This was quite an impressive debut! First in a trilogy, this is a fantastic twisty, dark political high fantasy featuring: a princess sneaking behind the Emperor to prove herself a worthy heir, an infamous smuggler desperately looking for his missing wife, a governor's daughter starting to see the cruel realities around her and an empire at the cusp of rebellion.

The story follows multiple POVs with around 4 sub-plots happening that eventually start to converge by the end. I admit, it was a bit confusing at first; the world and characters are introduced so quickly that the constant switching of POVs threw me off a bit. Just as I started to get the feel for one character, I'd be dropped in the chapter of another. BUT stick it out!! It's worth it. I found myself so absorbed by the different storylines and all the different character motivations, wondering how they would come together. The writing was so good too because every character had a distinct voice plus the POV even switches perspectives, with some chapters in first person and some in third, and I hardly noticed because it's done so smoothly!

I really admired Lin from the start because she's so focused on her goals and determined as heck to see them through; literally nothing can stop her. She's not invincible and far from powerful but she's sharp, a quick thinker, self-aware and empathetic. Jovis though! I absolutely loved him. A bitter, jaded, grieving navigator-turned-smuggler who just wants his wife back - he acts all angry and prickly but you know deep down he feels so much and is actually really kind. His journey was so great to see.

Phalue and Ranami are really well-explored characters even though they had comparatively fewer chapters. We get to see the depth of their feelings for each other, how they both love each other equally but in such different ways, and of course their incongruous backgrounds with Phalue being the governor's daughter and Ranami having grown up on the streets. Rather than being a mere source of relationship angst, this class difference is a driving force of their storyline. I really liked seeing their clashing world-views and how Phalue slowly starts to recognize her privilege and the plight of the poor farmers in her island.

The stand-out relationship though, by far!!! is that of Jovis and Mephi. I get emotional just thinking about these two. Mephi is this weird cat-like kind of sea creature that can talk and also has magical abilities and is so! cute! Jovis rescues him from the sea and tries to let him go but Mephi doesn't want to leave him. Grumpy dude/adorable clingy animal has got to be the best pairing. I'm not even kidding, some of the most emotional moments in the story were because of these two.

All I knew about this book was the bone shard magic thing and that alone convinced me to pick it up. It starts off seemingly simple - pieces of bone are used to create these almost Frankenstein-esque creatures and control them. But as you read further, it gets so much more complicated as more and more secrets are revealed. It also has one of my favorite thing about magic systems: major consequences! The trepanning was...quite disturbing.

I also really loved the concept of the world here, with the empire consisting of a bunch of floating islands that migrate - one of which (and this isn't a spoiler) drowns! I mean, it's in the series' name. The way the magic was linked to the politics and the culture of this world was so fascinating to see. We don't learn enough about this world though, like how the islands came about, their history, what's beyond them - hopefully we'll get to see this in the future books.

I won't lie, the plot progression/pacing is quite slow and you'll need some patience, especially in the beginning. But it will be rewarded. There are so many secrets and mysteries hiding in the dark corners of the palace as Lin steals through it and I ended up liking all the gradual revelations (but with so manyyy questions left by the end). The major plot twists were predictable and still a punch in the gut, which is some pretty good writing! The plot is one that slowly, steadily creeps up on you and will leave you thirsting for more info. After that hella exciting climax and ending, I'm desperate for the sequel!

The only complaints I have are: 1) the pacing and 2) the multiple POVs being a bit confusing in the beginning, as mentioned before. Also, I felt Lin's storyline got kinda repetitive and tiring in the middle - I would've liked to see it cut down and more page time given to Phalue and Ranami in exchange.

Overall, if you like political intrigue in your fantasies along with cool magic and engaging characters, you'll want to get in on this one.

Recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

<b> *I received a copy of the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher! </b>

The Bone Shard Daughter explores the story from the perspective of five characters whose path's weave intricately together with others to create an overall compelling narrative. This story was very immersive, it is set in a world where animal-like constructs are brought to life with destructive bone shard magic that drains the lives of the Empire's citizens. I found that the magic system was both original and chilling.

