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The Bone Shard Daughter

The first book in the Sunday Times bestselling Drowning Empire series

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The Bone Shard Daughter

By: Andrea Stewart
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller, Feodor Chin, Natalie Naudus
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About this listen

 'One of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time...This book is truly special' Sarah J. Maas

'Epic fantasy at its most human and heartfelt . . . inventive, adventurous and wonderfully written' Alix E. Harrow

'Brilliant world-building, deep intrigue and incredible heart' Megan E. O'Keefe

The Sukai Dynasty has ruled the Phoenix Empire for over a century, their mastery of bone shard magic powering the monstrous constructs that maintain law and order. But now the emperor's rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands.

Lin is the Emperor's daughter, but a mysterious illness has stolen her childhood memories and her status as heir to the empire. Trapped in a palace of locked doors and old secrets, Lin vows to reclaim her birthright by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

But the mysteries behind such power are dark and deep, and wielding her family's magic carries a great cost. When the revolution reaches the gates of the palace itself, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her throne - and save her people.

The Bone Shard Daughter is an unmissable fantasy debut for 2020 - a captivating tale of magic, revolution and mystery, where a young woman's sense of identity will make or break an empire.

'A bold, ambitious debut' M. R. Carey

'Utterly absorbing. I adored it' Emily A. Duncan

'A triumph. Memorable characters and bone-chilling secrets that keep you turning the pages' K. S. Villoso

'Begins with a spark of intrigue that ignites into a thrilling adventure' Hafsah Faizal

'Intricate and expansive, incisive and thoughtful - a complex web of political and personal intrigue' Kerstin Hall

'A thoroughly fantastic read and I eagerly await the sequel' Kevin Hearne

'Groundbreaking epic fantasy for a new age' Tasha Suri

©2020 Andrea Stewart Action & Adventure Asian & Pacific Islander Creators Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Magic

Critic Reviews

The Bone Shard Daughter is one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time. With stunningly intricate world-building that leaps off the page and characters who are so vibrant that you wish they were real, it grabs you by the heart and the throat from the first pages and doesn't let go until long after it's over. This book is truly special
As the narrative gains pace and change sweeps the islands, Stewart skilfully orchestrates her diverse cast towards a satisfyingly gripping climax
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. Inventive, adventurous, and wonderfully written (Alix E. Harrow)
A complex and dark tapestry of a fantasy woven through with brilliant world-building, deep intrigue, and incredible heart (Megan E. O'Keefe)
The Bone Shard Daughter begins with a spark of intrigue that ignites into a thrilling adventure you cannot miss - with a unique (and painful!) magic system to boot
Action-packed, must-read epic fantasy . . . One of the best debut fantasy novels of the year
A rich and rewarding novel, original and thought-provoking, and I didn't want it to end
There's a bold, ambitious imagination at work here - and this is a world you'll want to linger in
The Bone Shard Daughter seized my attention and wouldn't let go. It's a thoroughly fantastic read and I eagerly await the sequel
A grand, ingenious and sweeping tale of power, magic and heart, The Bone Shard Daughter is groundbreaking epic fantasy for a new age'
An unforgettable tale of magic and intrigue, and the start of a fascinating trilogy
Richly told, emotional, [and] action-laced
I couldn't put Andrea Stewart's BONE SHARD DAUGHTER down. A kaleidoscopic cast, a fascinating world, captivating magic and enthralling politics -- I'm already looking forward to the next book! Meantime, I can't stop thinking about this one. A fantastic adventure
Stewart has drawn a fascinating world with characters who have deep foundations, and who will quickly capture readers' hearts . . . Stewart's debut is sharp and compelling. It will hook readers in and make them fiercely anticipate the rest of the series
This brilliant fantasy debut has announced Andrea Stewart as quite possibly the best newcomer of the year
There is a fantastic cast of characters, a compelling plot, a unique magic system and a vividly written world. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next... This will definitely be on my favourite books of 2020 list and will probably be my favourite fantasy debut of the year
THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER is full of atmospheric delights: a spooky palace full of locked doors and awful secrets! Wonderful characters struggling with hard choices! Intriguing worldbuilding! An endearing yet mysterious animal companion! Profoundly creepy bone shard magic! This is a fantastic read well worth your time. I can't wait for the sequel!
All stars
Most relevant
Such an amazing story the world building was awesome and it always kept you on your feet

Also Mephistopheles!!!

Amazing story

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Very enjoyable. Voices were wonderful, excellent to listen to. Looking forward to listening to the next!

Interesting characters

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Fantastic story, compelling and something a bit different. Well narrated and thought provoking. Gripped the entire way

loved it!

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A fascinating and absorbing story. A descent into a nightmare and a beautiful spell. Very sad and dramatic. Lots of action. Beautifully narrated by male and female narrators. Heroic characters very strong and resilient. Freaky constructs and boneshard magic, great creatures and so much sadness. An empire being overturned. Four or five different characters point of view, sometimes coming together. It was paradise but it was very sad.

Descend into the nightmare.

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In my opinion, this is a very good book, it has a ton of really likeable characters and the story is fun and very different in a good way. As far as the narrators, for the most part, they are great but i did find one or two of them a bit of a pain as i often listen to books late at night and one or two of the narrators speaks much quieter than the others which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for without warming their character would call out someone's name and do so Much louder than their otherwise very quiet speech.

The other reason i suggested a But is with regards to the story itself, firstly, it took a very long time for me to get into the story and for me to start liking the characters and become invested in their story. This is mainly because of the way the story is constructed, there are just too many characters and each has an individual path and story which collectively builds upon a whole. The author does this by switching between characters like mini chapters and this not only made it harder to become invested in individual characters becausejust as you were learning about them and understanding the character, the book will switch to another character with a separate story of their own. This caused me confusion for quite awhile.

Having said that, once you get past all that, you will find the story and characters are really great and so many are really likeable and the story is very different to others I've listened to, btw, if you are a pet or animal lover, you would enjoy this i think. I do recommend this book, just expect to have to persevere through the first part before it becomes really enjoyable. I am just about to buy the next book in the series and very much looking forward to listening. 🐮

Very good with a BUT...

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