Only a few chapters into Andrea Stewart’s debut novel The Bone Shard Daughter and I was hooked. The vibrant world, imagining an empire of seasonal, migrating islands, and the relatable cast of characters had me fully invested to the end. But it was the richness of her prose and worldbuilding, and the gut-punch weight of the book’s many twists that left me aching for more.

Thankfully, Stewart’s sophomore effort and the sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter does not disappoint. In fact, The Bone Shard Emperor swiftly ups the ante, dealing with the fallout of its predecessor and building political and emotional pressure in captivating ways. With morally grey characters (in a morally grey world) that I can truly root for and a world with a deep, mysterious history I want to know more about, The Drowning Empire series just keeps getting better.

The Bone Shard Emperor has so much to offer, but, like The Bone Shard Daughter, its main characters are what hooked me and kept me hooked from beginning to end. Expanding on their arcs from the first book, each of them continues to grow in fascinating and engaging ways.

First is Lin, who has to deal with the immense weight of assuming the role of emperor of The Phoenix Empire, and it’s clear that she previously underestimated that weight and everything her father and those who came before in the Sukai Dynasty did to keep this fragile island chain empire together. She is always questioning herself in a way that feels believable to someone who is learning on the job, through much trial-and-error. This is especially evident when she leaves the familiarity of the island she grew up on, as the Empire changes so much from island to island. Everywhere Lin goes, she is confronted by new customs, hierarchies, styles of dress, types of food and people.

Despite the morally questionable things she has and continues to do, she does them with the notion of it being the right thing and the hope that it will lead to the betterment of the Empire. I liked her internal battle and how it manifested externally, and it kept me engaged with her storyline such that I was always looking forward to her next chapter. And the assassination attempts! (Oh, how I loved them.)

Then there are Jovis and Phalue, who are equally as fantastic as Lin but in their own unique ways, facing their own unique struggles. Jovis’ narrative is a gripping push-and-pull as he deals with his duplicitous duality. Now that he is enmeshed in Lin’s world of court intrigue and power politics, he has to deal with the pain of his past all while manipulating everyone around him. It is an enjoyable circumstance of knowing who he is playing, but the true joy comes from how he handles it. And boy, are there a lot of missteps and fuck-ups, especially with certain romantic elements that were a pleasure to read (though I won’t spoil them here). Suffice to say that the interplay between Jovis and Lin is captivating.

Phalue, on the other hand, is less morally ambiguous, but she has so much to deal with in her own island world, now that she is a governor. Her impatient, heart-of-gold personality is also a nice breather from Lin and Jovis, and the problems Phalue encounters—most of all, her relationship with her father—press her in ways that question her beliefs to very satisfying ends. Her relationship with her now-wife Ranami also gets the chance to breathe and develop, and their connection is the warm heart that beats throughout Phalue’s story.

Even the side characters in this book are interesting and add to the tension and scope of the story. There is an army of rebel, human-like constructs vying for revenge, as well as a band of resistance fighters working against the Empire (whose true purpose is unclear). The ways in which Stewart interweaves the main POVs with the various side stories is a delicate dance that she handles with skillful care. The tone also gets dark at times, delving deeper into the crevices of moral greyness that the first book set up. But there is a smooth transition between darker and lighter moments that flows well, provides drama and scratches that heartfelt itch, yet doesn’t overwhelm your emotions.

And then there are Mephi and Thrana, the mysterious animal companions of Lin and Jovis. Stewart went beyond making them static pieces of the story and gave them real agency. What happens to them is directly linked to the two main POVs, and the strange origins of these adorable-yet-powerful creatures starts to take shape over the course of book two. That they are also tied to the Alanga magic and supernatural lore of this world is even more intriguing. I cannot wait to see how these threads unravel in book three.

As I mentioned with Lin, there is also much more travel in The Bone Shard Emperor, giving a taste of seafaring (love it) and the unique cultures and landscapes on each island (love that even more). This also allows the Empire and its numerous islands to act as more than just set dressing, as they become part of the story itself and how the people in the world are reacting to new dangers and rumors. It’s a beautiful tapestry and a world that I love spending time in.

