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bree_h_reads's review against another edition
I was a little iffy about this book but the MOMENT it started to imply a romance between Lin and the foster brother she was raised with I was done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Child abuse, Body horror, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings: Grief, loss, body horror, nightmares, murder, abuse, and mention of sexual assault.
The final prompt for the “Read Your Own Adventure” Tiktok readathon was to read a book that intimidated you…so I chose this one. There’s no real reason this book intimidates me but as it’s been on my shelf a bit and it is on the thick side…I figured it fit the parameters and dove in.
Having first heard about this book last year on Booktok I’ve been excited to read it for a while…especially since, although I’ve heard praise, I’ve never heard any specific details about the story so I had no idea what I was jumping into. I, luckily, follow fantastic Tiktok creators who are good about giving spoiler-free reviews or who warn before diving into any spoiler-like content. When someone gives away the entire story before you’ve had a chance to read it…it takes the joy out of discovering a book’s secrets on your own.
Like many of my favorite fantasies, we follow multiple [5 altogether] people around who seem to have no direct connection…and as the story unfolds further we see how close everything in fact is connected. The primary narrative is that of Lin, the Emperor’s daughter, as she attempts to prove to her father that she should be chosen to take the throne after him.
As we follow Lin we get to know more about the fascinating and complex system that is bone shard magic. We don’t get much in the way of world lore, though there are hints and little details, so I’m hoping we get more in book two to better understand how, and why, bone-shard magic exists.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and look forward to picking up book two to see what more we learn about bone-shard magic and the world it affects. If you’re looking for a fantasy novel with equal parts magic and mystery I recommend giving this book a look.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Grief, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
stephanieridiculous's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The Bone Shard Daughter was nothing like I thought it was going to be, but in the best way possible.
-Multiple POV's, used effectively
-Hints and clues dropped across the POV's which had me scrambling to remember details and piece things together before the characters did
-Unique magic system
-Expertly done world building with minimal info-dumping
-Characters with unique and distinct voices
-Really good revealing of plot twists/hidden info.
One thing I didn't see mentioned anywhere is a content warning for body horror. Stewart does an excellent job of conveying without belaboring the point, but the underworkings of this world are down right horrific and I wasn't totally prepared for that.
All in all, an excellent read and I look forward to the next installments!
-Multiple POV's, used effectively
-Hints and clues dropped across the POV's which had me scrambling to remember details and piece things together before the characters did
-Unique magic system
-Expertly done world building with minimal info-dumping
-Characters with unique and distinct voices
-Really good revealing of plot twists/hidden info.
One thing I didn't see mentioned anywhere is a content warning for body horror. Stewart does an excellent job of conveying without belaboring the point, but the underworkings of this world are down right horrific and I wasn't totally prepared for that.
All in all, an excellent read and I look forward to the next installments!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Body horror
Moderate: Child abuse and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
- THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER is one of the most beautiful and engaging epic fantasies I've read in a long time. Stewart drops you into the world with little preamble, letting you figure it out on your own, and the world she has created is intricate, sprawling, and filled with vibrant people.
- There are a pretty big number of POV characters, and each time a chapter ended I was like "no wait, what's next!" but then got immediately engrossed by whoever else we were returning to.
- This is also a queernorm world, with a F/F relationship between two of the main characters.
- I did see the big reveal coming, but that didn't make the story any less gripping - if anything, I was reading faster to see how it all turned out. Give me book two now!
- There are a pretty big number of POV characters, and each time a chapter ended I was like "no wait, what's next!" but then got immediately engrossed by whoever else we were returning to.
- This is also a queernorm world, with a F/F relationship between two of the main characters.
- I did see the big reveal coming, but that didn't make the story any less gripping - if anything, I was reading faster to see how it all turned out. Give me book two now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence
madarauchiha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 my about / byf / CW info carrd: https://uchiha-madara.carrd.co/ 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡❤️
This is probably one of the best books I've read all year, that wasn't written by a Black author. Author is Chinese american and the daughter of Chinese immigrants.
There were multiple pov per chapters but I didn't mind it just because the story was so compelling. Yes I want to know about Jovis but Phalue and her lesbian girlfriend Ranami is just as interesting.
The concept of using bones in magic isn't a new thing but the way the author did it was amazing. It felt like this magic system had weight to it and wasn't just deus ex, wave a sitty harry potter knock off wand and things happened.
There were action scenes which did not drag on, and some violence but not too graphic. The plot is mostly mystery and detective work, not so much Rebellion: The Novel, you know?
I can very mush see the Chinese American influence of wanting to live up to the standards one's [immigrant] parents set for you, respecting them while trying to grow up and become your own person without disappointing them AND yourself. It feels very
PS if you feel like you cannot relate to any of the characters, perhaps ask yourself why you cannot empathize with characters of color, specifically Asian characters. There are countless positive reviews for this book, so clearly the problem is not with the novel.
Content warnings:
Minor sexual assault, pedophilia,
Medium demolition, mass death, natural catastrophes, minor drowning, animal death, imprisonment, racism / xenophobia, murder, gore,
Major slavery, child abuse, incest, torture, kidnapping, brainwashing, classism, body horror (animal based),
Most of the CWs are not graphic and happen off screen or are implied. For example, slavery and mass death. Some CWs are fairly graphic in that they are shown in a single paragraph and aren't romanticized or heavily focused on. For example child abuse and body horror.
This is probably one of the best books I've read all year, that wasn't written by a Black author. Author is Chinese american and the daughter of Chinese immigrants.
There were multiple pov per chapters but I didn't mind it just because the story was so compelling. Yes I want to know about Jovis but Phalue and her lesbian girlfriend Ranami is just as interesting.
The concept of using bones in magic isn't a new thing but the way the author did it was amazing. It felt like this magic system had weight to it and wasn't just deus ex, wave a sitty harry potter knock off wand and things happened.
There were action scenes which did not drag on, and some violence but not too graphic. The plot is mostly mystery and detective work, not so much Rebellion: The Novel, you know?
I can very mush see the Chinese American influence of wanting to live up to the standards one's [immigrant] parents set for you, respecting them while trying to grow up and become your own person without disappointing them AND yourself. It feels very
PS if you feel like you cannot relate to any of the characters, perhaps ask yourself why you cannot empathize with characters of color, specifically Asian characters. There are countless positive reviews for this book, so clearly the problem is not with the novel.
Content warnings:
Minor sexual assault, pedophilia,
Medium demolition, mass death, natural catastrophes, minor drowning, animal death, imprisonment, racism / xenophobia, murder, gore,
Major slavery, child abuse, incest, torture, kidnapping, brainwashing, classism, body horror (animal based),
Most of the CWs are not graphic and happen off screen or are implied. For example, slavery and mass death. Some CWs are fairly graphic in that they are shown in a single paragraph and aren't romanticized or heavily focused on. For example child abuse and body horror.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Violence
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