The Bone Shard Daughter: The Drowning Empire Book One

Product Information

This doesn’t mean I was disappointed or thought the book was bad or didn’t like the f/f relationship; I just want to note for readers that the f/f relationship isn’t central and the book is nothing like TPW, so they don’t go in with incorrect expectations like I did! You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart was an intriguing and exciting start to a new adult fantasy series, set in a world controlled by bone shard magic as the Emperor’s rule begins to fail and revolution sweeps across. Lin manages to mess with a couple of her father’s constructs to get them to obey her, which is good.

Of these, I was drawn most to Jovis, an imperial navigator turned smuggler with a heart of gold and a quip for every situation. The bone shard magic actually reminded me of scriving—inserting commands to inanimate objects—from another series I loved: The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett. Whether we like it or not, social status does affect romantic relationships in real life, and I personally think that Stewart captured the difficulty of being in this kind relationship incredibly well.I think this book sets a great foundation for the sequel to expand on, especially with the worldbuliding. It is original and well written, there is action, intrigue, and even a little bit of romance, and I strongly recommend it if you are looking for something a little different from the usual YA.

Within this background, Stewart unfolds the story through four main characters - which can be a tricky thing to do, with POV and location shifting and the need to get the balance between characters and story progression right. Andrea Stewart is the Chinese American daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States.Phalue, a governor’s daughter is brusque and confident; her lover Ranami, a peasant girl is introspective and resolute. with remnants of an ancient Alanga civilisation that was defeated by a Sukai, who became the first Emperor of the islands. The floating islands concept was fascinating, and brought back memories of Frances Hardinge’s Deeplight (although the similarities stop at the island setting, and I loved Hardinge’s book much more - but I’m her devoted fangirl). There are multiple points of view, and the astute reader can put together information from those various sources to gain a wider view of the world than any individual character possesses. The first chapter that introduced a ridiculously high expectation scene set by Lin’s father is pretty much how every Asian parent behaves; as an Asian, I can confirm this.

Instead the background is woven smoothly and naturally into the story - a fine example of how this should be done. When adopted seven years earlier, Bayan brought a disease into the capital that stole most of Lin’s memories. And far away on a remote island a woman named Sand shakes off a thrall of leading a life of a mindless worker drone.Other island denizens similarly collect clams, and gather daily in a central location to get their food.