Now, I do have a few criticisms, mind you. They weren’t immersion-breaking or anything, but did catch my critical eye in ways that I noticed but wasn’t entirely distracted. The pacing at times wasn’t perfect, and this mostly related to how chapter were organized. I would often be left wanting to read a POV chapter of a certain character as soon as possible, but their next chapter was held off for a bit too long such that I got distracted from the chapter I was actually reading. Then there are the twists, which Stewart loves to deal out. Her choice of when to introduce twists, and how to build up to them, was handled well, but some of the twists were fairly predictable. This wasn’t a bad thing, but it deflated some of the tension and payoff.

Two books into this series, and I am all in. I love the characters and the setting, the magic system and the lore, the political intrigue and the manipulations. The Bone Shard Emperor is delicious fantasy fiction at its best, wrapping its coils around my mind and heart, teasing me and toying with my emotions, breaking my heart and melting it at the same time. Stewart has truly shown her skill as a writer, with two standout books in a series that is cementing itself as a pillar of modern fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this ARC for an honest review.

I absolutely loved The Bone Shard Daughter. I had picked it up on a whim and it unexpectedly became one of my favorite books of 2021. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long for this sequel to come out. I really enjoy the character of this book. I love how Lin is trying her damndest to lead with confidence while also trying to do what’s best for the empire. I love how morally gray Jovis is as well. He and Mephi are my favorite characters. I felt the first book moved a bit faster, adventure-wise, but I feel this book had more detail and depth to the story. I absolutely love this series and I can’t wait for the third book!

Just like the first book this book is a quick read. I flew through this but it could be because there was so much going on. We have so many different parts moving that I found it hard to put down. I needed to know what was happening next. Although, there are times that I felt like we didn’t spend enough time in certain places and situations. It didn’t suffer from the “second book syndrome” because a lot of things do progress rather quickly.

The worldbuilding in this book has expanded and I loved learning so more about the Alanga. We learn more about the past and how that comes to play now. We delve more into the bone-shard magic too. Lin starts to embrace her power and it was great to see that come out in multiple ways. I am still not sure how I feel about the way Lin delved into the Emperor’s memories but I loved learning more about him and his motivations.

“You’re the Emperor. You’re powerful. People have to have an opinion of you. They won’t all be good opinions. At some point, you have to just do what you think is right.”

The women in this book have a much bigger role and I was all for it. Ranami and Phalue are a couple I’m struggling with. I love how Phalue is so optimistic but it’s almost too much. In her position, I would think she would be a little more level-headed about things. I get that Ranami is supposed to be that for her but she also crosses the line and goes too far. They need to learn from each other and grow together.

Even though I’m all about the female protagonist, my favorite characters are Jovis and Mephi. I can’t even explain how much of a delight Mephi is. He’s so moody and yet the perfect companion. I love him so much! The companions pretty much steal the show in this book. I cannot wait for the next book because they are just getting better and better.

“A song isn’t impenetrable armor. They write songs about dead people too, you know.” “But are they quite so catchy?”

Lin and Jovis have come a long way since book one. Although, I’m not really feeling the romance between them. Somehow, it feels like it came out of nowhere, and I just don’t feel emotionally attached to that relationship. It kind of hinders some of the moments in the book because it feels forced. I do like them on their own but not so much together.

One of the biggest issues with this book was predictability. I saw every twist coming and from far off. I was hoping to have a big shocking twist or moment but that did not happen for me. Even though I saw it all coming I still enjoyed the story. I love the world and the characters that Stewart has created. I’m really looking forward to the next book!

2.5 rounded down.

I made it through a third of this before I decided to call it quits. I just do not have the patience for this one right now [or ever]. I don’t find the story compelling and it lacks the mystery and tension of the first novel. I am sure many others will love this, but it’s just not for me! I would rather throw in the towel now than force myself to read the rest, only to leave a bitter review later.

