I loved Bone Shard Daughter for it's magic system, cool characters, and magical companions. Unfortunately for me, this last one took a turn away from all that into more politics and romance. I wasn't a huge fan of this focus shift and the romance felt forced to me. i will try more from this author, but not a win for me in the end.

Thank your for the opportunity of reviewing this book.
I'm so happy for the finale of this series, it's didn't disappoint, we have our slow-flame couples finally get together, and I specially love that this series focuses so much on side characters, that nobody seems lost in an epic fantasy plot.
I needed to re-read the first 2 books to understand better, as we have a lot of conflicts and different information coming but it made up for the finale. amazing series.

Wow! I will miss these characters so much. This series really grew on me. So much growth from all the characters throughout the series. The world building and writing is amazing.
I found the beginning of this third book to be frustrating. Towards the middle and the end of the book I really started to enjoy it. I absolutely adore Mephi and Jovis together. I will forever think about them. Jovis and Lin are the slow burn of all slow burn. I fell in love with each character.
If you love a good fantasy book and want to escape the real world for a little while then I highly recommend this series to you!

I always dread the final book in a fantasy series because I worry the ending won’t give what I want it to give. The Bone Shard War did not disappoint and ended the series with a bang. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were fantastic. If you read the the Bone Shard Daughter and the Bone Shard Emperor, you will be delighted with the final installment. And if you haven’t started the trilogy, you should. It has the most unique magic system that lends to such an interesting plot.

"She was coming to realize that memories were fickle things, shifting with the light and the angle." ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ When I got the notification that I received an arc for the ending of this beautiful series, I couldn't believe it. The Bone Shard Daughter was one of my favorite unexpected loves from 2021 and I have been following its growth ever since. The Bone Shard Emperor only expanded my love, and I found that The Bone Shard War quickly became a most anticipated read for this year. Being able to read it early feels like a gift. It was all I wanted it to be. Tragic and heart breaking. Full of so many different kinds of grief and loss. A lesson on how to go about life without your partner next to you. I love that this series focuses so much on side characters, that nobody seems lost in an epic fantasy plot. Whether it be our main character Lin, or our favorite creature Mekhi, we know their story inside and out. I continued to be in awe of the bone shard magic, and loved that so many unanswered questions from book one get answers here. What incredible writing to not forgot such small details over such a large expanse of time! I do have to admit that I was a little lost at times simply because with a two year gap in the plot, the first half of this book was a lot of going back in forth in time. It didn't impact my experience as much as I thought, though, because by the end I was flipping pages faster than I could read waiting to find out how it all concludes. I love Lin. I think she is one of the best written female characters I've ever read. From the questioning daughter in the first book, to the powerful ruling emperor she becomes, I have never known someone so genuine. Among the years of her life she needs to figure herself out, she's also taking care of an empire and a people who don't necessarily want her. It's unbelievably endearing and exciting. I already can't wait to read this series through again from start to finish. This has such five star potential, and I can't wait to see if it gets there. If you haven't read The Drowning Empire books yet, now is the perfect time to start!! This beauty comes out on April 18, and I know she can't wait to spill her secrets to you.

I voluntary read and reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh did this take me too long and it wasn't just me getting distracted by other things. Usually when I write reviews I start with the positive parts but here i have so little to say and I truly hate saying this, trust me.

Well here we go, the book is too long. I cant be on 96% and still have almost an hour left of the audiobook. The chapters were too big and it was mostly repetitiveness (I hope I spelled that right). Sail to an island, something happens, they barely escape, reach to sore to someting else happening and again barely escape and sail to another island. Very much like the endless sea this whole situation felt endless.

Most of the characters became too nothing for me to even try to write something but two of them stood out for the wrong reasons. Renamis entire personality is that she is an orphan and grew up on the streets. She makes sure to either think about it or mention it in every chapter she has. Even when she becomes relatable I find her annoying. And Ayesh, I could go on without her. She has no meaning besides giving Renami a POV and maybe be something else besides the orphan who grew up on the streets.

Jovis used to be my favourite but meh.

Well for the positive the writing is very consistent and it has a fairly good and fair ending which is the last maybe 20% of the book which isnt much, The best thing are Mephi and Thrana and that is all I choose to remember from this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, Hachette Audio and the author for providing me with the copy.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed listening to this series. Good world building and complex characters, I'm glad I took the time to go back and listen to the other 2 in the series. The narrators were good as well!

The final instalment in the Drowning Empire series was not entirely what I was expecting based on other reviews I’ve seen and I think I find myself amongst the majority in that I enjoyed it more than book 2 (and yet still less than book 1).

The Bone Shard War picks up 2 years after the conclusion of book 2 and straight off the hat that was A Choice™️. All sense of building urgency felt absent and we almost had to relearn the characters as many had gone through quite drastic changes. Aspects of these changes worked but I think overall this negatively impacted the pacing of this book and the series overall.

