The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart is full of complex world building, political intrigue, and interesting characters. That said, I had a little trouble getting into this book, but the premise was so fascinating that I kept coming back to it. It took me about halfway through the book to really fall in love with it, but once I was there, I couldn’t read it fast enough.

The system of magic, bone shard magic, is fantastic! My favorite magic systems always come at a price, and bone shard magic wears away at a person’s life, draining them slowly before killing them prematurely. Unfortunately, the emperor uses the bones of his citizens, unwillingly taken, so the magic doesn’t harm the emperor himself, instead the price of the magic is passed off onto his people. I also liked that it’s something that can be taught and does not appear to be an inherited ability. The emperor’s heir, Lin, is prepared to do whatever is necessary to gain the knowledge she needs to master bone shard magic, relying on her own cunning and stealth to steal the keys needed to unlock the doors that guard her father’s library. It was hard to really sympathize with Lin at first knowing the consequences of bone shard magic, and even harder to see how she could be different from her father if she’s willing to sacrifice her people in order to wield that same magic. However, Stewart does an excellent job of throwing twists into the story that make readers re-evaluate Lin and her thirst for knowledge.

The characters that really saved the book for me were Jovis and Mephi. I’m a sucker for strange animal companions, and the mystery around what Mephi is and how his presence affects Jovis kept me turning pages. I loved their slow build to trust and friendship and how protective they are of each other. I’m also very curious about Sand and her companions that have been abandoned on an island at the edge of the empire. So, while the tone of the book made it easy to walk away from at first, by the end of the book the various mysteries and twists had me eager for the sequel. The Bone Shard Daughter is without a doubt one of the smartest and most complex epic fantasies I’ve read in a while, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

It was easy to get pulled into the world of this story. The story is told from the point of view of several different characters and eventually all of their stories start to intertwine. Can’t wait for the next book!

I started reading THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER without much of an idea of what I was going into, and finished with a new addition to my list of favorite adult fantasies. THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER glitters in all its glory, a gem complete with compelling characters, captivating prose, and a plot that is laced with a dangerous edge. In other words, I could not recommend it more.

THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER follows four storylines — first and foremost, we meet Lin, daughter of the emperor. Lin was infected by a mysterious illness that wiped her memories away, and she is now left grappling for something to hold onto. Her father regards her with cold indifference — considers her broken without her memory — and Lin struggles to regain his trust and his approval. Lin's POV was my favorite, and her development throughout the book was phenomenal.

We then follow Jovis, smuggler and reluctant hero. Jovis has been sailing the seas for a sign of his wife, who disappeared seven years ago. Jovis'befriends a talking cat-otter-like creature named Mephi, who is wise and sweet, and truly makes the book all that better!

Next, we meet Phalue, the daughter of a corrupt governor, and Ranami, Phalue's lover. Throughout their respective POVs, Andrea Stewart addresses class difference, and the privilege that comes with it. Stewart powerfully explores the privilege to blindside issues that are important to those not as well off, and the harmful rhetorics that oppressors — or those who stay silent during oppression — use to justify their actions. Simultaneously, Stewart also delves into the concept of revolution and the role it plays in upheaving a problematic and unfair system — and the sacrifices that need to be made for it to be a success.

Lastly, we meet Sand, who is moored to a deserted island along with others who have no memory of how they got there, why they are there, and what their life before the island was. Though Sand's chapters were sparse, they were the most interesting, in my opinion! Her chapters revealed striking twists in the story, and always left me holding my breath.

While 5 POVs may seem like a lot to juggle with — especially since Lin and Jovis are written in first person and the rest are written in third — Stewart makes it work! Each character's voice is unique and easily identifiable, and the switch between first and third person was so seamlessly done that I didn't even notice it until I saw other reviews point out.

The world of THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER itself is one that is imaginative and arresting. The concept of bone shard magic and "constructs," which are essentially Frankenstein-animals was simultaneously vaguely disturbing and compelling in that I-can't-stop-reading sort of way. I don't want to say more, because I found that the worldbuilding and magic system was wonderful to discover on my own, and I want to leave it that way for others as well!

As I said before, the plot was *epic.* The twists are so well-written — I felt myself twisting in disgust, widening my eyes, and also thinking "I should have seen that coming . . ." all at the same time — and it was amazing. Other than the themes already mentioned above in this review, Stewart also discussed power, its usage, and the role government plays in the life of the common people.

All in all, THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER is a striking debut that you most certainly do not want to miss out on. And after that ending, I, for one, cannot wait until book 2.