This one wasn't as strong as the first book. There was a lot of travel without seeing real differences or truly exploring more locations (new island but same or similar players) and we spent a lot of energy filling in details that no one knew in the last book (namely history and the pasts of now-dead characters), which made things feel a little static.

I think Lin, Phalue, and Ranami really carried this book for me. As much as I like Jovis and Mephi, it didn't feel like they had a whole lot to contribute overall. But between Lin and Jovis traveling, Phalue and Ranami on one island with Gio, and a familiar enemy also traveling, the story felt stretched a bit thin across so many people not really doing much beyond recovering from the events of the previous book.

Though the last ~20% was certainly my favorite as all the tension crested and we started applying what the history taught us throughout. And the will-they-won't-they questions brought up were finally answered difinitively one way or the other.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Orbit books for providing me this arc via Netgalley!
I really had a hard time with this series. I don't particularly enjoy multiple point of views' books and that, combined with the complex world building made this really hard to read (since the first book). However, the plot twist and the interesting relationship between Lin and Bayan made me want to keep up the series. Unfortunately, going up through the second book, I find the author really decided to kill Bayan, which really made me lose interest in the rest of the story (there was not much to begin with). In conclusion, I do think that someone who enjoys a lot of point of views and characters, as well as an original storyline and world, might like this.

These series is life. I re=read and first and binged The Bone Shard Emperor right after. I could not put the book down. This fantasy is such an easy read, but has such a unique magic system, great world building, characters I love and, the most important, the cutest pets.
I loved Mephi and Jovis from the first book and continuing his transition from his past to his future was pretty well done. As Mephi also gains a larger character arc, he gets smarted and funnier. I seriously was said that I should have named by cat Mephi.
The historical additions were done so well. I can easily zone out during history or land descriptions, but I did not at all. I was super interested in the history, lore and players on each island. I do think that also helped with Nisong's character.
There was some frustrations for sure, because the secrets between Lin and Jovis drove me nuts, but overall I completely enjoyed it and I did not feel like a middle child book in the series.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Bone Shard Daughter, but I didn't find it to be anything particularly earth-shattering or game-changing. It was a fun fantasy world with an interesting magic system. The sequel picks up in the aftermath of the first book and continues the story in an enjoyable way. My main issue is that the book didn't feel like an evolution. The problems from the first book still remain, particularly with the pacing and a few of the characters. In the end, it was a satisfying but not entirely memorable second installment.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC.

In this sequel to the author’s Bone Shard Daughter, Emperor Lin Sukai must take over a fragmented land of many islands from her father’s despotic and uncaring hands. She has lost most of her friends from book one, other than her bonded creature Thrana, and has gained the folk hero ex-smuggler Jovis and his creature Mephi as her new Captain of the Guard. But she really has no one she can trust completely.

And she has a major problem. The islands of the Empire have begun to sink. No one understands why, though there are theories. She must learn the reason it’s happening so she can stop it and save her people.
She is also under attack from many fronts. Many of the islands are, if not in open rebellion, not happy with having a new Emperor and certainly not loyal. She must win their trust and support while facing two genuine enemies.

The terrorist organization the Shardless Few is led by the one-eyed and formidable Gio who is hell bent on tearing down the Empire and replacing it with a citizen council working on behalf of all the people of the Empire. Lin also wants to work on behalf of her people and she doesn’t see how replacing herself with Gio is going to really help anyone. Both think they can do the job better.

The second problem is Nisong, a construct based on her “mother”, her father’s consort. Out on a far island, the constructs have become self-aware, and because Nisong, like Lin, has the real Nisong’s memories, she has learned to create more constructs using bone shard magic. She is building a massive army to attack the Empire and turn all its people into constructs or power for constructs. She says it is because Lin has ordered the constructs destroyed and they just want to live, but is it really? Nisong also thinks she can run the empire better than Lin.

