lin and Jovis are both written in first person while the other three POV’s are in third person. At first when I read that this was the case I was worried it would be terrible and come across disjointed and disruptive to the reading experience. This is not the case at all.

With regards to the plot, Stewarts keeps a great pace and keeps you reading with this quite thrilling plot while thrusting you into a rather heartfelt journey. Stewart's characters are well developed and rich in detail. I thoroughly enjoyed each characters journey and their growing relationships and loved reading each one of them, though Sand was my least favourite. I simply found myself wanting to get to another characters chapter.

I really enjoyed Lin as a character and found her story the most gripping and intriguing but I truly loved Jovis and Mephi. I am an absolute sucker for a companion so this really did it for me. We are still yet to know just what Mephi is but it is obvious he is key. Ranami and Phalue, while having less of a spotlight were brilliant, and such a gem to read. The two characters brought forward a great deal of emotion. Stewart did brilliantly at portraying the issues they faced, one rich and one poor, while not leaning towards one lifestyle in particular. At times I felt, truly felt, for Ranami and the sheer frustration of Phalue’s insistence that the system worked yet in the next beat I was so angry at Ranami for risking Phalue and not thinking past her own needs to change her outlook.

I loved the idea of the constructs within this story and the use of bone shards, it felt quite Frankenstein'ish in that these crazy constructs are made up of several animal parts and then imbued with life through bone shards. The magic is what caught my attention and it didn't disappoint, we learn enough and understand it and its relevance but also are teased with a previous kind of magic, one elemental I nature. I suspect we will learn more of this and the mysterious Alanga in the next instalment.

Stewart's writing style is lovely to read. I always feel like the beginning of a novel is the longest, It's the waiting to fall into rhythm with the writing style and to form attachments to the characters, but with Stewart it didn't take long to meet that rythm. There was some repetitiveness with a few words and phrases but beyond that I felt that Stewarts' writing was elegant and well written.

Overall, I really enjoyed this debut and I am excited to read the next book. I can't really find anything I didn't like about this debut.

Official release date: 10th September 2020 (UK) and 8th September 2020 (US)

***I have posted this to NetGalley only, but would love to post this to the following earlier if approved by the publisher, failing that I will post the reviews in the week prior to release across all platforms.

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This was a great book, up there with The Unspoken Name as my favorite debut of 2020.

One question, a central theme to the story, kept popping up: what the value of a human life? Can it be measured by degree of importance, intelligence, or skill? Is a person worth less in a society when their trade becomes obsolete?

All five character POVs were taking a different approach to the question. Lin, the daughter of the Emperor, was raised under the pretense that her father's life and leadership was of greater importance due to his so-called ability to protect his people. The reluctant Phalue and the vigilant Ranami used their political position and injustice-fueled passion to spread equality throughout all the lands, so that each individual had an equal say and treatment. The smuggler Jovis and his mystery animal companion Mephi, the story's MVP--yes, Mephi is the MVP, and this is objectively true, it is not up for argument; I can prove it on a chalkboard--they fight against the tyranny of the empire to save children from a despicable yet mandatory tithing ceremony. This ceremony allows for citizens to be treated as spare parts for the empire's golem-like constructs to thrive as the country's most reliable workforce. It's not a very far leap to compare this to modern day machines displacing workers in recent years... except delivery drones don't use bone shard magic to drain the life source from its people like batteries. This presents an interesting look at the economic value of humans versus constructs, which is the only value that some of the ruling class cares to see. And then there's Sand, a mysterious character with no long-term memory who has a special kind of value, and may end up having the biggest character arc of the series. We'll see, as there's lots more story to tell!

Stewart has chosen a interesting approach to her narrative POVs. We get five POVs in the first six chapters of the book, which was a lot to take in. On top of that, two of the narratives were in first-person, while the rest were in third-person. It took a couple of passages to get used to, but it wasn't long before each narrative voice was distinct and had their own unique strengths and fears. This was one of the many cool tricks that Stewart has in her writing arsenal, and I was all-in for it.

The Bone Shard Daughter is full of surprises. It has a lot to say about our own society, as many great novels have the tendency to do. But it also pulls at your emotions through great character work, strong world-building, stomach-turning revelations, and hopeful paths toward the future. It a rich and rewarding novel, original and thought-provoking, and I didn't want it to end. One of the year's best.

9.0 / 10

Do you want to read a fantasy with a magic system that uses people’s bones? Do you want to read a fantasy with an otter/cat creature that gives its owner magic? Do you want to read a fantasy with lesbians?

The answer to all of the above should be yes, by the way.

You know you want all this.

Well, lucky for you! The Bone Shard Daughter gives you all this and more.

The story follows four strands: Lin, the daughter of the Emperor who wants to ensure her succession to the throne, but is struggling with the loss of her memories, Jovis, a smuggler who is roped into saving children from the bone-taking ceremonies, Phalue, the daughter of a governor, and Ranami, her partner, and finally, the mysterious Sand, about whom not much is clear at the start. Throughout the book, these strands slowly come together, in ways you may and may not expect.

This book combines in-depth worldbuilding with excellent characters and slow burning mysteries that will have you desperate to keep reading just to find out what happens. And then when the twists come? You’ll be left with so much to think about you won’t know what to do with yourself. It really does have everything.

Honestly, I will admit to not often liking such slowburn fantasies as this. Normally, I find myself getting a little bored because not a whole lot is going on, but that was so far from the case here. Andrea Stewart has a perfect balance of drip-feeding you information, so that you’re left wondering what’s going on and what the next chapters will bring. Add onto that the immersiveness of the writing and worldbuilding, you can really imagine yourself there. (Also, it’s the kind of worldbuilding that makes me think it’d make an excellent video game. Just saying.)

And then all the reveals come at the end and everything you think you might have worked out is, in fact, wrong, and all you really want in the world is to be able to read the sequel.

So this is one I’m begging you to preorder, because you genuinely won’t want to miss out.

I loved The Bone Shard Daughter so, so much. I’ve strayed quite far and wide with my reading lately, so returning to epic fantasy was like coming home, and Andrea Stewart has built my dream house.

The Bone Shard Daughter takes place in an empire of migrating islands ruled by a reclusive and callous emperor. He enforces his rule using constructs created with the titular bone shard magic, a secret craft that has been passed down by the ruling family for generations. However, the emperor’s daughter Lin has lost her memory to a mysterious illness and with it her father’s trust, so she launches a plot to learn her family’s secrets and earn her place as the rightful heir.

I still can’t believe this book is a debut novel as Stewart writes with the effortless confidence of a best-selling author. I’m often tempted to skip certain chapters when reading a book with multiple perspectives in order to rush back to my favourite character, but this was never a problem with The Bone Shard Daughter. She expertly weaves together the subplots of her 5 protagonists from across the empire in both first and third person perspectives. This sounds confusing, however Stewart handles it masterfully, to the point where I wasn't even aware of her writing as I was so drawn into the story. All of her characters have great depth, and for most of the book I didn’t really know who was ‘good’ and who was ‘bad’, but I loved them all. Stewart’s refined storytelling is immersive to the point where I could recount to you the fight scenes and each battle wound sustained as if they were my own memories.

I found both the magical and every day details of this world fascinating. The bone shard magic system is probably my favourite example of ‘magic with a cost’ and could be taken as a vivid allegory of imperialist oppression.

To conclude my gushing, the best think about this book is that it is a very satisfying read, yet it only lays the foundations for the series’ overarching story. Like trilogies from Robin Hobb and Brandon Sanderson, I think The Drowning Empire is going to be special to a lot of readers.

Congratulations to Andrea Stewart, and thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.