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The Tide Child #3
The Bone Ship's Wake
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?
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?
543 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2021
About the author
R.J. Barker
20 books1,490 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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May 4, 2023
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.
4.5/5 stars
I’ve completed two series by R.J. Barker now, and Barker stuck the landing in both Kings of Assassins and The Bone Ship’s Wake.
I can’t believe how invested I was in Joron, Meas, and the crew of the Tide Child. I wouldn’t have predicted that from reading The Bone Ships. As mentioned in the acknowledgment of this novel, Barker has intentionally focused the narrative on the world-building first in The Bone Ships instead of the characterizations. The main character, Joron Twiner, was always in the role of an observer in the first book of the series. This indeed made me struggle with the first half of The Bone Ships, but the increasing payoff throughout the series was so worthwhile. I do believe The Bone Ship’s Wake is one of the two Barker’s best book so far, and that’s saying a lot considering how much I loved King of Assassins. Now that I’ve finished both The Wounded Kingdom trilogy and The Tide Child trilogy, I will say this, I feel safe in investing my time and money in whatever fantasy series he decides to write next.
The story picks up a year after Call of the Bone Ships, and danger visits Joron and the Tide Child every step of their way. But Joron won’t back down. His enemies pursuits him relentlessly, time feels like it’s running out for him and every one of them, but still, he’ll persist. One of the issues I had with the previous two books were the seemingly lack of prominent villain, and that situation has been addressed here. But if you look at the review I wrote in Call of the Bone Ships, I also mentioned that my co-blogger said that the real villain of this series is the Hundred Isles itself; the society and vicious culture, and this is intensely evident here. There were some profound themes Barker puts in The Bone Ship’s Wake. Yes, war, leadership, found family, and responsibility are things that have been there since the first book, and they’re here, too.
However, Barker established once more that one of the main conflicts that every character—both protagonists and antagonists—faces in this series is due to the insistence to follow this outdated law and culture. This is the kind of thing that resonates with me. Believe me, being an Asian often means we have hundreds of superstitions for a variety of situations imparted upon us, and even though there’s no actual proof of their accuracies or effectiveness, we’re still forced to follow them no matter what. For example, in Chinese culture, we’re not allowed to stick our chopsticks into our food—especially rice—because this means we’re bringing bad luck or curse upon ourselves. Proof of this curse? None. And yet, we still follow them. This is just a simple example. The flawed superstitions and culture that the characters in The Bone Ship’s Wake are facing results in a worse outcome, and it is insanely difficult to escape this vicious cycle. Unfortunately, I can’t elaborate more on this because it will mean going into spoiler territory.
It pleases me to say that I’m so impressed by Joron’s character development. Allow me to remind you that Joron was a character I felt detached from in the first book. After all the suffering he went through in the previous books, it’s wonderful to witness how far he learned and developed from them. His characterizations and development throughout the entire trilogy felt organic, and it’s all incredibly well-done. I can say with confidence that the found family trope, and all the interactions between the crew of the Tide Child, were the highlight of the narrative for me. Harsh decisions were made, and I love how even though they’re not technically the kindest people out there—point back to the culture thing I mentioned in the previous paragraph—but they always try their best to do the right thing when given the opportunity. Barker has always been great at characterizations, and he proved that again in The Bone Ship’s Wake.
Lastly, I want to mention that I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy books with a heavy focus on a nautical and seafaring adventure. The only other seafaring fantasy series I can say that I love thoroughly was The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, and now The Tide Child trilogy joined the rank. The naval warfare was some of the best I’ve read, and at several moments in the trilogy, I could practically feel the character’s exhaustion and fatigues from being chased and bombarded relentlessly. Seriously, the ending sequence of The Bone Ship’s Wake was epic and explosive. The visualizations at the climax sequence invoked from the prose was a treat for my imagination. I was captivated, I felt emotional, and the intensity never lets up.
Whether they live or die, I will leave it for you to find out for yourself. But something grand? Oh, they did achieve that. They bloody did. And on that note, The Bone Ship’s Wake is a grandiose naval adventure that concludes The Tide Child trilogy with a bang. From exhilarating chase, crimson vengeance, heartwarming scenes, and heartbreaking moments to an unforgettable climactic ending, Barker has smoothly sailed them all. Well done, R.J. Well done.
Series review:
The Bone Ships: 4/5 stars
Call of the Bone Ships: 4/5 stars
The Bone Ship's Wake: 4.5/5 stars
The Tide Child: 12.5/15 stars
You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Andrew, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Element, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Jennifer, Joie, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Meryl, Mike, Miracle, Neeraja, Nicholas, Oliver, ReignBro, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Xero, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.
4.5/5 stars
I’ve completed two series by R.J. Barker now, and Barker stuck the landing in both Kings of Assassins and The Bone Ship’s Wake.
“Of all the people on the ship, the courser knew most what it was to be alone. And Joron, as Meas had once said, had found command was the loneliest place of all.”
I can’t believe how invested I was in Joron, Meas, and the crew of the Tide Child. I wouldn’t have predicted that from reading The Bone Ships. As mentioned in the acknowledgment of this novel, Barker has intentionally focused the narrative on the world-building first in The Bone Ships instead of the characterizations. The main character, Joron Twiner, was always in the role of an observer in the first book of the series. This indeed made me struggle with the first half of The Bone Ships, but the increasing payoff throughout the series was so worthwhile. I do believe The Bone Ship’s Wake is one of the two Barker’s best book so far, and that’s saying a lot considering how much I loved King of Assassins. Now that I’ve finished both The Wounded Kingdom trilogy and The Tide Child trilogy, I will say this, I feel safe in investing my time and money in whatever fantasy series he decides to write next.
“And what is life for us if we are not lurching from one life-or-death situation to another?”
The story picks up a year after Call of the Bone Ships, and danger visits Joron and the Tide Child every step of their way. But Joron won’t back down. His enemies pursuits him relentlessly, time feels like it’s running out for him and every one of them, but still, he’ll persist. One of the issues I had with the previous two books were the seemingly lack of prominent villain, and that situation has been addressed here. But if you look at the review I wrote in Call of the Bone Ships, I also mentioned that my co-blogger said that the real villain of this series is the Hundred Isles itself; the society and vicious culture, and this is intensely evident here. There were some profound themes Barker puts in The Bone Ship’s Wake. Yes, war, leadership, found family, and responsibility are things that have been there since the first book, and they’re here, too.
“And if this was not what his father had promised, if this was not the glorious stories of being fleet, of proud boneships and honourable shipwives, well, that was because life was not stories. Life was painful, and it was hard and it was cruel and full of loss. And if this was not the peace Meas had wanted, had fought for, that was because there was no peace without war.”
However, Barker established once more that one of the main conflicts that every character—both protagonists and antagonists—faces in this series is due to the insistence to follow this outdated law and culture. This is the kind of thing that resonates with me. Believe me, being an Asian often means we have hundreds of superstitions for a variety of situations imparted upon us, and even though there’s no actual proof of their accuracies or effectiveness, we’re still forced to follow them no matter what. For example, in Chinese culture, we’re not allowed to stick our chopsticks into our food—especially rice—because this means we’re bringing bad luck or curse upon ourselves. Proof of this curse? None. And yet, we still follow them. This is just a simple example. The flawed superstitions and culture that the characters in The Bone Ship’s Wake are facing results in a worse outcome, and it is insanely difficult to escape this vicious cycle. Unfortunately, I can’t elaborate more on this because it will mean going into spoiler territory.
“Where there is misery someone’s always getting rich, and you can bet they’d be the last to throw scraps to the needy.”
It pleases me to say that I’m so impressed by Joron’s character development. Allow me to remind you that Joron was a character I felt detached from in the first book. After all the suffering he went through in the previous books, it’s wonderful to witness how far he learned and developed from them. His characterizations and development throughout the entire trilogy felt organic, and it’s all incredibly well-done. I can say with confidence that the found family trope, and all the interactions between the crew of the Tide Child, were the highlight of the narrative for me. Harsh decisions were made, and I love how even though they’re not technically the kindest people out there—point back to the culture thing I mentioned in the previous paragraph—but they always try their best to do the right thing when given the opportunity. Barker has always been great at characterizations, and he proved that again in The Bone Ship’s Wake.
“What is done in desperation can be terrible; what is done from cold calculation, well, that is evil. Or so I count it… Terrible acts, Joron, they are often unthinking. We learn, and we get better. It is those who do not learn, or simply embrace and become inured to the terrible things we do that must be feared, and must be stopped.”
Lastly, I want to mention that I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy books with a heavy focus on a nautical and seafaring adventure. The only other seafaring fantasy series I can say that I love thoroughly was The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, and now The Tide Child trilogy joined the rank. The naval warfare was some of the best I’ve read, and at several moments in the trilogy, I could practically feel the character’s exhaustion and fatigues from being chased and bombarded relentlessly. Seriously, the ending sequence of The Bone Ship’s Wake was epic and explosive. The visualizations at the climax sequence invoked from the prose was a treat for my imagination. I was captivated, I felt emotional, and the intensity never lets up.
