RJ Barker

In the conclusion to the Tide Child trilogy we see Joron Twiner really come into his own. This is the kind of character arc and development that I don't see nearly often enough. This book is, at times, bleak and grim and hard, but also full of hope and loyalty and love.

As in the previous books, the sea battles are brilliantly executed and described. If you want action, you won't be left unsatisfied. And they were great fun, but for me the strength of this series is in the relationships show more between the crew, the found-family trope at it's greatest. They will all stop at nothing to rescue their Shipwife. And the man Joron has grown into is equally compelling and loyalty inspiring. It's hard to look at the drunken wreck he was at the beginning and see the leader he would become, and it's nothing short of amazing to travel his journey with him, and see the incremental changes as he gains confidence and pride in himself.

A lot happens in this book. A LOT. There is betrayal and hope and darkness and light. Not gonna lie, I teared up a time or two. This book was heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. The ending is nothing short of epic. I can't find a flaw with this book, except my selfish desire for more, more, more.

This is the kind of book that, once you finish, you close the book and stare off into space for several minutes because you have to just let it settle and sink into you. If you enjoyed the first two, I am certain you will love this book. Get ready for some literary trauma, because this book might break you. show less

Oh. How perfectly this series lands... Third book of a trilogy can be a strange beast sometimes, hard to tame. RJ Barker does it beautifully.

This is a dark, dark tale. There are people being broken, people dying, people doing terrible things, people doing truly evil things (and arguing that there is a difference between the two latter). Much of the grief and tragedy in "The Bone Ship’s Wake", as in the two previous books, comes from blindly following traditions, just for traditions’ show more sake, because “this is how it was always done”.

The loneliness of leadership is described so vividly here. Both Meas and Joron tumble into this darkness – and come back out.

I loved the plot twists I did not see coming, and new discoveries about so many characters. There are horrible choices everyone has to make. Yet, there is also bravery, friendship, hope, the stories that bind people together. And did I mention all the adventure and excitement? I had to take deep breaths between storms, sea battles, monsters of the deep, and mysteriously empty ships.

The ending was fitting. It still broke my heart.

And stripping everything else in the book away, what you have left is the romance of the sea. Feel it, smell it, taste it, see these ships fly… show less

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. show more
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 :-))) show less

Warning: gushing ahead, because I absolutely adored this book.

It’s been years since I’ve truly been pulled into a rich, detailed fantasy world. I thought maybe I’d outgrown the genre, or that my attention span just didn’t mesh with sprawling worldbuilding anymore. And maybe both of those things are true to some degree, but this book shattered those beliefs.

This was one of those perfect random finds from the library. I picked it up on a whim, and two pages in I knew I’d stumbled show more onto something special. Sea monsters, life aboard a creaking ship, a misfit crew, complicated loyalties, weird magic—I was all in.

The characters are superbly written. Joron’s character arc was a joy to watch. I also really loved how we only see Meas through Joron’s eyes. If we’d been in her POV, I think that whole larger-than-life feeling would’ve been lost. This way, we get the awe, the mystery, the tension. It all works beautifully.

Typically, when I finish a book in a series, I take a break. I like variety, I get bored easily, and I never want to burn out on something I’m loving. But when I finished this book, I hugged it to my chest, sat there for a minute, and then immediately bought book two and started reading it. That has literally never happened in my 40+ years of reading. First time ever.

Bottom line: I wasn’t expecting this book to grab me the way it did. It reminded me of why I fell in love with fantasy in the first place. I'll be recommending this one to every fantasy reader I know. show less