The characters themselves annoyed me much more in this book and much less at the same time. I appreciated Stewart’s efforts to add complexity to the motives and emotional responses of characters, especially Jovis, but a lot of it felt forced and inconsistent with OG character narratives. I do think that was the point and was intentionally done to show how trauma/PTSD can impact a person but again, it just felt clunky.

As noted above, the pacing of this book was a mess from the start. The time jump really threw me off initially and then every time it felt like I found a rhythm again there was this 2-steps-forward-3-steps-back situation where a POV change would jump the timeline around. Not only did this make for confusing, halting progress, it also meant that there was so much repetition. We saw the same event from different people who had almost the same through train/response (with a few key characters swapped) and it just kept happening.

Following on from this, I also had some issues with the feeling that this book lacked a final edit. Do not mistake me, Stewart’s writing was again enjoyable to read and this was a cohesive storyline, but I think it could have been 100-150 pages shorter and have lost nothing. Also there was just some awkward phrasing moments - “more extra bread” being the one example I noted.

Finally, the plot of this book got so convoluted but not for any real reason. We had one Big Bad for book 2 who then became 3 in book 3 but then on of those 3 big bads kinda disappeared about 50% through book 3 and another changed sides and it was just confusing. Also there as so much back and forth from the characters regarding which side they were on it gave me whiplash. No conflict was resolved through cleverness or tactics or even magic really, it mostly just came down to “nah I’m with them now”.

I’ve complained about this a lot and I think that’s reflective of my experience with this as a series. I loved the Bone Shard Daughter so freaking much and I had such high hopes for the rest of this series. It was original and had really cool characters and a great setting and insane magic and really cool world building. And whilst all of that didn’t totally disappear in books 2 & 3, it still felt like they took the brightness all the way down. The characters went from being super cool and a bit non-traditional to feeling like Fantasy Character 13-A, ripped straight from some manual. The plot seemed to have been bent to fit a conclusion that became steadily less likely the further in we got. The magic system became so much more stereotypical and somehow less well explained.

I will say that I did enjoy the end of this book. It wasn’t enough to redeem the series, that ship sailed with book 2. But it was a satisfying enough conclusion that it made up for some of the bad time I had. Do I recommend this series? I don’t know anymore. Book 1 was outstandingly good but it went downhill from there. I would have to say maybe, with the understanding that the end is a bit weak, simply because everyone should get to enjoy Mephi (who, shockingly, was the single standout in book 3).

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook of The Bone Shard War. I was granted a late proof and had already purchased the physical copy but had a good time listening to it via audiobook. My review is obviously quite unbiased.

Let me start by saying I loved this series. I loved Lin and watching her come into her own and become the ruler she was meant to be. I loved that she made so many allies and friends along the way and learned what it meant to truly put her people first. And possibly fall in love.

Each book kept getting better. This third book was by far my favorite. We learned so much about the characters and creatures and what was really happening with the islands of the empire. And I did not at all expect what we found out!

My ONLY complaint is that these books are SO SIMILAR to 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 series by Run Chupeco. 😬 Like, as I read the first two books specifically, it was so hard not to think about The Bone Witch series. I also loved that series, so it was really easy to see the similarities.

There are some differences as well, especially in the last book, but I almost expected them to be written by the same author or as a spinoff.

The magic systems, characters, and some creatures are similar in style. Like TBW creates creatures with a type of necromancy, and this series creates them by carving into bone, and it's a rare thing. Also, both series use weird yet basic names for some of the characters like Tea, Fox, Leaf, Sand, etc... They both have dark characters that can use these magics looking for revenge for being cast out by the deceitful royal family.

The biggest difference I saw with the two series was that this series had a "special" creature that played a huge role in what's happening with the islands and bonds with some of the characters giving them certain powers. I loved that part!

This is not a bash on the series, just something I noticed that kida bothered me as I also loved the other series and found them so similar.

I found this trilogy a series of diminishing returns...started off really good and gradually declined as the series continued. I was happy to no longer have the love triangle that was being hinted at in the second book, but things seemed to be tied up just a bit too neatly in the end. I think the book could use another once over on editing as there are some things that seemed be be inconsistent in parts with the sizes of the Ossalen. Also- me being persnickety- HORNS are NOT the same as bone! Horns are made of keratin like fingernails and hair. ANTLERS are made of bone.

This is one of my new favourite fantasy series. The characters are so interesting, good representation, the relationships, the politics and a unique magic system that I haven’t seen before. I want more books. The narrators are really good.

My only critique is that some parts of the books feels slow, the pacing is going back and forth and I wanted to jump and skip pages sometimes, and this goes for all three books. The trilogy would be five stars if this wasn’t the case.