First and foremost, what I primarily look for a fantasy is a unique magic system that instantly grasps my attention. Well! It's my prerequiste and I mean let us be honest fantasies are a portal to another realm and I WANT AN INTRICATE MAGIC SYSTEM, thank you very much!

Now, from the sound of it, The Bone Shard Daughter already had my vote because uhmmmm magic from bone shards????? Monster like creatures called constructs built from the shards of bones of citizens are deployed and programmed to obey the commands of the tyrannical Emperor Shiyen. The magic system that Bone Shard Daughter is built upon is not only unique in every sense but also puts your brain cells to work trying to fit the story out the multiple narrators into the plot!

Told through the point of view of multiple narrators, Bone Shard Daughter never at one point feels confusing that is mostly what my major problem is with books that comes with numerous POVs.

Lin, the emperor's daughter who is in a quest to retrieve or rather trying to solve the mystery behind her lost memories finds herself in a cut-throat competition against her foster brother Bayan for the throne.
Jovis, a smuggler who sets sail to find his longlost wife adorns the role our accidental hero quite dramatically and ohmygosh WE ARE HERE FOR IT! Oh and Mephi, Jovis's companion deserves a spinoff of his own!!
Phalue, the daughter of one of the island's governor under the Emperor's rule and next in line to be the governor finds herself questioning her father's rule under the influence of her girlfriend Ranami. And now as the empire is in tatters with islands sinking and the Ancient Alanga civilisation returning the story takes a striking turn with secrets being bought to light , powers being revealed and alliances being formed.

Andrea makes it a compulsion for her readers getting sweeped off their feet with the exhilarating drama she packs in the story as it unwraps layer after layer. You would almost feel as if she is done with the twists only to be sucker punched by another ! *chef's kiss* And whaat this is only just the first part of the series? :")

This fantastic atmospheric debut definitely soared to my expectations and gave me some unforgettable characters to hold on to! Jovis and Mephi <3

This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review
I really enjoyed this one, well written, engaging, and at times, heartbreaking.
Maybe because of Covid, I have the attention span of a goldfish, I worried that too many POV would bog it down, but man, it sucked me in. Mephi was my favorite, I kept thinking if something happens to him, I'm throwing the book. Every character was compelling and important, the magic system, well thought out and complex. Looking forward to the next one!

Lin is the heir to the empire. She spends her days and nights mastering the art of bone shard magic. When rebellion comes knocking at the palace door, she must uncover the secrets of her past and determine what side she should be fighting for.

I was captivated from page one, but it wasn't until about half way through when I couldn't put the book down. It took me a long time to finish because life just got in the way, but if I could've, I would've read it in one sitting.
The writing was strong and the world building was phenomenal. I was left with some questions about why things were happening or why they were the way that they were, but I'm hoping that they'll be answered in the later books.
I really loved Mephi and Jovis, but I didn't feel as much of a connection to Phalue and Ranami. Lin was an amazing protagonist and I found myself rooting for her and needing her to succeed.
There were twists and turns, some that I saw coming, and some that took me off guard. I would definitely recommend this book.

I was so intimated by The Bone Shard daughter for no good reason. This book sucked me in from the beginning and I could not wait to read it more. Darn work and life for ruining a good reading session. I really enjoyed all of the POVs and the magic system was so interesting. There is a mysterious source of power that has been eliminated and now the current emperor and governors rule the islands. The Emperor can do bone shard magic. The military takes shards from the residents at a young age and these power constructs. Craziness.

The cast of characters is the emperors daughter, a robin hood type, a governor’s daughter who realizes her high born status didn’t allow her to see the truth and a woman who is stranded on an island with no memory of her past. Complex characters, interesting magic system and the start to a series that I am pretty sure I will love.

There was also an animal character that made the story. The story was not without a few faults, but all in all, I really loved the story and cannot wait for the next one.

Ok. Wow. This was a really compelling, great start to a new fantasy series by author Andrea Stewart. The world-building alone kept me coming back for more, because it was one of the more unique things I’d read. I’d never read a magic system that relied on using bone shards to create beings that could be controlled. The world itself felt really dark with not much light. There was and is so much mystery that kept me coming back for more. It was also told from multiple points of view, which I hadn’t expected but was a pleasant surprise. My favorite characters to follow were Jovis and Mephi (a great duo!), but I found all the characters to be interesting in their own way. Overall, I think it was a solid start to a series and gave us just enough of an ending to be satisfied with the book, but also left me wanting more! I look forward to reading the sequel when it releases in the fall.

