mindforbooks 's review for:

The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart

4.75

challenging emotional tense slow-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: Complicated

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Finally finished this trilogy, I swore last year I'd finish and then finished book 2 and was far too stressed out to pick up the final book. It worked out well though because The Bone Shard War picks up two years after The Bone Shard Emperor.

Things are not going well for almost everyone. Those who are thriving just happen to be the very worst people, who I thought would never just die!   

This book honestly stressed me out. Our favourites are being attacked on multiple fronts and things felt so hopeless for much of this book. Progress would be made just for Ragan, Kaphra or Dione to turn up and ruin everything! I hated these three so much, Ragan because he was just so evil. Kaphra because he was one of those leaches war and upheaval always creates, the opportunists who will sell out everyone around them to gain even the smallest amount of power, and Dione, who might be the worst kind of all, the self righteous fanatic who refuses to see any other solutions to what they've decided is the only way for 'peace'. He decided that Lin must die and saw no other alternative. It was very frustrating and made me hate him even though his goal was the best for everyone. 

something history has thought me is that after dictators are disposed of or countries gain independence, a time of upheaval and civil wars often follow, I think The Bone Shard War really highlighted this, it was tough to read, just as it would be tough to live through, as always though, the citizens suffer while the powerful play their games. 

Seeing this all play out through Jovis (shoutout to Mephi), Lin, Nisong, Ranami and Phalue eyes gave us lots of different perspectives, showing us that things are not always as cut and dry as we think they are in times of great change but because none of them gave up and all eventually made decisions and sacrifices that were for the greater good, they changed the world!