A satisfying and bittersweet end to a very inventive fantasy trilogy. For me, the latter two books never reached the heights of the first, with all its powerful, claustrophobic mystery, but I did really love how things were developed and wrapped up here. A highly recommended series!

I really loved the conclusion to this epic fantasy trilogy! This really cemented Andrea Stewart as one of my go-to authors. The world building in this series was so well developed and intriguing, especially considering the fact that this is her debut series.

All of the strings were tied up rather satisfyingly in my opinion, and the ending left me feeling deliciously bittersweet. I do wish that we had gotten a little more of backstory on the Alanga, as their history is so interesting and shroud in mystery. I'm definitely sad about leaving Mephi & Co. behind, I simply loved reading about these darling animal sidekicks and their almost equally lovable human(-ish) companions.

The finale to an epic trilogy that fell just short of expectations for me. I think the trilogy started really strong with the first book but the second and third books were not up to the mark. While the first two books laid a good foundation for the finale, I felt that the plot here was going in circles with a lot of repetition. If the book had been a hundred or so pages lesser, it might have been more impactful. Nonetheless, it was a good ending and I will definitely be reading more by the author.

Sadly, I ended up DNFing this. I was already sceptical going into this final book as I didn’t really enjoy the second book of the series and I just couldn’t get into this one either.

I truly think, the author is very talented and her world building for this series was just fantastic. However, the story/characters itself never endeared to me.

3 .5 (rounded up) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

This was a great trilogy, and whilst it wasn’t maybe as good as the promise of the first book I still really enjoyed it.

I do wish we got more of a deep dive into the history and lore of the Alanga, I feel like some things could have been omitted and this included.

An astonishing trilogy with unforgettable characters and masterful world-building, Andrea Stewart's series is a spellbinding adventure that you won't want to miss. Dive into a captivating journey brimming with thrilling escapades, intricate plots, and richly developed characters. Amidst the backdrop of love and war, you'll encounter magical creatures and inspiring dialogue that will leave you enchanted. This series is a must-read for any fantasy lover seeking an immersive and exhilarating experience.

What a fantastic end to a stunning debut series! Easily one of my favourite fantasy trilogies.
I had grown so attached to the characters and the world that had been built in the previous books, I was desperate to see how the series ended, but at the same time upset that my time with these characters was coming to an end.
Please read this series!

I enjoyed this final instalment to the Drowning Empire series. It’s the biggest one of the series and as with all the books in this series, I’ve really enjoyed the worldbuilding and politics this world has to offer. It really feels like a lived in world and the politics are so important to the progression of the plot in this one!

There’s no new additions to the characters in this one, just the characters we’ve got to know through the series and how they’re going to settle their disputes. I loved Lin and Jovis - and especially Mephi as I have in all the previous books. I enjoyed the character exploration we got of Nisong and Ranami in this one too, but I would have loved more exploration of our ‘bad’ characters Dione and Ragan.

The plot of this final book sort of stays at a steady pace up until the end. I enjoyed how all the politics came into play and how we finally got reveals that have been planted in the rest of the series, such as what’s causing the islands to sink. I really loved the atmosphere of this series, but as a final book in a series, it didn’t blow me away. It gave me a fairly satisfying, bittersweet ending but it felt like a lot of build up that was then over in a flash.

I’m excited to see what Andrea Stewart has in store for her new series starting later this year, I’m hoping she’ll grow even further as a writer now she’s completed this initial series ☺️

I'm SO sad that this wasn't the 5-star conclusion I was hoping for!!!

It isn't necessarily a bad book but WOW does the plot go in circles and the same conversations where repeated way too much - it was a drag to get through! And for 600+ pages... you really don't want that. I felt myself losing interest too many times for my liking.

I also felt like some elements from the first two books were just forgotten about? Or at least not talked about/expanded upon again. Such as Jovis' wife, and the fact Lin is literally made up of her body parts?? This could have been a great discussion for the characters to have/work through within their relationship?

This is honestly making me sad to write this because The Bone Shard Daughter is perfection!! And I would still 100% recommended.

I don't even want to touch on what happened with Jovis at the end... I had mixed feelings at first because maybe I thought I could see why his character would need a fresh start but the more I think about it, I don't think it was right for him and I don't like it.

Sorry I don't have more concise/detailed thoughts right now... I'm genuinely devastated!

Third in the Drowning Empire Series, Lin Sukai has won her first victory as Emperor but is dangerously short of allies. To prevent the Empire from falling Lin needs to find the fabled seven mythic swords before her enemies do.
It was a satisfying conclusion to the series if a little of a let down. Despite this I would definitely read more of the authors work.

A great ending to a brilliant trilogy. Each book in this series has kept me hooked from start to finish. This is one is no exception. I couldn't put it down. I loved seeing my favourite characters reach the end of their stories. Gutted that this series is over but its definitely one I'll always recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. The Bone Shard Daughter (vol 1) is one of my all time favourite books. I love the world and the characters. Volume 2 lost some of the mystery vibes of vol 1, but I still loved it and I really wanted to see what vol 3 will bring.

The last volume didn't disappoint at all. I was a little confused by the start of the volume, I felt that the timeline, story and characters were a little off. But it made a lot of sense by the end. I felt that the start of this volume could put a lot of people off, but I love the 1st and 2nd volume to much to give up. In the end, this is one of my all time favourite series and I will definitely recommend this to absolutely everyone.

I've been going back and forth for a while on whether I want to finish this series or not.

Don't get me wrong I adored the first book and while I enjoyed the second one for some reason I had it in my head it was a duology due to the sheer size of book two. For the last couple of months I've considered dnf-ing this series and then changing my mind and thinking about reading it.