The perspectives within this story are separated into both first person (Lin and Jovis) and third person (Phalue, Ranami and Sand) narrative. Sometimes I find books with multiple perspectives to be a hit or miss as sometimes I find certain perspectives are weaker than others, which makes me less interested in chapters that centre around characters I'm not as compelled by - however, I think the multiple perspectives and narratives was really well done and worked in this novel. Every perspective slowly wove together into a grand tapestry and I enjoyed trying to piece things together.

There were times in this book where the pacing was a little slower, and this book did feel like a build up to the end of the book and the following sequels. I enjoyed the sense of foreboding and suspense this created, however I did find myself more compelled by the last 25% of the book which boosted my rating.

This book set a really good foundation for the sequel to expand on, and I'm looking forward to seeing where to story progresses. Overall this was an original, gripping read.

Immersive and intense, The Bone Shard Daughter shimmers with intrigue and intricately interlacing storylines delivered with hair-raising suspense and high-stake stunts. Charged with compelling characters, complex choices, complicated courtships and turbulent cloak-and-dagger coups, Stewart charts a tooth-for-tooth tale of turmoil and comeuppance with jaw-dropping twists at every turn, entwining themes of the chains of empire, clashes of class and civil justice with the ethics of experimentation, ties of troth, and the tangles of 'chosen one' enterprises. Of the pooled protagonists, Lin is passionate and likeable and her persistence and probity does lots to power the plot, Mephi and Thrana are precious (and must be protected), Sand proves plucky and prepossessing in the leadership position pushed upon her, and the poignant promises of Phalue and Ramani's partnership are on par with the pained longing and pining loyalty Jovis preserves for his lost lover. A winsome and wowing start to a series I'll be sure to watch out for!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for kindly passing on this arc! 💫

Thank you to the author, Orbit Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart in exchange for honest reviews.

3.5 stars

The story goes with Lin, the emperor's daughter who was kept and locked in the palace from the outside world. Her father, the emperor has been keeping secrets behind her and she's attempt to reveal it. In this world, emperor controls his people by retrieving bone shard of each people and animal like constructs. However, the people themselves starting to rebel with the way of the emperor rulling them. Hence, the revolution is boiling and on the way to bring emperor down.

There are 5 POVs in this story, Lin, Jovis, Phalue, Ranami & Sand. The world building is based on sea world where people are living on islands and have Asian's influence. Every POVs have their own missions. Plus, Mephi, the cat like animal added colour to this story. Author also included LGBTQ+ relationship in between of POV. I strongly believe this is a character-driven book as POVs who led the story but it started slowly and from there, their character started to build.

However, for me, I only enjoyed Lin & Jovis' POV especially Jovis. Lin's repetitive sentences is a bit of annoyance to me. It started in a slow pace and I took time to like it. To me, Ranami & Phalue should just exist in Jovis's POV. Sand POV is quite intriguing but I have no interest to know her more. Perhaps Book 2 will reveal more. It said it has Asian representation but it lacks of it. No any Asian representation like clothings, settings, buildings or any Asian would recognized it. I also realized that the character are adult but somewhere felt like YA. They should be in YA age instead of NA age. They sounds a bit of immature to me.

Overall, it is a readable debut but need to work harder to emphasize it. Perhaps Book 2 will cover the weaknesses.

***Will be reviewing in Goodreads separately because of technical issues***

I was kindly given a copy of this by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this!

The magic system is fantastic and very different from the usual fantasy magic. The characters were all really rich and interesting. The world and the idea of moving islands was again another interesting idea. The twists and turns in the story were all surprising but well written so that you picked up on the little bread crumbs as you read.

Mephi <3 Great companion magical animal.

I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this.

A fantasy story with great potential!

“The emperor's reign has lasted for decades; his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands.”

After hearing endless praise about The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart and seeing the impressive 4.13 rating on Goodreads, I had high expectations for this book. Did this book live up to the hype? Well, let’s talk about it.

