So, Andrea Stewart’s The Bone Shard Emperor is going to be at the top of everyone’s must read list, including my own.

With The Bone Shard Daughter, Andrea Stewart introduced us to Lin, Jovis, Mephi, constructs and The Phoenix Empire.

Now with the Bone Shard Emperor, the world gets expanded and the story continues.

After the events of the previous book, Lin is now the Emperor, and she strives to rule the empire of Islands differently than her father. Instead of ruling with an iron hand, she wants things to change.

Meanwhile, Jovis is the captain of the guard, and whilst on the surface he is loyal to Lin, little does she know that he has his own secrets.

Andrea Stewart expands magnificently on her debut and does not disappoint in this second installment, building on the captivating world that she introduced in the first book and things that were introduced in the first story become more prescient in this book. In addition she gives us more of the history of the world that she has built, giving us more insight into the disasters that are striking the islands.

It’s difficult with second books in the trilogy and it takes a skilled storyteller to build on what has gone before and also to progress the story on to it’s end. However, Andrea Stewart deftly weaves multiple plot lines to craft an engrossing story and expand on the story that she introduced with The Bone Shard Daughter.magnificently

The Bone Shard Emperor is the second book of this trilogy, with the final book due out next year - I'd read and enjoyed the first book (The Bone Shard Daughter), as it had quite a novel idea for magic, that of constructs directed by commands etched onto bone which is then placed into their body, and the first book comfortably got 4 stars from me. This book was less definitely a hit, so I rounded up a little to get the same rating, as the pacing (very much a personal preference) left a bit to be desired at times and it often felt as though there were just a few too many moving parts.

The Bone Shard Emperor picks up where the previous book left off, with Lin (now emperor) attempting to rally support for her rule and also spending a lot of time travelling to other islands and trying to use the return of their people's shards to turn things in her favour. She is very much running out of time as there are also ongoing issues with various islands sinking, as well as an army of constructs led by a woman who claims to be Lin's half-sister, determined to take the throne from her. All this is further complicated by the existence of the Shardless, and the governors who support them, who are determined that the current system should be replaced by a council made up of members representing the islands.

There's a lot going on here, with many of the main characters having even more secrets of their own, whether about their abilities or where they come from. A little too much going on, with a few too many moving parts to keep track of, though other people's preferences may vary - I could also have done without the semi-inevitable romance sub-plot that appears partway through, particularly in the light of the amount of things the characters involved haven't actually told each other. At times the pacing felt a little uneven too, though at least the author managed to make me more interested in characters I'd found hard to give a crap about in book 1!

The trilogy finishes with The Bone Shard War , due out in 2022, so I'm pretty sure I'll pick up a copy and see how things resolve, though this still remains a series I'm happy to either get from the library (or free!) rather than one I'll actually buy - that's reserved, as far as possible, for things I think I'll want to re-read and this series doesn't quite cut it for me.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is my honest opinion of that book.

I adore this series so much! Andrea Stewart is an amazing writer. She created an amazing world and a really unique magic system. I loved everything about this book. It gets more complex, more fast paced and there was a lot of character growth. Also, this series has a really cute animal companion. I think Mephi won everyone's heart who read this series. I can't wait to read the final book and I'll recommend this series to everyone. Thank you to the author and the publisher for this arc.

Middle Book Syndrome?

It just didn't click with me.

The story had more world-building than the first book. Stewart's acclaimed attention to detail was at the loss of character and plot development.

In my opinion - without book three out there yet - this trilogy might have worked better as a duology.

The breathtaking, exciting and incredible journey of Lin, Jovis, Phalue, Ranami and all the rest continues. The battle with the construct army, the sinking islands, the returning Alanga and a reluctant romance take center stage as we travel from one side of the Empire to the other. Its an exciting story full of characters with depth that have endeared me beyond all reason and I am desperately awaiting the next one!

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

I love this series. Completely immersive, interesting magic systems, compelling characters with their own wants and desires that they use subterfuge to get (sometimes). Mephi as a teenager is a real mood. Can't wait for the next one!

