When it comes to fantasy tropes, one of my absolute favourites is the bunch of misfits working toward a common goal. Whether it’s Kaladin’s Bridge Four or Kelsier’s crew (Brandon Sanderson), Alathea and her ship (Robin Hobb), Locke and his Gentlemen Bastards (Scott Lynch) or Tracker and his barely tolerated companions (Marlon James). Something about that group dynamic, shifting alliances, friendships and rivalries just really captivates me.

The Bone Ships absolutely nails that and everything else. The world-building is complex and captivating, slowly revealed as the story progresses and never dumped upon you. The characters are rich, multi-faceted and interesting and the dynamics and interactions between them are what really brings the first book of this exciting new series to life. The theme is overall a bit on the grim side (something I can sometimes struggle with) but the book is littered with enough wry humour, sarcasm, likeable characters and flashes of triumph that I remained totally invested in the trials and tribulations of the black ship and her crew.

The one thing I will say, less as a criticism and more of a head’s up, is that not a great deal happens in terms of the plot. It is largely the tale of a group of ragtag misfits trying, with mixed success, to become a functioning crew broken up by a number of exciting battles and altercations. I suspect that, like the first instalments of lots of series, the primary purpose of this book is to set the scene, tone and give us a little taster of what’s to come. A really, really promising start so I’ll be anxiously anticipating book two!

Probably a 4.5 stars from me.