“Better to die attempting something grand, than live in the world the Bern gave us.”
Whether they live or die, I will leave it for you to find out for yourself. But something grand? Oh, they did achieve that. They bloody did. And on that note, The Bone Ship’s Wake is a grandiose naval adventure that concludes The Tide Child trilogy with a bang. From exhilarating chase, crimson vengeance, heartwarming scenes, and heartbreaking moments to an unforgettable climactic ending, Barker has smoothly sailed them all. Well done, R.J. Well done.
“So live, and do not spend your life looking back at what could have been.”
Series review:
The Bone Ships: 4/5 stars
Call of the Bone Ships: 4/5 stars
The Bone Ship's Wake: 4.5/5 stars
The Tide Child: 12.5/15 stars
You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Andrew, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Element, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Jennifer, Joie, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Meryl, Mike, Miracle, Neeraja, Nicholas, Oliver, ReignBro, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Xero, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.
January 9, 2023
Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions upon finishing reading fantasy books.
Once again, R.J. Barker delivers on an absolutely wonderful read - and managed to close out this trilogy in spectacular fashion. And while this book doesn't quite hold up to the greatness of the second book, this is nonetheless a fantastic book.
I don't want to ruin anything in this book for anyone, but if you are interested in a unique world, with incredible characters (and equally incredible character progression), enormous mythical beasts, set on the high seas with pirates - you are in for an incredible, magical journey!
Once again, R.J. Barker delivers on an absolutely wonderful read - and managed to close out this trilogy in spectacular fashion. And while this book doesn't quite hold up to the greatness of the second book, this is nonetheless a fantastic book.
I don't want to ruin anything in this book for anyone, but if you are interested in a unique world, with incredible characters (and equally incredible character progression), enormous mythical beasts, set on the high seas with pirates - you are in for an incredible, magical journey!
October 20, 2021
The Bone Ship’s Wake is that third and final volume of Barker’s Bone Ships trilogy. It’s a naval fantasy aboard giant sailing ships made of sea dragon bones, valued beyond value because there are no more sea dragons. Barker creates a unique world on these ships, a unique language of shipwives, deck mothers. Deckkeepers, and deck children, and fills his seas with returning sea dragons and giant hydras. The sails are powered by Guillame, intelligent birds and ferocious warriors whose breath can be like hurricanes. The Guillame though are fussy, odd, proud, and half-wild though blinded and bound.
As our third volume opens, our heroes are pirates with a small fleet preying upon Hundred Isles shipping. The greatest shipwife of them all, commander of Child’s Tide, Lucky Meas, is gone, imprisoned, tortured, maimed, for well over a year. Goron Twiner, now one-legged, is the black pirate who commands in her absence with no plan except seeing terror and now he’s planning a rescue even though he doesn’t know if Meas is alive or dead.
It’s a pirate story but filled with myths and fantastic creatures and naval battles and rescues. Condemned to the black ships, the crew knows the sentence of death had been passed, but the day not yet set. Well-written, absorbing, furiously-paced as the plot thickens and changes. Fatalistic, filled with gallow’s humor, and situations just growing more and more desperate.
As our third volume opens, our heroes are pirates with a small fleet preying upon Hundred Isles shipping. The greatest shipwife of them all, commander of Child’s Tide, Lucky Meas, is gone, imprisoned, tortured, maimed, for well over a year. Goron Twiner, now one-legged, is the black pirate who commands in her absence with no plan except seeing terror and now he’s planning a rescue even though he doesn’t know if Meas is alive or dead.
It’s a pirate story but filled with myths and fantastic creatures and naval battles and rescues. Condemned to the black ships, the crew knows the sentence of death had been passed, but the day not yet set. Well-written, absorbing, furiously-paced as the plot thickens and changes. Fatalistic, filled with gallow’s humor, and situations just growing more and more desperate.
August 7, 2021
This is one hell of a conclusion to an excellent trilogy. Don't mind me over here crying my eyes out at the ending. Barker really, really stuck the landing.
Read
September 19, 2024Conclusion of this epic fantasy naval series, Patrick O'Brian with dragons. As with the first two parts, it teeters right on the edge of unbearably bleak for long stretches, but there is enough hope and defiance and solidarity to keep you going, and the finale is triumphant in just the right way. Hugely recommended trilogy.
February 21, 2023
I’m stunned by this tale of hardship perseverance and found family… will be doing a why you should read on my channel.
December 23, 2021
ARC received from the publisher - Orbit - in exchange for an honest review.
Highly satisfying and achingly emotional, The Bone Ship's Wake was the unforgettable conclusion that I was hoping for in this phenomenal trilogy.
How did this even happen - a seafaring fantasy story becoming one of my favourites? Hats off to R.J. Barker as he did something truly extraordinary. His excellent debut trilogy, The Wounded Kingdom made me eager to try whatever he writes next, and now The Tide Child shot him up to become one of my insta-buy fantasy authors.
As with most of my reviews of concluding books, I'll generally go in the direction of talking about how I felt about the entire series - in this case, it was resoundingly amazing. Firstly, I have to say that The Tide Child was one of the more unconventional fantasy stories out there, even amongst the more modern fantasy offerings of late. The world is unlike what I've ever read before with a society and culture steeped in seafaring, and also one which is decidedly matriarchal. Even the lore and magic (if you could even call it that) felt unique, with the song of nature playing a fascinating role. With seafaring being the backbone of the social structure, the one aspect of magic that is most important is the command of wind. This mystical ability resides within bird-like creatures called gullaime, who are termed as windtalkers on board the ships. Speaking of the ships, these are magnificent vessels which are built from the bones of sea dragons, the arakeesians.
As wondrous as it all sound at this point, the brutal truth was that this world was awfully harsh and unforgiving for those who are not born flawless or perfect. This is where I found the story to be markedly different. I've mentioned to my co-blogger when we finished the second book that the Hundred Isles was the true antagonist of the story, as there seemed to be a lack of a prominent villain so to speak. And that's probably why Barker approached this series differently from his debut, by focusing on the worldbuilding first before delving into the character development. Thereby serving to establish where the true enemy lies - within the very culture and society of the world these characters live in.
This made the odds almost insurmountable, when the enemy that one faces is all around you. It also made the character arc and growth of the primary protagonist of this story, Joron Twiner, so utterly incredible and so brutally heartwrenching. The entire series was told almost entirely from the perspective of Twiner, the son of a fisherman who was condemned to the black ship, Tide Child, after accidentally killing the son of an important man. He started out as quite a weak character with ingrained prejudices. His growth was an extraordinary story of redemption and how second chances under the right leadership and conditions can transform a person. By the end of the sequel, I said that Twiner was completely unrecognisable from the person we first met. At the start of this volume, he's practically a new man albeit one that's given to melancholy. While I equated his development to be somewhat similar to Girton, I have to say that Twiner suffered even more especially since he's not as physically skilled and strong as the former.
I'm seriously at loss for words to describe how phenomenal the character work was in this trilogy. Even the side characters mattered so much, and maybe it's because they mattered that much to Twiner which translated into emotions made palpable to this reader. Barker was not shy on dealing darkness and death, as I've said many time before, this was a very harsh world. As such, I've expected many characters that I liked and cared for to die. However, he had to make it even more painful and heartbreaking in the way those characters died. And then there was that one particular character which I despised for a good half of the trilogy who totally surprised me with her turnaround. Again, another great arc about second chances. Can you already tell that I'm a huge sucker for stories like this?
What else can I say except that reiterate that I live for stories that make me feel, and nothing is more satisfying than an emotionally powerful conclusion that rips my heart to pieces. The Bone Ship's Wake absolutely did that. The climactic scene had the combined intensity of epic sea battle scenes, heart-wrenching courageous sacrifices and the magical culmination of the power of song.
Already in a emotional mess, I continued reading on to the author's Afterword, which kept on grinding me into a pulp. To my amazement, my earlier thoughts about the true antagonist in these books were verified by Barker himself. I also had to quote his parting words as I felt that it so beautifully captured what he tried to convey in this story.
Such an extraordinary series, such an incredible author, such authenticity - R.J. Barker, you have won a fan for life.
You can purchase the book from Blackwells | Bookshop.Org | Amazon US | Amazon UK
You can find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
Highly satisfying and achingly emotional, The Bone Ship's Wake was the unforgettable conclusion that I was hoping for in this phenomenal trilogy.
How did this even happen - a seafaring fantasy story becoming one of my favourites? Hats off to R.J. Barker as he did something truly extraordinary. His excellent debut trilogy, The Wounded Kingdom made me eager to try whatever he writes next, and now The Tide Child shot him up to become one of my insta-buy fantasy authors.
“The sentence is passed, only the day is undecided.”
As with most of my reviews of concluding books, I'll generally go in the direction of talking about how I felt about the entire series - in this case, it was resoundingly amazing. Firstly, I have to say that The Tide Child was one of the more unconventional fantasy stories out there, even amongst the more modern fantasy offerings of late. The world is unlike what I've ever read before with a society and culture steeped in seafaring, and also one which is decidedly matriarchal. Even the lore and magic (if you could even call it that) felt unique, with the song of nature playing a fascinating role. With seafaring being the backbone of the social structure, the one aspect of magic that is most important is the command of wind. This mystical ability resides within bird-like creatures called gullaime, who are termed as windtalkers on board the ships. Speaking of the ships, these are magnificent vessels which are built from the bones of sea dragons, the arakeesians.
"If you think you can dilute your pain in blood you are wrong. Blood will only feed it.”
As wondrous as it all sound at this point, the brutal truth was that this world was awfully harsh and unforgiving for those who are not born flawless or perfect. This is where I found the story to be markedly different. I've mentioned to my co-blogger when we finished the second book that the Hundred Isles was the true antagonist of the story, as there seemed to be a lack of a prominent villain so to speak. And that's probably why Barker approached this series differently from his debut, by focusing on the worldbuilding first before delving into the character development. Thereby serving to establish where the true enemy lies - within the very culture and society of the world these characters live in.
“I cannot change what I was, what I did cannot be made less wrong. But I can give all I have to stop those things happening again, and the world can ask no more of me.”
This made the odds almost insurmountable, when the enemy that one faces is all around you. It also made the character arc and growth of the primary protagonist of this story, Joron Twiner, so utterly incredible and so brutally heartwrenching. The entire series was told almost entirely from the perspective of Twiner, the son of a fisherman who was condemned to the black ship, Tide Child, after accidentally killing the son of an important man. He started out as quite a weak character with ingrained prejudices. His growth was an extraordinary story of redemption and how second chances under the right leadership and conditions can transform a person. By the end of the sequel, I said that Twiner was completely unrecognisable from the person we first met. At the start of this volume, he's practically a new man albeit one that's given to melancholy. While I equated his development to be somewhat similar to Girton, I have to say that Twiner suffered even more especially since he's not as physically skilled and strong as the former.
“I have flown that course, the one of vengeance,” he said. “Found my destination is always on the horizon, the journey never to be over.”
I'm seriously at loss for words to describe how phenomenal the character work was in this trilogy. Even the side characters mattered so much, and maybe it's because they mattered that much to Twiner which translated into emotions made palpable to this reader. Barker was not shy on dealing darkness and death, as I've said many time before, this was a very harsh world. As such, I've expected many characters that I liked and cared for to die. However, he had to make it even more painful and heartbreaking in the way those characters died. And then there was that one particular character which I despised for a good half of the trilogy who totally surprised me with her turnaround. Again, another great arc about second chances. Can you already tell that I'm a huge sucker for stories like this?
"And if this was not what his father had promised, if this was not the glorious stories of being fleet, of proud boneships and honourable shipwives, well, that was because life was not stories. Life was painful, and it was hard and it was cruel and full of loss. And if this was not the peace Meas had wanted, had fought for, well, that was because there was no peace without war."
What else can I say except that reiterate that I live for stories that make me feel, and nothing is more satisfying than an emotionally powerful conclusion that rips my heart to pieces. The Bone Ship's Wake absolutely did that. The climactic scene had the combined intensity of epic sea battle scenes, heart-wrenching courageous sacrifices and the magical culmination of the power of song.
Already in a emotional mess, I continued reading on to the author's Afterword, which kept on grinding me into a pulp. To my amazement, my earlier thoughts about the true antagonist in these books were verified by Barker himself. I also had to quote his parting words as I felt that it so beautifully captured what he tried to convey in this story.
"So, just like Meas gave Joron space to change, grow and become a better person, it’s a better world if we can all find the space to let others be who they need to be to get on. And, like the Gullaime shedding her robe to reveal the shining creature beneath, if we let them then people may surprise us in wonderful and magical ways."
Such an extraordinary series, such an incredible author, such authenticity - R.J. Barker, you have won a fan for life.
You can purchase the book from Blackwells | Bookshop.Org | Amazon US | Amazon UK
You can find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
Read
May 28, 2022Just started the finale to R. J. Barker's entertaining nautical fantasy trilogy, and I am looking forward to seeing how this series wraps up. R. J. Barker's writing style has a certain engaging and charming style that is one of the strongpoints of this tale, and most definitely makes it unique.
This finale continues the entertaining nautical fantasy world that R. J. Barker has crafted in the first two instalments, and also delivers a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. There is a great build to the final phase which leads to a great culmination of events that was engaging, immersive and had me emotionally involved.
Full Review to Come
This finale continues the entertaining nautical fantasy world that R. J. Barker has crafted in the first two instalments, and also delivers a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. There is a great build to the final phase which leads to a great culmination of events that was engaging, immersive and had me emotionally involved.
Full Review to Come
January 7, 2023
The Bone Ships' Wake gives fans an epic conclusion to a beautifully crafted nautical fantasy series that would be fit on the big screen. Its predecessor, Call of the Bone Ships, was a bleak and dark affair and the finale continues in that vein. It's set roughly a year or more after the cliffhanger ending and some new point of views are added. Among them, my favorite when done well in any series, is when you see the hero through the eyes of a normal, low level character. I love it when that serves to give us another glimpse into how others see them in the world, which is often very different from their own self narrative. The bulk of the book is still from Joron Twiner's POV, but this one early shows a fear and reference his adversaries have for him. The man has leveled up.
As with the previous two books, R.J. Barker spins a wonderful and complete yarn of a tale with cinematic scenes that will haunt the reader in their dreams... erm... nightmares, long after they finish. One word, toothreach. Barker has excelled at crafting these creatures of the sea that are so horrifying, they'll make your hair stand on end. For a world that is so completely alien to our own, I never felt like I had a hard time envisioning what was going on. That's a testament to Barker's writing, as is the solid pacing that made it hard to put the book down.
Of course, with this being the third book in the trilogy, you know what to expect as far as the endgame goes. The only worry ever is, will the author stick the landing? R.J. Barker did that with flying colors... heh... The ending was believable, earned, satisfying, and complete. All of the emotions will come up as you flip page after page. Well, the other worry is, who will survive? In a world this dark, you just know a lot of your favorite deckchilder will be killed. I can't say I shed a tear, although a great many caught me off guard, especially in the method in which they went to meet the Hag. One, in particular, did have me muttering "no, no, no" over and over. You're a cruel man, Mr. Barker. These seas are crueler, though.
Also a staple of series finales, many twists abound and I can say that, while I saw some of them coming, it wasn't until shortly before they were revealed or I didn't foresee them at all. I do feel like I had a certain character's identity pegged from somewhere in the middle of the second book, though. All of it was satisfying and believable with plenty of foreshadowing if you look back in the series. There was a point where I wasn't sure how the series would end or wrap up in time with half the book finished, but the last half is a flurry of movement and revelations to keep you intrigued to the end. Of the three books, The Bone Ship's Wake is the best paced, best plotted, and features the strongest characterization.
I came to love the crew of the Tide Child and their growth throughout the series was steady. It's saying something when an author can have you hate a character(s) initially and then slowly turn you to the dark side and embrace said character by the end, even rooting for them. The last 50 or so pages were beautifully written with plenty of loose ends tied up in a knot that would make a shipwife proud and payoffs to character arcs that just felt right. Joron Twiner's character arc is perhaps the most astonishingly written. To think of where he started, what he believed about himself, how little his life mattered, and then see where he ended up, it's almost enough to make one weep.
All in all, I highly recommend this series to any fans of fantasy, even if you aren't a fan of the nautical types where most type is spent on a ship. I love the idea as it's a breath of fresh air in, what is sometimes, a stagnant genre if you don't find gold like this. I'm a huge fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean series and this scratched that itch in book form. The learning curve is a bit steep at the beginning as R.J. Barker doesn't hold your hand much in the first book, but it all gradually makes sense with plenty of time to enjoy the ride.
The Tide Child
The Bone Ships - 9/10
Call of the Bone Ships - 9.5/10
The Bone Ship's Wake - 10/10
As with the previous two books, R.J. Barker spins a wonderful and complete yarn of a tale with cinematic scenes that will haunt the reader in their dreams... erm... nightmares, long after they finish. One word, toothreach. Barker has excelled at crafting these creatures of the sea that are so horrifying, they'll make your hair stand on end. For a world that is so completely alien to our own, I never felt like I had a hard time envisioning what was going on. That's a testament to Barker's writing, as is the solid pacing that made it hard to put the book down.
Of course, with this being the third book in the trilogy, you know what to expect as far as the endgame goes. The only worry ever is, will the author stick the landing? R.J. Barker did that with flying colors... heh... The ending was believable, earned, satisfying, and complete. All of the emotions will come up as you flip page after page. Well, the other worry is, who will survive? In a world this dark, you just know a lot of your favorite deckchilder will be killed. I can't say I shed a tear, although a great many caught me off guard, especially in the method in which they went to meet the Hag. One, in particular, did have me muttering "no, no, no" over and over. You're a cruel man, Mr. Barker. These seas are crueler, though.
Also a staple of series finales, many twists abound and I can say that, while I saw some of them coming, it wasn't until shortly before they were revealed or I didn't foresee them at all. I do feel like I had a certain character's identity pegged from somewhere in the middle of the second book, though. All of it was satisfying and believable with plenty of foreshadowing if you look back in the series. There was a point where I wasn't sure how the series would end or wrap up in time with half the book finished, but the last half is a flurry of movement and revelations to keep you intrigued to the end. Of the three books, The Bone Ship's Wake is the best paced, best plotted, and features the strongest characterization.
I came to love the crew of the Tide Child and their growth throughout the series was steady. It's saying something when an author can have you hate a character(s) initially and then slowly turn you to the dark side and embrace said character by the end, even rooting for them. The last 50 or so pages were beautifully written with plenty of loose ends tied up in a knot that would make a shipwife proud and payoffs to character arcs that just felt right. Joron Twiner's character arc is perhaps the most astonishingly written. To think of where he started, what he believed about himself, how little his life mattered, and then see where he ended up, it's almost enough to make one weep.
All in all, I highly recommend this series to any fans of fantasy, even if you aren't a fan of the nautical types where most type is spent on a ship. I love the idea as it's a breath of fresh air in, what is sometimes, a stagnant genre if you don't find gold like this. I'm a huge fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean series and this scratched that itch in book form. The learning curve is a bit steep at the beginning as R.J. Barker doesn't hold your hand much in the first book, but it all gradually makes sense with plenty of time to enjoy the ride.
The Tide Child
The Bone Ships - 9/10
Call of the Bone Ships - 9.5/10
The Bone Ship's Wake - 10/10
December 8, 2021
Every bloody star and then some. RTC.
October 17, 2021
Too emotionally devastated to post a review atm, be back later.
September 12, 2021
Summary: The Bone Ship’s Wake is a tense and exciting final act to a stellar trilogy. Barker pulls off the ending with aplomb, excellently rounding out the themes introduced up to this point.
Yes, it’s what many us have been waiting for, the final instalment of the Tide Child trilogy, and boy does it not disappoint. After the devastating loss at the end of Call of the Bone Ships, Joron is now in charge of the entire black fleet, the alliance of ships Meas built up to counteract the cruelty of The Hundred Isles and bring peace to the seas. With Meas captured, Joron’s only goal is to bring her back, no matter who stands in his way.
Joron is one of my favourite characters in recent fiction, and it’s great to see how he’s evolved since the first book. Now in a position of complete command, he has to reckon with his own imposter syndrome, and the loneliness of being set above everyone else. At the same time, he refuses to take the title of Shipwife, even if that’s exactly what he now is (and other characters point out that even Fleet Mother might be a better term, considering). He’s now know as the Black Pirate, a dangerous and ruthless raider. More than ever, he feels his mortality – the Keyshan’s Rot has taken hold of most of his body, and he knows it is only a matter of time until it takes his mind too. Any time he feels a surge of anger, or wants to laugh at the terrifying, he starts to wonder if those emotions are really his, or a symptom of the rot.
I found the pacing in this book to be impeccable. The first part of the book is taken up mostly by a long tense chase punctuated by bursts of intense action that had me on the edge of my seat. The second part concerns the plot to rescue Meas and forces Joron to reckon with the consequences of his actions. The third part rises to a belter of a climax that by the end genuinely had me in tears. Each part builds on what came before, but also segregates nicely so that theoretically you could take a break at the end of each part and still be satisfied (although I can’t see many people not wanting to find out what happens as soon as possible).
The Guillame is back, and it’s interactions with Joron and the crew is great as always. This time Joron has to deal with the fact that Madorra seems to be controlling the Guillame somehow. The crew in general are less prominent in this book – the deaths from the previous book causing there to be less named crew members with known personalities than before. Farys, Cwell, Mevans, Muffaz and Gavith all get their due however, and I am certainly sad to see the last of them.
Thematically, this book does a good job of touching on elements from the previous books. We get to see more about what makes a good leader in Joron’s story; the flaws of the culture of The Hundred Isles and their maritime policies in general; how the guillaime can be when they are free; the inevitability of the prophecy of the Windseer, and Joron’s part in that as the Caller; how compassion can change things for the better and probably more that I’ve missed. The Caller/Windseer dynamic is definitely far more pressing in this final novel, as Joron hears the song of the Keyshans whenever he lets his mind wander.
Triumphs and betrayals, death and new leases on life, and a deep sense of camaraderie – these are what I’ve come to expect from the Tide Child series, and The Bone Ship’s Wake does not disappoint. This book is without a doubt my favourite of the trilogy, and I sorely recommend that you read it.
Rating: 10/10
Thanks to Netgalley and the Orbit for providing me with an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
For reviews like this and more, visit my blog
Yes, it’s what many us have been waiting for, the final instalment of the Tide Child trilogy, and boy does it not disappoint. After the devastating loss at the end of Call of the Bone Ships, Joron is now in charge of the entire black fleet, the alliance of ships Meas built up to counteract the cruelty of The Hundred Isles and bring peace to the seas. With Meas captured, Joron’s only goal is to bring her back, no matter who stands in his way.
Joron is one of my favourite characters in recent fiction, and it’s great to see how he’s evolved since the first book. Now in a position of complete command, he has to reckon with his own imposter syndrome, and the loneliness of being set above everyone else. At the same time, he refuses to take the title of Shipwife, even if that’s exactly what he now is (and other characters point out that even Fleet Mother might be a better term, considering). He’s now know as the Black Pirate, a dangerous and ruthless raider. More than ever, he feels his mortality – the Keyshan’s Rot has taken hold of most of his body, and he knows it is only a matter of time until it takes his mind too. Any time he feels a surge of anger, or wants to laugh at the terrifying, he starts to wonder if those emotions are really his, or a symptom of the rot.
I found the pacing in this book to be impeccable. The first part of the book is taken up mostly by a long tense chase punctuated by bursts of intense action that had me on the edge of my seat. The second part concerns the plot to rescue Meas and forces Joron to reckon with the consequences of his actions. The third part rises to a belter of a climax that by the end genuinely had me in tears. Each part builds on what came before, but also segregates nicely so that theoretically you could take a break at the end of each part and still be satisfied (although I can’t see many people not wanting to find out what happens as soon as possible).
The Guillame is back, and it’s interactions with Joron and the crew is great as always. This time Joron has to deal with the fact that Madorra seems to be controlling the Guillame somehow. The crew in general are less prominent in this book – the deaths from the previous book causing there to be less named crew members with known personalities than before. Farys, Cwell, Mevans, Muffaz and Gavith all get their due however, and I am certainly sad to see the last of them.
Thematically, this book does a good job of touching on elements from the previous books. We get to see more about what makes a good leader in Joron’s story; the flaws of the culture of The Hundred Isles and their maritime policies in general; how the guillaime can be when they are free; the inevitability of the prophecy of the Windseer, and Joron’s part in that as the Caller; how compassion can change things for the better and probably more that I’ve missed. The Caller/Windseer dynamic is definitely far more pressing in this final novel, as Joron hears the song of the Keyshans whenever he lets his mind wander.
Triumphs and betrayals, death and new leases on life, and a deep sense of camaraderie – these are what I’ve come to expect from the Tide Child series, and The Bone Ship’s Wake does not disappoint. This book is without a doubt my favourite of the trilogy, and I sorely recommend that you read it.
Rating: 10/10
Thanks to Netgalley and the Orbit for providing me with an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
For reviews like this and more, visit my blog
August 14, 2023
What was that ending!?
I have officially read my The Tide Child trilogy, and overall, I had a wonderful time with this series. While I enjoyed The Bone Ship’s Wake, it is also the weakest book in this trilogy.
Let’s start with what I loved about this book. This book is definitely the book where Joron develops and grows the most. If you love Joron, then you will also love this book. Moreover, The Bone Ship’s Wake is arguably the most action-packed novel in this trilogy, with many moments with high stakes and plot twists.
However, two elements made this the weakest in this trilogy. Due to spoiler reasons, I can’t go into detail, but one of my favourite characters is missing from 50% of this book. When this character eventually shows up, it feels like something fundamental has changed in the character’s dynamics. While I understand why RJ Barker decided to structure the plot this way, I believe the novel suffers from this plot choice. The second thing I must mention is that the ending is incredibly unique, but it doesn’t land, in my opinion. The conclusion felt very rushed and almost like a cop-out. I wonder if Barker didn’t know how to conclude this series and, therefore, just decided to invent a new plot device at the end. I can imagine some readers will think the conclusion is clever, but it didn’t land for me.
Nonetheless, this was a solid conclusion to one of the most unique series I have ever read. I would highly recommend it! I will probably make a video on this trilogy!
3.5 / 5
I have officially read my The Tide Child trilogy, and overall, I had a wonderful time with this series. While I enjoyed The Bone Ship’s Wake, it is also the weakest book in this trilogy.
Let’s start with what I loved about this book. This book is definitely the book where Joron develops and grows the most. If you love Joron, then you will also love this book. Moreover, The Bone Ship’s Wake is arguably the most action-packed novel in this trilogy, with many moments with high stakes and plot twists.
However, two elements made this the weakest in this trilogy. Due to spoiler reasons, I can’t go into detail, but one of my favourite characters is missing from 50% of this book. When this character eventually shows up, it feels like something fundamental has changed in the character’s dynamics. While I understand why RJ Barker decided to structure the plot this way, I believe the novel suffers from this plot choice. The second thing I must mention is that the ending is incredibly unique, but it doesn’t land, in my opinion. The conclusion felt very rushed and almost like a cop-out. I wonder if Barker didn’t know how to conclude this series and, therefore, just decided to invent a new plot device at the end. I can imagine some readers will think the conclusion is clever, but it didn’t land for me.
Nonetheless, this was a solid conclusion to one of the most unique series I have ever read. I would highly recommend it! I will probably make a video on this trilogy!
3.5 / 5
June 8, 2022
The boneship’ wake is the spectacular ending of the great trilogy of the boneships. With this tale RJ Barker affirm his position as a powerful storyteller and in my opinion as great as Robin Hobb.
After his tale of an assassin , the author changed completely of scenery with a sea story and needless to say RJ Barker didn’t choose the easier way.
The trilogy was full of dragons, of ships and a lot of action.
RJ barker build a whole world and filled it with strong characters.
Lucky Meas , Joron Twiner and the Guillaime are unforgettable people , their tale unlike any other.
After his tale of an assassin , the author changed completely of scenery with a sea story and needless to say RJ Barker didn’t choose the easier way.
The trilogy was full of dragons, of ships and a lot of action.
RJ barker build a whole world and filled it with strong characters.
Lucky Meas , Joron Twiner and the Guillaime are unforgettable people , their tale unlike any other.
September 20, 2021
This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum with my choice of song.
I received an eARC from Orbit via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
*this quote is from the ARC, subject to change in the final version of the book.
Oh boy, where do I even start with this review? The Bone Ship’s Wake is the third and last book in The Tide Child trilogy by RJ Barker. This is one of the few series that I kept up with over the past 3 years and I have that bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to this world and these characters I grew to love so much. A series that jumped Barker on my favorite authors’ list, and whose books I’ll keep an eye out for in the future because apparently, I enjoy being tortured by him.
Now, before I get to the point, a fair warning: this review might contain spoilers for the previous books in the trilogy, so proceed with caution! I’ll try to keep it as spoiler-free as possible, but since we are talking about a third book, it can still happen.
The Bone Ship’s Wake picks the plot up about a year after the events in the Call of the Bone Ships. Joron is determined to cause as much havoc for the Hundred Isles as he can in order to get back Mease. He builds up a reputation as the fearsome Black Pirate, leading the black fleet with the help of old friends such as Shipwife Brekir, and his loyal crew Cwell, Farys, Mevans, Solemn Muffaz, Gavith, Barlay, Garriya, Alerin and of course the Gullaime. Keyshans are rising even more frequently, and it looks like the war is unavoidable and comes ever nearer as the song grows in Joron. And with the war comes hard decisions, sorrow, blood and death. The Bone Ship’s Wake has all that and so much more.
I’d rather not say much about the plot, this is something you have to experience for yourselves. I’m only going to say that all of the characters are coming a long way, both in this book and in the trilogy as a whole. We get to witness how legends are born, but we also get to see how hard it is to live up to those expectations. You can’t help but feel empowered by these characters as they are coming over their own flaws, their doubts, their demons, their disabilities, never letting those stop them from reaching their goals and dreams. Changing the world around them one painful step at a time. I love how the relationships were developed between the characters, especially those Joron built with Mease, with Cwell, and the Guillaime. Who forever will remain my favorite character of this trilogy, no questions about that. We learn what the titles Caller and Windseer really mean in this installment. Which I found particularly interesting.
The Bone Ship’s Wake holds quite a few surprises for its reader, some of them you’ll never see coming. I found the first 30% or so a bit slow which was instantly forgotten after a rather thrilling and heart-racing sequence and from that point on the pace never let down. Or more like, there was a much better balance between quiet and often dreadful moments and breathtaking action. From the 60% mark, I could barely put the book down. It’s been a long time since a book captured me so thoroughly that I forgot about everything else and just eat up all the pages. I could easily imagine being right there with the Tide Child crew, feeling the cool breeze on my face mixed with freezing saltwater, facing whatever was coming. Because as they say:
The Bone Ship’s Wake being the last book of a trilogy, I went into it with a dreading feeling. I mean, if you’ve read the first two books then you know that Barker does not pull his punches. I was fully prepared to be broken apart piece by piece throughout the book. What I did not expect was the emotional reaction it brought out of me. Like… holy shit. I raged, I feared, I hoped and I cried. For the record, I almost never cry over books. Tear up, yes, cry, no. One of my GR updates at 33%: “I’m quite sure RJ will rip my heart out, trod on it and put it back all twisted and bruised by the time I’ll finish reading this book…” Dear reader, I was not wrong with that prediction. And for this, I’m going to award the EMOTIONAL PANDA NEEDED stamp to The Bone Ship’s Wake as a warning for anyone brave enough to trade these dark and dangerous waters the Tide Child rides on.
The Tide Child trilogy got a thrilling, heart-wrenching, and overall most deserving ending in The Bone Ship’s Wake. One that’s going to take me quite a while to get over. I can’t even recommend it highly enough because it just deserves all the praises. If you are into audiobooks, I wouldn’t miss out on Jude Owosu‘s narration, who brings this series into life in a way that will give you goosebumps and chills all over. It’s a match even the Hag, the Mother and the Maiden would approve of. If you’ve been waiting to start this series, I’d urge you to get on board as this is an adventure you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
I received an eARC from Orbit via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
“You know, Caller, life is loss, and much has been taken from you: Dinyl, your leg, your song and your shipwife. And if you think you can dilute your pain in blood you are wrong. Blood will only feed it.”*
*this quote is from the ARC, subject to change in the final version of the book.
Oh boy, where do I even start with this review? The Bone Ship’s Wake is the third and last book in The Tide Child trilogy by RJ Barker. This is one of the few series that I kept up with over the past 3 years and I have that bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to this world and these characters I grew to love so much. A series that jumped Barker on my favorite authors’ list, and whose books I’ll keep an eye out for in the future because apparently, I enjoy being tortured by him.
Now, before I get to the point, a fair warning: this review might contain spoilers for the previous books in the trilogy, so proceed with caution! I’ll try to keep it as spoiler-free as possible, but since we are talking about a third book, it can still happen.
The Bone Ship’s Wake picks the plot up about a year after the events in the Call of the Bone Ships. Joron is determined to cause as much havoc for the Hundred Isles as he can in order to get back Mease. He builds up a reputation as the fearsome Black Pirate, leading the black fleet with the help of old friends such as Shipwife Brekir, and his loyal crew Cwell, Farys, Mevans, Solemn Muffaz, Gavith, Barlay, Garriya, Alerin and of course the Gullaime. Keyshans are rising even more frequently, and it looks like the war is unavoidable and comes ever nearer as the song grows in Joron. And with the war comes hard decisions, sorrow, blood and death. The Bone Ship’s Wake has all that and so much more.
“Did the pain of growing ever really stop? Or did you simply become used to the stress and hurt and strain of every day until it became normal to you? A background buzz of constant worry cut through with moments of transcendent joy, or terrifying fear?”
I’d rather not say much about the plot, this is something you have to experience for yourselves. I’m only going to say that all of the characters are coming a long way, both in this book and in the trilogy as a whole. We get to witness how legends are born, but we also get to see how hard it is to live up to those expectations. You can’t help but feel empowered by these characters as they are coming over their own flaws, their doubts, their demons, their disabilities, never letting those stop them from reaching their goals and dreams. Changing the world around them one painful step at a time. I love how the relationships were developed between the characters, especially those Joron built with Mease, with Cwell, and the Guillaime. Who forever will remain my favorite character of this trilogy, no questions about that. We learn what the titles Caller and Windseer really mean in this installment. Which I found particularly interesting.
The Bone Ship’s Wake holds quite a few surprises for its reader, some of them you’ll never see coming. I found the first 30% or so a bit slow which was instantly forgotten after a rather thrilling and heart-racing sequence and from that point on the pace never let down. Or more like, there was a much better balance between quiet and often dreadful moments and breathtaking action. From the 60% mark, I could barely put the book down. It’s been a long time since a book captured me so thoroughly that I forgot about everything else and just eat up all the pages. I could easily imagine being right there with the Tide Child crew, feeling the cool breeze on my face mixed with freezing saltwater, facing whatever was coming. Because as they say:
“We are all here to die, only the day is undecided.”
The Bone Ship’s Wake being the last book of a trilogy, I went into it with a dreading feeling. I mean, if you’ve read the first two books then you know that Barker does not pull his punches. I was fully prepared to be broken apart piece by piece throughout the book. What I did not expect was the emotional reaction it brought out of me. Like… holy shit. I raged, I feared, I hoped and I cried. For the record, I almost never cry over books. Tear up, yes, cry, no. One of my GR updates at 33%: “I’m quite sure RJ will rip my heart out, trod on it and put it back all twisted and bruised by the time I’ll finish reading this book…” Dear reader, I was not wrong with that prediction. And for this, I’m going to award the EMOTIONAL PANDA NEEDED stamp to The Bone Ship’s Wake as a warning for anyone brave enough to trade these dark and dangerous waters the Tide Child rides on.
The Tide Child trilogy got a thrilling, heart-wrenching, and overall most deserving ending in The Bone Ship’s Wake. One that’s going to take me quite a while to get over. I can’t even recommend it highly enough because it just deserves all the praises. If you are into audiobooks, I wouldn’t miss out on Jude Owosu‘s narration, who brings this series into life in a way that will give you goosebumps and chills all over. It’s a match even the Hag, the Mother and the Maiden would approve of. If you’ve been waiting to start this series, I’d urge you to get on board as this is an adventure you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
November 15, 2022
This final book was pretty much action-packed most of the way through, after what was a slower start compared to the previous book. It was a little confusing in some parts, but in many ways it’s quite a confusing world. I still had a really good time with it though and there was a lot of emotion in the pages.
I thoroughly enjoyed the overall journey through this world, with the bone ships and arkeesians, and all of the weird and wonderful creatures and plant life and so forth. The main unspoken premise of this being a world without trees is a really interesting concept, and I like how it’s not mentioned at all because there’s no need to mention trees in a world where trees don’t exist – they’re just conspicuous by their absence.
The story is good, the characters are good, and I loved the way that the very start of The Bone Ships is revisited here so the series comes full circle, in a very satisfying way.
I thoroughly enjoyed the overall journey through this world, with the bone ships and arkeesians, and all of the weird and wonderful creatures and plant life and so forth. The main unspoken premise of this being a world without trees is a really interesting concept, and I like how it’s not mentioned at all because there’s no need to mention trees in a world where trees don’t exist – they’re just conspicuous by their absence.
The story is good, the characters are good, and I loved the way that the very start of The Bone Ships is revisited here so the series comes full circle, in a very satisfying way.
September 27, 2021
The nitty-gritty: Loyalty, betrayal, secrets and lies, sea dragons, prophecies and much much more, The Bone Ship's Wake is a fitting end to a brilliant fantasy series.
“I will find you, Meas,” he said quietly and he spoke only to the bones of Tide Child. “I must find you, for I fear that every day without you I drift further from the course you set me upon.”
What a journey it’s been. R.J. Barker’s series The Tide Child has been a supremely immersive experience for me. I sank into these novels and felt every rock of the ship, every spray of sea water and blood, every call of “Ship’s rising!” I came to love the characters, who are full of humanity even though they do monstrous things at times. I surprised myself by falling in love with seafaring fantasy, a sub-genre I never thought I’d enjoy. And yet, I became invested in the intricate dance between ships at war with each other, Barker’s thrilling scenes at sea where not only are there fierce enemies beneath the water, but even fiercer enemies just over the next wave. My emotions have been toyed with. I’ve experienced highs and lows, cursing the author one moment for putting his characters in such terrible situations, but cheering the next when they survive—but just barely. In short, I am so grateful to have read this series, and it will be very hard for any other epic fantasy of this sort to top it.
I don’t want to waste time doing a story recap in this review, other than to give you the basics. After all, we’re now three books in, and my job at this point is to convince new readers to grab a copy of The Bone Ships as soon as possible. I will say that the story picks up about a year after the shocking end of The Call of the Bone Ships, and because of those events, Joron Twiner has taken on the mantle of shipwife of Tide Child and has gained a reputation in the Hundred Isles as a brutal killer. To his surprise, he’s now known as the Black Pirate, cutting a swath through every ship he meets, trying to discover where his beloved Lucky Meas is being held, for Joron will do anything to get her back. This is what drives the plot, as Joron and his loyal crew make their way from one high stakes adventure to the next, each more harrowing than the last.
One of the best parts of this series is the characters, and we’ve watched them grow and change with each book. The crew of Tide Child—a found family if ever there was one—is still mostly together, although we do see some fracturing in The Bone Ship’s Wake. I will always think fondly of Joron, Lucky Meas, Mevans, Solemn Muffaz, Farys, Cwell, and of course, the Gullaime, who reveals many surprises in this book. For such a harsh, bloody world, I am always surprised by how tenderhearted these characters can be to each other.
Barker’s tale isn’t told at a breakneck pace, but rather it’s carefully crafted so that when the big moments come, they are well earned. There are plenty of quiet moments in this story, moments of reflection when the characters are questioning their actions and wondering if they made the right choices. Because despite the violence and the characters’ sometimes terrible actions, I loved how they showed remorse afterwards. Joron in particular, a man who never expected to live this long and certainly didn’t expect to be a leader, understands that some things must be done for the greater good, but also that one should never forget that actions have consequences. Barker managed to instill humanity in all his characters, even the more questionable ones, and one of my favorite non-human characters, the Gullaime, shows more humanity and understanding than any creature I’ve ever come across.
The author intersperses these slower scenes with thrilling action sequences, and The Bone Ship’s Wake has two of the most exciting, tension-filled and horrific chapters I’ve ever read. (Chapters 18 and 19 in case you’re wondering. Hold on tight, you will not believe what happens!) There’s a very scary underwater scene involving Narza and Joron that I won’t ever forget, and so many hair-raising sea battles that battle junkies will be very happy.
There’s no shortage of emotional scenes either. Because this is the series finale, Barker doesn’t hold back when it comes to putting his characters in heart wrenching situations, and let’s just say there were some tears shed during the reading of this book. The deaths of beloved characters are never easy, but it’s worse when those deaths are unexpected. Barker never did what I thought he would do, and I’m still in shock over certain events. And somehow, in the middle of all the bad stuff, the author knows just when to add joyful moments, and for this I’m very grateful. This balancing act is so hard to get right, but Barker makes it seem easy.
As for the ending, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more perfect one. Yes, there is heartache and tears. Not everyone makes it out alive (which won’t surprise you if you’ve read the first two books). Barker pulls out all the stops and gives his readers a thrilling finale, and yes the keyshan (sea dragons) are part of that finale. Ideas that he’s planted along the way finally come to fruition in shocking and amazing ways. For example, a connection between the Gullaime and the keyshan is revealed that literally came out of nowhere and blew me away, although later I realized that Barker had indeed given us clues earlier in the series. Side characters who seemed innocuous suddenly take on great importance and become so much more than I expected, and I’m still reeling from one such character’s transformation. Even the short Epilogue is perfectly done, the icing on the cake, so to speak, and what Barker did with those last lines of the book? Well, if I weren’t already in awe of his masterful writing skills, that alone would convince me.
This series truly is a masterpiece, and if you aren’t already reading it, I hope you’ll consider adding it to your reading queue. As one character says, “The sentence is passed, only the day is undecided.” Words to live by, I think.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
“I will find you, Meas,” he said quietly and he spoke only to the bones of Tide Child. “I must find you, for I fear that every day without you I drift further from the course you set me upon.”
What a journey it’s been. R.J. Barker’s series The Tide Child has been a supremely immersive experience for me. I sank into these novels and felt every rock of the ship, every spray of sea water and blood, every call of “Ship’s rising!” I came to love the characters, who are full of humanity even though they do monstrous things at times. I surprised myself by falling in love with seafaring fantasy, a sub-genre I never thought I’d enjoy. And yet, I became invested in the intricate dance between ships at war with each other, Barker’s thrilling scenes at sea where not only are there fierce enemies beneath the water, but even fiercer enemies just over the next wave. My emotions have been toyed with. I’ve experienced highs and lows, cursing the author one moment for putting his characters in such terrible situations, but cheering the next when they survive—but just barely. In short, I am so grateful to have read this series, and it will be very hard for any other epic fantasy of this sort to top it.
I don’t want to waste time doing a story recap in this review, other than to give you the basics. After all, we’re now three books in, and my job at this point is to convince new readers to grab a copy of The Bone Ships as soon as possible. I will say that the story picks up about a year after the shocking end of The Call of the Bone Ships, and because of those events, Joron Twiner has taken on the mantle of shipwife of Tide Child and has gained a reputation in the Hundred Isles as a brutal killer. To his surprise, he’s now known as the Black Pirate, cutting a swath through every ship he meets, trying to discover where his beloved Lucky Meas is being held, for Joron will do anything to get her back. This is what drives the plot, as Joron and his loyal crew make their way from one high stakes adventure to the next, each more harrowing than the last.
One of the best parts of this series is the characters, and we’ve watched them grow and change with each book. The crew of Tide Child—a found family if ever there was one—is still mostly together, although we do see some fracturing in The Bone Ship’s Wake. I will always think fondly of Joron, Lucky Meas, Mevans, Solemn Muffaz, Farys, Cwell, and of course, the Gullaime, who reveals many surprises in this book. For such a harsh, bloody world, I am always surprised by how tenderhearted these characters can be to each other.
Barker’s tale isn’t told at a breakneck pace, but rather it’s carefully crafted so that when the big moments come, they are well earned. There are plenty of quiet moments in this story, moments of reflection when the characters are questioning their actions and wondering if they made the right choices. Because despite the violence and the characters’ sometimes terrible actions, I loved how they showed remorse afterwards. Joron in particular, a man who never expected to live this long and certainly didn’t expect to be a leader, understands that some things must be done for the greater good, but also that one should never forget that actions have consequences. Barker managed to instill humanity in all his characters, even the more questionable ones, and one of my favorite non-human characters, the Gullaime, shows more humanity and understanding than any creature I’ve ever come across.
The author intersperses these slower scenes with thrilling action sequences, and The Bone Ship’s Wake has two of the most exciting, tension-filled and horrific chapters I’ve ever read. (Chapters 18 and 19 in case you’re wondering. Hold on tight, you will not believe what happens!) There’s a very scary underwater scene involving Narza and Joron that I won’t ever forget, and so many hair-raising sea battles that battle junkies will be very happy.
There’s no shortage of emotional scenes either. Because this is the series finale, Barker doesn’t hold back when it comes to putting his characters in heart wrenching situations, and let’s just say there were some tears shed during the reading of this book. The deaths of beloved characters are never easy, but it’s worse when those deaths are unexpected. Barker never did what I thought he would do, and I’m still in shock over certain events. And somehow, in the middle of all the bad stuff, the author knows just when to add joyful moments, and for this I’m very grateful. This balancing act is so hard to get right, but Barker makes it seem easy.
As for the ending, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more perfect one. Yes, there is heartache and tears. Not everyone makes it out alive (which won’t surprise you if you’ve read the first two books). Barker pulls out all the stops and gives his readers a thrilling finale, and yes the keyshan (sea dragons) are part of that finale. Ideas that he’s planted along the way finally come to fruition in shocking and amazing ways. For example, a connection between the Gullaime and the keyshan is revealed that literally came out of nowhere and blew me away, although later I realized that Barker had indeed given us clues earlier in the series. Side characters who seemed innocuous suddenly take on great importance and become so much more than I expected, and I’m still reeling from one such character’s transformation. Even the short Epilogue is perfectly done, the icing on the cake, so to speak, and what Barker did with those last lines of the book? Well, if I weren’t already in awe of his masterful writing skills, that alone would convince me.
This series truly is a masterpiece, and if you aren’t already reading it, I hope you’ll consider adding it to your reading queue. As one character says, “The sentence is passed, only the day is undecided.” Words to live by, I think.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
October 20, 2023
4.5 stars
And Barker has done it again!! That ending... my poor heart...
This is now the second series by Barker that I've completed and I am noticing a pattern that he knows how to absolutely NAIL a finale!!
The first half of this book was very very very good, but one of my favourite characters of the series wasn't present there so that took away a little bit from my enjoyment. However, then the second half hit and from there it was just pure perfection for me.
There's no denying that the epic sea battles are some of the best action scenes ever written in fantasy, and yet... that was not my favourite aspect of this series.
The complex interpersonal relationships, the beautiful (or beautifully devastating) character arcs, the emotional turmoil... SO GOOD, this is the stuff I read books for!!
I hadn't even realised how invested I'd become until I was desperately trying to hold back tears during the entirety of Part 3 of this book. The way that every single thread of this story came together was mindblowing. Barker is just a masterful storyteller, period.
And Barker has done it again!! That ending... my poor heart...
This is now the second series by Barker that I've completed and I am noticing a pattern that he knows how to absolutely NAIL a finale!!
The first half of this book was very very very good, but one of my favourite characters of the series wasn't present there so that took away a little bit from my enjoyment. However, then the second half hit and from there it was just pure perfection for me.
There's no denying that the epic sea battles are some of the best action scenes ever written in fantasy, and yet... that was not my favourite aspect of this series.
The complex interpersonal relationships, the beautiful (or beautifully devastating) character arcs, the emotional turmoil... SO GOOD, this is the stuff I read books for!!
I hadn't even realised how invested I'd become until I was desperately trying to hold back tears during the entirety of Part 3 of this book. The way that every single thread of this story came together was mindblowing. Barker is just a masterful storyteller, period.
May 2, 2024
’Keyshan flying!’
When I say this is one of the best series I’ve ever read, I truly mean that.
I went into the Tide Child trilogy not expecting much. Sure, I thought I’d like it. I obviously love fantasy, but I don’t read many naval related books and were concerned that Barker’s poetic prose and slow-burn pacing wouldn’t be my thing.
But I was wrong, so wrong.
The Tide Child trilogy is a complete masterpiece, in every sense of the word. It is a beautifully written, fantastically paced tale of friendship, trust, love and of course, dragons. Joron and Meas were such loveable and captivating main characters, and I just know they will stay with me for a long time. Their arcs and endings made me sob (in a good way, I promise) and I found the conclusion to this book to be so perfect for the story Barker has been telling. This world is just so incredibly unique, with its own languages and mythical creatures that make it feel so alive. I wasn’t just reading about the adventures and battles and losses of these characters, I was with them every stop of the way. I felt every emotion under the sun whilst reading this, and it’s a feeling I haven’t had whilst reading a series since I read The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne this time last year.
Overall, The Bone Ships Wake gets 5/5 stars and the Tide Child trilogy itself also gets 5/5 stars. A series I will recommend to anyone a thousand times over.
When I say this is one of the best series I’ve ever read, I truly mean that.
I went into the Tide Child trilogy not expecting much. Sure, I thought I’d like it. I obviously love fantasy, but I don’t read many naval related books and were concerned that Barker’s poetic prose and slow-burn pacing wouldn’t be my thing.
But I was wrong, so wrong.
The Tide Child trilogy is a complete masterpiece, in every sense of the word. It is a beautifully written, fantastically paced tale of friendship, trust, love and of course, dragons. Joron and Meas were such loveable and captivating main characters, and I just know they will stay with me for a long time. Their arcs and endings made me sob (in a good way, I promise) and I found the conclusion to this book to be so perfect for the story Barker has been telling. This world is just so incredibly unique, with its own languages and mythical creatures that make it feel so alive. I wasn’t just reading about the adventures and battles and losses of these characters, I was with them every stop of the way. I felt every emotion under the sun whilst reading this, and it’s a feeling I haven’t had whilst reading a series since I read The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne this time last year.
Overall, The Bone Ships Wake gets 5/5 stars and the Tide Child trilogy itself also gets 5/5 stars. A series I will recommend to anyone a thousand times over.
March 30, 2024
Oh what a wonderful, wonderful conclusion :')
RTC
RTC
September 19, 2022
I have put off reading the last book in this series, The Bone Ships Wake, for months because I knew I'd cry, not a little but a lot. Great heaving sobs for a group of people and one obstinate bird that I have come to know and love over the course of these three books. And I still was not prepared for how absolutely devastating and how absolutely wonderful the end of this series was.
The crew of The Tide Child in general will always be some of my favorite characters ever read, but, Meas, Joron, and Gullaime have a special place in my heart. Their story, their bond, and the sacrifices the three of them make to create a better world are simply inspiring. Joron's growth as a person throughout the series makes *me* want to be a better person and Meas's unyielding belief in Joron and her crew is beautiful.
The ending is something I didn't see coming, honestly don't believe I even could have as I was so wrapped up in the lives of the characters that I missed the bigger picture. To devastating effect of course as I spent the last chapter bawling my eyes out as I realized what was happening.
Truly one of the best series I've ever read and I am so grateful that Barker decided to not do the "safe" thing when writing this series. And I'm beyond grateful for my husband forcing me to buy it after being on the fence about it for six months. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and The Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron.
Now, I have to go figure out what I'm going to do with my life now that this series is over 😭
The crew of The Tide Child in general will always be some of my favorite characters ever read, but, Meas, Joron, and Gullaime have a special place in my heart. Their story, their bond, and the sacrifices the three of them make to create a better world are simply inspiring. Joron's growth as a person throughout the series makes *me* want to be a better person and Meas's unyielding belief in Joron and her crew is beautiful.
The ending is something I didn't see coming, honestly don't believe I even could have as I was so wrapped up in the lives of the characters that I missed the bigger picture. To devastating effect of course as I spent the last chapter bawling my eyes out as I realized what was happening.
Truly one of the best series I've ever read and I am so grateful that Barker decided to not do the "safe" thing when writing this series. And I'm beyond grateful for my husband forcing me to buy it after being on the fence about it for six months. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and The Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron.
Now, I have to go figure out what I'm going to do with my life now that this series is over 😭
March 9, 2022
7.5/10 stars
My full review on my blog.