However at this moment in time I have no plans on continuing on, at least in the next few months. I feel bad for requesting this one but I did it with good intentions. Sadly my thoughts changed and I just don't see myself reading it anytime soon.

This was a disappointing third installment. I was absolutely in love of book 1 that I discovered also via NetGalley, book 2 was already less enjoyable and I'm so sad by this finale. My only stars are for Mephi.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this opportunity.

Stunning conclusion to the series. Andrea Stewart has some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read. Her world building and character are rich and expansive. Every book in this series was a delight and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Stewart!

After loving book one and two I have been really looking forwards to the conclusion to this series, unfortunately it just really wasn't for me and I ended up dnfing.

The hardship and bad things happening just felt too much. It felt so disconnecting from the original plot that it made it hard to even feel for the characters after awhile.

Unfortunately the action just didnt work for me

Wow, wow, wow! My head is spinning after reading this! So much going on and the drama does not stop.

So many complex characters, all with different ideas of how to try and rule the empire, all believing they know what the people need, with some extreme ways of trying to achieve their goals. Lin, as in the previous books in the series, is desperate to do her best for all her people, being pulled in so many directions. Everyone wanting too much from her, the challenges of trying to unite the empire really taking its toll. A game of chess with much higher stakes!


I think one of the reasons this series has been so strong is down to the character diversity, their moral complexities are so intriguing. Each and everyone of them goes through fantastic developments, not a single character the same as they were in "The Bone Shard Daughter" The interactions between them managing to change ambitions and priorities.

The world building is absolutely fascinating, one of the most complex I've read, progressing even further in this one. The creativity of the novel, slightly horrifying, magic system develops in ways I couldn't imagine. The "Drowning Empire" series has been absolutely fantastic, and in my opinion, this is actually the strongest of them all.

Warning: you will be addicted from the start. Early nights are just not possible while reading any of this series!

Book one was one of those book i was never sure i was going to to like and here i am reviewing the last one in the series. a series which take pride and place on my bookcase. this book answers every question and draws lines under everything in a way that is amazing. there is no third 3rd issues or even 2nd book issues.

i do want a spin off book for this series that has just drawing of the animals in this series as i need to see some of them as the cute levels are like nothing i have ever read.

one of the best series out there and a must read for those who like different kind of magic systems and drama.

Andrea Stewart's The Drowning Empire series started off with one of my favourite fantasy reads of the last few years. "The Bone Shard Daughter" blew me away, and I was so invested in the characters involved that I couldn't wait for the rest of the trilogy. It now stands proudly on my shelves, completed and beloved, and while I still think the first book is the strongest overall, it's a trilogy I can wholeheartedly recommend.

"The Bone Shard War", the big series finale, is just as wonderfully written as its predecessors. Stewart just knows her craft and her writing sucks me in immediately from page 1. Now, I still don't entirely understand how boneshard magic works and what it is Lin's doing with her hands there, but honestly, I don't really care that much. Plotwise, the final book picks up two years after the events of book 1 and the change and development our characters have gone through is palpable. The book answers all the questions posed by the previous ones and ends in a mostly satisfying, although pretty predictable way. It's bittersweet and fitting, there are just some things that you can see coming miles away.

The characters are still solid and loveable, though I did feel like Jovis, especially, did not really shine in this one because it takes him way too long to figure certain things out or look for proper solutions at least. His whole storyline felt a bit forced due to that, and it was my least favourite one because of it. There were other parts I didn't enjoy that much, like Ranami's point of view which doesn't add all too much to the overall story but introduce a concept that I then immediately knew would play out a certain way in the ending (and it did). I think I would have preferred condensing the pov characters. Lin, Jovis and Sand would have sufficed to tell this story, as much as I love Phalue and Ranami's cute family. Stewart also made the decision to turn Ragan into a rather deranged, one-dimensional evil villain that is later set up to be much more concerning than the antagonist introduced in the previous books, Dione, who kind of... doesn't play that vital a role and ends up exactly where most of us probably predicted him ending up. I never cared much for Ragan as a villain so he just didn't work for me.
The pacing is also not as strong as it used to be. Personally, I feel like the actual content, the story this final book wants to tell, did not need almost 650 pages. The first half of the book is almost boring at times, with the politics in play not complex and engaging enough to warrant so much time spent on them. The plot picks up speed in the second half of the book, at least.

These are really all the complaints I have, and they don't take away from the fact that this is a really good fantasy trilogy. The last book is the weakest of them, but I still enjoyed my time with it and the ending is a satisfying one. I definitely recommend picking up this series - it's unique, it's emotional, it's exciting and wonderfully written. Thje final book itself is a 3,5 star read for me.

The first two books in the series were expansive and focused on different people before they all meeting by the end of the second. I would not recommend coming into this story without the trials faced by the people previously in this world. It scarred, marked and made them into the people we see in this finale.
Since one needs an introduction to the characters to understand if I name names, I will refrain from it. The empire is in a state of collapse. Some islands have literally collapsed. There are three separate factions that all have different agendas, with a slight overlap between each, causing a form of a Venn diagram of expectations. It is up to our central heroes to find a solution that works for all three (which may not exist). The world-building is completed in this volume, with any magical quality previously left unexplained dealt with. There are repercussions and further details that come from some of the revelations, but I was not surprised by some of the other plot points introduced here.
Although the ending is definitely one that the series deserved, it did not feel very different from various other fantasy series that I have read before. The unique factor that began with bone magic got lost in some of the more generic forms of explanations, which are good but not new. I will not go into further details for fear of spoiling it for those who have not read such books before.
For people new to the genre, this is a good place to start. The world is diverse, and the politics are quite convoluted. Personal relationships are also well handled, giving a range of emotional content.
I recommend the author and the series to fans of the genre. I would read any other book the author writes.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and the previous two books of the series.