This all relies on the unique magical system of bone shard magic, introduced in the prequel book. Bone shards are removed from live people from a place behind their ear. They are carved with instructions and placed inside the bodies of constructs – basically the sewn-together bits of dead humans or animals, which are then imbued with life and who eat and drink and live. But they are programmed things only capable of following instructions, like AI, based on the magically carved bone shards placed inside their bodies. And they shorten the lives of the people whose shards are inside them, using those humans as power packs, basically.

There once were other sources of magic, however. The Alanga were powerful and fearsome wizards who could control the elements but who didn’t care about ordinary people and murdered them wantonly. The first Emperor had killed all the Alanga to take control of the Empire. Each of these wizards was bonded to and seemingly drew power from a creature called an ossalin, like Lin’s friend Thrana and Jovis’s Mephi. And now more people are showing up with ossalins. And they are showing Alanga powers, including Lin and Jovis. They have to hide these powers from those around them as Alanga are hated and feared by everyone.

This is literally the set-up of this highly complicated book. There is a ton going on here, and also a lot of trauma based on the childhoods of the various characters and the experiences they suffered in the first novel in this series. I adored it. This book assumes you can figure out things while Lin and Jovis do. It never talks down to you. Every character is well-drawn and has their own agenda and seems like a real, three-dimensional person. There are a lot of people to root for, and the “villains” are mostly not even wrong. They are fighting for a type of justice as well for the most part. And everyone is hiding something.

The bone shard magic is fascinating, and it’s not just the only weird merge of magic and science in this book. These are thinky wizards and there’s not just hand-waving and something goes boom. Everything has an explanation and works logically.

I also love the setting is NOT Western European fantasyland that everyone does. And it’s not specifically any Asian land, either. It’s its own world and society with its own history and it’s really interesting.

I just out and out loved this and I can’t wait for the next one in the series. I will be recommending it to everyone and following this author to see how she ends this and what she does next.

"But setting things right mean weeding a garden gone wild, and with each new weed pulled, two spouted in its place."

True rating 4.5✨

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this Earc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was such a step up from the last one and I had enjoyed the first one! The raw feelings and emotions that simmer in this book is outstanding and I love how we get the villain's POV. That was really cool to see.

This is well written and I applaud the author. Romance is not a major plot point but it is there and it is a beautiful slow burn that hunts like hell and makes you smirk.

"Maybe I was the hero. And heres were idiots."

Lin and Jovis are one in the same. Their powers twinning until they find more like them and it is revealed what they really are. Adore their mini (or not so mini now) beasts.

I throughly enjoyed the added characters that were in this book. It always adds to the story. The magic system in this book is honestly something I have never seen before. It is so creative and so out of the box. I enjoy learning about all the different elements that the magic holds.

"I'm trying to do better, but I don't quite know what that looks like."

Mephi can read the Alanga book that Jovis finds. The fact he can read at all is astounding. All at the same time, islands are sinking left and right and no one seems to have a concrete reason as to why exactly they are sinking.

"Maybe the small things do matter"

When the different POVs converge is literally my all time favorite thing. I love when that happens within a book. One of my favorite people we meet is Jovis's mother. She is perfect and I love her whole heartily. These swords that keep popping up are so important and I know they are going to play a major part in the next book.

Jovis is a major detective in this book. He figures everything out. Sometimes a tad too late. He is also way too wary of all the wrong people.

"Jovis makes big jokes when he can't face big feelings."

I wasn't entirely mad at this ending. It was well tied together enough that I am not fuming about most things except for one. When you finish you will know exactly what thing we are all stressed and worried about.... :(

"I wished I could live in this moment. I wished it never had to end."

The twist/reveal at the end... I feel stupid for not catching. I did audibly gasp when Lin said what she figured out. We also find out the other reason for the need of bone shards.

I hope to see more Ossalen...


-- It is now days after I have finished this book and I still find myself thinking about the characters which I hadn't anticipated. I really did enjoy this book and its magic system.

