Hello and Happy Holidays,

Today I am delighted to be sharing my review for Call of the Bone Ships by R.J. Barker and all I can say is that I want the third book now!

Disclaimer – I received an e-arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Book Summary:

A brilliantly imagined saga of honour, glory and warfare, Call of the Bone Ships is the captivating epic fantasy sequel to RJ Barker’s The Bone Ships.

Dragons have returned to the Hundred Isles. But their return heralds only war and destruction. When a horde of dying slaves are discovered in the bowels of a ship, Shipwife Meas and the crew of the Tide Child find themselves drawn into a vicious plot that will leave them questioning their loyalties and fighting for their lives.

The Review:

The Bone Ships was a fantastic read. The Call of the Bone Ships is a spectacular read. Perhaps because the first book had taken the time and effort to lay an extraordinarily strong foundation for the world and characters, this second book caught the wind from the very first page and didn’t slow down until that ending that has left me staring off into the distance and desperately wanting the next book right now.

This was not quite the second book I had been expecting, as it started quite some time after the events in the first book and taking everything and everyone that we thought we knew and shaking them up and pushing them forward. This is a middle book only in terms of moving the plot forward, and leaving us needing that final concluding part, because The Call of the Bone Ships does not suffer the weakness that sometimes come from being the middle book and instead, it has raised the stakes completely while also steering the series into new, more dangerous waters.

It was simply a joy to return to this world, and to see Barker expanding the world-building as we learn more about the politics of the Hundred Isles, visit more locations, and get to see the world of the Bone Ships unfold alongside the events. Even more, it was a delight to return to the cast of the Tide Child and sail with them once more, although it has to be said that Barker puts his cast through the ringer in more ways than one, especially Joron. As with the world, we get to see the characters growing and changing, shaped by the events they are experiencing, and as much as I love Joron as a character, I love the moments that we get to spend with the rest of the crew, and with Maes who remains a staunch favourite.

Fast paced, action packed, this was an incredible book from start to finish, and has firmly made this series one of my favourites and that ending!!! Barker’s writing is so vivid, his characters so engaging that you can’t help but be pulled into the narrative, and I for one will be waiting on tenterhooks until the third book comes out, because I need to know how it will be resolved.

The Rating:

Call of the Bone Ships (The Tide Child #2) – R.J. Barker – ***** (5/5 Stars)

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop.org | Waterstones

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If you’ve read it, or read it in the future, please feel free to shout at me about this fantastic book.

Rowena