To recap briefly (and without spoilers), The Bone Shard Daughter saw the Emperor’s Daughter Lin and renowned smuggler Jovis embroiled in a revolution, and also prevent their island kingdom from going – literally – underwater. There are also a number of mysteries around the creation and use of the bone shard constructs – animated creatures made from samples of people’s bones, which are programmed to protect the kingdom from external threats. Of course, I was always going to come back to this series for the character Mephi, who remains a delight to spend time with – who doesn’t love animal companions?

Thankfully, there are other things to love about The Bone Shard Emperor as well. I continue to be impressed by Stewart’s world-building, which takes inspiration from a variety of East Asian cultures and blends them into something that feels unique, instead of being a simple cultural analogue. As someone who grew up by the ocean, I am also particularly into the island aesthetic. Additionally, I think Stewart would make an excellent horror writer if she put her mind to it, as the entire concept of the bone-shard constructs and the tithing festival that facilitates people having their bones harvested to make them is appropriately very creepy – I found myself recoiling at several points as we learn more about the practice of making and controlling constructs.

The Bone Shard Emperor is also much more politically complex than the first book – everyone is conflicted, their loyalties tested. There are no easy or clear answers, and everyone finds themselves pulled between multiple loyalties. I’ve seen a lot of reviews say they don’t buy the romance that springs up between Lin and Jovis in this book, but it’s for this reason that I actually really enjoyed this element of the story: Stewart makes it very clear that their feelings are as much driven by them looking to process what is happening to them individually as it is about whether or not they have romantic feelings for reach other. Of course, this means there’s a lot of potential for it to all blow up spectacularly – and for it to be very messy when it does.

All that said, there were two issues for me with this book, and they’re both the same issues I had with book one. The first of these is pacing – the first half of The Bone Shard Emperor is very slow, and I feel it could have benefited from another round of editing to make it tighter, as there is a lot of unnecessary exposition. Stewart really builds up to her explosive endings – which are great – but I wish it didn’t sometimes feel like a chore to get there. The other issue is the uneven POVs. In addition to Lin and Jovis, we have married couple Phalue and Ramani, who rule over one of the islands in Lin’s empire and Nisong, a character with a mysterious past. I typically always gravitate to the sapphics, but where Lin and Jovis feel like dynamic characters, Phalue and Ramani feel rather one-note and seem to play out the same interpersonal conflict on repeat. In addition, their contribution to the plot simply isn’t as compelling as Lin and Jovis’ story, and I think this book would have benefited from finding some other way to integrate the parts of their story that the reader absolutely had to know about, rather than having us spend time following their POVs. I’m not sure there’s much scope to change this now – given we’re two-thirds into this trilogy – but it’s a fairly significant element and the one thing that stops me recommending this series wholeheartedly.

That said, I do still recommend this series – there’s a lot of elements I love and I definitely think it’s worth giving it a shot if you haven’t already (or picking up book two).

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book - I've been craving this sequel ever since I turned the last page of The Bone Shard Daughter and I truly feel blessed that I was able to read it before it's even out.

It's been a while since I read the first book, but I vividly remember feeling like it was hte beginning of one of the best new fantasy series out there. I was captivated by the worldbuilding, the magic, the characters.
Jovis, as a character, already punched me in the throat in the first book and his depiction and growth wasn't any less gentle this time. Mephi and Thrana still keep my fingers itching to pick up my abandoned pencils and papers again and sketch them.

Needless to say, The Bone Shard Emperor wasn't any less captivating than The Bone Shard Daughter. I think it has some flaws, which I've been struggling to put into words ever since I finished reading it, but the best way I can say it is that it feels and reads like most sequels to the first book do in any series. It's always somewhat underwhelming, but fortunately, with this series, it's just a little so, and I'm still excited to continue reading and see where it goes.

Mostly I think this book could have done without the romance subplot, but I'm jotting that down as me being the reader that I am - romance rarely interests me. I think there are many readers who are going to like it - and I do wonder where their relationship will go as the series progresses.

What I still love the most about this book (aside from how some characters taste when I read them - like when you make a cup of your favourite tea, but scald your tongue because you make the first sip too soon), is the magic system. I'm deeply interested in both the bone shard magic and the magic of the Alanga - and all the revelations that came in this book. I LOVE the questions that arise about artificial intelligence in this world, I'm so, so curious where the plot of the constructs will go, no matter which side one roots for. What makes a person? What makes us human? Something we often ask in this day and age with technology being where it is, and also with cybernetic organisms taking up so much space in sci-fi. But what makes someone a person when one is, quite literally, stitched together from parts of different people?

