The Bone Shard Daughter: The Drowning Empire Book One

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The plot, the magic, the characters, the beasts; all of it is just so well throughout, written, and intricately put together.

Try taking a read at the first chapter of the free excerpt provided; to me, it was like seeing the characters move and speak right in front of my eyes. Sign up to the Little, Brown newsletter for news of upcoming publications, competitions and updates from our authors. Four major constructs that use hundreds of shards are the empire's ministers, while simpler constructs serve as dock clerks or spies.

I know this may sound intimidating to some, especially the switch in first and third person, but it was done seamlessly, and I loved how each perspective slowly wove together in a grand tapestry. Mephi: Starting out as a cute, kitten-like creature whom Jovis rescues, and a provider of entertaining repartee, Mephi develops into a central character with clear future significance to the continuation of the trilogy. With its imaginative word-building, unique magic and a brilliant cast of characters The Bone Shard Daughter hooks you and doesn’t let go.

The Bone Shard Daughter is a novel that is undeniably preoccupied with the complex facets of empire.Honestly speaking, The Bone Shard Daughter was not on my radar despite people’s excitement on Twitter—where I found out about this book—back when the acquisition was first announced. Sand’s is brooding as she tries to recover her memories and unravel the mysteries of an island she shares with several others who are equally lost. It is original and well written, there is action, intrigue, and even a little bit of romance, and I strongly recommend it if you are looking for something a little different from the usual YA. It was well worth pushing through because this was a captivating story that I didn’t want to put down. The other island residents insist they have all always been on Maila, but Sand's awakening continues, and she decides to awaken the others as well.

One of my favorite tropes in fantasy is when the main character/s stumbles into becoming a “hero” or reluctantly takes up that kind of position. Revolution, justice, identity, love, and family are some of the main themes in this book, and Stewart executed these themes magnificently through her wonderful cast of diverse characters.Instead the background is woven smoothly and naturally into the story - a fine example of how this should be done. Considering that they are the only means of transport, I would have liked to know a bit more about them, but details seemed sketchy.

A complex and dark tapestry of a fantasy woven through with brilliant world-building, deep intrigue, and incredible heart - Megan E. I feel that lately, with new SFF releases, it’s getting harder for me to find a debut that utilized more than three or four POV characters; Stewart uses five POV here, and she exacted a relatively unique storytelling style to it. Little by little, he’d become more than just an animal, but a companion he couldn’t see himself being parted from. It did not however feel complex enough and I wanted to know more about the history and world-building, like the islands and what’s beyond them (other than vague references).

I’ve struggled to get back into reading and this did more than transport me to another world, it reignited my LOVE of reading.