However, want to reread them immediately because I miss the characters already.

First off, I've enjoyed this trilogy immensely. I read the first book, did a combination of reading/listening to audiobook for book 2, and listened to the audiobook for book 3. This book picks up roughly two years past the end of The Bone Shard Emperor, so I was not expecting that time jump. It was a good and bittersweet end to the trilogy. There were some parts of the characters' stories I felt were just kind of...put there for no real reason. Just...oh they're doing this now after having shown no aptitude or even hints at wanting to do this. Without giving away spoilers, I felt like it shouldn't have taken Jovis two years to come up with a workaround.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series as a whole and would definitely recommend.

I loved this series so much, but I will say that the last book was not the strongest finale to a series.

Book 1 started of very strong and very engaging. Book 2 was a little murky since there were more geopolitical issues, but was difficult to follow since the author did not set up the world fully in book 1. This gets worse in book 3 since there are numerous characters and conflicts, but we still get confused about the islands and the politics, but we now have to keep track of the historical lore and the Alonga, while jumping from POV to POV and from island to island trying to address multiple conflicts at the same time. Stewart's writing is good and the book is fine, but I was disappointed.

The Bone Shard War is the thrilling conclusion to the Drowning Empire trilogy by Andrea Stewart. The book picks up two years after the conclusion of The Bone Shard Emperor. Lin was still struggling to keep her grasp on the empire. Lisong had joined forces with Ragan and the Shardless Few were continuing to put pressure on the destabilizing Lin’s reign. Jovis had not returned from his trip to rescue Meffy, and Lin had received a piece of skin with his tattoo and a letter that he was deceased.

I listened to this book by audiobook and really loved it. The narrators did an amazing job narrating the different characters, each with a distinct voice. I highly recommend experiencing the book in this fashion. I thoroughly enjoyed the story as well. The author followed the many characters and managed to make them converge in the climactic final battle. I loved the way the characters intersected as they travelled throughout the empire, the constant action throughout the book and the way all the moving parts weaved together at the end. The final ending was bitter sweet with some feelings of hope for a better tomorrow for the people of the empire, and for the primary characters as well. I highly recommend this intricately plotted trilogy and this book in particular to lovers of fantasy novels in the same storytelling style as Tad Williams. I give this book 4.5 stars. The entire trilogy is well worth the read. I am voluntarily submitting this honest review after listening to an advanced complementary copy of this audiobook thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio.

What a brilliant conclusion to an incredible series! Everything was epic from the fight scenes to the magic to the reveals and to the character motivations. I will always love book one the most because WOW that book gave me whiplash with all its reveals. However, this was such a perfect final instalment.

It was great to see Lin mature a lot since the first book. She does a lot of searching within herself, and really questions where she fits in the world and how she can make it better for her people. This is definitely a common feature for many of the characters.

Also, Mephi! I love Thrana and Lozhi too but oh my goodness Mephi's pure love for Jovis brought tears to my eyes. The Ossalen's are just so charming, funny and innocent but they're also very wise and I think we saw them become more profound in this book.

There were some great comedic moments particularly with Mephi, and also between Jovis & Philine. Their banter was unmatched! The audiobook was fantastic and the narrators did a great job. I did find Lin's POV's to be lower quality than the rest and slightly muffled but it didn't affect my enjoyment, just something to note.

I've always appreciated these books for the uniqueness and they've by far become an all-time favourite series and I'm beyond excited to see what Stewart creates next!

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

This was a great conclusion to the trilogy! In anticipation to read this, I reread the entire series and I enjoyed it much more the second time than I did originally. Personally, I think knowing the major plot twists from the books, but specifically the first book, made my reading experience better. It was easier for me to understand the world and how the magic system works, which I definitely had a hard time with the first time around. Everything I loved about this book would be a spoiler so I'm not going to share much, but Andrea Stewart's writing is really good! She makes the characters feel so real and I can completely understand where they're all coming from and why they're making the decisions that they are. In terms of the audiobook, I love everything Emily Wu Zeller narrates and this was no different. I loved that every POV had a different narrator because it made it so much easier to know what was going on without actually following along with the text. I ended up reading this whole 600+ page book (and 20 hour audiobook) in one day because I simply didn't want to stop.

Andrea Stewart does not kid around.

I always experience a bit of consternation when I come to the concluding novel in a trilogy. What if it's a dud? What if these worlds and characters, whom I've grown to adore and care about over dozens of hours and several years, what if they're done disservice by their makers? Or at least, what seems like a disservice to us. It's happened to me. It's probably happened to you. And it's fine when it does, but it can still carry a sting.

My opening will have tipped you off, but this is not the case with Stewart's *Bone Shard War*, a conclusion that sticks the landing by delivering and overdelivering on the promises the series made across the previous two instalments. The magic of the Drowning Empire is deepened, the themes of identity, societal change, and environmental exploitation are expanded on, and--of course--the compelling narratives of our protagonists, antagonists, and those between the two reach their conclusion.