This still remains one of my favourite fantasy series, and very close to the top to everything published in this genre in the last couple of years (from what I've read so far). I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book.

Closing the last page, I was itching for more, but I also can't wait to read it again from the beginning.

4.25 stars!

Omg I am so lucky that I got this e-arc via Netgalley. Thank you so much to Orbit for granting me this present!!

This is the second book in the Drowning Empire, following The Bone Shard Daughter.
In the first book we followed our main character Lin the daughter to the emperor who is learning her bone hard magic as well as trying to retrieve her memories about who she is as she knows very little about her past.

In this book, Lin is now Emperor navigating her empire and trying to undo all the horrible things her father did. Including building the constructs using the bone shards from her people.
She goes on trying to make allies with the governors on the different Islands, including one of our other POVs.
Unfortunately it is very hard for her to build bonds with her people as there is a new threath from the north: a construct army led by Nisong who claims to be Lin's half-sister and wants the throne. In addition to the continued threath of the Shardless Few who want her to abdicate.

While we follow the politics in this book, and learn about the different islands, we also learn about an old threat to the empire resurfacing: the Alanga. Who wield powerful elemental magic.
I loved learning about the Alanga and their artifacts. As well as seeing some characters in new lights...there are some plot twists!
And getting to know new ones: a monk who may or may not be trustworthy, and an orphan girl who will steal your heart.

The main reason for my obsession with this series are the cute animal companions. After the first book we know about Mephi and Thrana but we get more!!!! I want to snuggle them all.
Overall this book is a great set-up for the final installment The Bone Shard War. I need to know what happens right now!

Andrea Stewart continues writing in her well-written, easy-to-read, engaging manner. If you are looking for an introduction to fantasy this series is for you.
I eagerly awaited this book which is number 2 in the series and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed catching up with our characters and their companions on their journeys.
Definitely a 5 star read, which I highly recommend.
Oh, and I preordered the hardbacks because I want those beautiful covers on my shelf.

What a thrilling sequel AHHH this <i>definitely</i> beats the second book syndrome.

<b>Characters:</b>
- even more fleshed out and complex
- new changing dynamics and handling of past traumas
- we love to see Growth
- Lin, Jovis, Mephi and Thrana stole the show - absolutely loved the first two's povs in this book
- there are TONS of characters in this story and they never feel neglected or out of place, they all have a role to play that leads up to this final sequence that is so exciting
-Phallue stole my heart, I was about to steal her away from Ranami

<b>Pacing:</b>
- THIS IS SUCH A FAST BOOK
- like the first one, it was a breeze to get through
- if you like shorter chapters, this is one for you
- the beginning doesn't drag but it has several pieces to line before the plot starts to roll again but very soon its like a roller coaster ride that ends with a bang

<b>Plot:</b>
- after the first book I was worried that it might not get as exciting so I was curious to see where the story was going to go and it didn't disappoint
- it tied up knots really well, the breadcrumb trail for some Book 3 stuff is laid perfectly
- there aren't as many twists and turns, the intrigue is mostly on the Alanga and constructs but it still manages to be really engaging and dare I say fun (think of the animal companions - Mephi and Thrana)

Others??:
- this book, for some reason, makes me feel like a child again while reading? It reminded me of when I was reading the battle scenes in pjo - they just build and build and build and when you think it is over, BAM they build some more
- the animal companions, Mephi and Thrana, they are so fucking precious. Their species is just so exciting to see on page, the way they interact and fight. The mystery behind their species as well, it's just fun
- I love the expansion of the lore - about Alangas, Sukais, bone shard magic etc nothing revolutionary but its still exciting to learn alongside the main characters
- I just could not put this fucking book DOWN??!??!?

I cannot wait for the final book in this series, the plot just feels very well thought out, everything's lining into place and ahh I can't wait to see more of these characters and their companions.

[arc provided by netgalley]

If you haven't yet read "The Bone Shard Daughter" now would be a good time to get a copy, as the publication date for "The Bone Shard Emperor" is just a short time away and you are not going to want to miss this! "The Drowning Empire" has been a spectacular series so far, and I can't wait for the third book (2022, hopefully!). I don't want to forgive Andrea Stewart for one particular event... But she's such an amazing writer, that I will - eventually!! Perfection, again.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I don't know how she did it, but the bone shard emperor was even better than the bone shard daughter. Both such amazing and well writting books, which I highly recommend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I absolutely adored the first book, so I am sad to find the sequel disappointing. The pacing was excruciatingly slow. It was the same in the first book but at least it had that mystery aspect to keep me going; this book didn't. the plot moves too slowly for my liking and while i enjoyed the expansion of the worldbuilding and lore, I did not find it as exciting as the first book.

Perhaps it's a me-problem, but I honestly found this quite boring. I can tell that Stewart struggled to write this because the sentences did not flow so well and the book is pretty rough around the edges. Maybe I lost interest, but I did not find it as intriguing as I once did. I love the magic system and the characters, but I need more motivation than that to keep reading.

Andrea has done it again. What a fantastic fantasy. I utterly adored the first book and wasn’t quite certain how it could be followed up, but the sequel does not disappoint. A beautifully woven story line in a world that can be developed even further, if I thought I loved the characters after the first book I completely adore them now. Stunning writing, an enthralling world, and what feels like a completely original concept. The only letdown is that there’s now a wait until the next book - there’s no doubt this is one of my new favourite ever fantasy series.

Andrea Stewart did it again! This successor of her great Bone Shard Daughter could have fallen to the dreadful Middle Book Syndrome. I'm always reluctant to go for the next one after a great opening book, because so many trilogies in our beloved genre just expand a little bit of the setting, stay with the established characters and play around with the plot, holding back all the fire for the grande finale of the third book. 

To get the white elephant out of the room: Jovis's iconic beast Mephi is there, talking and loves to play cards, supercute as ever, but more a teenager than a child.

"He lay at my feet, belly up to the meager sun, his whiskers twitching as he dreamt."

Of course, Bone Shard Emperor brings back the two main protagonists of the first book.
Lin Sukai, the Phoenix Emperor's daughter is now Emperor herself and struggles with the succession aftermath. Governors don't know or trust her. The undead Bone Shard constructs aren't controlled by the Emperor anymore, they are planning a violent revolution under Nisong's leadership, who has been the former Emperor's wife and Lin's mother. The influential rebel group Shardless Few call for her abdication. Another island has been sinking, the godlike Alanga are rumored to have returned. Ever grumpy Jovis, former smuggler with superhero abilities, now Captain of the Imperial Guard finds out about her true nature. All that under a frenzy pace of a ticking clock. 
Summarizing, Lin has to juggle a huge amount of confrontations in several dimensions, always together with Jovis (and Mephi, of course). Pick your favorite out of politics, economics, criminals, immersive battles, and you'll stay entertained. 

Also, Lin doesn't stay in her palace as she did last book, but is touring the islands to win over governors. Lots of fun with protocol and strange habits exposing surprise after surprise.

No, this book is as unique as the first one, because it takes a different turn, changing to a different subgenre Romantasy. People might know that I have an aversion, no, an allergy against romance, and even more so against Romantasy. But in this book, the author did everything right in bringing Lin and Jovis slowly together and ripping them asunder again. Not that I'm a specialist, but the evolving love together with the acceptance problems - you know, employer/employee relationship - felt natural while at the same time exposing an interesting chemistry.

Both have their own agenda, with Lin hiding secrets, and Jovis is balancing his loyalty to Lin, as he is also working as a double agent for the Shardless Few. The reader stays always tight to both protagonists in alternating chapters where both tell their point of view in first person. 

No, this is no Middle Book, this page-turner will keep you on the edge of your seat. The only bad thing? Having to wait for the next part.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing a review copy of this book.
The Bone Shard Emperor is the second book in the Drowning Empire trilogy, following on from The Bone Shard Daughter, an epic page-turner with an inventive magic system.
This is a solid instalment in the series, with the same strong characters that made the first so good. Jovis and Lin are now firmly established as the main point-of-view characters, and, while I felt that their chapters didn't advance the plot very much in the first third, their development is nevertheless well-executed.
The final act and the revelations in the last few chapters definitely made up for the slow pacing. Overall, if you don't mind a lot of build-up in your fantasy novels, this is a fantastic read.

I adored the first book in this series and this follow up just takes it to a whole new level - just brilliant!!