Small note: This was marketed to me as a book with a f/f relationship and a book similar to The Poppy War, and both of these made me even more excited to read it. However, the f/f relationship was not as central as I’d believed it to be, and there was no comparison I coul

One of these rebels is Ranami. Ranami grew up as a "gutter rat", and is determined to change the system, and replace it with one that is more just. Her partner, Phalue, is the daughter of the wealthy governor of Nephilanu Island. Phalue, who had given up her philandering ways upon meeting Ranami, yearns only for Ranami to agree to marry her. She is unable to understand why Ranami continues to refuse her. Ranami is very clear that she has no desire to be a governor's wife. She is frustrated by Phalue's insistence upon defending the existing social structure, and how she parrots her father's philosophies. She begs Phalue to read relevant books on the subject, eventually dragging her into rebel business. Phalue agrees to help, but because she loves Ranami, not out of commitment to the cause. I'm not sure if she deserves a redemption arc, somewhere down the road. If only she made the right choice at the end... Philine from the Ioph Carn tries to capture Jovis but he’s super strong with some sort of power, and he’s able to escape on his boat.The worldbuilding of this novel is really gorgeous, being set in an Empire comprised of moving islands (I hope the finished copies have maps . . . ) with remnants of an ancient Alanga civilisation that was defeated by a Sukai, who became the first Emperor of the islands. Every inhabitant of this empire gets a bone shard taken from them as a child, which is then used to power the hybrid animal-esque bone constructs that serve under the emperor. One foolish choice is like a rat you let go. It will spawn more consequences than you first thought possible.” And finally, Sand’s chapters were some of my favorites to read, though they appeared the least throughout the book. Sand has forgotten everything about her life before now, where she moves through her day in a fog, on an island full of other people with lost memories. I wanted to know everything about her, and the reveal did not disappoint. Lin ist nun der neue Kaiser, aber damit fangen die Probleme gerade erst an. Auch wenn Lin gute Absichten hat, kennt das Volk sie nicht, vertraut ihr nicht und es gibt viele Parteien, die alle ihre eigenen Wünsche haben - und die meisten wollen nicht, dass Lin auf dem Thron bleibt.

The story in The Bone Shard Emperor starts shortly after what happened at the end of The Bone Shard Daughter. Lin is struggling in the new role that she won at so much cost, the drowning of the empire continues, and a rebel army of constructs is coming. It is imperative for Lin and Jovis to gather an army amid crumbling political alliances to counter this. Unlike the first book in the series, where mystery and identity played a big role in the narrative, the majority of The Bone Shard Emperor revolves around politics, scheming, manipulations, lies, and developing the characters. This isn't to say the mystery is not there anymore, the secrets about the Alanga are still there, but the mystery is not as prevalent as its predecessor. The Bone Shard Emperor dives deep into the meaning of leadership and responsibility. It showcased that toppling a ruler can be relatively easy compared to ruling over an empire. Yes, this kind of story has been done countless times in fantasy books, but I am not complaining when I'm reading a book where it feels like it's done right. The Bone Shard Emperor is another example where it's executed nicely. And I believe this is mostly thanks to the well-developed characters, even if I did not like some of the process they went through. Sand tells everyone they need to get to the cove, as that’s where the ship with blue sails drops people off on the island. This series includes a lot of my favourite fantasy tropes, including magical companions and a love scoundrel. The story is a touch predictable in places, yet that fact has not diminished my enjoyment of these books. I love the hard magic system which is dark and satisfying in its set of rules. This second novel had more of a focus on relationships than I personally prefer, but I know other readers enjoy more romance in their fantasy.

