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A review by woahno
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
4.0
The Bone Shard Daughter was yet another selection for bingo. I am still very much enjoying my bingo obsession though there is something to be said for how a book that I can slot into a square climbs to the top of my TBR much faster than ones that I cannot. Regardless, I kept seeing reviews for this novel and many of them peeked my interest. The concept of a bone shard based magical construct system seemed like a good idea to me for a book. As it turns out, it is a great idea for a novel and likely an entire series.
What I liked.
The constructs! I'm still tossing this idea around in my head and some of the implications it has for the world. I think there are a lot of possibilities for it. I also think that Stewart accomplished a great deal with the concept in just this first novel. Wherever she wants to take it, I'm on board for it. She has established this magic system well and set up a lot of promising potential for it in future installments. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just leave it with these vague comments and add that the scientific approach to this magic and how it played out was a big draw for me.
Moving along, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the scene stealing duo of Jovis and Mephi. They were my favorite part actually. I can see a side quest novella with just them. Better yet, make it a full novel. The adventures of a smuggler with a kind heart and his companion of a mysterious and magical nature that provides excellent banter is a best seller in my eyes. I am all for it. Give me more please.
And lastly, I wanted to mention the twists and turns and reveals. There were a lot of great moments that changed the direction of these characters and the story being told. It added delightful layers to what was set up before while also providing intriguing questions for later books. I love it when a story has a good ending, especially when it is the first book in a series and this novel has that. It also does a wonderful job of setting up the next novel in only a few pages during the falling action. I will always give bonus points for that. This one gave me closure while also supplying a multitude of questions for what comes next.
What I did not like.
There was not a lot that I didn't like. It was a bit meandering at the beginning as there was a bunch of set up going, once it got going though it was amazing. I wanted more about the constructs and how they work but I am weird about exposition. It is a fine line you have to walk between too much and not enough. Mostly, I was impressed with how a lot of what was told to the reader about the constructs came via scenes of it happening and the characters seeing it happen instead of it just being explained in dialogue or in a lecture-esque info dump.
Overall, this was an impressive debut. I loved some of the characters and I loved the main concepts and the main theme. There were just a lot of elements that worked well for me. However, I didn't have any big emotional reactions to any of it. That is fine, I don't need it to enjoy the book but it does stop this from being a five star for me. Ultimately though, I am excited to see where this series will go. I will certainly be looking out for the sequel.
What I liked.
The constructs! I'm still tossing this idea around in my head and some of the implications it has for the world. I think there are a lot of possibilities for it. I also think that Stewart accomplished a great deal with the concept in just this first novel. Wherever she wants to take it, I'm on board for it. She has established this magic system well and set up a lot of promising potential for it in future installments. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just leave it with these vague comments and add that the scientific approach to this magic and how it played out was a big draw for me.
Moving along, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the scene stealing duo of Jovis and Mephi. They were my favorite part actually. I can see a side quest novella with just them. Better yet, make it a full novel. The adventures of a smuggler with a kind heart and his companion of a mysterious and magical nature that provides excellent banter is a best seller in my eyes. I am all for it. Give me more please.
And lastly, I wanted to mention the twists and turns and reveals. There were a lot of great moments that changed the direction of these characters and the story being told. It added delightful layers to what was set up before while also providing intriguing questions for later books. I love it when a story has a good ending, especially when it is the first book in a series and this novel has that. It also does a wonderful job of setting up the next novel in only a few pages during the falling action. I will always give bonus points for that. This one gave me closure while also supplying a multitude of questions for what comes next.
What I did not like.
There was not a lot that I didn't like. It was a bit meandering at the beginning as there was a bunch of set up going, once it got going though it was amazing. I wanted more about the constructs and how they work but I am weird about exposition. It is a fine line you have to walk between too much and not enough. Mostly, I was impressed with how a lot of what was told to the reader about the constructs came via scenes of it happening and the characters seeing it happen instead of it just being explained in dialogue or in a lecture-esque info dump.
Overall, this was an impressive debut. I loved some of the characters and I loved the main concepts and the main theme. There were just a lot of elements that worked well for me. However, I didn't have any big emotional reactions to any of it. That is fine, I don't need it to enjoy the book but it does stop this from being a five star for me. Ultimately though, I am excited to see where this series will go. I will certainly be looking out for the sequel.