📚Book review: The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

Wow wow wow… how have I not seen this book more on bookstagram?! The Bone Shard Emperor is book 2 in The Drowning Empire series. All of the development in book 1 is SO worth it, because it really pays off big time in book 2. It’s got adventure, political intrigue, magical animal companions, and a sprinkle of romance. Mephi has stolen my heart 😍 and I’m not sad about it. It’s incredible how Andrea Stewart flawlessly weaves together the stories of Lin, Jovis, Ranami, Phalue, and the Alanga (and more characters that I won’t mention because, spoilers 😜)

Don’t get me wrong—this book has a lot of details and complex plot strands—so if you’re looking for a breezy read, this isn’t it. But it’s so dang worth it and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy (especially fans of Red Rising, Spin the Dawn, or Strange the Dreamer).

The Bone Shard Emperor is a fantastic follow-up to the first book adding more conflict and expanding the world we were first introducted to in The Bond Shard Daughter. I loved everyone's POV that we followed (except Sand, who is just an okay character to me still). I loved seeing how everyone's relationships developed. Mephi continued to be the MVP of the series, even as he entered his rebelious teenage stage.

The beginning of the book does start off slowly and feels like it's just a big build up for the third and final book. I didn't mind the slower sections in the books since the characters and the world completely captivated my attention.
Overall:
The Bone Shard Daughter 5 stars
The Bone Shard Emperor 4.5 stars
I can't wait for The Bone Shard War and have a feeling this series is going to end up being one of my favorites. I can't wait to see how Andrea Stewart will wrap up this delightful trilogy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, the bone shard emperor was a solid sequel to an amazing debut. I loved the characters in this book, and that is what is keeping the rating high. I love jovis and Mephis relationship and was very invested with their development. I felt that the pacing in the beginning was a tad slow, which is understandable with the amount of world building and other stories that needed to be introduced. I am looking forward to the next book to make sure that certain character is ok.

3.5 stars

When I read The Bone Shard Daughter last year, I wasn’t too impressed. I thought the premise was interesting but something about the execution was lacking for me. I didn’t feel attached to any of the characters, and I didn’t feel that the plot was engaging up until the end. The Bone Shard Emperor fixed some of the issues I had with the first book, which made it a more enjoyable read.

In terms of characters, I felt that they were better fleshed out than the previous novel. These are characters that have nuance and depth, and I often found myself rooting for them. Jovis was by far my favorite character. He starts out as a thief and smuggler, with a moral compass (this is one of my favorite character archetypes). He’s also the comedic relief character, which makes it unsurprising that I enjoyed his character the most. Lin is a character struggling to run an empire and dealing with the tragic legacy her father left behind. I didn’t agree with all her decisions, but it was interesting to see her grow into herself as the story progressed. The characters I cared least for are Phalue and Ranami, which makes me sad because they’re sapphic and I’d love to see more sapphic romances in fantasy. I wasn’t invested in them as individual characters or as a romantic pairing, and their subplot wasn’t engaging.

The magic system continues to be the most interesting aspect of the story. Bone Shard Magic is introduced as the main magic system in the first book, while hinting at another magic system used by people known as the Alanga. Bone Shard Emperor delves further into the second magic system, which is more so elemental in nature. Andrea Stewart provides the audience with enough information to piece together certain aspects of the story while introducing more questions. I would consider the magic in this world to be an interesting mix of hard and soft magic systems. Bone Shard is more so a hard magic system, with intricate rules that need to be followed. And I would claim the Alanga magic system to fall on the softer side. Both magic systems complement each other very well, and the author uses both magic systems intricately to craft an interesting story.

The history of this world is intriguing. Bone Shard Daughter hints at historical events within this world, but Bone Shard Emperor gives the audience more information. I enjoyed my time reading about the history, and I honestly wouldn’t mind if the author wrote a prequel that explores all the events that took place prior to this story.

