The second book in The Drowning Empire did not disappoint! I missed these characters so much and I was so excited to get back to them and continue this epic journey!

Andrea does such a fantastic job with world building and character development. I felt invested in these characters and this story from the very beginning.

I loved seeing all of the pieces come together throughout the story. I laughed, I cried, I squealed (especially at the end with Ranami and Ayesh).

Excellent, just so excellent!

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

WONDERFUL!!!! WOW!!!! Does this author know how to write! Another great installment from the incomparable author of The Bone Shard Daughter (if you haven't read that one, go read it now!). I love Ms. Stewart's writing, her world-building and characterization is so intricate and talented, yet you never feel bogged down by the details. If you are looking for your next fantasy fix that has friendships and relationships between characters that are not perfect but are relatable, then pick this one up. I really enjoyed it and will always read anything by this very talented author. Drama, romance, intrigue, betrayal, adventure - this book has it all. 10 stars!!!

This was a solid sequel in one of my new favorite fantasy series. When I received this arc, I actually went and bought the first in the series that I have heard so much about. I will also be buying a physical copy of this when it comes out in paperback. Unfortunately, since the first was paperback the second one needs to be too.

I am happy to report that this sequel did not suffer at all from the dreaded middle book slump that plagues so many trilogies. Instead, this one more along at a good pace with a fair amount of plot progression. As a story built around mystery, I was actually surprised how much was revealed in this book.

This series includes several under rated tropes, like magical companions and love scoundrel. The way magic is used in this story is unique and really done well. I wish it had had some more romance in the story, but it was still really well done. I cannot wait for the third to come out!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. I stumbled upon the first book only a few weeks ago. Imagine my surprise when the sequel had just released. I’ve never requested a book so fast! The drowning empire series has me hooked and I am impatiently awaiting the final installment!

This is the second book in the Drowning Empire series and picks up not long after the end of the first book. We’re also following the same characters of Lin, Jovis, Phalue, Ranami, and Nisong with the same writing style with Lin and Jovis’ chapters told in first person and the other three side characters are all written in third person. It’s really a testament to Stewarts’ writing that the flow from each chapter is so seamless, you almost don’t even notice the change from first to third person.

I really enjoyed the magic in this installment and how everything is starting to really expand, plus we get much more about the elemental magic with this book which I always love. We also learn more about the Alanga – but in learning more it also opened up so many more questions! We also continue to have the characters keep secrets from each other that are revealed over time, and that made everything really suspenseful. Between all the secrets and then the events of the book, there’s just so many things that can go wrong and at this point almost anything can happen in the next book!

I absolutely loved seeing Thrana and Mephi, and how their bonds with Lin and Jovis developed, and they were just as entertaining as they were in the first book!

The last 20% or so I was literally screaming because of the reveals that happened, all of which would be major spoilers and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone, because it’s truly something incredible to read.

The one thing that I didn’t really like was actually the romance subplot between Lin and Jovis. I don’t think it was really necessary, and that’s coming from someone who loves romance in their fantasy books. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t detract from the story as a whole and it may be something that comes into play in the next book, but it just didn’t really add anything for me in this particular book. After having a few days to think about this, I’m wondering if it’s maybe more of a way for Lin to feel close to someone whose already there rather than her truly developing feelings for Jovis? Only time will tell!

Overall, this was a VERY strong sequel and there is definitely no middle book slump here! I’m excited and nervous to see what the final book does, and especially what Andrea Stewart does next because she’s definitely a writer to keep your eye on.

I enjoyed this book so much! It definitely delivers on the storyline following the plot twists from Book 1 an I also like that this book expands on the magic system a little bit more. You still have multiple POVs in this book without it being overwhelming. These are the same POVs you get in Book 1. However, the only thing I could say is that the different POVs do affect the pacing of the book at times. But this is only in certain parts and not a big deal considering the last half of the book was amazing in both pacing and plot twist wise. You also get to "travel" around to different islands with these POVs so please don't let that deter you. It''s an amazing read and I honestly have this feeling that book 3 is going to be fire!

This was a really great sequel! It started out a little slow which I don’t mind and then it definitely got more fast-paced as the book went on! Lynn and the other characters had a lot of growth throughout the book. Those last few chapters were definitely stressing me out, but I think the ending is satisfying! Also I really love all these characters so much, but Mephi is still my favorite character, he’s just too sweet! I love how his personality and language continue to grow as he gets bigger! After that ending though..he better be ok!!! : (

Just like the first book, this book engaged me straight away. From the start, I was back in this world ready for anything it would throw at me.
It’s so hard to put down! The world and the characters are just so fascinating!
My only complaint is that the next book doesn’t come out until September!

Book two of The Drowning Empire series, The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart is every bit as epic in scope and gory in detail as the first book. Lin is now emperor, committed to improving the lives of her people and solving the issues created by her father's reign. At the same time, she discovers just how difficult it is to rule anything. After all, we can't expect her to have an easy time of it.

