If you're on the lookout for a new fantasy book, keep reading this post - you're in for a treat!
Summary:
The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands.
Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.
Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people.
My thoughts:
When this book landed on my step - kindly sent as a surprise by Orbit Books - I was over the moon! If you know me a little bit by now, you may already know that fantasy is one of my favourite genres (if not my absolute favourite) hence why I'm always on the lookout for books coming out that might catch my attention. This was one of them.
How can you resist a high fantasy, with an Asian inspired setting featuring class disparities and privilege, with a family empire on the verge of a revolution? Oh, and did I mention bone shard magic and magic animals that can talk, on top of it all?
First things first, let me start by saying that as soon as I saw that this was a debut novel, I tried not to get overly excited. Don't get me wrong, there are amazing works from debut authors but fantasy it's usually a tricky business and once you read more from a certain genre, you become more demanding and analytical towards it.
With that being said, Andrea Stewart completely blew my mind and I feel like this book deserves so much more hype than what it's currently receiving because it is THAT good. In fact, so good that it became one of my favourite reads of the year
The author managed to create this whole new concept for the magic system, which laid a very cohesive element for the story whilst feeling so innovative and fascinating, making me want to binge read just to understand more. At first, I was inundated with tons of questions - so much so that I started to write everything down - but throughout the novel, you begin to understand the basics.
The story is in written in multiple POV's and I have to say that I can't choose a favourite although Jovis (and Mephi, his talking magical companion) conquered a very dear place in my heart.
Nevertheless, I loved the diverse group of characters as a whole and how they each showed so many different layers and tremendous growth.
Another highlight for me was reading about an established female/female relationship (even though it is not central) which, to be honest, I don't think I've encountered in a fantasy novel before. I've found it so intriguing reading from Phalue and Ranami's point of view because their chapters were packed with the exploration of privilege and class disparities, offering a look through their contrasting lifestyles and backgrounds which ultimately influenced their views and desires for the future.
What really made this book a five star read for me was the pacing. It was perfect!
And knowing that I'm so picky when it comes to pacing, this is a huge thing for me to say but I truly mean it. It developed in a slow(ish) way, which could have lead to a boring disaster but fortunately resulted in a smooth and steady rhythm, culminating in a gripping and immersive narrative filled with plot twists that will make you want to read the sequel as soon as possible.
Andrea's writing is quite captivating and very easy to read, which makes this book perfect for someone who wants to make the transition from YA fantasy to adult fantasy but is scared to be overwhelmed with complexity.
This is such a strong base for this series (which is called The Drowning Empire), I just want to read the next one now! I can't believe how attached I've become to each one of these characters and how surprisingly good this book was. Without any shadow of a doubt, it has gained a very well deserved spot on my 2020 favourites.
Buy The Bone Shard Daughter