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raygersh's review against another edition
4.0
I am so happy that I read this series! I picked up the first book a while back and really enjoyed it but was fatigued at the thought of pressing on through the massive next two books in the series. But as time passed after reading the first, I could not stop thinking about it. The Bone Shard Daughter sets up one of the most unique and beautiful magic systems I have ever seen. As the series continues, it becomes more and more immersive. I am absolutely blown away by how brilliantly it all wove together. I came to love the characters we followed, laughing and crying alongside them.
Overall: a masterful and twisty journey well worth the read.
Overall: a masterful and twisty journey well worth the read.
nerdyforbooks_'s review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Why does Andrea Stewart have to hit me in all the feels? I truly love this series and devoured this last installment. Is it perfect? No, but I enjoyed the story and the ride it took me on.
Yes, there are a lot of repeated mistakes in this book or things that feel like “pointless side missions.” That felt like the point though. Lin was never taught how to truly be Emperor - she was never supposed to be! She’s still trying to figure out who she is while also finding out what is truly a priority for the empire. She doesn’t have her own Ranami to keep her ass educated & focused.
Most of the pacing issues felt better handled in this book and slowly more of the world/magic is addressed. Do we know all of it? No, but neither do the people. I would love for Andrea Stewart to do a prequel series. Give me all those details 🙌🏻
What a wild ride into this unique world. Appreciated all of these grey, realistic characters.
Yes, there are a lot of repeated mistakes in this book or things that feel like “pointless side missions.” That felt like the point though. Lin was never taught how to truly be Emperor - she was never supposed to be! She’s still trying to figure out who she is while also finding out what is truly a priority for the empire. She doesn’t have her own Ranami to keep her ass educated & focused.
Most of the pacing issues felt better handled in this book and slowly more of the world/magic is addressed. Do we know all of it? No, but neither do the people. I would love for Andrea Stewart to do a prequel series. Give me all those details 🙌🏻
What a wild ride into this unique world. Appreciated all of these grey, realistic characters.
jennn_3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
flwr_pwr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
darkskybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Final books of trilogies are always challenging - how to wrap up a story in a satisfying way whilst honoring everything that has gone before. The Bone Shard War does an admirable job, with the stakes and action levels raised suitably high. The politics takes a bit of a backburner and we instead have a questing dynamic, racing about across the world. The conflict, when it arrives, is on a suitably epic scale.
That being said I do miss the dank and dingy atmosphere of particularly the first book. There is significantly less of that aesthetic in this final novel. The bone shard magic itself is very much out of focus (although what influence it does have is very much malign), the focus instead being on the grander Alanga magic.
The Polynesian/Asian cultural touchstones do give the story an interesting vibe that I really do enjoy. The world here is interesting, although despite the large amount of journeying in this story there is not too much distinctive about each island.
The characters are really the driving part of the plot. Each of them are flawed, but those flaws are well realised and add to the character rather than detracting from them, and provide a lot of the motivation for the plot.
Overall I find myself sad to be saying goodbye to this world. It was distinctly different, and the characters really were ones I fell in love with. Ultimately it is a very satisfying denouement to the series.
That being said I do miss the dank and dingy atmosphere of particularly the first book. There is significantly less of that aesthetic in this final novel. The bone shard magic itself is very much out of focus (although what influence it does have is very much malign), the focus instead being on the grander Alanga magic.
The Polynesian/Asian cultural touchstones do give the story an interesting vibe that I really do enjoy. The world here is interesting, although despite the large amount of journeying in this story there is not too much distinctive about each island.
The characters are really the driving part of the plot. Each of them are flawed, but those flaws are well realised and add to the character rather than detracting from them, and provide a lot of the motivation for the plot.
Overall I find myself sad to be saying goodbye to this world. It was distinctly different, and the characters really were ones I fell in love with. Ultimately it is a very satisfying denouement to the series.
kf21's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
avokdo's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
bof
bex_knighthunterbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This makes me want to read more epic fantasy trilogies - I really did feel so emotionally involved by the end of this and cried at multiple points. I think the second half was stronger than the first, but I think that is mainly because it being a few months since I read the first two books I was struggling to remember the situation and I don't think the time jump helped this. I didn't enjoy Phalue's perspective for this section as it was a bit grumbly and felt needlessly in opposition to Lin's, and Jovis being separate from the others again in quite a frustrating predicament. However, the second half was very satisfying when we got the final reveals and the high-stakes action where I felt really invested. I actually loved the very end-end, even though I'm sure it wasn't what some fans were hoping for. This volume contained some court politics and the discussions on difficulty of ruling, and a lot of action (mostly chases and fights), but with emotional weight to decisions definitely given space to be explored. The action itself did get a little repetitive in this volume, but not enough for me to get bored. It also felt like we got some really interesting and satisfying character development from Ranami and Nisong. Overall, I'd say this was a brilliant conclusion to a really enjoyable series, with great worldbuilding and a propulsive story.
awesomeeallyson's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have a love/hate relationship with this series overall, but particularly this book. I had high hopes for the ending to this trilogy. The first book was so good and the second, while not as good, was still enjoyable. But man, this book just didn't do it for me. Overall the book is fine, but the character dynamics felt really unbalanced, which isn't great for a story that relies on character interactions.
The plot, for the most part, moves pretty quickly. Jovis' storyline was my favorite, because his internal struggle was a captivating plot point. Even Romani had a really interesting dilemma to deal with. Lin though...she just doesn't learn. Her POV in particular was really repetitive. She was defeated in battle 3 times in a row for the EXACT SAME REASON. Then at the end of the book she turns around and uses the same technique on Dione even though he pulled it on her at the beginning! Generally, her storyline for the first half of the book doesn't go anywhere or lead to anything. Which makes a whole section of the book feel like a waste of time.
So, basically, I liked all the characters except the main one, which made the book a little hard to enjoy. I wish Andrea Stewart had put more work into Lin. She doesn't even have to be likable - as R.F. Kuang proves in The Poppy War - she should just be smarter than a 5th grader if she's going to try to run a country.
The plot, for the most part, moves pretty quickly. Jovis' storyline was my favorite, because his internal struggle was a captivating plot point. Even Romani had a really interesting dilemma to deal with. Lin though...she just doesn't learn. Her POV in particular was really repetitive. She was defeated in battle 3 times in a row for the EXACT SAME REASON. Then at the end of the book she turns around and uses the same technique on Dione even though he pulled it on her at the beginning! Generally, her storyline for the first half of the book doesn't go anywhere or lead to anything. Which makes a whole section of the book feel like a waste of time.
So, basically, I liked all the characters except the main one, which made the book a little hard to enjoy. I wish Andrea Stewart had put more work into Lin. She doesn't even have to be likable - as R.F. Kuang proves in The Poppy War - she should just be smarter than a 5th grader if she's going to try to run a country.