This story also has magical animal companions. I recommend it for that alone. Mephi is too precious for this world

If you enjoy stories that are heavy with political machinations, then I think you would highly enjoy The Bone Shard Emperor. Because Lin is now the new emperor, she spends most of her time grappling for power. She doesn't want to rule the way her father did, by using brute force and fear, and wants her citizens to know that she genuinely cares for their wellbeing. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't know who to trust. Throughout the entire story she’s building political alliances, which don’t always work out for her. The political aspects are a lot heavier than they were in the previous book.

In terms of pacing, I consider it to be on the slower side, which I didn’t mind as much as I did in the first book. I think the reason for this is because I was a bit more invested in the characters, so I didn’t mind as much. I will say that this book also ends on cliffhanger, which I’m not sure how to feel about. Cliffhangers can be tricky and whether or not I would recommend immediately picking up this book depends on how a person feels about cliffhangers. If you don’t mind them, then by all means feel free to pick this up. If you’re not a big fan, maybe wait until closer to release of the next book before picking this up. I understand why the author made that choice, but I think I would’ve preferred having some plot points wrapped up.

The Bone Shard Emperor was a bit of a struggle for me. I went into this wanting to enjoy this as much as I enjoyed the first book, so I’d find myself trying to muster up more enthusiasm than I really felt as I progressed. Unfortunately, I finally had to confront the fact that I just wasn’t having the same experience with this as I did with Bone Shard Daughter. The events for most of the book felt a little overly drawn out or less impactful than they could have been and it wasn’t until the near the end when things began to get truly exciting.

This isn’t to say it was a bad sequel. It just personally felt a little underwhelming. A developing high stakes conflict emerges from the construct army lead by Nisong, but much of it occurs off-screen while the characters meander in less tense environments. This made the threat always seem distant and underutilized so it was difficult to feel the full force of it. Instead, much of the time the characters would be repeatedly expressing the same grievances and doubts with little character or plot development until closer to the end.

Lin and Jovis in particular were always having the same iteration of an argument over and over again. The romance plotline that’s introduced felt forced and only superficially fleshed out, while some of the more fascinating parts of the dynamic are glossed over. Then there were the scenes that I thought would contain some political intrigue – an element I was looking forward to most – that didn’t really have much intrigue at all. The current issue faced on each island Lin visits in her quest for allies were always short-lived, not very complex, and then wrapped up far too suddenly. Oftentimes it just felt like there wasn’t much happening.

What I did find interesting is how all our returning main characters seem to be at odds with one another in various ways. Lin is attempting to keep control over the Endless Sea islands under her reign as the next Sukai emperor is met with mounting resistance. Jovis is trying to balance his official role as the emperor’s captain of the guard while still spying on her for the Shardless Few. Phalue and Ranami are trying to govern the island of Nephilanu more equitably but remain deeply skeptical of the emperor and the Shardless Few both. And last but certainly not least there’s Nisong, who simply wants revenge against an empire that considers her and the rest of her fellow constructs to be abominations – and will wage war against them all until she is satisfied. The idea of these conflicting loyalties and agendas did make for a strong set up.

On top of that, the return of the Alanga comes to the forefront and it turns out they may be more inexorably linked to bone shard magic and the characters themselves than they could ever predict. I found some of the history and reveals we learn about the Alanga in this book to be some of the most compelling sections of all. Not to mention there is related information that emerges about Mephi and Thrana that explains their mysterious bond with Jovis and Lin respectively.

I do have to add that Mephi and Thrana are still the most delightful of animal companions. They continue to steal the show whenever they appear, and made many scenes that would have dragged for me much pleasanter than I think I would have found them otherwise. You’ll never hear a single bad word about them from me!

Overall, I do wish I had a better time with this book in general aside from a strong ending and personal favourites, but there is still enough to like in the series as a whole that I will definitely be picking up the sequel without question.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read what happens next. Andrea writes 3rd person so we'll I was on the edge of my seat every time I had to go to another person's POV after something happens to Lin.
Honestly a really good friendship is not over rated. I wish that was the case than a half hearted romance suddenly created in this book.
I can't wait to see what happens next in the last book.