Moreso than in the first book, The Bone Shard Emperor starts to dive deep into the issues facing Lin and all of the characters. Also, we start to see the characters as more multi-dimensional, with all of the nuances and foibles that make them realistic and personable. While the first book is most definitely an introduction to the Empire and the large cast of characters, this second book focuses on action and consequence, as it drives the series forward towards its conclusion.

The Drowning Empire is not a series I see getting a lot of love. At the same time, I love everything about it. I love the twists and turns of the plot, which never fail to surprise or shock me. In particular, I love the moral ambiguity of all of the characters and the fact that you never really know who is going to side with whom. The scope of the story is magnificent. Ms. Stewart makes it work so well. It is only until we start piecing together all of the hints and bits of information to start picturing the end game where you realize just how ambitious the scope of the novel truly is.

The Bone Shard Emperor and its predecessor, The Bone Shard Daughter, deserve all the attention. If you love epic fantasy novels involving girl power, Sapphic relationships, and magic, you must add these two novels to your list of books to read. For me, given the information we receive at the end of the novel, I will be eagerly anticipating the finale to see how Ms. Stewart brings it all together and would love to discuss the first two novels with you while we wait!

I've rated this three stars, but it is probably more like 3.5 stars. This makes me sound so fickle, but where I liked having the multiple POVs in the first novel, I didn't like them as much here. I think, though, that it was actually that I didn't like the voices of those particular characters as much. I think a couple of them got whinier, and a few really stepped up -- so in the end, there was some balance. I wanted this to move along faster than it did, particularly in the middle section. There was too much repetition of feelings and thoughts and not enough movement and action, so that slowed the story down and made me lose interest a time or two. Still, the overall storyline is interesting, with a magic system that is top-notch and new information that really makes me look forward to book #3.

This was everything I absolutely wanted in the sequel and I could not be more excited for the next installment. Andrea Stewart takes the set up from Bone Shard Daughter and expands on everything from the world to the character development and the plot. I didn't think I could become even more fascinated with every aspect of the story but it happened and now I cannot wait for the third and final book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this ARC. This honest review was based off my experience reading an ARC, which in no way biased me.

Some of my issues I had with the previous book were resolved, the main one being that having so many POVs felt like I was reading several different books with no connection to each other. This brought some POVs together which I appreciated.

Unfortunately this book has the same issue for me as the previous one, the pacing felt very slow. It was very difficult to get into and invested in this book.

That being said I do love the characters. Lin, Jovis, Mephi, and Thrana made it worth it for me. The magic system is still confusing to me, because we got to know more, but I find the bone shard magic intriguing and also the other form of magic that was introduced in this book. I did appreciate the side romance plot in this one, but also the plot twists and the betrayals moved this story along as well. While I really didn’t care for Ramani in the first one, her and Phalue in this book were cute.

Such an evocative cover, and so I had to request it immediately.

I’ll admit I’m reviewing this from the point of view of someone who didn’t realize this was a sequel until a quarter of the way through the book. So I haven’t read the first one, but I wasn’t too confused over the situation. We get enough context clues dropped in the beginning that I understand the bare bones (heh) of what happened before.

The point of views took a lot of getting used to as we get two POV both in first person, and then three more POV in third person. Which got a little confusing at first, but I got used to it.

The lush worldbuilding really drew me in as each new piece of information about the world hinted at a larger world beyond the pages. And the magic system was fascinating! Both of them really, the bone shard magic of the Emperor, and then the more elemental magic of the Alanga.

I really loved the characters, especially Phalue, and I hope that the third book really explores a friendship between Phalue and Lin. They’ve got a lot in common, and I would love to see that explored farther. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Phalue and Ranami. It was easy to see the trust and affection between the two of them.

I was a little disappointed with how quickly everything about the romance got resolved right at the end, but perhaps that will be more explored how that relationship can grow from where the second book ended.

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the third book, and going back to find the first so I can start from the beginning.

I was given a free copy of Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart (author), Orbit (publisher), and Net Galley. Bone Shard Emperor is the second book in the Drowning Empire Series with Bone Shard Daughter (2020) being the first in the series. I did not read Bone Shard Daughter, and I did not feel lost or confused while reading Bone Shard Emperor.

This review will be spoiler free for the most part.

I would characterize Bone Shard Emperor as epic fantasy based in an Asian type setting in a secondary world.

The story takes place in a country ruled by an emperor (the main character) comprised of islands that are each governed by a governor. The main character is a young woman who recently become emperor of deposing her father (in Bone Shard Daughter) and trying to establish relationships with the governors. Another aspect of this world is that three of the islands have mysteriously sunk but this plot issue is not resolved in this story.

