The Bone Shard Emperor is the unmissable sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter, one of the biggest fantasy debuts of 2020 – a captivating tale of magic, revolution and mystery, where a young woman’s sense of identity will make or break an empire.
The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.
Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the northeast of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force.
Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga – the powerful magicians of legend – have returned to the Empire. Lin may need their help to defeat the rebels and restore order.
But can she trust them?
Praise for the series
‘One of the best fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time . . . This book is truly special’ Sarah J. Maas
‘Epic fantasy at its most human and heartfelt . . . inventive, adventurous and wonderfully written’ Alix E. Harrow
‘Brilliant world-building, deep intrigue and incredible heart’ Megan E. O’Keefe
My Review
Beware of spoilers for book one! You can read my review of The Bone Shard Daughter here. This is the second in the series and will not make sense if you haven’t read the first one.
I would highly recommend picking this up directly after reading the first or giving yourself a bit of a refresher as Andrea does not go over past events. Something I really appreciate.
We are thrown right back into the action with book 2, picking up directly from the events of the first. Lin is now the Emperor but poorly thought of and with few allies. Those she does have she is unsure she can trust. The shardless few are ready to make their move as are a group of constructs, hidden away while the old Emperor was in place.
Characters
The characters really grow in this book. They are all flawed (including Lin) and often morally grey, even if they do not want to be. Jovis in particular, he has a lot going on here and watching him trying to keep the pieces all straight really made me feel for him.
Lin is desperately trying to do her best, undo the horrors of previous rule and hold the empire together. A seemingly impossible task. All the while the threat of the Alanga grows ever closer.
Not forgetting the amazing Mephi and Thrana. Two of the best animal companions I have ever come across. I adore them, I loved trying to put the puzzle pieces together of what they are, where they have come from and what’s going to happen next with them? I need to know!!
The Story
Once again, the story is told from different perspectives. It works so very well; the World is a series of islands and this allows you to see what is happening as events unfold. However, it also means I may have stayed up late to find out what happened to certain characters, desperate to get back to their point of view. Don’t read this when you have an early start the next day.
We are also treated to fabulous action scenes and fast paced writing, once I was draw back into the world, I found it almost impossible to put back down.
Final Thoughts
If like me you adored The Bone Shard Daughter, you are going to love this next installment. The characters, the world building, that ending! Amazing. This is a superb fantasy series and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one to see how it all plays out.
My thanks to Tracy for my invite onto the blog tour and to Orbit for my copy of the book.
Author Profile
Andrea Stewart is the daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Her parents always emphasized science and education, so she spent her childhood immersed in Star Trek and odd-smelling library books.
When her (admittedly ambitious) dreams of becoming a dragon slayer didn’t pan out, she instead turned to writing books. She now lives in sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes.
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