Absolutely fantastic entry to the series! The characters continue to become lovable heroes, the plot raises it stakes, and the magic remains wholly unique and fascinating. This not only builds on top of book 1 but improves on it in every way. So excited for book 3 next September!

The Bone Shard Daughter had blown me away last year and I was really excited to read the sequel. Although this one felt slightly short if my expectations it was still a solid sequel that builds on the foundation set in book 1.
The Bone Shard Emperor explores the aftermath of everything that happened at the end of book 1 and how Lin. Jovi, Phalue, Ranami and Nisang alldeal with it. The character development for Lin was excellent . I loved how we get to see a more vulnerable to her in this book. Jovis as always was amazing and Mephi of course stole the show. I also really enjoyed reading Phalue and Ranami’s chapters. Their equation as a ruling couple was .off the charts. But having said that I would have loved to get more insight into Nisang and her companions. That’s basically my only complaint.
I loved loved loved how Andrea Stewart expanded the world building in this sequel.It answered a lot of questions but at the same time had me intrigued to learn more. I also loved learning more about the Alangas. The political machinations Lin had to navigate through added an extra layer to the already intricate world built by the author and made the plot all the more interesting.
The climax was the absolute best and worst. It was action packed with so many twists that had me on the edge of my seat but has also left me really anxious for some of my favourite characters. I cannot wait to read the finale and hope it exceeds all my expectations

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 5 Stars

This series is CRIMINALLY underrated. Seriously, how do I not see more people on Instagram and TikTok talking about how damn good it is? The talking animal companions alone would be enough for me to pick up any book without further questions. These books have SO much more than just animal companions though (that said, Mephi is my favorite character). There is betrayal, intrigue, politics, a budding war with multiple fronts, slow burn romance, and TWO different kinds of unique magic. Like…come on.

The pacing of this felt a bit slower, but I loved that the world was further developed and that we got so much more insight into both Jovis and Lin. I love both of their POVs, and I am HERE for the slow burn romance we’re getting between them. Honestly, I just want Jovis and Mephi to be happy – its the ultimate outcome I need from this series.

We also got so much more information about the mysterious Alanga – a threat that was mentioned often in the first book, but that we didn’t learn much about. I’m so intrigued by their history and look forward to seeing how things turn out given the events at the end of the book.

Speaking of…holy crap that was a hell of an ending. I’m still stressed, honestly. I’ll absolutely be counting down the months until September 2022 when I can find out how this trilogy concludes. In the meantime, I’m making it a new goal to get as many people as possible to pick up these books.

The Bone Shard Emperor is amazing. Rest assured it doesn’t fall into the second book slump, acting as a filler for characters to prepare for the impending “real” conflict in the final book. It’s a glorious read that met, maybe even exceeded, my expectations and I can’t thank Orbit Books enough for approving me for this ARC. The only bad thing about being approved is waiting another year for the final book. The Drowning Empire is on its way to being one of my favorite trilogies.

The strength of The Bone Shard Emperor continues to be the strong female characters and world-building. An already rich world is further expanded with the addition of the history of the Alanga, a history that is slowly revealed throughout the book. It was one of my favorite parts of the book.

The character development is also superb. While there continue to be multiple points of view, Lin and Jovis make up the majority with those of other characters kept to a minimum. This contributed to a much better reading experience than I had with the first novel. Lin was my favorite character from the beginning and remains so. She learns first-hand how difficult it can be to try to please the people and to make decisions she believes is best. It's hard to be the person in charge when people are scrutinizing your every move as well as prepared to depose you at any time. Despite being the emperor, she continues to be the girl who yearned for her father's love and approval, Rather than her father’s acceptance, she now needs the residents of the empire to place their faith in her. Throughout the book, I kept hoping her desire to find someone to connect with would be fulfilled.

The book is amazing. I finished reading it as soon as I got approved, but it took a while to get my thoughts translated from sighs, gasps, and grunts to words and finally to sentences that made sense. This is one of my favorite reads of 2021. (4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars)