It is a very rare thing indeed, as an adult, to meet a book of the sea of exactly the same kind you used to devour when you were nine. It’s just that this is not a children’s book and it happens to be fantasy, too (oh, yes). But all the feelings, the smell of the sea, the exaltation, these are all there still.

Exploring the world of “Bone Ships” was a lot of fun - despite it being a dark and grim one. The worldbuilding is very skillfully done, and I loved all the made-up naval terms.
Joron’s voyage of discovery - of himself, of others, learning to question the way things work in his society - was one of the most enjoyable things about the book.

In case I have not made it clear in the first paragraph of this review: this book is fiendishly entertaining. Sea battles (lots of them). Strange creatures and monsters. Swashbuckling galore. Badass characters. Last minute rescues.

The best thing: the whole trilogy is out, so Book 2 and 3 are waiting for me. Hurray! I’ll definitely be watching R.J. Barker :-))) ( )

The start of this book might leave some people a little cold. The world is so foreign. The language different. The world building is deep but it all pays off. One of my favorite fantasy novels of the last decade. I loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the world. I loved the ship. The story is full of action and betrayal and triumph. It left me wanting more and thankfully there is more. ( )

This book was a joy in a lot of ways. I see a lot of comments about how slow it starts out, but I think the confusion and disorientation of the beginning of the book is directly equitable to the confusion and disorientation of Twiner, which makes me think it a brilliant layout! The cadence of the prose is lyrical and indicative of some of my favorite swashbuckling tales (Treasure island, etc...).

The characters are mysterious, yet relatable, and the "monsters" if you will are some of the most original, imaginative and thrilling I've read in a long time. One thing I thought was a bit of a drag was the heavy foreshadowing. Give me SOME credit, Barker, I can see how clever you are!

Definitely read it. ( )

This book was a joy in a lot of ways. I see a lot of comments about how slow it starts out, but I think the confusion and disorientation of the beginning of the book is directly equitable to the confusion and disorientation of Twiner, which makes me think it a brilliant layout! The cadence of the prose is lyrical and indicative of some of my favorite swashbuckling tales (Treasure island, etc...).

The characters are mysterious, yet relatable, and the "monsters" if you will are some of the most original, imaginative and thrilling I've read in a long time. One thing I thought was a bit of a drag was the heavy foreshadowing. Give me SOME credit, Barker, I can see how clever you are!

Definitely read it. ( )

Absolutely fantastic, a true pirate fantasy. I loved the world building, I loved the sprinkle of backstory to flesh out the politics and I just loved the found family aspect. ( )