New in Series

The real stars of the book though are, without hesitation, Thrana and Mephi. I love them so much! They made me smile, laugh, and feel and now that there are even more ossalens (that's what they are) in the book, I'm even more excited to read the next one because I need more cute talking animals in my life. However, I think some readers will be put off by the slower pacing of this book. I won’t deny that I really felt it and the way the plot inched along, particularly in the beginning. For me, though, my investment in the characters, combined with Andrea’s easy writing, made it go by smoothly. It was unputdownable: I ached to know more about each intriguing whisper of a plot twist, and it simultaneously felt like a well-loved quilt being patched together and also a ball of yarn slowly unfurling to create a beautiful shape. Phalue keeps proposing to Ranami, who keeps saying no because she’s not ready. Phalue is the daughter of the governor of Nephilanu Island, and Ranami is a rebel.

Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and le Officially 15k Members Strong & Climbing!! For the first time in forever, I now have to wait FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR for the sequel *screams* I really am very excited about where book two will go, because it’s set up to be epic. (Also because that ancient Alanga civilisation seems to be returning . . . I love ‘rise of ancient civilisation’ tropes.) I also have no clue how many books are going to be in this series, but I assume it’s a trilogy. Is anyone tired of these little caveats? It always seems to me that I should let readers know if I got the book for free, or if I'm best friends with the writer. Anyway, in the interest of honesty, I'll probably keep doing them!) most of the book (let's say, the first 2/3 at least) suffered from a very slow pacing or what I'll call "characters going from point A to point B to point C without the plot moving further" : if that's your thing, great. I know I struggle with this kind of plots however, especially when so many important questions have already been answered in the first book. It wasn't hard to get through by any means, and I wasn't bored per se, but I didn't feel any real urgency to go on either. There were also a few twists rather easy to spot imo.El segundo lugar es el sistema de magia, me parece bastante interesante y siento que tiene mucho potencial y a la vez tiene su punto de macabro. Por otro lado, los personajes, aunque puedan a ser un poco pesados a veces y no quisiese leer sobre ellos concretamente en ciertos puntos de la novela, siento que tienen muy buen desarrollo, al menos para mí en lo que concierne a esta segunda novela. To the relief of many, Emperor Shiyen is no more, his legacy of tyranny and oppression has finally reached its end, and new horizons lay ahead for The Phoenix Empire. But can the people learn to trust their new Emperor? As Emperor Lin Sukai sits upon her newly won throne, she ponders the same question. You see she may now be their leader but the people have no love for the Sukai’s, her alliances from the other island leaders are weak as they are reluctant to lend their support, and amidst all this several new threats emerge, all determined to bring the Emperor’s rule to its knees. A growing army of constructs has set its sights on conquering the Imperial Island, and the Alanga, the believed magical enemies of old, have returned. Yet do they come in peace? It seems like nobody was aware of Nisong and her slow, approaching army and then there was just a scene where Lin mentions an impostor laying claim on her throne. It just seemed a very sudden shift from Lin going on diplomatic trips and making trading contracts to war and needing allies. It was written like she was aware of the threat and dismissed it because it was more important to do something else and it just seemed odd considering the extent of devastation Nisong was leaving behind. It was especially grating to see Lin showing her diplomatic skills and making deal...only to break it in next chapter. I read it and thought:"But, wait, that will not work because of you made a promise?" We got the huge battle at the end, so I am not that mad about it. The writing was great, I missed reading fantasy like this where it is not overly complex for the sake of being so but also is original at the same time. The story is told through five point of views, and they all are interesting but in different ways and they converge towards the ending to an epic conclusion.

As for Sand (now Nisong)...she annoys me, but what's funny is that what I dislike about her, I love about Lin. These were really powerful moments, full of suspense, but considering where we left things I did wonder how she will top that. I wished I could live in this moment. I wished it never had to end. But forever was a term for fools and poets.” It wasn’t fair that Jovis should have the love and adoration of the Empire’s people, and I had to fight for even a modicum of respect.”Sand/Nisong is still in the book, and she is much more important than in the first book as she now is "the villain" of the story. We finally understand more about her and her fellow islanders, but honestly except for the words "psycho-power-hungry-that-does-not-know-when-to-quit" I'm not sure how to describe her. She has her role to play in the series, but I really don't like her, and I find that even her POVs were not that interesting to read.