Unfortunately, circumstances forced me to hold off reading this novel until the end of the year, which I deeply regret as this was another awesome novel from Barker that got an easy five-star rating from me. To sum it up briefly, it was too different from The Wounded Kingdom trilogy, and I expected a focus on characterization right from the getgo. It put me through the wringer and set up for the third and final book, which has me wanting to grab it right away, but I will be strong and give myself some time to process and put some distance by reading some fluffy and light books, because we need to take care of our mental health, right?

The Bone Ships by RJ Barker | Hachette Book Group The Bone Ships by RJ Barker | Hachette Book Group

The story did end on a cliffhanger, and I look forward to reading The Bone Ship’s Wake in a few weeks. That doesn't mean that worldbuilding was thrown overboard though as we did get to learn more about the lore behind its strange and wonderful creatures.It’s also a testament to the author’s adeptness at clearly portraying relationships in all their complex glory that my feelings about characters I once loathed are now. The story starts as we immediately join our favourite crew of misfits who make a deeply disturbing discovery. Meas is a truly inspirational character who has served as a close mentor to Joron and who continues to lead her crew with wisdom, experience, and humility. He commanded angry women and men, bad women and men, cruel women and men – and it had only ever been a matter of time before one of his crew wanted the hat and the colours. On one such mission, during a ferocious storm Tide Child comes across a badly damaged ship in trouble, stranded and near to breaking against rocks that surround an island.

the Bone Ships: Book 2 of the Tide Child Trilogy Call of the Bone Ships: Book 2 of the Tide Child Trilogy

Stuck clinging to every word with bated breath and hoping the crew and Lucky Meas didn't go down in the storm. Joron is really put through the wringer with Barker hanging him out, beating and stretching him thin on numerous occasions. Meas’ knack for driving her crew to success against all odds might feel cheap if she were our window into this world, as her ability to lead others is almost otherworldly.Of course, this discovery is tightly linked to the story and revelations of the first book, so I won’t divulge any specifics other than to say that it sets them on a race against time to save lives and uncover the depths of this horrific plot. Raiders hold control of towers on both Arkannis Isle and Skearith’s Spine, a mountain range that divides the Gaunt Isles and Hundred Isles.

The Bone Ships - RJ Barker The Bone Ships - RJ Barker

A vividly realized high-seas epic that pulls you deep into its world and keeps you tangled there until the very last word. Well, not until it culminates into the power of songs, and that's when I started getting epic feels and goosebumps. No happy colours for this boat; it was unnamed, painted black and given only the one eye on its beak to guide it through the sea.The world building here is incredible, from the descriptions of foliage, to the bone ships themselves, to the islands of the archipelago, to the religion, to names for kin, names for nautical terms, Barker crafts an entirely unique world but you never feel lost and it never feels like there is an info dump. The story, that raises the stakes, expands and progresses what began in The Bone Ships starts with a raging storm that highlights the merciless and unforgiving nature of the sea, its immense power, the brutality and the ravenous hunger that will never be sated. Meas was a little less utilised in this novel than in the first book, with Joron taking more of a lead now that he has some command experience. Even up here on the hill he could smell his ship, like a fish dock at the slack of Skearith’s Eye when the heat burned down from above and there was no shadow, no shelter, no release. His head ached and his hands trembled in a way that would only be stilled by the first cup of shipwine.

The Tide Child Series by R.J. Barker - Goodreads

Aside from the standout writing, it's one of the most interesting and original fantasy worlds I've seen in years. For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war. In combat,” he added, and he had to swallow again, forcing a hard ball of cold-stone fear down his neck.Not only is there a fantastic and detailed map at the very front of the book but there is also some sweet artwork at the start of each chapter, which depicts locations, creatures and characters from within the book. The opening plot is executed intriguingly, although its solution, it seems to me, is given too early. And he felt the song within, the beat of his heart, the high-pitched passage of blood through veins, the cymbal-spatter of thoughts, the crack of muscles and the groan of tendons and it was beautiful.