This story is set in a world consisting of islands (which I love) and follows 5 POVs. These narrators all tell the story of an empire from its beginning to collapse. This book deals with some fantastic themes such as identity and the value of human life. The bone shard magic system is unique and fascinating and plays a significant role in this book. The magic comes from human bone shards and is plucked from the heads of children. These shards are used to create constructs. My favourite character is, without a doubt, the pet Mephi. I love funny and cute companions in my fantasy stories, so thank you, Andrea Stewart, for adding Mephi!

Unfortunately, the world-building did not live up to its potential. Although we follow multiple POVs on different islands, none of the locations felt distinct. The reader does not learn about any sub-cultures or other races, languages or traditions, which I am always looking for in epic fantasy.

Furthermore, I had a tough time connecting with any of the characters. My favourite character, Jovis, is on a quest to find his wife. Unfortunately, I did not learn much about Jovis wife or their relationship, which made it difficult for me to get invested in the quest. Lin has the best character arc in this book. However, Lin has lost all her memories which makes her character feel a bit flat. The reader is left wondering why we are following these characters throughout the book, which made this book a difficult read.

In conclusion, The Bone Shard Daughter is an epic fantasy with a unique magic system, fantastic themes and an intriguing setting. Andrea Stewart has created something unique, and this story has the potential to become great. Unfortunately, this story lacked world-building, and I did not connect with any of the characters, which made this story fall a bit flat.

2.75 / 5 stars

Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

From start to finish I loved this book. A well-planned, superbly written epic fantasy. There are five major characters and the narrative shifts among them. The story is easy to follow despite the complex world of bone shard magic the characters inhabit. As the story unfolds, the storylines of each of the characters start to overlap and converge. The story twists and turns and builds up as, over the course of the book, more and more is revealed of the background of the characters and their history. I believe that this is the first book in a trilogy and I can't wait to read the next one. Highly recommended.

This book, oh this book. Rarely has my heart been stolen so quickly. "The Bone Shard Daughter" is simply amazing and I cannot wait for the sequel! To be honest, this might be one of my favorite fantasy reads of the last, I don't know, twelve months?
Stewart does use typical fantasy tropes but she adds so much new and creative ideas to her world that I had a very hard time putting the book down at all. I received an arc but will definitely buy a copy and might just reread pretty soon. It's that good.

The world building is complex, the magic system intriguing - even though, admittedly, I still haven't quite figured out how reaching into constructs to grab their shards actually works, but honestly, I don't even mind. The setting is fascinating, building a world full of moving islands that, as the title of the series suggests, are prone to even drown sometimes.
The writing is lush and detailed, and Stewart doesn't shy away from writing dark and a little disturbing scenes either. It's a very comfortable and polished writing style that manages to suck the reader right in. The dialogues are engaging and really show the different characters' personalities, the action and fight scenes are exciting, the descriptions allow for vivid imagery. It's simply an amazingly written book.

There are many themes to find in this story, too - identity being a big one, but also family, love, revolution in the face of injustice, all added to the overarching mystery of the Alanga, the people who came before and left ruins and secrets to explore. The characters are memorable and distinct. There are multiple perspectives and not all of the characters have wormed their way into my heart in this first book, but they are all intriguing and I want to read more about them. Sand is probably the one I am most excited about in the sequels, but I really loved Lin and Jovis (the two main protagonists, each with first person perspectives) and was cheering for Ranami and Phalue, even though this couple remained a little pale-ish compared to the Big Two. There are also some character deaths that truly destroyed me, so well done, Andrea Stewart, my heart is broken.

I honestly cannot recommend this first book in a new trilogy enough. It's fantastic, it's unique, it's full of loveable characters and intrigue and mystery. And if that isn't enough, there's also the biggest reason ever to read this book: The glorious baby boy that is Mephi. Honestly, to roughly quote B99: I've only had Mephi for one book but if anything happened to him... well, you know how it goes.