Two years after the close of *The Bone Shard Emperor*, Jovis is in a rough spot. It's hard to read or listen to, in truth, because the unwitting hero of the previous books has been forced into what can only be described as magical slavery. Bound to the will of a cruel master, we first meet him weak and despirited from years of doing the dirty work of the Eye of Kharne. Mephi is the only thing to keep him going more than once throughout the novel; the trauma those two years have marked Jovis with is palpable in every chapter he is in. It's one of my worst nightmares, to be under the control of another, my agency violated. The slow rebuilding of Jovis' spirit, his willingness to defy the man who has made a prison of his own body makes for the kind of reading that stays with you.

It's a beautifully executed character arc, and it's not the only one. Lin's struggle to keep her empire together is all the more fierce as issues she thought resolved and enemies she thought defeated come back to haunt her. She is a good person--but not, I think, a good Emperor. Not in so far as the practicalities of rule demand. Lin is heroic, she is noble of spirit. She spends a chunk of this novel flitting back and forth trying to gather magical artifacts in the hopes they will help her keep the Empire safe. Lin cares. For her subjects--nay, for her people. She even cares for her foes. Her caring for those foes, her attempts to be different, **better**, than the previous Emperors in the Sukai dynasty, is at least part of why the Empire is in the condition we find it: enacting change on a societal scale is no easy task.

Ranami and Phalue are each faced with challenges of their own. Ranami is forced to muster a defence at home while Phalue is busy first in training the Emperor in sword combat and later in helping Lin sail around the Empire and collect ancient artifacts. I've mentioned as much in my reviews of the other two books, but despite the conservative estimates of their PoV chapters (length-wise, compared to Lin and Jovis), their presence looms just as large. So, too, the case with Nisong, whose antagonism towards Lin is reason for no end of woes; yet her relationship with ossalen Lozhi is a bright spot in the darkness, much like Jovis's relationship with Mephi and Lin's with Thrana.

I slapped my forehead over not one but two revelations in the span of this novel. Stewart delivers them masterfully, and though I won't spoil them, I have to tip my hat for the series-long misdirects which served to build up such fine moments of reversal.

The culmination of this series has heart to spare. It's been a pleasure to spend time in this world, and I'm sure I will return to it in the future. There's much of worth you'll find in Stewart's prose, from the characters to the continued top-notch worldbuilding and marathon-like conflict that gives you what feels like precious seconds to catch your breath.

I listened to the audiobook version of *The Bone Shard War*, provided by NetGalley and Orbit--thanks for that, and I'm sorry it's taken me months to wrap-up writing this review. It's become something of a ritual to commend Emily Woo Zeller, Feodor Chin, and Natalie Naudus for signature performances over five different points of view and dozens of distinctly voiced characters. These are staggering talents in the world of voiceover, and I've often bought books only because of their narration. Fun fact: I bought the *Bone Shard Daughter* mainly because I'd been so impressed with Emily Woo Zeller's performance in *This is How you Lose the Time War*.

You should read this book if:
- You have good taste in fantasy, really;
- You find yourself suddenly accompanied by a small, cute, and extremely conversational hairy critter that crawled out of the sea. Maybe you want to find out more about it--in that case, you can use *The Drowned Empire* trilogy as something of a guide book.
- You love maritime fantasy replete with adventure, danger, excellent portrayal of romance.
- And more! Prob'ly.

Alongside Tchaikovsky's *Lords of Uncreation*, this has quickly become a favourite ending to a trilogy in 2023. I hope that you'll bend an ear and give it a listen or read it!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of The Bone Shard War. I have been waiting for this third book. I loved the first two. Touching on all sorts of issues, we see people from both sides of this growing conflict. The end of book two had a big battle so I was interested to see how this would pick up and all the adventures in this book lived up to it. I do not love every character, but that is to be expected. I felt for Jovis and Lin so much. I absolutely have these books in my store.

Just finished this high fantasy novel series, and my biggest regret is that I hadn't read the first two, first. I'm sure that I would have been much better prepared to dive into this one if I had just known that it was part 3 of a trilogy (oops). it was a fantastic dive into a fantastical world of intrigue and betrayal, with what felt like a satisfying ending. The narrators were fantastic, offering emotional turns and different intonations for different characters. The growling of a certain male voice did grate a little at the lower registers, but it was all part of the ambience of the audio version to me.
4/5: Storyline
4/5: Narration
3/5: Character Development
5/5: World-building

This was great! I was really compelled to finish this book pretty quickly, I found it quite easy to remember what had happened in the previous ones and to follow the story of this book! The narration in the audiobook was also pretty good for me, easy to listen in the 2 times speed I usually do.