Magic is an important component of this story. The magic system is based on the use of shards of bones from living people and are used to power beings called constructs. The previous emperor used the constructs to replace people to do his bidding while he ruled. The current emperor wanted to do away with the constructs. I enjoyed the use of flashbacks to show how the main character learned about the magic system.

Another aspect regarding magic in this story, the main character and a couple of other characters have the ability to use magic which enables them to manipulate the ground in the form of quakes and water in the form tidal waves and raindrops.

Bone Shard Emperor has multiple point of view characters including both main and minor characters. The major character is the young woman who has recently become emperor after deposing the previous emperor who was her father. The captain of the emperor’s guard, a significant minor character, appears in several chapters where the story is shown through his point-of-view. I enjoyed the chapters shown from the governor and her wife’s points of view. Their character arcs are intertwined, interesting, and I would have like read more about them.

I did not find the chapters told from the emperor or the captain’s point of view to be interesting. A great deal of their chapters showed what each of these two characters feeling and thinking. I thought their chapters featured them to be expressing self-doubt and questioning themselves and what they should or should not do. Another reason why I did not like these characters is the way their feeling for each other developed throughout the story that I did not find believable because it appeared to be forced (possibly a longer version of insta-love) and took me out of the story on more than occasion.

In the beginning of the story, I was intrigued by setting up of the captain’s character arc. He was a renowned smuggler and the new emperor appointed him to become the captain of her guard. He was also spying on the emperor for a rebel organization and was still in the clutches of a criminal organization. As I continued to read his character arc, I started to lose interest for two reasons: as already mentioned, the romance developing between him and the emperor, and in the execution of his story, especially how it concludes.

I would have preferred if the governor and her wife sub-plot was featured more in this story. I think it would have enabled another minor character named Gio (who could be considered a villain or anti-hero) to be featured more and could understand his motivations because he has an important role at the end of the book.

The main villain has several chapters shown from her point-of-view and I did not find her interesting as well for similar reasons as the main character. I would have preferred that the main villain’s character arc was shown through the perspectives of some of her primary supporters that could have been more interesting and provide more perspectives of their struggles and motivations.

I thought the plot of the story to be meandering and slowed to a crawl through parts of the middle and near the end of the story. A great deal of the story is showing what the characters are thinking and feeling and impacts pacing of the book.

I rate Bone Shard Emperor 2.5 stars.

I would like to thank Ms. Stewart, Orbit, and Net Galley for the free E-ARC.

This book is a solid follow up to my favorite debut of 2020. I absolutely adored book one, and recently reread it in anticipation of reading this book. I was not disappointed!

In The Bone Shard Emperor we continue to follow Lin and Jovis, as well as Nisong, and other characters within this world. The shining stars for me are Mephi and Thrana, and this seems to be a common theme among my fellow readers. I’m not alone in saying that I would die for them!

While this book starts off a little more slowly paced, it quickly picks right up and we see Lin as she grapples to take over the throne, and all of the empire issues, such as entire islands drowning, bargaining and making alliances with other cities to help with the refugees and needing medicine around the empire. The politics in this one simply further expand upon book one, and we get to see Lin fully grow into her role as the emperor. Whereas in book one she feels like a young adult, still very naïve about things, and possibly too trusting, in the follow up we see the opposite. She’s been hurt by those close to her, and is a little more sparing with those she puts her trust in. When someone betrays her trusts, she guards herself first, which I enjoyed seeing as one of the many ways her character develops.

Jovis and Mephi also seem to “level up” in their character work. Mephi is a constantly evolving creature, and I love getting to learn more about the Alanga as we go through this installment. Jovis is continually making questionable decisions, but I hope in the third book we see him grow to be more solid in his allegiances.

In book one, I didn’t care overly much for Ranami and Phalue’s relationship or POV chapters. They just weren’t my favorite and I was hoping for a little something more. In TBSE we get to see them also grapple with becoming rulers, trying to do what is best for everyone around them, and we get to see them grow as a couple who may end up thinking about adopting a child.

I had a couple of instances of the plot feeling just a tad too slow and wishing we could learn even more about bone shard magic, but we got there in the end.
In this book we get a slow burning plot, an empire that is still sinking, politics and scheming all growing quickly to a boiling point, and then THE ENDING! The ending was phenomenal, and I’ll refrain from saying too much to avoid spoilers, but there were a few reveals that I really enjoyed, whether or not I saw them coming.
I absolutely adored Stewart’s execution of “the final battle” in this book and I really think that it set the stage for the finale to be truly explosive. I am so thankful for the opportunity to read and review this book early, and I cannot wait to read the finale!