Thank you so much to Little Brown Book Group and Orbit Books for allowing me to read an eARC of The Bone Shard Daughter. All views and opinions discussed here are my own.

MY REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS - so I would recommend not reading unless you want to be spoiled/have already read!
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I want to start by saying that although I rated this book three stars, it doesn't mean I disliked it or even hated it - i'm definitely intrigued by and intrigued enough to want to read the sequel, but I didn't love it enough for it reach four stars. For me, there was just far too much going on in this one book. Firstly we have 5 POV's - I can just about manage 3 but when we've got 5 it's too much for me to keep track of; with all these different POV's I never feel I have enough time with any one character to get attached to them or really invested in their story. I almost felt like this could have been split into two books - Lin/Jovis as one and Ramani/Phalue/Sand as another - there was too much in each story to keep track of for it to be a coherent read. Never mind the fact that most of our main characters haven't even met one another by the end of the book.

Plot wise, there was also too much going on to really get a concrete idea of what this story was trying to be. I get that it's all going to be inter-connected later on, but you need to set us up with a solid foundation so we actually understand the world we're reading about. We get told about the big bad Alanga who have been gone for a long time but the threat of them returning always looms... but I literally have no idea what/who/why they are and what we need to be afraid of. We also have the shard's, which whilst interesting if not very creepy, which are never really fully explained. The Emporer says they're needed to protect against the Alanga but he mostly just uses them to spy on his household so what is their real purpose. We've then got the Shardless Few and their whole arc and then Jovis's long lived attempts to find his wife (which he very quickly abandons in a way that didn't feel well-developed for me) alongside the Constructs who live in Malia with Sand who are now rising up after realising they are in fact Constructs. I'm lost just writing that and there's definitely bits i've forgotten.

There were bits of the books I enjoyed; mostly Jovis and Mephi because their story seemed the most intriguing to me and lets be honest, everyone who enjoyed this book mostly enjoyed it for Mephi. The other part I found the most interesting was actually Sand's story and we got so little of it; I was utterly intrigued about the community of - what we later find out to be - constructs who have had their memories wiped and command's installed. Again this is why I wish it had been split into two books because it would have given us more depth to each character and more time to get to know them.

There were some interesting twists and i'm definitely intrigued enough to go and read the sequel but I'm not necessarily going to be rushing out to buy it.

4/5 stars:

The Bone Shard Daughter is a perfect example of strong-willed, diverse characters and perfectly articulated plot. If you like books such as: The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Daughter of Smoke and Bone, then you will love this book too.

Throughout this story, I was amazed at Stewart's ability to interweave numerous story lines together and the level of detail threaded through each character. This book is an ideal story for anyone seeking out a new fantasy world that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Despite, normally catching on early to potential plot twists - this book left me shocked on countless occasions and I am in desperate need of the second one.

The story focuses on a handful of different story lines and characters:

1. Lin - Lin is the emperors daughter who has spent the majority of her life attempting to gain her father's approval. She desires to become the successor but finds herself competing with Bayan (her adopted brother) after she is left in the dark about the majority of her father's work. The emperor uses bone shard magic to create 'constructs', who are crafted to protect and obey his commands, however these can only be created with the bones of innocent people which causes a stir of rebellion amongst individuals. Lin's story is one of rebellion and secrecy that will leave you hanging on for more.

2. Jovis - Jovis is a smuggler who has one key goal - to find his lost wife. In search of her whereabouts he ends up being dragged into a situation he can't get out of and saves children at risk of losing their bone shards. I personally, adored his story line and his companion (Mephi - a curious creature) was so dear to read.

3. Phalnue - Phalue is the daughter of one of the islands governors. She is strong-willed, determined and respects her father's deeds. However, Phalue is in love with Ranami, who is from the complete opposite spectrum of the system. As Ranami and Phalue struggle to see eye to eye, Phalue is pushed to compromise everything she has lived with for the woman she loves.

