The complicated sibling but not-sibling relationship between Lin and Bayan got me so intrigued that I was excited every time Bayan was on the page. Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart was an intriguing and exciting start to a new adult fantasy series, set in a world controlled by bone shard magic as the Emperor’s rule begins to fail and revolution sweeps across.

It doesn’t help that the emperor has holed up in his palace to focus on bone shard magic experiments instead of keeping the political system running.all of the characters start off the story in very unique roles and positions that it was so satisfying watching them come together.

NOTE: I both read and listened to the audiobook, which featured three narrators—Natalie Naudus, Emily Woo Zeller, and Feodor Chin, the former two who I’ve heard a lot about (Natalie Naudus’ Tik Tok narrating is absolutely HILARIOUS). I would definitely recommend this book to any readers who are seeking to dip their toes in adult fantasy but might be intimidated by the genre; the prose is beautiful not in a dense, flowery way but a simple, subtly captivating way. If you can handle the slower pacing, I would definitely recommend this, for well-written complex character arcs, a plot that unravels deliciously, and of course, a magical animal companion that will steal your heart instantly.No Han Solo is complete without a Chewbacca, and in this case, it’s the mysterious, adorable Mephi, a “kitten” who he rescues from the sinking of one of the floating islands. This applies to both sides, it’s not only the poor who has troubles in their life, the wealthy one just faced a different kind of problem that can be equally deadly, and this balance is what made Stewart’s take on this conflict better than usual. Also, Sand loses a bone shard that shakes her into awareness, but the rest of them don’t, yet maintain the awareness.

One of the main characters, Lin, is the emperor’s daughter and heir who spent her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and secrets; she’s doing everything she can to earn the respect plus approval of his father by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic. Andrea Stewart is the daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. The Bone Shard Daughter is epic fantasy at its most human and heartfelt, concerned with the real lives caught in the gears of empire and rebellion. Instead the background is woven smoothly and naturally into the story - a fine example of how this should be done.This book also featured a trope (as a twist) I’m not fan of, probably would’ve avoided the book if I knew the whole inanimate objects can have a will and a soul is super meh to me, of course, it’s a personal opinion and did not affect my rating. When adopted seven years earlier, Bayan brought a disease into the capital that stole most of Lin’s memories. Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

We alternate between a few corners of the Empire, with the story set on several islands, and get to know several key figures. Their chapters explore classism and the privilege (and ignorance) that comes with socioeconomic status. What’s funny was that the class-difference (rich-poor) between the couples was frowned upon but the fact that they were engaged in same-sex relationship was totally acceptable. She makes it look easy: the flow of the narrative is never broken and the different strands are brought together quite expertly.is totally worth it because it gave way into each of the character’s heads and get to know their motives/personalities .