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A review by honeyreads1066
The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
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