The Bone Shard Daughter: The Drowning Empire Book One

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And finally, Sand’s chapters were some of my favorites to read, though they appeared the least throughout the book. Sand has forgotten everything about her life before now, where she moves through her day in a fog, on an island full of other people with lost memories. I wanted to know everything about her, and the reveal did not disappoint. The Bone Shard Daughter was such a wonderful intro to this rich word of islands & reawakening secret magics + bone shard constructs that it stayed fresh in my mind even though it’s been about 2 years since I listened to it. 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.

The way Andrea Stewart writes the chapters makes the story flow so well. The plot is still slow paced relative to the first novel but the ending was so explosive that it had me gasping. The way Stewart wraps up her books always manages to bump itself up my rating. Talk about the ending making the book.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.

I love how Lin and Jovis grow as characters during the course of the book, and how their relationship develops. I had an inkling at the beginning of book one that they'd probably end up together and it seems I was right. Lin: The resourceful and highly-intelligent heir-apparent to the throne of the Phoenix empire. She gradually comes to believe her father is unjustifiably harming the people of his empire, and is determined to gain the power to change things. Phalue: The daughter and heir of the governor of one of the empire's largest islands. Her relationship with Ranami, a commoner, is fraught with uncertainty and conflict because of their different world views.stars. I seem to be in the minority on this one, so I thought I'd briefly explain why I didn't love it as much as the first (even though I still liked it—I am, as always, reminding everyone that 3.5 stars is a good rating) : I cannot heap enough praise on how this author interweaves the storylines between our characters & how the choices of the previous ruler are way more far reaching than we can even begin to understand until they are wonderfully hinted at & revealed to us in this while still leaving so many questions, theories and possibilities for where the next book will go 🤪 Emperor Lin begins her rule by finally putting an end to the horrific Tithing Festival, whereupon the Emperor would take shards from its citizens to create constructs. It is clear that Lin is not her father, her intentions truly are for the good of the empire, but even with this revolutionary act she cannot win over the people’s support. Therefore she realises, with the protection of her Captain of the Imperial Guard, her best chances are to visit each island, to return their shards in good faith, to once again prove her worth. Time is of the essence though as she hears rumours of two rebellious forces gathering on two different fronts, that being The Shardless Few and another infamous figure. Lin desperately needs an army, she needs to unite the islands. Out of all the characters, it is Phalue who doesn’t face her hardship alone as her wife Ranami stood loyally by her side, even when they disagreed. Although I never quite warmed to Ranami’s character, I felt her criticisms towards Phalue’s decisions far outweighed her actual support, I could see her rougher life experiences had shaped her to be more sceptical and perhaps less idealistic. Ranami truly loved Phalue, she just didn’t want to see her fail.

My review of the first book in the series, The Bone Shard Daughter is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... I love how lgbtq+ relationships are so normalized (even poly) and are just casually mentioned. The language used regarding pronouns and queerness is probably one of the, or the most inclusive one I have come across in Adult High Fantasy. Final take away the new characters we meet and reveals about characters we met in book1 are all adding to the mix as this series builds to its final instalment. It is such a rich series that I would love to know so much more about everything and absolutely cannot wait to see where the last book will take us! Sandu’s story is the last thread of the novel. After Sandu falls from the tree where she collects mangoes and hits her head, the lull fog she’s been living in suddenly clears and Sandu is able to recover some of her memories. Sandu sets out to break the other residents of Maila from the thrall of the mysterious spell she had been under and break out from her prison.Book Two begins shortly after the events of Book One. Lin is now the emperor, and she must garner the support of her people to maintain stability and keep her throne. Also, Jovis must adjust to his new role and decide where his loyalties lay. Meanwhile, his animal companion, Mephi, is as adorable and funny as ever. Then, there is Nisong, who is out for blood and revenge. Plus, the rebellion is gaining more influence. Little by little, he’d become more than just an animal, but a companion he couldn’t see himself being parted from.” Is there a sliding scale of good? And if so, where do my actions fall? I'm trying to do better, but I don't quite know what that looks like.”