The Bone Shard Daughter features a dark and creative fantasy landscape. The setting is lush and cinematic. The characters let it down a little bit for me, though the audiobook format definitely helped; even then, I'm not sure how invested emotionally I am in the outcome for these characters. However, I'm intrigued enough by the events of book one that I do want to continue.

As a note on the audio, the narrators do a good job, but why oh why did Emily Woo Zeller have to do three POV characters? And two of them are dating, which was awkward. I know it's common to hire one narrator for a book with third person POVs, but if you're hiring multiple, why not cast all the POVs? I was puzzled by this choice, and it definitely made me less invested in those three.

The Bone Shard Daughter is a multiple viewpoint debut fantasy novel that, while not Young Adult (YA) itself, should appeal to those who enjoy YA themes of building an identity for themselves.

The novel has three main viewpoint characters and two minor viewpoint characters. Fortunately, each chapter identifies the character and their location. The book opens with Lin, the daughter of the emperor, struggling with missing memories. The emperor keeps control of the empire by taking a bit of bone from all his subjects, which he uses to power constructs that serve as his spies and enforcers. The emperor refuses to name Lin or her rival Bayan as heir but refuses to train Lin until she regains her memory. Instead, he doles out keys to rooms in the palace as prizes in a contest between the two potential heirs. Recognizing the emperor is slowly losing control of the empire, Lin resolves to steal and copy the remaining keys, learn bone shard magic by herself, and seize control of constructs and, ultimately, the empire.

Jovis is a smuggler searching for his lost love, Emahla, who mysteriously vanished some years ago. His only clue is a boat with a blue sail. On the run from both the Empire and the Ioph Carn crime family (who paid for his boat), he agrees to smuggle children away from the Empire before the soldiers can collect their bone shards. In the course of his adventures he gains a strange pet who can talk and then starts developing superpowers.

The third and least interesting (in my opinion) character is Phalue, the daughter and heir of the governor of Nephilanu Island. She is in love with Ranami, a commoner who is always pushing Phalue to better herself, but who does not want to be a governor's wife. Ranami has become involved with the Shardless, rebels against the Empire and wants Phalue to help. It is worth noting that while Jovis' chapters and Lin's chapters are in the first person, Phalue's chapters are in the third person.

The minor viewpoint characters, who only get a few chapters, are Ranami and Sand, a woman with no memory who has been brainwashed to stay on the island of Maila and pick mangos.

Normally, in a novel with multiple main characters, they join forces before the end. That does not happen here. Of the three main characters, only one meets the other two (at different times). One of the minor characters never meets any of the major ones. Of course, as this is the start of a series, they may meet up in a later book.

A frequent panel discussion at conventions is why so much of fantasy written for democratic Americans deals with royalty and accepts royal rulers as a good thing. Here, much of The Bone Shard Daughter is driven by a rebellion against royalty, and Lin herself rebels against her father deciding he is no longer ruling effectively and that she could do a better job (although it can be argued that the replacement of royal rulers by their children is not a rejection of royalty).

The author cleverly writes little cliffhangers at the end of many chapters right before switching to another viewpoint character to make readers want to keep reading. There are also a few twists; one that I saw coming, but another caught me off guard (and I am still not completely convinced I was wrong). The bone shard magic is a major aspect of the Lin plotline but stays in the background for most of the rest of the book. Jovis' mysterious powers are only partially explained, but more information about the source pops up near the ending of the book so I am confident that this will be addressed in a future volume.

While the writing overall is very strong, with few of the flaws common to first novels (perhaps because the author published over a dozen stories first), I did feel that the plotline of the daughter of the emperor and the plotline of the daughter of the governor became too similar, especially near the end of the book. However, the characters are very different. Lin is much more determined while Phalue is more spoiled and flighty. Jovis has a certain element of world-weariness and is unsure whether to keep searching for his love or if it is too late.

This book is not marketed as YA, but the Lin and Phalue plotlines will appeal to fans of YA, as both characters deal with questions of identity, struggle against powerful fathers, and have to decide what to do with their lives.

I highly recommend The Bone Shard Daughter to anyone who likes fantasy with interesting characters and unusual magic. I look forward to future volumes in this series.

I loved this book for months before I read it. Bone magic? Really??? YES! This story is EVERYTHING!!!!!!! The characters, plot, and world were so well written that I didn’t notice I read them all in such a short amount of time. I can’t wait for the next one.

