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A review by rwatkins
The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart
3.0
I liked it. Overall: 2.5/5 (12.5/25)
A mixed bag. Better than the second book in the series but not as good as the first. Most of the lingering threads are dealt with, though this was not always satisfying. If you liked the first two books, then this is more of the same.
Minor Spoilers Below.
Plot: 2.5/5
Set 2 years after the previous book, the first plotline involves the collecting of white swords and fighting over them. Then there is another war for the future of the empire aimed against Lin. As in Emperor (Book 2), every character seems to distrust or dislike Lin, even her allies. They all work to rest power away from her and conveniently into their own hands. I found it confusing to tell if I was supposed to be rooting for Lin, the supposed main character, or everyone else, as the plot seems to be pushing for everyone else. Most of the pov's in this book are antagonists to Lin. This was intended to add nuance I think, but it confused what kind of story was being told.
Setting: 3.5/5
There are some revelations about the sinking islands, the Alanga and bone shard magic that helped put things into perspective. A brief visit to one of the monasteries offers the only new location visited. Parts of the magic system get fleshed out.
The biggest addition to the setting is how the ramifications of having an Empire steal your bones might stay with those people, fueling anger, even after the practice is ended.
Characters: 1.5/5
Lin continues to try to protect her people and Empire and everyone around her continues to ignore this and hate her anyway.
Jovis is now being controlled by his enemies. His entire arc involves coming to terms with his acts of evil while he is being controlled.
Ramani and Phalue get bigger spotlights as they pursue their ideas to replace Lin with a Counsel. They are supposed allies to Lin, dead-set on taking her power away and giving it to themselves. Some good friends.
There is a lot of Ragan and Nisong in this book, perhaps more than Lin, so it is really their book. Two rejected enemies who find greater power together, if they can keep from resenting one another long enough to bring Lin down. This book pushes heavily into these two characters' pov's which had me confused who I'm supposed to rooting for. Lin is the clear "good guy" but the story and plot more closely follows everyone else coming against her. This disconnect was a miss for me in both character and plot.
Style: 2/5
There are a lot of sudden unconnected inner dialogues and flashbacks without warning, making it hard to follow at times. There is a lot of rehashing past thoughts and feelings from previous events and very little reflection on things happening in the now. The memories disrupt the flow of the story pretty detrimentally.
I just don't understand why everyone hates Lin. Am I, too, supposed to hate Lin? She was the main character but everyone is against her now, making it feel awkward to root for her. She makes the most rational and "good" decisions and yet nobody seems to like her in this world. This is so frustrating and confusing - not understanding what the messaging of the story is. I appreciate a complicated, grey-morality message, but not a contradictory and unclear one.
Themes: 3/5
The fallout of having a traumatizing cultural marker and then ending it, the lingering anger and rage left behind, and how that is played with resonated well with me. How anger and confusion makes one vulnerable to manipulation. All of these things were excellent additions to this series and are explored deepest in this last installment.
A mixed bag. Better than the second book in the series but not as good as the first. Most of the lingering threads are dealt with, though this was not always satisfying. If you liked the first two books, then this is more of the same.
Minor Spoilers Below.
Plot: 2.5/5
Set 2 years after the previous book, the first plotline involves the collecting of white swords and fighting over them. Then there is another war for the future of the empire aimed against Lin. As in Emperor (Book 2), every character seems to distrust or dislike Lin, even her allies. They all work to rest power away from her and conveniently into their own hands. I found it confusing to tell if I was supposed to be rooting for Lin, the supposed main character, or everyone else, as the plot seems to be pushing for everyone else. Most of the pov's in this book are antagonists to Lin. This was intended to add nuance I think, but it confused what kind of story was being told.
Setting: 3.5/5
There are some revelations about the sinking islands, the Alanga and bone shard magic that helped put things into perspective. A brief visit to one of the monasteries offers the only new location visited. Parts of the magic system get fleshed out.
The biggest addition to the setting is how the ramifications of having an Empire steal your bones might stay with those people, fueling anger, even after the practice is ended.
Characters: 1.5/5
Lin continues to try to protect her people and Empire and everyone around her continues to ignore this and hate her anyway.
Jovis is now being controlled by his enemies. His entire arc involves coming to terms with his acts of evil while he is being controlled.
Ramani and Phalue get bigger spotlights as they pursue their ideas to replace Lin with a Counsel. They are supposed allies to Lin, dead-set on taking her power away and giving it to themselves. Some good friends.
There is a lot of Ragan and Nisong in this book, perhaps more than Lin, so it is really their book. Two rejected enemies who find greater power together, if they can keep from resenting one another long enough to bring Lin down. This book pushes heavily into these two characters' pov's which had me confused who I'm supposed to rooting for. Lin is the clear "good guy" but the story and plot more closely follows everyone else coming against her. This disconnect was a miss for me in both character and plot.
Style: 2/5
There are a lot of sudden unconnected inner dialogues and flashbacks without warning, making it hard to follow at times. There is a lot of rehashing past thoughts and feelings from previous events and very little reflection on things happening in the now. The memories disrupt the flow of the story pretty detrimentally.
I just don't understand why everyone hates Lin. Am I, too, supposed to hate Lin? She was the main character but everyone is against her now, making it feel awkward to root for her. She makes the most rational and "good" decisions and yet nobody seems to like her in this world. This is so frustrating and confusing - not understanding what the messaging of the story is. I appreciate a complicated, grey-morality message, but not a contradictory and unclear one.
Themes: 3/5
The fallout of having a traumatizing cultural marker and then ending it, the lingering anger and rage left behind, and how that is played with resonated well with me. How anger and confusion makes one vulnerable to manipulation. All of these things were excellent additions to this series and are explored deepest in this last installment.