I adored this book's predecessor, and though I didn't like this one quite as much, it was still a genuinely excellent work of fantasy. I loved seeing how much Lin's character has grown and changed since the first book. The world was interesting and the plot was very much entertaining. The plots from the first book held over to this one and I thought they satisfyingly tied them together in some really unique ways. Andrew Stewart is honestly a force to be reckoned with in fantasy and I'm so ready for the conclusion to this series.

I received an ARC via Netgalley.

While I would love to give a full review of this book, I can't. After spending months of picking it up and putting it down while reading the first few chapters, I'm admitting defeat. This series is not for me. However, I do think there are tons of people this would be for. The sci-fi/fantasy elements are there to make this a great story, I just didn't connect in a way that would have allowed me to finish this.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a good second book in this unique fantasy series. The book starts off slowly and it was initially hard to get into it, but about a third of the way it picks up and is a lot more exciting. Lin is now the emperor, but most governors in the empire have not accepted her rule. The Shardless Few demand she abdicate. Islands are sinking, and an army of constructs is descending from the north, threatening Lin's rule. As if Lin doesn't have enough problems, the Alanga, an ancient race of powerful magicians, have returned to take over the Empire.

This book focuses on Lin's efforts to stabilize the empire and solidify her rule. Lin has no friends, no one to trust and must rely on her wit and guile to run the Empire. She begins to rely more on Jovis, the smuggler that saved her life that she appointed the head of her guard. But can he really be trusted? Lin and Jovis are both damaged and flawed people. Neither has the self confidence to heal themselves, but just as they start to make progress circumstances set them back.

Some storylines in the book are finalized and others are left hanging, setting the book up for an exciting third book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Orbit Books. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an eARC of this book. I loved the first book in this series and was super excited for book two. I will freely admit that I definitely struggled with this second book. The magic system was less explored and the character narratives, although they cross paths more so in book 2 than the first, felt highly disjointed. It took me a long time to finish this book and I ended up picking it up on audiobook to get through. Jovis/Mephi are still fantastic. There were definitely some great interesting plot twists. But overall, I feel like it suffered from second book syndrome. The Alanga plot points were especially interesting though and the romance angle did not feel forced. Looking forward to book 3.

I couldn’t wait to read this second book in The Drowning Empire series. It was a bit slower paced than the first book but still a great continuation.

We pick up right where we left off with Lin and Jovis’ storylines intertwining. I enjoyed the two of them together and their companions. I do wish we had gotten more of Ranami and Phalue. I admit that I didn’t remember much about Nisong or her storyline from the first book, so I was the least invested in what happened to her.

My favorite part of The Bone Shard Daughter was the magic system. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t see as much of it in this book, even though I understand why. I did enjoy seeing the character development as loyalties were tested and our main characters all came together.

DNF 55%

This is a very late-in-the-game DNF for me. The sunk cost fallacy was real, not only because it's a meaty book, but because it's the second book of the series.

This book picked up right where The Bone Shard Daughter left off. Lin is stepping into a role of authority (I bet you can't guess which role) and Jovis is now serving in her guard … while secretly serving like 6 other people. I had a few minor issues with the first book, however, the unique shard magic system really carried that book to the point that I didn't have much availability to focus on the flaws. That was no longer the case with this book. I tried to power through, but it just came to a point where I could barely stand to read it for more than a few minutes. I was too lost and annoyed by every little thing, and it was no longer enjoyable.
A few disjointed grievances --

■ The plot turned into a mess of lackluster political intrigue. I could not keep the sides and allegiances straight, much less care enough to stay interested. This was an abrupt change from the first book and brought the pacing from 60 to 0 real fast.

■ Suddenly there was hardly any focus on bone shard magic, which was my favorite part of the first book. Give me more enticing constructs and puzzles to solve. Instead, it was all about the Alanga and I, again, could not stay interested.

■ The tone of the book overall felt cheesy. Some reviews try to pin this on it being an adult fantasy book that reads like a YA fantasy book. I know many YA books that read much better than this. But I will say that the main characters do feel more like teenagers than grown adults.

■ The romance felt so forced. One couple had absolutely no chemistry and yet we seemed to be drawing closer and closer to a relationship. Another couple is newly married, and the book has to remind us several times in every chapter that they are married. The romance wasn't even necessary in this book and yet there it was trying to stay in front of my face the entire time.

Right now this book would sit at 1.5 stars for me, but I won't give an official rating on here because I didn't actually finish it. Oddly enough, despite my grievances, I wouldn't actively tell people not to read this book. The first book was a worthy read, and this might just be middle book syndrome. Clearly, it did not work for me, but it is nowhere near "trash" level like some of my other DNFs. Decide for yourself.

I really enjoyed the 2nd book!
Jovis and Mephi are 100% still my favorite!
I love how you get an even better understanding of these characters and how things start to tie in throughout the book. I didn't find my self bored or the adventures and actions lacking. I will say I really don't like Nisong. Eekkk I won't to see her point of view and stance on her side but it's so hard. I can wait for the 3rd book.

Thank you netgalley for the arc and this review is my honest take on the book.

This was a really great sequel to The Bone Shard Emperor. You can truly see Stewart's writing improve before your eyes, her character building and to be able to experience an amazing battle scene for the first time from her has me even more excited to see the potential scope of book 3.
Full review is on my YouTube channel.

