The Bone Shard Daughter

by

Paperback, 448 pages

Published April 6, 2021 by Orbit.

ISBN:
9780316541435

View on OpenLibrary

5 stars (1 review)

The Bone Shard Daughter is an unmissable fantasy debut from a major new voice in epic fantasy — a stunning tale of magic, mystery, and revolution in which the former heir to the emperor will fight to reclaim her power 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 …

7 editions

reviewed The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

Compelling read

5 stars

At first I had to get a bit used to the separate viewpoints, it felt a bit disconnected at times. But slowly the relations between the different narrators became clearer and it felt more as one overarching story.

I liked the magic system, in which you could draw parallels to the development of AI and the associated risks and downsides. The magic system also tied in to the book's critique of the class system in which the common people are exploited by the ruling class. It'll be interesting to see how this develops in later books. Also, not all of the magic is explained yet, so I'm sure more surprises are to come.

Finally, the characters made the book shine. The relationships between people (and animals!) felt complex and real. I felt immersed in their world and can't wait to read the next book of the series.