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A review by abookandchai
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
4.5
set in an asian inspired world of different, constantly moving islands the bone shard daughter is the first in a trilogy about an empire at the brink of fall. it follows 5 povs— lin, the emperors daughter trying to prove her worth; jovis, a smuggler searching the islands for his wife; phalue, the governor's daughter who is opened up to the world of struggles by her friend ranami and sand who begins to break the fog occupying her mind. in a turn of events, these lives become entangled that keep you engrossed throughout.
before anything else i'm just gonna say read this for mephi!!!! this cute and smart talking animal friend of jovis grew on me so quickly. the bond he develops with jovis so tender despite him being grumpy most times, i loved reading their interactions the most.
speaking of characters, all the storylines are so intriguing! lin was headstrong from the beginning. she's a quick thinker annd absolutely determined to get her memories back and excel at bone shard magic. i loved how she came to place her worth as an individual. then there's jovis, a smuggler with only one goal in mind, to find his long lost wife. he comes off as uncaring and prickly but deep down he truly cares a lot and that makes his character arc so rewarding. phalue & ranami were two interesting characters as they explore the difference in classes, with phalue being the privileged daughter of the governor and ranami who grew up on the streets. it drives their storyline and their relationship. i personally looked forward to their chapters. sand, intrigued me a lot, having forgotten who she is and a mysterious fog clouding her brain. even though her chapters were less, the reveal does not disappoint at all.
the transit between first and third person, as well as the pov switches were done so smoothly, i was invested throughout. i was waiting to see how everything would converge and the reveals and twists were certainly GOOD. accompanied by a lovely writing that is so gripping and easy to follow. the magic system is so unique too, using bone shard to build creatures called constructs that obey the commands written on the shards, and the way its linked to the rebellion, magic, politics and history of the empire. i think the pacing in the middle was a bit slow with not much happening but then again, i wanted answers and so i kept going.
gosh, i really can't wait to read the sequel now! but if you're looking for a solid adult fantasy with multi pov narrative, intricately woven plot (and twists!), compelling characters and of course mephi, you don't want to miss out on the bone shard daughter!
before anything else i'm just gonna say read this for mephi!!!! this cute and smart talking animal friend of jovis grew on me so quickly. the bond he develops with jovis so tender despite him being grumpy most times, i loved reading their interactions the most.
speaking of characters, all the storylines are so intriguing! lin was headstrong from the beginning. she's a quick thinker annd absolutely determined to get her memories back and excel at bone shard magic. i loved how she came to place her worth as an individual. then there's jovis, a smuggler with only one goal in mind, to find his long lost wife. he comes off as uncaring and prickly but deep down he truly cares a lot and that makes his character arc so rewarding. phalue & ranami were two interesting characters as they explore the difference in classes, with phalue being the privileged daughter of the governor and ranami who grew up on the streets. it drives their storyline and their relationship. i personally looked forward to their chapters. sand, intrigued me a lot, having forgotten who she is and a mysterious fog clouding her brain. even though her chapters were less, the reveal does not disappoint at all.
the transit between first and third person, as well as the pov switches were done so smoothly, i was invested throughout. i was waiting to see how everything would converge and the reveals and twists were certainly GOOD. accompanied by a lovely writing that is so gripping and easy to follow. the magic system is so unique too, using bone shard to build creatures called constructs that obey the commands written on the shards, and the way its linked to the rebellion, magic, politics and history of the empire. i think the pacing in the middle was a bit slow with not much happening but then again, i wanted answers and so i kept going.
gosh, i really can't wait to read the sequel now! but if you're looking for a solid adult fantasy with multi pov narrative, intricately woven plot (and twists!), compelling characters and of course mephi, you don't want to miss out on the bone shard daughter!