4. Sandu - Finally, the last thread of this story is with Sandu. Living her days on an island without question, Sandu completes her daily tasks without worry, until one day her clouded past starts to infiltrate her thoughts and it isn't long before Sandu realises she isn't where she should be.

With such incredibly diverse characters and love stories, this book is an incredible representation of fantasy, diversity, character development and desire. The final conclusion has me desperate to find out more and I loved how the story was a gentle progress. Nothing was done in haste and each character was well-developed. Similarly, the strong female/female romance was incredible to read - it wasn't just thrown in for sake of doing so.

The one thing that I wished for in this book was a strong pace during the first half. It wasn't until around half-way through that I felt finally involved and intrigued by the story. But that being said, the set up during the beginning was also a necessary element.

Definitely a recommendation of mine!

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book.

I started this story with no idea what to expect. I knew it’s received positive reviews so far, and I was a bit worried about the hype around this title. And after I finished reading this e-copy I wanted to do two things: one – get a hardback edition asap, two – re-read it asap. I have no idea where to start this review because I thought The Bone Shard Daughter was absolutely perfect in every aspect and absolutely amazing. As I am at a loss for words about this review, I will start by listing all the fascinating things about this story.

I will start with the characters who are introduced one by one at the beginning of the story. You have the emperor’s daughter who is trying to gain back her memories; a smuggler who is trying to find his lost wife (after 7 years!! – argh, my heart). Then you also have a governor’s daughter and her partner, whose relationship suffers because of the politics of the governor and Emperor, and the difficult living situations of the inhabitants of the island. And finally, you have this woman, whose only purpose in life seems to be picking up mangos. You would probably think “what the heck is this story” and these characters could possibly be connected. Here’s the magic of this story, this fantastic reading experience and discovery of how these characters all come together and how they are connected.

On the basis of it all, you have a world-building composed of moving and floating islands, and if you need to get an estimate of how to get to the next one by boat you will have to consider where the island will move to. What makes this world extra special is the magic system that dominates this world, intertwined with its history and the precarious ruling of the Emperor. Every island has imperial spies, magical beings or constructs, powered by bone shards who are supposed to protect the same people who are forced to contribute with these shards at a young age. I really thought I was about to read the weirdest story ever, but I was surprised to see how this mindblowing idea of bone shards and constructs brilliantly worked.

The plot was unpredictable all the way to the end, I truly hated society that forced me to work and kept me away from this story. It really kept me guessing until the very end when those last three chapters felt like a blow and made me all gasp out loud. The writing was impeccable, the ending left me needing the sequel, which I can’t wait to read. And then, I can’t help, Mephi and Jovis, the most heart-wrenching friendship ever, was one of the most enjoyable things of this story.

For whoever didn’t read The Bone Shard Daughter, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Andrea Stewart’s Epic Fantasy debut is breathtakingly brilliant, blending an imaginative magic system and complex world building, with political intrigues and rebellious plots to rival the likes of George R.R Martin and Samantha Shannon.

Inspired by several asian cultures,the first book in The Drowning Empire series takes place in an Empire ruled by an ailing Emperor who’s Magic is failing and Lin,the daughter he’s refused to recognise as his heir.In order to prove her worth she begins learning the art of Bone Shard Magic in secret.

But soon rebellion takes hold and as the rebels reach the palace Lin must decide how far she’s willing to go to claim her birthright and save her people.

Encompassing the Central theme of Identity and told from the POV of five engaging and well developed characters Lin,Jovis,Phalue,Sand and Ranami (though I’d say it’s Lin and Jovis who’s narratives propel the story the most.)

All four are incredibly well written, flawed characters whose dreams and motivations drive the narrative. I loved each main character but possibly Jovis the most if only for his lovable companion Mephi who reminded me of Gwin from Inkheart.

I absolutely loved the originality of the magic system, which involves carving commands into shards of living people’s bones to create Frankenstein-eque creatures- an interesting concept despite how macabre sounding it is.

Lastly, given how masterfully written and well thought out the world-building and plot was, I still find it difficult to believe that this is Andrea Stewart’s debut- I’m in awe of her skill and can honestly say that I eagerly await the sequel.

I also wanted to thank Orbit and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

The Bone Shard Daughter is the intriguing first instalment of an imaginative fantasy epic with a rather gruesome, visceral magic system. The Phoenix Empire is a world of untethered, floating islands, liberated from mysterious oppressors many years ago by the current dynasty. In gratitude for this ancient deliverance, the people are forced to provide chiselled-off pieces of their children’s skulls to power the Emperor’s constructs—fabricated creatures of flesh, controlled by bone shards etched with magical commands.

The narrative is told from the point of view of several characters including: Lin, the Emperor’s daughter, who has lost her memory due to a mysterious illness but is desperate to prove to her father that she is strong enough to be his heir. Jovis is a smuggler and accidental hero, rescuing children from the horrific bone shard Tithing Festival en route, as he searches for his missing wife. Ranami and Phalue love each other but their attitudes towards the Empire are fundamentally at odds due to the difference in their upbringing. Sand is one of group of people abandoned on an island at the edge of the Empire, with no memory of their lives before they were dropped off by a mysterious boat with a blue sail. And of course, there’s my favourite character, Mephi—an affectionate and intelligent animal companion that Jovis rescues from the sea.

This is exactly the kind of book that I love: incredible world building, complex engaging characters, and a high-stakes, page-turning plot with a satisfying arc and plenty more secrets still to be revealed. Can’t wait for the next one.

Andrea has delivered an incredible debut. She manages that rare thing where the end of each chapter feels like a wrench as you get sucked into every character's story over and over and pulled away again and again. With the beautifully realised world, the wonderful characters and some amazing central mysteries presented through the book, I can't wait to revisit the series.

I must say that I enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would. It had a rather slow start (but that's just me) and the different point of views sort of put me off at first, but once I fully got into the book, I didn't really pay attention to that. Lin and Jovis are both very interesting characters; with Lin, there is a certain twist in the book that I sort of saw coming but still it was really fun. And Jovis is a really fun guy and I loved his relationship with Mephi. The climax of the book was pretty intense and I was cheering for Lin when she finally became Emperor.

I'm really excited to read more about what happens with Lin at the head of the Empire.

One of the best Fantasy books I’ve read this year.
(Thanks to Netgalley for the ebook!)
I loved the idea of the world, the Drowning Empire. It’s an empire of islands, which all have a complex history with each other. There’s talk of war and rebellion, and sometimes there’s just survival, as some islands are literally sinking and thus disappearing.
There’s magic, too. Bone Shard magic that keeps the emperor in power but comes with a huge price.
We follow multiple perspectives, and each of them feels unique and real. Not one of them has a backstory that feels rushed; they are all strong, emotional, likeable AND unlikeable. You question each one of them, and you root for them.
There’s Lin, the emperor's daughter. She’s questioning, looking for her identity, her bone shard magic, and her role in the empire, all while uncovering one of the darkest secrets at the heart of it.
There’s Phalue, a governor’s daughter who is torn between her sense of duty and her love for Ranami, who is associated with the rebellion of the Shardless Few who want to tear down the empire.
There’s Sandu, by far the most mysterious entity in the story. Why has she lost her memory, and why is she living on an island full of people who share her fate?
And then there are Jovis and Mephisolou. Everyone’s favorites. Jovis is a grumpy smuggler, with a rough exterior and a heart of gold. Mephi, a creature he picks up while on sea will steal your heart and make these two your favorite characters.
All of them navigate a sinking island empire on the verge of a rebellion, and full of secrets.
It’s a fast ride through perspectives and plot, yet you don’t feel rushed but rather immersed.
Great representation, a fascinating world, and strong characters make this book a 5 star read!
And I can’t wait to read book 2! I have so many questions and theories.