I absolutely loved this sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter. I enjoyed the narrative and that it was focused more on Lin and Jovis as well as how the side characters' arcs advanced the plot. This was well-paced with fantastic plot twists, and I enjoyed the journey along with the characters. I cannot wait for the next book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel, but it did feel a little soft in parts. The mystery that drove the first book felt lost in this book, and while I really enjoyed the new conflict there were moments that felt devoid of tension, annoyingly so. THe main antagonist literally just turns around at one point. The final fight scene/battle lasted way too long and took me three days to get through.

All that said, I will be reading the third book. The characters are compelling and the magic is wonderfully realized. There's so much about this series that is inventive, exciting, and fun to read. I'm really rooting for the two leads -- Lin and Jovis, and while there was a lot of politicking, it didn't become so complex or intertwined that I couldn't follow it. A solid second book.

Just like I hoped, where book 1 set the stage with action, twists, secrets, and intrigue, this was a bit slower to let all the events of book 1 settle and build the characters up. I appreciated the care and detail provided for the precarious political situation Lin finds herself with the empire, especially as rival groups and factions rise up. It’s a delicate balancing act but still interesting to see how Lin is always weighing out multiple choices as an young ruler immediately facing the collapse of the empire and world around her.

Lin is a marvelous character full of so many layers. Her desires are noble but as of often the case, she stumbles and makes mistakes. I love that she isn’t afraid to apologize and ask for help and seeing her come into her own and rely on her strengths was amazing to see. Where in book 1 I felt I didn’t fully know her as a person, this book is nothing but development for her which was amazing. While I can’t say all the characters are equally developed or given air time like in book 1, I did also like how Jovis evolves. The smuggler turned spy, Captain Of the Imperial Guard, and all around good guy finds himself struggling to find what’s “right”. He starts to see that choices aren’t as black and white as he thought, challenging his simplified view of doing the right thing and being good. As for the other characters, they’re all pushed and tested in their ideals - Ranami realizing the issues with rebellion and the Shardless Few, Phalue trying to stand on her own instead of in her father’s shadow, and Nisong, trying to untangle her past with her current goals. The characters are mature and still growing, all of them making bad calls, but all of them have very valid reasons for doing what they do. Even Nisong who we want to villainies, Steward does a clever job of giving her nuance and emotions that made me feel for her, even if her actions were heinous.

As secrets are revealed I can appreciate the patience and foundation laid so the twists land but don’t feel like they interrupt the story or plot but just add another element of intrigue. Not everything is explained, just pieces, but enough so that I don’t feel lost or adrift. There’s enough to feed the allure of an ongoing bigger mystery of the islands sinking, the Alanga, the lost history, all that Shiyen took with him, but we’re not fully in the dark anymore. I love this push and pull, I can’t wait to see how it comes full circle.

Lastly, at first I will admit that I wasn’t sure I would be sold on the romance aspect but in the end I really enjoyed it, it felt right. Stewart takes her time building it, while never letting it eclipse the characters themselves or the plot. Big big fan.

I need book 3 immediately pleaseeeeeee.

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The much anticipated sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter. I received a NetGalley copy from the publisher but right after that I became too busy writing and proof reading my own books. I had to wait until I got my work done in order to get into The Drowning Empire without any distractions. My effort was rewarded! I totally enjoyed the second volume of The Drowning Empire.

The Bone Shard Daughter was epic. It's always difficult for the 2nd book to meet expectations. I think Stewart did a great job making so many characters real, solving some mysteries, and introducing new mysteries. Readers would be frustrated with Jovis, but Mephi saves the day.

Can't wait to read the final volume (but also very anxious about the fates of my favorite characters) !

after loving the bone shard daughter, i was very much looking forward to the sequel and the bone shard emperor does not disappoint! new characters, new reveals, new questions but also growth of existing characters and the same exciting plot. andrea's writing is gripping, especially with the way the chapters end, that you keep reading on. mephi and thrana, the adorable animal companions, stole my heart again. the battle scenes were excellent!! i didn't care much about jovis and lin's romance but as individual characters they definitely strengthened their footing.

the worldbuilding of this series gave way to some intriguing reveals that i'm excited to see addressed in the final book! the history of alanga, the magic behind it and the bone shard magic that were expanded upon became an interesting aspect. although, my favourite part about reading this have to be nisong's chapters. they're just sooo well written, her desperation and want for vengeance for the wrongs done to her. very eager to see how the series ends!

This was a bit slower than book one but still an ok read. Would still read book three of this series.

The Bone Shard Daughter was promising fantasy debut with an interesting world and slight gothic elements. The Bone Shard Emperor is a strong sequel that does well to fill out the holes its predecessor left and expand upon the world. However, for me personally, the story goes in a direction that I didn’t really care for.

I think I’ll have to reread the series again but as of now I feel slightly ambivalent about this sequel.

This book felt quite a bit slower than I remember the first book feeling and at points, I struggled with it but overall I very much enjoyed this read and I'm very curious to see how this continues.

The story started out with some action, but didn’t really grab my attention until about 40% in. I couldn’t put it down after that and I can’t wait to read the third installment to find what has happened to some of my favorite characters. I think the political story and magic are fascinating.

DNF @ 27%

I remember enjoying the first book and being intrigued by the ending, but by the time I picked this up I had forgotten a lot of what previously happened, which made it difficult to reorient myself in the opening chapters and was definitely a major obstacle despite the in-text allusions to prior events. A lot of the characters' reasoning and actions seem illogical, irrational, and/or too plot-convenient; it didn't help that the narration felt really repetitive too.

Absolutely fantastic sequel. The world makes so much sense, and the world building was expanded in a way I really enjoyed. We got to know the characters so much more and their motivations as well. Excited for the third book.