The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart — ARC Review

Summary:

In an empire controlled by bone shard magic, Lin, the former heir to the emperor will fight to reclaim her magic and her place on the throne.

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.

Review: 5 Stars

I read a lot of fantasy books, but it’s not often that I find a book as much as I loved The Bone Shard Daughter. This was such an incredible fantasy novel, so I was completely shocked to learn that this is the author’s first published novel. I spend a lot of time searching for books like this one! I can’t even put into words how much I loved this book. It just hit all the boxes for me: amazing character development, unique magic system, fantastic world building and multiple plot lines. The Bone Shard Daughter was absolutely addicting and Andrea Steward it a new voice in fantasy to watch.

The Bone Shard Daughter follows five different characters and plot lines. Each of the characters are extremely well developed and by the end of the novel I was so emotionally involved in each of their journeys and relationships. Parts of this novel gave me goosebumps and others had me grinning like an idiot. I was really skeptical that I was going to like this novel, but it has been a while since I have loved characters as much as I loved the cast of this book.

Jovis was my favorite character and his chapters made me so happy. Jovis is a smuggler, so there are some heist like scenes which I totally loved. He also has a creature named Memphi who I am completely obsessed with. Lin was another character I really loved reading about. Lin is the emperor’s daughter and she is learning bone shard magic, so through her chapters you get to learn about the fascinating magic system built in this novel. Ranami and Phalue’s chapters follow the same plot line and their relationship struggles are just so heartbreaking. Their political differences made their relationship complex and was relatable in this day and age when people are so divided. Sand’s chapters were infrequent and they really kept me guessing, I hope we get more of her story in the next book.

The world building and magic system were both just so interesting. The whole idea of creating a living being from body parts and bone shards was just so cool. This world and magic system are both expertly crafted. The novel also ends in a way that makes it clear the next book will expand upon this world even more and honestly, I can’t wait. I haven’t loved a magic system as much as this one since I read Mistborn. Yes, you read that right, this book is in that kind of league.

The plot was incredible. I loved how the different plot lines came together in a way that I never expected. There were so many twists that I never saw coming that absolutely blew my mind. There was a lot going on in this book and it all came together so well at the end. There were political undertones in each plot line, but I’m not but I’m not sure I would call this a political fantasy because it was so much more than that.

I’m already dying for the next installment in this series and can’t wait to see what happens next. I really wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this book because lately high fantasy has been failing me, but I’m so happy to say that I discovered a favorite. If you’re looking for an exciting fantasy novel I highly recommend giving The Bone Shard Daughter a chance.