We started this Buddyread of the The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart in late December. All of us were really hyped for this book, and all of us were really underwhelmed by what we actually got. The book is marketed as an adult epic fantasy, which is simply the wrong stamp to put on it. We picked it up based on a twitter recommendation by a much loved author of us, and somehow we expected something glorious in the veins of Robin Hobb, Brandon Sanderson, or V.E. Schwab. Well, those expectations were disappointed for sure.

The magic system is incredibly mellow. So mellow, in fact, that it even breaks the few rules it sets itself. There are necromantic constructs defined by rules engraved into tiny boneshards that are contained within these constructs. The engraving idea is stolen straight out of Foundryside by the way. The constructs, the only barrier between the Island Empire and an ancient evil, can, of course, be outsmarted by anyone with half a brain. We nearly sprained our eyes while rolling them at that blunder.

The worldbuilding is full of holes, too. There are a ton of why’s, and they are not addressed at all. If you can swallow it all down, it might work for you. But what the fuck is Witstone? Not explained at all – personally, I figure it will be revealed in book II, but you get NO info whatsoever about this absolutely essential thing running the empire.

The above aside, it could all make an action-packed fantasy page-turner, except for two things: The multiple character PoV narration breaks up the action. Some of the characters feel forced, maybe they were added at a later editing point of the book. The thing that ruined my enjoyment though were the incredibly foreseeable plot twists. Seriously, not one “twist” was in any way something to gasp about. The biggest twist is literally spoiled in the title of the book. I always wonder if we read a different book from everyone else, because anyone who uses about 25% of their brain capacity would have seen everything that happened coming.

So… yeah. Disappointing. If you want a book where you don’t have to think, this could be for you, but for us it was the wrong decision. Can’t understand the hype at all.

I really enjoyed reading this and learning about all the various characters - absolutely loved Mephi and Jovis. The various mysteries unfolded nicely, many of which caught me by surprise and left me with some lingering questions. For instance - why everything on/about the island? (Loaded question cos of spoilers), what’s up with the Alanga and Rio? Can certain things be replicated?

I liked the plot twists and that the characters are not all what they seem and are morally ambiguous. The bad guys aren’t all totally bad and the good ones have some highly questionable motives. I even liked some of the constructs. The story is equal parts dark and light, grim and hopeful. There are a lot of threads the author left hanging at the end of the book and I’m curious to find out how they get resolved so will be diving into the next book immediately. Not sure if I would class this as YA fantasy but if it is, it definitely has an adult edge - just in terms of character development. Highly recommended.

My opinion of this book in bullet points:

✘ Mephi is the star of this book period.
✘ I like the characters but didn’t grow attached to any of them.
✘ I appreciated Ranami and Phalue’s rep especially Phalue’s father not even being disappointed or so on her loving a woman. Even in books, most societies still frown on lgbtq+ individuals which reflects our real world of course. None of it is bad but it was a nice change.
✘ I wish their part however was more important like Lin and Jovis’ because some of their chapters didn’t add much to the story.
✘ Lin acting like a YA heroine “I am Lin. I am the Emperor’s Daughter. I would” or whatever. It was repeated too many times.
✘ The book did not have YA vibes, though. Also, all characters are adults.
✘ It did not however feel complex enough and I wanted to know more about the history and world-building, like the islands and what’s beyond them (other than vague references).
✘ Did I mention that I loved Mephi (the “animal companion”)? He was so sweet and cute, where can I get one???
✘ I did struggle to finish the book. there was nothing wrong with it and like I mention the characters were likable, and even the story was interesting. But even towards the end, I couldn’t sit still and read. If it was more addicting, I would’ve finished it days ago.
✘ I don’t know if I’ll be reading the sequel especially because of that trope I mentioned. Will see.
✘ Not a bad debut but at the same time, I did expect better.

Overall, it was a fun book but I couldn’t connect to the characters and it wasn’t as complex as it can be. It’s not a memorable book either. If you want a simple fantasy book to enjoy, then sure. But if you’re expecting a book on the level of our beloved fantasies, this isn’t for you. Yet, the majority had a better time reading this one so you might too.

I 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.