ARC Review: The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart

Today I have a review of THE BONE SHARD WAR by Andrea Stewart. It’s the third and final book in The Drowning Empire series. Note that this book review contains spoilers for the previous two books.

Author: Andrea Stewart
Series: The Drowning Empire, #3
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date: April 18, 2023
Print Length: 624

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April 2023 TBR List

I’ve already read two of the three advanced review copies (ARCs) I received for April releases. But I still have plenty left to read, as we all do! My April 2023 TBR list is a combination of April and May ARCs along with a library and backlist book.

As always, I’m sure I’ll throw other books into this list on a whim, too. Lately I tend to have a nonfiction book as a backburner audiobook for when I do mundane household activities. I also have a novella and graphic novel checked out of the library at the moment.

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Get To Know the Fantasy Reader Book Tag

The point of this book tag, as you could probably discern from its title, is to get to know a fantasy reader better. I first saw this tag on Aster Marie’s blog at Happy Bookish After. It looked like fun, and I hadn’t done a book tag in a while, so clearly I decided to participate! Bree Hill originally created this tag as the Get to Know the Romance Reader Tag, which appears to be a broken link now. However, The Book Pusher adapted it for fantasy readers. I pulled the questions from The Book Pusher’s YouTube listing.

Before I get started, I want to tag Caitlin @ Realms of My Mind, H.C. Newton @ The Irresponsible Reader, and Ellie @ Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. And even if I didn’t tag you, feel free to tag yourself! Onward to the questions!

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Life’s A Beach Book Tag

Tabitha at Behind the Pages tagged me in this book tag well over a month ago. Only now am I getting around to it, sheepishly. The Life’s a Beach book tag was created by Lefty on on Left Hand Book Lover, but I saw it on Tabitha’s blog. Check out Tabitha’s answers here. Make sure to mention that Lefty is the creator, and tag who tagged you, if you choose to participate!

I tag Mint at Mint Loves Books, Emma at Bookmarked Dreamscapes, and whoever else finds this fun!

The Sand
A book that stuck with you long after you finished reading

I mean, if you saw any of my posts during the Christmas 2021 season, then you can probably predict my answer. A Court of Mist and Fury stuck with me for a long time after I read it. Ultimately, this book pushed me to start a book review blog so I’d have others to chat to about books. I really want to reread it, but that will probably have to wait until the mid-year.

The Sun
A book that burned you

I think this means one I had hopes for, but then in the end didn’t pan out for me? If so, then that would be Immortal Souls. The cover drew me in on NetGalley, but ultimately the pacing was way too fast and nearly all of the characters were flat. Plus I felt like I was inadvertently “tricked” into reading a Christian fantasy novel (not my personal cup of tea), which wasn’t indicated in the official synopsis.

The Waves
A book that calms you down after a long day

I know this author no longer has a great reputation, but I can’t erase the fact that Harry Potter brought me a lot of joy in my high school years. It still brings me joy, I can’t lie about that. When I’m in a lull sometimes I go back and read where I left off in my very, very slow reread of the series. I think right now I’m somewhere in the middle of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

The Bathing Suit
A book with a pretty, summer-y cover

I haven’t read this yet, but I did a spotlight for a BBNYA 2021 blog tour, hosted by The Write Reads. Beneath Cruel Fathoms has waves on its book cover, which is quintessential beach/summer in my mind. This is probably my perception, but I feel like most books with summer-y covers are contemporary fiction, which I don’t read much of. So at this point in time I don’t have many options from which to choose.

The Birds
A book that is everywhere

I choose A Court of Thorns and Roses. This is probably due to the algorithm’s knowledge of my love of fantasy books. Or, rather, fantasy romance books. But I see it pop up everywhere, particularly on Instagram since those are the hashtags and/or accounts I interact with.

The Company
A book with wonderful characters

I had a hard time choosing between The Bone Shard Daughter or The Bone Ships, but ultimately chose the former. Mephi in The Bone Shard Daughter won me over and is my favorite character in the book. He’s not the main character, but he’s pretty darn cute.

The Ice-Cold Drinks
A book you absolutely gulped down

An Enchantment of Ravens is a book I gulped down. Though it has one of my least favorite tropes (instalove), I otherwise enjoyed it. It was a nice escape from the demands of post house move.

The Fun Memories
A book you can’t wait to return to

Definitely the whole A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but also Half Sick of Shadows. I borrowed this from the library and ended up loving it so much I bought myself a used copy. There’s so much beautiful imagery and writing in this book. I can’t wait to read and savor it again.

Monthly Book Blog Wrap-Up: November 2021

Happy December, everyone! Here’s the obligatory, “I can’t believe it’s December already!” commentary. Which is how I feel every time we get to December every year. December also marks nine months since I started this little book review space. So happy nine-month blog-iversary to me! Keep reading for a recap of my November book escapades, or if you might have missed a blog post or two.

Book Reviews
I posted three reviews in November. I decided to skip posting a review the Sunday after Thanksgiving to give myself a break. From earliest to latest, I reviewed:

Book Memes
I posted five book memes in November, in addition to my monthly wrap-up post for October.

Other Book-ish Progress
I finished reading The Girl of Dorcha Wood by Kristin Ward for a Write Reads book tour in early December. My date slot is December 10, so keep an eye out for my review!

I’m still reading Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian, which I’m really loving so far. I’m savoring it, plus I’ve been busy, which is why I haven’t finished it yet.

With respect to NetGalley reads, I finished Sugar and Snow by Irene Davis. My review will go live on December 6, so again, keep an eye out for it! I’m also 40% through The Prophecy of Love by T. Satterfield and 23% through Immortal Souls by Phoenix Vieira. Naturally, I requested more reads on NetGalley, and received approvals for some, so my review percentage is still quite low. Of my recent approvals, I’m really excited to read The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper, which I’ve been eyeing for months since it hit shelves in the UK earlier this year.