A review by book_bird_anja
Der Ruf der Knochen-Schiffe (Die Gezeitenkind-Trilogie 2) by RJ Barker
4.0
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
One POV (male, third person), multiple short side POV (male, female, third person)
A fantastic follow-up that explores the growth of its characters amidst challenging situations. It was better than the first one. While the first one started slow and was confusing first, in this second book everything felt comfortably familiar already. The same can be said for the worldbuilding, which becomes even more intricate and refined, providing a deeper level of detail. It was so satisfying to get to know more about the world and especially the Guillaimes.
The story keeps getting bigger and the stakes keep rising as it unfolds, gradually turning into an epic and bloody adventure. It never loses that personal touch, exploring the tight-knit friendships and camaraderie among the crew on the main ship, Tide Child. I really loved to see all the characters again and get to know more about a few of them. We learn about the past or details in live for a few of the characters, which made me bond more with them. While the first book already was tough and had some brutality, the second installment takes it to an even greater level. The characters suffer more, and I suffered with them. There are again many battles – you really should like those, if you intend to read that series.
The only issue I had, that restrained me from giving it a 5-star rating was the lack of a clear threat and not enough tension in the first half. While book one was clearly focused on a mission and the Keyshan, in the second book the Keyshan are only a side element of the story same as the main enemy. There were several, kind of side quests, which took away the tension sometimes, even I knew about the greater conflict of the several parties involved.
Overall, Call of the Bone Ships brilliantly builds upon the foundation set by The Bone Ships, delivering a great sequel and improves on the first book. The new mysteries and information about the world and the people leave me eagerly anticipating the final installment of the trilogy. Especially with this cliffhanger at the end I can’t wait to continue with the last book.
One POV (male, third person), multiple short side POV (male, female, third person)
A fantastic follow-up that explores the growth of its characters amidst challenging situations. It was better than the first one. While the first one started slow and was confusing first, in this second book everything felt comfortably familiar already. The same can be said for the worldbuilding, which becomes even more intricate and refined, providing a deeper level of detail. It was so satisfying to get to know more about the world and especially the Guillaimes.
The story keeps getting bigger and the stakes keep rising as it unfolds, gradually turning into an epic and bloody adventure. It never loses that personal touch, exploring the tight-knit friendships and camaraderie among the crew on the main ship, Tide Child. I really loved to see all the characters again and get to know more about a few of them. We learn about the past or details in live for a few of the characters, which made me bond more with them. While the first book already was tough and had some brutality, the second installment takes it to an even greater level. The characters suffer more, and I suffered with them. There are again many battles – you really should like those, if you intend to read that series.
The only issue I had, that restrained me from giving it a 5-star rating was the lack of a clear threat and not enough tension in the first half. While book one was clearly focused on a mission and the Keyshan, in the second book the Keyshan are only a side element of the story same as the main enemy. There were several, kind of side quests, which took away the tension sometimes, even I knew about the greater conflict of the several parties involved.
Overall, Call of the Bone Ships brilliantly builds upon the foundation set by The Bone Ships, delivering a great sequel and improves on the first book. The new mysteries and information about the world and the people leave me eagerly anticipating the final installment of the trilogy. Especially with this cliffhanger at the end I can’t wait to continue with the last book.