The Bone Shard Daughter

By Andrea Stewart

eARC REVIEW

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

The Bone Shard Daughter is the first book in The Drowning Empire series. It is about a failing kingdom that is cleverly told from 5 different character’s points of view. The reader dives into each character’s journey alongside them and witnesses the beginnings of the kingdom’s downfall told from all angles. This world involves moving islands and hideous magic that makes a combination of human and animal robot-like beings called constructs. The government tries to maintain its control of their people while also trying to stifle the growing fear of a long ago civilization coming back for a revolution.

Readers first meet Lin, the Emperor’s daughter, who struggles to come to terms with memory loss while desperately trying to puzzle together the Emperor’s mysterious behavior. Next, is Jovis, a street smart smuggler turned reluctant savior. Phalue, a governor’s daughter, is made aware of her father’s fragile hold with his people, yet is hesitant to right his wrongs. All the while, she comes to unsettling terms with her girlfriend, Ranami. Ranami, a villager, takes desperate measures to force Phalue to see how life is for others that live outside of her royal walls. And finally, Sand, who while out doing her everyday chores, has an accident that brings her to a startling awareness of not only memory loss but being stranded on an island with strangers who experience similar memory issues. The reader and characters alike quickly realize that not everything is as it seems. The Bone Shard’s Daughter is a compelling story loaded with unexpected twists, turns, and covert character motivations. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, think again.

I was delighted to receive an ARC of Andrea Stewart’s, The Bone Shard Daughter. I gave this book 4 stars because it contains a lot of world building which gives it a slightly slow burn starting off. About half way through the book, things begin to pick up and the story falls into place nicely. I enjoyed the style of writing and the multiple point of view narratives that allowed the reader to fumble alongside each character, it helped add mystery and intrigue. Andrea Stewart is a great writer and I look forward to the next book in this series. The Bone Shard Daughter provided a good introduction into The Drowning Empire series world and I anticipate the next book to be more action packed. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.