The Bone Shard Daughter: The Drowning Empire Book One

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As for Sand (now Nisong)...she annoys me, but what's funny is that what I dislike about her, I love about Lin.

Lin is able to steal some simple books from the library to teach her the basics of building constructs. This was truly such a solid adult fantasy debut, brimming with magic and secrets. If you can handle the slower pacing, I would definitely recommend this, for well-written complex character arcs, a plot that unravels deliciously, and of course, a magical animal companion that will steal your heart instantly. I can’t wait to see what brilliant story Stewart manages to construct (no pun intended) with these characters next. The plot is split among the points of view of the various characters, winding from one to the next, and eventually connecting. The setting is an empire consisting of many floating islands upon the Endless Sea. Sand: A resident of Maila island, Sand spends her days placidly collecting mangoes, until one day she falls from a tree and hits her head. As she begins to recover memories she didn't know she had lost, she realizes she has not always been on the island, nor have the others there with her, and she sets out to awaken them and return to the empire. The reception was mostly positive. In her Locus Magazine review, Katharine Coldiron calls The Bone Shard Daughter "surprisingly complex", while noting that it "expends a lot of its energy on setup, it’s still a finely made book, its ideas sewn deftly together to make a beautiful garment." She commends the worldbuilding, themes, and characters, though she also observes that the language is not as compelling as it could be, and some characters and plot points are not fully in focus. [2] In a glowing review, The Book Reporter claims that "brings together the best of fantasy, romance and science fiction, melding them into one glorious one-stop shop of speculative fiction." [3] Adam Weller, writing for Fantasy Book Review, gave the book a score of 9/10, concluded that " The Bone Shard Daughter is full of surprises. It has a lot to say about our own society, as many great novels have the tendency to do. But it also pulls at your emotions through great character work, strong world-building, stomach-turning revelations, and hopeful paths toward the future. It a rich and rewarding novel, original and thought-provoking, and I didn't want it to end. One of the year's best." [4]We also got an expansion of the magic system, the Alanga magic system, which will most likely grow even more. There was a little less focus on bone shard magic in favour of it, but I trust it'll balance itself out in book three. Epic fantasy at its most human and heartfelt . . . inventive, adventurous and wonderfully written’Alix E. Harrow

I think in part this is due to the side PoVs being cut down to only the most necessary bits which I'm fully on board with. Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.At the end of the book, I kinda see where their narrative is going, but in the end it’s also not as important as Jovis’ or Lin’s. I would’ve liked it to be more active, but we’ll see where it goes in future books. It seems like nobody was aware of Nisong and her slow, approaching army and then there was just a scene where Lin mentions an impostor laying claim on her throne. It just seemed a very sudden shift from Lin going on diplomatic trips and making trading contracts to war and needing allies. It was written like she was aware of the threat and dismissed it because it was more important to do something else and it just seemed odd considering the extent of devastation Nisong was leaving behind. It was especially grating to see Lin showing her diplomatic skills and making deal...only to break it in next chapter. I read it and thought:"But, wait, that will not work because of you made a promise?" We got the huge battle at the end, so I am not that mad about it.

The reader learns more about the Alanga, and it is surprisingly unexpected. It adds another compelling layer to the story. Small note: This was marketed to me as a book with a f/f relationship and a book similar to The Poppy War, and both of these made me even more excited to read it. However, the f/f relationship was not as central as I’d believed it to be, and there was no comparison I coul Sand is on Maila Isle, and she collects mangoes. She starts to question why she’s on the island, because she can’t remember getting there. Phalue keeps proposing to Ranami, who keeps saying no because she’s not ready. Phalue is the daughter of the governor of Nephilanu Island, and Ranami is a rebel.

Read The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and learning as equals. I will definitely read the next book, and I'm telling you right now, if Mephi is not okay, I will riot. MEPHI BETTER BE OKAY. THE SAME GOES FOR THRANA AND ALL THE OTHER OSSALENS. I wished I could live in this moment. I wished it never had to end. But forever was a term for fools and poets.”

I wasn’t sure on which of the floating islands Father had found the abomination that made up the bulk of the Construct of Spies. But I knew I never wanted to visit. The construct looked nothing so much as a giant spider, dark brown and glistening, as tall as my chest when it stood to attention. Human hands were attached to the end of each of its spindly legs, and an old woman’s adorned the abdomen. The Bone Shard Daughter is an unmissable fantasy debut – a captivating tale of magic, revolution and mystery, where a young woman’s sense of identity will make or break an empire. It does seem like I only have negatives, right? I don't though, or I wouldn't have given it a positive rating. The world and magic system(s) still shows potential even if I wish they were explored further. The writing is compelling : I've read books I literally couldn't finish because the pacing was slow, and it wasn't the case at all here. It was more like this : I kept reading, while the thought "why isn't the plot moving forward" came into my mind. Finally, the last part of the book was WAY more engaging and I enjoyed it a lot. Nisong does not give up, even when she should, she will not. And that's frustrating because she's kind of the villain and I want everyone to be happy, but she keeps ruining it. Lin, Jovis, Mephi& Thrana (spelling? 🙈 sorry audiobook fail) are navigating the inheritance & big picture “running of an Empire” aka dealing with the rudderless constructs, getting the other Islands on side at the same time as they figure one another out (considering they did not know each other before the events ending book1) and the meaning/connections of the awakening powers they discover thanks to Mephi & Thrana - these two precious beans have my whole heart and 100% steal the show for me 🤩🥰The Bone Shard Daughter is the first book in the Drowning Empire fantasy trilogy by Andrea Stewart, published in 2020. [1] Plot synopsis [ edit ] In The Bone Shard Daughter, Lin and Phalue, were linked by the way their father’s were incompetent, uncaring leaders. In The Bone Shard Emperor they both share the task of stepping out of their father’s shadow, and they both feel overwhelmed. Phalue, the newly appointed Governor of Nephilanu Island, struggled to administer the safety of her people, her father may have been a cruel leader but he had held peace, and with Phalue being pulled in several directions, could she do the same? It seemed that helping the poorest proved to be much harder in reality compared to her previous idealist vision.