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lpdx's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, and War
hapalyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and War
schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I enjoyed it. The story had some nice forward momentum, which not every middle book of a trilogy has.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Violence, and War
Minor: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs
kaziaroo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
There are still some things I don't understand (like how the construct army was able to travel between islands seemingly unimpeded by any kind of naval defense) and the pace dragged a little in the first half, but I still really enjoyed this and found it hard to put down in the last third. At first the romance felt a bit forced but it grew on me, and I enjoyed Phalue and Ranami's chapters more than I did in the first book.
The characters face a LOT of enemies in this book and it was hard to find hope or keep track of all the obstacles and adversaries buffeting them. Although there are the occasional moments of friendly banter, this is not a light-hearted read. The characters' situations and motivations were interesting though, even if I didn't always relate to or agree with them. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and seeing how things wrap up.
The characters face a LOT of enemies in this book and it was hard to find hope or keep track of all the obstacles and adversaries buffeting them. Although there are the occasional moments of friendly banter, this is not a light-hearted read. The characters' situations and motivations were interesting though, even if I didn't always relate to or agree with them. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and seeing how things wrap up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Genocide, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Confinement
Minor: Physical abuse
booksthatburn's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As the middle book of a trilogy, THE BONE SHARD EMPEROR moves several things to new stages but doesn't completely close off anything. Mephi and Jovis's bond is getting stronger. Phalue and Ranami are newly married and figuring out what kind of governor Phalue will be. Sand now calls herself Nisong and has begun invading the other islands with her fellow constructs. Lin is traveling to several of the islands in order to obtain promises of aid and loyalty from the various governors. The Shardless Few are more of a threat, with their leader pulling strings to destabilize Lin's reign. Lin now has a companion of her own, and a Cloud Tree monk has appeared to help her learn about the Alanga. There's a much stronger focus on information about the Alanga, since it appears they're coming back. I like the reveal of what they are, and I'm very intrigued by some late-book answers about their reemergence and connection to shard magic.
Nisong's conquest of the nearby islands is introduced and resolved. Technically she appeared in the first book, but the actual invasion and her tactics don't show up until this one. This isn't the last book, and it leaves open a bunch of interesting things. This include but are not limited to Jovis and Lin's relationship, further steps from the leader of the Shardless Few, the orphan girl Phalue and Ranami are helping, and Lin's next moves as emperor. The narrators are the same as the first book and (with the major exception of Nisong/Sand) are generally consistent with their earlier appearances. I highly recommend the audiobook. Having three narrators helped me keep track of the story and characters more easily, even though there are slightly more than three point-of-view characters.
Early on, Lin is exploring the rooms and items her father left behind by his death, trying to find a balance between getting information and holding on to herself. Later, Lin and Jovis begin moving around the islands on a tour of governors. This is in keeping with Jovis's wanderings in the first book, but it does make it feel a bit unmoored. The various plot threads are woven together expertly, with the common threat that more islands may sink. The romance between Jovis and Lin is a bit strange. There are the obvious issues, like how he entered her service as a spy and isn't sure yet where his loyalties lie. There's also a bit of fridge horror associated with Lin's identity which seems like it ought to trouble Jovis personally, but even once he figures it out he isn't dissuaded. I think I would have been more distressed in the same position, but I guess I'm not very much like Jovis.
A solid continuation of what's shaping up to be an amazing trilogy, don't miss this one if you like betrayal, fridge horror, and multilayered politics of an empire in crisis.
Nisong's conquest of the nearby islands is introduced and resolved. Technically she appeared in the first book, but the actual invasion and her tactics don't show up until this one. This isn't the last book, and it leaves open a bunch of interesting things. This include but are not limited to Jovis and Lin's relationship, further steps from the leader of the Shardless Few, the orphan girl Phalue and Ranami are helping, and Lin's next moves as emperor. The narrators are the same as the first book and (with the major exception of Nisong/Sand) are generally consistent with their earlier appearances. I highly recommend the audiobook. Having three narrators helped me keep track of the story and characters more easily, even though there are slightly more than three point-of-view characters.
Early on, Lin is exploring the rooms and items her father left behind by his death, trying to find a balance between getting information and holding on to herself. Later, Lin and Jovis begin moving around the islands on a tour of governors. This is in keeping with Jovis's wanderings in the first book, but it does make it feel a bit unmoored. The various plot threads are woven together expertly, with the common threat that more islands may sink. The romance between Jovis and Lin is a bit strange. There are the obvious issues, like how he entered her service as a spy and isn't sure yet where his loyalties lie. There's also a bit of fridge horror associated with Lin's identity which seems like it ought to trouble Jovis personally, but even once he figures it out he isn't dissuaded. I think I would have been more distressed in the same position, but I guess I'm not very much like Jovis.
