I had to take a break at the end of Call of the Bone Ship’s because I knew The Bone Ship’s Wake was going to pack an emotional punch! The Tide Child Trilogy ended up being such a fantastic epic fantasy series. It’s been a while since I sat down and read through an entire series in a short time, and I am so glad I picked this one!
The Bone Ship’s Wake concludes The Tide Child series, a nautical epic fantasy series featuring non-stop seafaring adventure and the best characters you’ll ever meet. You can also read my previous reviews of The Bone Ships and Call of the Bone Ships.
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Title: The Bone Ship’s Wake
Author: R.J. Barker
Series: The Tide Child #3
Genre: epic fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 493
Audiobook length: 20 hrs 49 min
ISBN: 9780316488051
Content warnings: ableism, death, slavery, violence, war, injury/injury detail, confinement, torture, suicide, pregnancy
Blurb
The sea dragons are returning, and Joron Twiner’s dreams of freedom lie shattered. His Shipwife is gone and all he has left is revenge.
Leading the black fleet from the deck of Tide Child Joron takes every opportunity to strike at his enemies, but he knows his time is limited. His fleet is shrinking and the Keyshan’s Rot is running through his body. He runs from a prophecy that says he and the avian sorcerer, the Windseer, will end the entire world.
But the sea dragons have begun to return, and if you can have one miracle, who is to say that there cannot be another?
Review of The Bone Ship’s Wake
- Format: ebook
- Pacing: medium
- Plot or character-driven: plot
- POVs: third person single POV (occasional brief switches in POV)
- Representation: Achillean mc
***This review contains spoilers for The Bone Ships and Call of the Bone Ships (Tide Child #1-2)***
During Call of the Bone Ships Joron loses his leg, his lover, and his mentor, so it’s no surprise that he goes a bit off the deep end. I really enjoy how the author shows the deep scars war leaves on his characters, both physically and mentally. None of the characters escape this story unscathed. I’m delighted by how much of a journey the Tide Child Trilogy is from reading the first page of The Bone Ships to closing The Bone Ship’s Wake for the last time. I got to see so much of the world R.J. Barker created, went on many adventures with Joron and his crew, and saw so much change in the characters. The Tide Child Trilogy really is epic fantasy at its best.
I was again pleasantly surprised at how much character development we got to see of the guillaime. It became one of my favorite characters in the series, and I loved to see how it and Joron’s relationship developed in each book.
One thing I really enjoyed about The Bone Ship’s Wake is that it really takes advantage of how slow sea travel is to build up tension before each battle. It’s crazy to think that you might see your enemy, know that they will catch up to you, and have to wait days to weeks for the battle. I can’t imagine what it would take to stay sane in that situation! It was so interesting to see how the characters prepared themselves for each fight and kept up each other’s morale.
I do have some slight criticism for this last book in the Tide Child Trilogy. There were a couple of big reveals that got mentioned very casually in the narrative, which made their impact fall flat. It felt odd to have a lot of hinting at certain facts in previous books, only to just go “oh, and there’s that, anyway”. There were a lot of loose ends to tie up in this last book though, so it didn’t change my enjoyment of the story.
I’m not sure the ending of The Bone Ship’s Wake is one *I* would choose, but it was definitely impactful. There were parts that felt very fitting and other parts that didn’t. I just didn’t feel ready to say goodbye to the Tide Child and its crew. I have one more complaint that is totally a spoiler, so I’ll add it as a hidden note below. Click to read at your own risk!
Overall, The Tide Child Trilogy is a story that’s going to stick with me for a long time. The Bone Ships, Call of the Bone Ships, and The Bone Ship’s Wake were all exciting, adventurous fantasy stories. I will have a hard time finding another series with as awesome a character as Lucky Meas. She’s the best!
Once again, I am recommending The Tide Child Trilogy to anyone who will listen! It’s so good! Everyone should read it, especially if you enjoy epic fantasy!
SPOILERS
Having the crew of Tide Child just escape into the sunset felt like a cop-out. We spent all this time learning about the corruption in the Hundred Isles and trying to end the war, but Meas never actually achieved her goal. In a way, she loses and is just lucky she and the people she loves are able to escape. It does make for a very poetic ending though.
You’ll like this book if you enjoy…
- The previous books in The Tide Child trilogy, lol!
Where to find The Bone Ship’s Wake:
Have you read The Tide Child Trilogy? Let’s chat in the comments!