The bone shard daughter is about a girl that is the daughter of tyrant emperor that is trying to learn her place in world. The characters were amazing and the plot was unique especially how it unravels all in the mysteries in the book. I enjoy looking forward to the sequel

I quite liked this book! Dark times are ahead for the Empire. Islands are sinking, the Shardless are rebelling and taking over, and the Alanga artifacts are waking up. The way the Emperor stays in control is through bone shard magic, known only to a few, Lin trying to be one of them (as the Emperor's daughter).

This book is written from a few points of view, mainly Lin and Jovis, with Ramani and Sand and Phalue making up the rest. They end up intertwining at various points, making for an exciting story. I liked Jovis the best because I love his relationship with Mephi though I think Lin is a strong character too and I want to learn more about her past.

This is a good book and I am excited for the continuation of the story!

I recieved an e-arc of this book from netgalley a few months back and I'm finally finished with reading it. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to finish I've been in a reading slump sadly. The beginning of this book felt slow to me and I wish I knew going in that this book contains multiple POVs I didnt care for some in the beginning. as I got towards the end though it got better I was drawn into more of the story and characters. I didnt think I would finish this book it was almost dnf but I'm glad I pulled myself through it because I really liked reading Lin and Jovis pov.

I loved this book so much. It’s been a while since I got to 90% of a book and thought “oh no” — I really didn’t want this one to end. Definitely invested in this series now.

What gorgeous, spooky world-building! The constructs and shard-sickness will haunt my dreams. The Asian-inspired mythology of this world, the deep world-building that you can really sink into, the mysterious creatures, the casual gayness, the many interesting POVs...this is like, my ideal book.

People who liked Priory of the Orange Tree will like this, I think! Also, as with Priory, I think some people think this is YA, but it seems pretty solidly adult to me. I also got some great Golden Compass vibes (is there anything better than a magical animal you’re soul-bonded to? The actual dream).

My one frustration was that the emperor’s daughter (the titular bone shard daughter)’s storyline took a little while to fully pay off. But it was still tense and interesting in the meantime. And I love how it ended.

Now, when is the next book out!!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The character development was subtle in a myriad of ways, and the plot moves along quickly enough to keep interest. I could have used a little more expansion around the ending of the book, but on the whole found the experience very enjoyable.

Great book. Loved the main character and the twists in the story kept me hooked until the end. Can't wait for the next book in this series!

DNF
I do want to give this book another try, but right now I'm just not in the mood for it. The characters seem one-dimensional so far but I did only read around 20% of it, so that might change. The plot was also a little hard for me to follow.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC. I enjoyed the fantasy world that debut author, Andrea Stewart. created and the story weaved. A wonderful new fantasy world to share with others.

Everyone keep your eyes on this incredible new voice in fantasy. Andrea Stewart is clearly a talent and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

To start off this review on a more fangirl moment - Mephis is the greatest. Full stop. But seriously if you are at all a fan of human-creature bond stories, this book has a delight waiting for you.

As with a lot of adult fantasy series starters, the book takes a minute to get up and running. We have two main POV characters, with three other characters whose POVs are sprinkled throughout the book. One of my biggest compliments is that this book does a marvelous job of distinguishing it’s POV characters. Each character has their own voice and I was never confused as to whose head we were in. I would pick a favorite, but each character has tropes that I like and traits I adore. There’s your thief with a heart of gold, a competing heir trying to impress her father, a f/f couple from different classes, and a mysterious woman without a past.

This book also has really interesting world building. While we don’t get all the answers as to how the magic works or all the workings of the world, we get enough that I am confident Andrea Stewart has the answers and that we will get them as the series goes on. There is a rich sense of history and culture in the story and I can’t wait to find out more. This book manages to display the seriousness of the darkness in this world, while also having moments of real heart and levity. I was really impressed at how the book was able to keep that tonal balance.

And oh my goodness am I ever itching for the sequel. There are so many twists and turns in here and while I saw some of them coming, they still managed to delight and keep me glued to the page. This is the kind of book you theorize about and I for one can’t wait for the sequel to see that I am (inevitably) right. In all seriousness though, this book does the work to set up it’s mysteries and plot threads and I can’t wait to see where it leads.

As a note: if you have been looking for casual queerness in fantasy, look no further. Bone Shard Daughter is bringing the fire. In this fantasy world it is completely normal to be queer and to chose an heir rather than give birth to one. The flavor, we love to see it.

For the diversity and for the strength of the craft on display here, this book is a high recommendation from me.