A solid continuation of what's shaping up to be an amazing trilogy, don't miss this one if you like betrayal, fridge horror, and multilayered politics of an empire in crisis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, and War
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Infertility, Racism, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Genocide
bisexualwentworth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I felt like this book was better than book one in some ways and worse in others.
The expansions of the lore were fascinating, and I can't wait to see where things go with the Alanga in book three. The animal companions were just as wonderful and charming. Jovis and Lin's dynamic was compelling and complicated. Phalue and Ranami were wonderful, and I liked the overall development of their relationship and storyline a lot. And all of the politics felt very realistic, especially the disputes over natural resources and such. And overall, I'm really glad that the different plots were properly interconnected in this one.
But a lot of things just didn't quite work. I have conflicted feelings about Ranami's whole "suspicious of other orphans" thing. The main plot with the construct army felt weirdly underdeveloped because Nisong got so few POV chapters while also taking up far too much of the book. And there were quite a few plotholes. Also, I know I said the politics felt realistic, but what is up with the political messaging of this book? Are we just cool with inherited wealth and power now because we like Lin and Phalue? Not sure. Book three is going to need to spend a lot of time working through that particular issue.
The expansions of the lore were fascinating, and I can't wait to see where things go with the Alanga in book three. The animal companions were just as wonderful and charming. Jovis and Lin's dynamic was compelling and complicated. Phalue and Ranami were wonderful, and I liked the overall development of their relationship and storyline a lot. And all of the politics felt very realistic, especially the disputes over natural resources and such. And overall, I'm really glad that the different plots were properly interconnected in this one.
But a lot of things just didn't quite work. I have conflicted feelings about Ranami's whole "suspicious of other orphans" thing. The main plot with the construct army felt weirdly underdeveloped because Nisong got so few POV chapters while also taking up far too much of the book. And there were quite a few plotholes. Also, I know I said the politics felt realistic, but what is up with the political messaging of this book? Are we just cool with inherited wealth and power now because we like Lin and Phalue? Not sure. Book three is going to need to spend a lot of time working through that particular issue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Grief, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Death of parent
gayghostprince's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Gore, War, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Infertility, Animal cruelty, and Sexual harassment
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Classism, War, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
honeyreads1066's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I had anticipated.
This is the second book in The Drowning Empire Trilogy, and it continues the story of Lin, Nisong, Jovis, and others after the events of the first book.
This book had a significant amount of politics that I didn't expect but really enjoyed. Yes, I appreciate a little political intrigue, and it felt authentic here because you could tell when characters were or felt inexperienced, as well as the subtle power dynamics and tensions between characters.
The twists at the end were incredible; it was one thing after another, and I wasn't expecting any of it. When this stuff did happen, I was able to see where the vague clues were coming from, and they all made sense in some way.
I also thought the relationship development was natural and believable. I understood why each character felt the way they did, and nothing seemed particularly far-fetched to me.
My main complaint is that it took a little longer to get started. Even though I don't expect or want action right away, I believe the second book should have a gripping beginning like the first, and I didn't get that with this. Despite the fact that it had been a while since I had read the first book, I felt much more confused than I should have been, to begin with. Maybe it's just me and my bad memory.
The journal entries were also jarring and unnecessary in my opinion. While I didn't dislike them, I felt they took me out of the story and that I had no interest in them. I sometimes skipped one or two to get to the action.
Overall, this was a surprisingly good second book in a trilogy. I'm excited to read the next one. This is up there with some of my favourite series, in my personal view.
This is the second book in The Drowning Empire Trilogy, and it continues the story of Lin, Nisong, Jovis, and others after the events of the first book.
This book had a significant amount of politics that I didn't expect but really enjoyed. Yes, I appreciate a little political intrigue, and it felt authentic here because you could tell when characters were or felt inexperienced, as well as the subtle power dynamics and tensions between characters.
The twists at the end were incredible; it was one thing after another, and I wasn't expecting any of it. When this stuff did happen, I was able to see where the vague clues were coming from, and they all made sense in some way.
I also thought the relationship development was natural and believable. I understood why each character felt the way they did, and nothing seemed particularly far-fetched to me.
My main complaint is that it took a little longer to get started. Even though I don't expect or want action right away, I believe the second book should have a gripping beginning like the first, and I didn't get that with this. Despite the fact that it had been a while since I had read the first book, I felt much more confused than I should have been, to begin with. Maybe it's just me and my bad memory.
The journal entries were also jarring and unnecessary in my opinion. While I didn't dislike them, I felt they took me out of the story and that I had no interest in them. I sometimes skipped one or two to get to the action.
Overall, this was a surprisingly good second book in a trilogy. I'm excited to read the next one. This is up there with some of my favourite series, in my personal view.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, and Murder
ekua33's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder