RJBarker wrote one of my favourite fantasy series of all time, The Wounded Kingdom trilogy. So, when I heard that he was writing a brand-new series called The Tide Child trilogy, I was excited. And by excited, I mean I might have shouted about it to one or two, or seventy random people. I am a huge fan. You may wonder why it did not get a higher rating then. The truth is that this was a very good book in the end, but it took its time in getting there. They are not the sort of words that you expect to start a legend, but they were the first words he ever heard her say. I've actually met R.J. Barker and he's a really sweet and nice guy. But man, he can write some truly dark stuff. The Hundred Isles was one of the most unforgiving and harsh worlds I've ever read which seemed to highlight all the worst of humanity. There was also the ever present feeling that no one was ever safe. Maybe except for Twiner, given that the stories are mainly told from his perspective. To make it even more tensed, the entire narrative was pretty much a non-stop roller-coaster of action and danger. These scenes were really well-written and the ones involving the might of the sea and nature were highly cinematic. The element of magic was there, even though it's usually not the focal point of the fights and battles. Well, not until it culminates into the power of songs, and that's when I started getting epic feels and goosebumps. RJ Barker managed to lay down a tremendous amount of worldbuilding in The Bone Ships and while this did impact the pacing slightly in that story, it’s now paying huge dividends in this second book, allowing him even more time to focus on character development. And wow, has he done an outstanding job of it. I laughed and cried and cursed as I followed the journey of the crew, characters I have come to love and hate. Farys, Coughlin, Anzir, Dinyl, Shorn, Cwell… So many feelings. It’s also a testament to the author’s adeptness at clearly portraying relationships in all their complex glory that my feelings about characters I once loathed are now... I don’t know! You’ve muddied the waters RJ! It’s complicated. And it’s fantastic. We’ll find water in the gion forest,” she said, “or we’ll tap a varisk stalk. My officers aren’t soaks.”

The Bone Ships by RJ Barker | Hachette Book Group The Bone Ships by RJ Barker | Hachette Book Group

It’s a weird thing trying to review a book that was a tale of two halves. I do not want to focus solely on the individual parts, but rather the whole.As with all things, I think it is about balance. The author took a risk with his approach, and The Bone Ships comes out on the right side. Just shy of great, it is a very good read and I would definitely recommend it, but with a caveat. Be warned going in that is a slow build, and persevere. The read is worth the time. For an unknown author, I might have put this down. But I trusted RJ to deliver, and in the end he did. A wonderful testament to his skill and talent. I will be ready and waiting when the sequel arrives. Audacious storytelling, with an original, captivating world. After a slow start, I found it increasingly difficult to put this book down and I am on board for more.He tried to speak, found his mouth dry and not merely from last night’s drink. Fear. Though he had walked with it as a companion for six months it made it no less palatable. Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

The Bone Ships (Tide Child Trilogy, book 1) by RJ Barker The Bone Ships (Tide Child Trilogy, book 1) by RJ Barker

such a great sequel to The bone ships. Not quite as good as the first book. But it takes steps to avoid middle book syndrome. Staggered timelines and multi pov. It’s great to crew the tide child once again. Poor Joron really gets put through the ringer in Call of the Bone Ships, but it's fascinating and wonderful to see him grow as a character in spite of his troubles. He continually fights against self doubt and begins to gain more confidence and authority after the events of The Bone Ships, yet he remains a flawed and wonderful character. Thankfully, Joron Twiner is never alone. Readers of The Bone Ships will know that found family is one of the key themes of the series, and I’m gratified to state that Barker nailed the growth of the other characters as well. The themes of loss, sacrifice, responsibility, and loyalty were established, and they’re indeed pretty savage, but the crew of the Tide Child knows they are all in this together. Being battered non-stop by waves of pain and blood, it’s only by working together they can put a dent in their seemingly unbending end. Whether they succeed or not, I’ll leave that for you to find out for yourself. I enjoyed what I’ve read, and the growth of the characters—I won’t mention their name to avoid spoilers—was incredible.

Fantasy Series We Recommend

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler free for Call of the Bone Ships, but approach with caution if you have not read the first book, The Bone Ships She had taken his hat of command from him, and though he had never wanted it before, it had suddenly come to mean something. Her theft had awoken something in him. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of RJ Barker's Wounded Kingdom series, and when I recently reread the first book in the Tide Child trilogy I was once again reminded how much I love his stories and I kept on thinking about the story and the characters long after that reread. So when the time came around for myself, TS and Petrik to resume our buddy read with the Call of the Bone Ships I was more than excited to plunge into this world again and I was overjoyed to find that it was every bit as good as I'd hoped. Call of the Bone Ships is the second book in The Tide Child trilogy by R.J. Barker. There’s no middle book syndrome here. I was one of the relatively few readers who were slightly disappointed by The Bone Ships on my first read. To sum it up briefly, it was too different from The Wounded Kingdom trilogy, and I expected a focus on characterization right from the getgo. But that wasn’t the case, The Bone Ships spent the first half of the novel heavily focused on world-building, and the characterizations came in the second half. This storytelling decision, however, made the reread experience of The Bone Ships that I did rewarding. And I’m happy to say that Call of the Bone Ships provided a more character-driven narrative in addition to retaining the fascinating world-building. The fantasy elements to this book are incredible. You have half human/half bird weather mages, epic sea dragons, ships made out of dragon bones, the incredibly fun Skearith’s Spine (you'll have to read it to find out what it is), and so much more. It feels unique, grander than life, and deeply exciting.