The outstanding sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter is even more breathtakingly intense, the world-building more detailed and the action utterly magnificent! The combination of magic, mystery and rebellion delivers some of the most thrilling and action packed scenes I’ve read all year—a must read for epic fantasy lovers everywhere.
The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.
Lin Sukai finally sits upon the throne she won at great cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her and her political alliances are weak. In the north a rebel army of constructs marches, it’s leader determined on taking the empire and Lin’s throne by force.
But an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga—power magicians from legend have returned. And Lin may just need their help to defeat the rebels and restore peace. The only question is, can she trust them?
I really enjoyed the first book in the Drowning Empire series and so I was so excited to dive straight into this one. And I’ve got to say the world-building is even more amazing, the dectriptions even more detailed. However, the mystery and secrets surrounding Lin’s past and her father do take a bit of a back seat here—with the lore and history of the Alanga taking Center stage, and personally, I kinda preferred it.
The Alanga are a mysterious (and oftentimes described as evil) group from the Empire’s legends but what Lin and Jovis uncover proves that legends (like all history) is written by the victors and not everything they’ve been taught to believe is true.
The characters are also more in depth and their complex motivations, emotions and machinations are even more intricately woven into the plot,with an amazing payoff at the end. The phenomenally intense slow burn romance that’s introduced was a bit of a surprise at first but, I did absolutely love it.
I also really enjoyed how Lin and Phalue navigated their new leadership roles;both the struggles and successes from two differing Points of View (one beloved by their people , the other viewed as untrustworthy.)
Ranami’s character arc was also pretty interesting, on trying to come to terms with her past experiences as a street orphan and how those experiences have shaped her— it was really intriguing and something I hadn’t thought about before.
But yet again, it’s Mephi who steals the entire show (and my heart) with his comically mischievous antics—he give off strong Rocket Raccoon vibes and I totally here for it.
Overall, this sweeping Epic Fantasy was an absolutely thrilling,emotional rollercoaster of a book and I’m definitely dreading the wait for the next instalment!
Also, a huge thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the e-arc.
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The Bone Shard Emperor is Out Now