I was incredibly excited to receive an ARC of The Bone Shard Daughter! I savored every word. With beautiful world-building, we follow several characters as they make their way through a perilous world. Lin is the Emperor’s daughter, struggling to regain her memories after an illness. Jovis is a smuggler, desperately searching for his lost love. And Ranami and Phalue are two women in love, with politics and different ideologies drawing lines between them. As secrets are revealed, the plot thickens, and all characters are faced with difficult choices. I love that all of the characters had such strong motivations and goals!

The world-building was expansive and I’m looking forward to purchasing a hard copy so I can check out the map! The system of islands and how they move was unique and mysterious. The magic system using bone shards was very creative and I can’t wait to learn more about it! I also love an animal companion and Mephi was incredibly cute. I enjoyed that Ranami and Phalue’s romance was completely accepted and the depiction of it felt very realistic. Seeing that casual inclusivity, especially in fantasy, is really special. The pacing is a bit of a slow-burn, until the end where all the plot threads pull together. The ending will definitely leave you already wanting book two!

In summary, this book might be for you if you like….adorable animal companions, island worlds, established sapphic relationships, twists, unique magic systems, and politics- basically, you all need to check out The Bone Shard Daughter! The Bone Shard Daughter releases on September 8, 2020. Thank you to Andrea Stewart, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.