Overall (TLDR)
This is an incredible follow up to The Bone Shard Daughter that further expands upon the magic system, world, politics, and relationships that were set up in book one. If you were a fan of TBSD, I have no doubt that you will also enjoy it’s follow up, The Bone Shard Emperor. I’m excited to reread these again in the future and catch even more details a third time around! I would rate it a 4.25/5!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would give The Bone Shard Emperor 4.5 stars and loved it! But first, HOW DID I NOT REALIZE THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER BOOK!? I don't know why I thought this was a duology but I did and I have another book with not quite a cliffhanger but enough to keep me dangling and I STILL LOVE IT! The only reason I didn't give it the full five stars is because I struggled to not skim the Sand/Nisong chapters and even the Phalue and Ranami ones to an extent. I love love love the relationship between Phalue and Ranami (all the queer rep tbh) but Lin and Jovis' POVs just pulled me so much more in this book and the rest felt secondary. I love the world that was built here and I cannot wait for the next book to see how it all works out!!

i'm disappointed??

here are my thoughts:

the first book left me wanting a bit more. i wanted to see all of the plot lines come together in a satisfying way. and i was okay with that not happening right away in book one since the world and magic system was so cool.

but in book two, the beginning became a drag. i wanted all of the characters to come together. i was tired of waiting. and when it finally happened, i was still underwhelmed.

i think that andrea stewart is a pretty cool author, and i will definitely keep an eye out for her future works.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Love, love, love this series!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
With the first book, it took me a little while to get into the story because there were a few different points of view that were all in different locations. So, we were learning characters and world very quickly. I think that was definitely not an issue for this second book. I felt like I was immediately invested in the story since I was familiar with the world and it’s characters. The first book left all of the characters in pretty tumultuous places, most of them just having come into positions of power and now we’re getting to see what they’re doing with this power. Like the first book, we follow Lin, Jovis, Phalue, and sometimes Ranami. What I thought was really interesting was that Lin and Jovis’ parts of the story almost mirrored Phalue and Ranami’s parts of the story. Both Phalue and Lin have some into positions of power and seeing how they both deal with that was a really compelling part of the story. Lin faces so many challenges and obstacles. I really liked how Stewart didn’t shy away from showing us how Lin was upset and frustrated that things weren’t going her way. She has the best intentions, but the people of the Empire are resistant to accept her and work with her. The development of all the characters was well done in my opinion. Their motivations were clear and understandable. I felt like it was easy for me to get invested in them.
With the first book, I felt the world building was a little lacking because we only saw a small picture of a larger Empire. But in this one we get to see more of the island between Lin’s travels and Nisong’s conquests. There were still some things that were left unanswered (hello! The islands are sinking!) but there was so many things going on that the top priority issue kept changing which I feel like this helped the story feel like it was more fast paced than it actually was. I was happy to get to see more of the Empire. We also learned way more about the history of the world and of Lin’s father’s backstory. I really liked learning the history and the backstory because it definitely put some pieces together.
Overall, I really liked this book. I liked it more than the first book I think. Some of my questions from the first book were answered (we learn so much about the Algana which I totally loved and can’t wait to learn even more about) and new questions were raised. I cared about the characters and think their development was reasonable. I loved Phalue and Ranami’s romance. I liked Lin and Jovis’ but it didn’t blow me away. Jovis was honestly my biggest complaint with this book. He was so wishy-washy with whether or not he was going to spy on Lin and then he just kept making poor choices. It was incredibly frustrating. But I adored Memphi and Thrana. Their backstory is something I’m still very curious about and can’t wait to learn more about. This was a pretty good sequel and I can’t wait for book three.

ARC acquired by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Bone Shard Daughter ★★★★


It’s hard going into a review for the second book in a series without spoiling the first book, so be warned if you haven’t read The Bone Shard Daughter yet, that I will probably spoil the entire thing here.

We begin with Lin, now Emperor and struggling with the revelations from the first book. She has Jovis with her now as Captain of the Imperial Guard, along with Mephi, who must be protected at all cost. I still think it’s interesting that the author chose to have multiple POVs with two being in first person and the rest in third. She did it very well in this second installment and it helped to enhance who the main characters are. I enjoyed getting to learn more about Mephi, the Alanga, and the lore and magic system of this world. With Lin’s POV being limited first person, we, as the reader’s, are learning along with her about the schemes and intricacies of just how far her father’s plots went. While Lin struggles with trying to hold her empire together, Jovis struggles with who he wants to remain loyal to. He’s supposed to be feeding information to the Shardless Few, but he’s starting to grow fond of Lin.

We also follow Renami and Phalue again as they figure out how to rule while placating the Shardless Few at the same time. Phalue’s character growth in this book was my favorite and I can’t wait to see more of her in the next one.

While everyone has their internal struggles with holding the empire together another rebel movement is using rogue constructs to conquer each island one by one until they reach Imperial and take over the empire.

Overall, I felt the pacing of this book a little slow to start and it took me a while to really get into it, but once I did, I couldn’t put the book down and that ending has me anxious for the next book.


The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.