[...]
The two earlier installments, The Bone Ships and Call of the Bone Ships, were very enjoyable seafaring yarn: tall ships, pirates, remote islands, sea dragons, storms and adventure, and a dream of Libertalia thrown in the mix. The motif of changing the unfair status quo, of fighting for social justice for the outcasts and the unfit, of challenging the rule of the dominant caste – all this for me formed the backbone of the previous two books. While The Bone Ships focused mostly on character development, the broader intrigue and worldbuilding became more apparent in the Call of the Bone Ships. I expected The Bone Ship’s Wake to offer some resolution to the above quandary, to show us how the idealistic dream can be realized, at least in part, in the very strict, increasingly beleaguered societies of constant scarcity. Woe is me. I guess I expected too much.
Because The Bone Ship’s Wake is a good book, as mythical adventure books go. There is a lot of emotion, good and bad, plenty of loss and the prophesied, well-deserved triumph, too, paid for in blood and life. There is a load of action, naval chases and battles taken straight out of O’Brian’s novels, terrible monsters lurking in the ice, a religious cult and home abuse, torture and sacrifice, and long-awaited redemption. Some friendships are stronger than species’ differences, and I was glad to see how this particular thread was resolved. I was less happy with the court intrigue, as the choice of the big baddie seemed truly lazy, even if well-intended; yes, the most unhappy with their plight in a society with high levels of iniquity and strict impenetrable caste divisions are not those most downtrodden, but rather those who had tasted the better life and now want more. We know it. But why in this novel does it have to equate with having a total idiot for a ruler? I mean, seriously, you’d have to be blind not to see that your grand vizier might be plotting something evil. You’d have to be totally removed from the very people you’re ruling not to see that something was amiss. But that’s what happens when the author prioritizes the message over logic.
Hmm, looks like I’m steering toward the criticisms, when I wanted to praise the book first ;). I really love Gullaime and their relationship with Joron, and in this book Barker allowed these two characters to shine and their bond to deepen. Gullaime is a spectacular character, the Other that becomes us. I grew fond of Garriya, too, and I had already been pretty fond of Mevans and Cwell, of Lucky Meas and Solemn Muffaz, and of the various captains of Meas’s ragtag fleet. Each of them gets their own little moment, and it’s remarkable how much the author cares for his characters. Yes, Barker writes great characters and gives them very humane and believable development arcs. Many of his protagonists are broken at one point or another, but their strength, and the strength of their relationships, lies in the fact that they pick each other up, that they want to become better for others; that they care for one another in a tender, if sometimes awkward (don’t we all?) way. If you know Barker, though, don’t expect all, if any, of your favourites to survive. The toll of life on the Hundred Isles, and on the Gaunt Islands too, is high – and if you’re a pirate rebel fighting for justice and for revenge on the high seas, well… Suffice to say the crew thins considerably by the end of the book.
I also want to praise the wordlbuilding in The Tide Child trilogy. It’s consistent and imaginative, and really quite sound from the anthropological/sociological perspective – as far as imagined societies go, Barker’s one makes a lot of sense. Sadly, really, as the world of Hundred Isles is a cruel place ruled by rotten compromises and expedience. I found it fascinating to trace the echoes of a past catastrophe, to see the societies built upon ruins of the old world as both resilient and crippled. And I guess this is where my main criticism comes in: the solution proposed by Barker is no solution at all – it’s just an escape. Oh, a very picturesque one, for sure, but an escape still.
So, as a pure escapist entertainment (see what I did there? :P), this book still gets 8/10 stars. I do love a high seas adventure, and Barker knows how to spin good yarn. The Bone Ship’s Wake was engaging, fast-paced, tender and cruel at times, and delivered on the character development front in spades. But as a food for thought, and that’s how I usually rate my books, it can’t get more than 7/10. So, a compromise is in order.
My full review on my blog.
[...]
The two earlier installments, The Bone Ships and Call of the Bone Ships, were very enjoyable seafaring yarn: tall ships, pirates, remote islands, sea dragons, storms and adventure, and a dream of Libertalia thrown in the mix. The motif of changing the unfair status quo, of fighting for social justice for the outcasts and the unfit, of challenging the rule of the dominant caste – all this for me formed the backbone of the previous two books. While The Bone Ships focused mostly on character development, the broader intrigue and worldbuilding became more apparent in the Call of the Bone Ships. I expected The Bone Ship’s Wake to offer some resolution to the above quandary, to show us how the idealistic dream can be realized, at least in part, in the very strict, increasingly beleaguered societies of constant scarcity. Woe is me. I guess I expected too much.
Because The Bone Ship’s Wake is a good book, as mythical adventure books go. There is a lot of emotion, good and bad, plenty of loss and the prophesied, well-deserved triumph, too, paid for in blood and life. There is a load of action, naval chases and battles taken straight out of O’Brian’s novels, terrible monsters lurking in the ice, a religious cult and home abuse, torture and sacrifice, and long-awaited redemption. Some friendships are stronger than species’ differences, and I was glad to see how this particular thread was resolved. I was less happy with the court intrigue, as the choice of the big baddie seemed truly lazy, even if well-intended; yes, the most unhappy with their plight in a society with high levels of iniquity and strict impenetrable caste divisions are not those most downtrodden, but rather those who had tasted the better life and now want more. We know it. But why in this novel does it have to equate with having a total idiot for a ruler? I mean, seriously, you’d have to be blind not to see that your grand vizier might be plotting something evil. You’d have to be totally removed from the very people you’re ruling not to see that something was amiss. But that’s what happens when the author prioritizes the message over logic.
Hmm, looks like I’m steering toward the criticisms, when I wanted to praise the book first ;). I really love Gullaime and their relationship with Joron, and in this book Barker allowed these two characters to shine and their bond to deepen. Gullaime is a spectacular character, the Other that becomes us. I grew fond of Garriya, too, and I had already been pretty fond of Mevans and Cwell, of Lucky Meas and Solemn Muffaz, and of the various captains of Meas’s ragtag fleet. Each of them gets their own little moment, and it’s remarkable how much the author cares for his characters. Yes, Barker writes great characters and gives them very humane and believable development arcs. Many of his protagonists are broken at one point or another, but their strength, and the strength of their relationships, lies in the fact that they pick each other up, that they want to become better for others; that they care for one another in a tender, if sometimes awkward (don’t we all?) way. If you know Barker, though, don’t expect all, if any, of your favourites to survive. The toll of life on the Hundred Isles, and on the Gaunt Islands too, is high – and if you’re a pirate rebel fighting for justice and for revenge on the high seas, well… Suffice to say the crew thins considerably by the end of the book.
I also want to praise the wordlbuilding in The Tide Child trilogy. It’s consistent and imaginative, and really quite sound from the anthropological/sociological perspective – as far as imagined societies go, Barker’s one makes a lot of sense. Sadly, really, as the world of Hundred Isles is a cruel place ruled by rotten compromises and expedience. I found it fascinating to trace the echoes of a past catastrophe, to see the societies built upon ruins of the old world as both resilient and crippled. And I guess this is where my main criticism comes in: the solution proposed by Barker is no solution at all – it’s just an escape. Oh, a very picturesque one, for sure, but an escape still.
So, as a pure escapist entertainment (see what I did there? :P), this book still gets 8/10 stars. I do love a high seas adventure, and Barker knows how to spin good yarn. The Bone Ship’s Wake was engaging, fast-paced, tender and cruel at times, and delivered on the character development front in spades. But as a food for thought, and that’s how I usually rate my books, it can’t get more than 7/10. So, a compromise is in order.
February 9, 2024
Deeply, beautifully emotional end to a fantastic trilogy. This is by far the best book of the trilogy and a new favorite book.
March 28, 2022
Check out more bookish thoughts and content here.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
This book ruined my life. 10/10 would recommend.
But seriously, RJ is one of my favourite authors for a reason. The Bone Ship's Wake is a beautiful end to a beautiful series. He closed out an amazing plot perfectly and ended each character's story arc in an incredibly satisfying way. This is easily one of the best conclusions I've ever read.
If you haven't picked up RJ's book, especially the Tide Child trilogy, you're missing out on one of the most talented fantasy authors writing today.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
This book ruined my life. 10/10 would recommend.
But seriously, RJ is one of my favourite authors for a reason. The Bone Ship's Wake is a beautiful end to a beautiful series. He closed out an amazing plot perfectly and ended each character's story arc in an incredibly satisfying way. This is easily one of the best conclusions I've ever read.
If you haven't picked up RJ's book, especially the Tide Child trilogy, you're missing out on one of the most talented fantasy authors writing today.
February 18, 2022
Come for the maritime fantasy, stay for the maritime fantasy. If you don’t love stories set on tall ships, I’m not sure all the bird mages and sea dragons and prophecy and sacrifice and found family and societal revolution will be enough (but tsk, you’re missing out).
Barker brings his stately seaborne epic to shore in fine, heartrending style.
Full review
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Yark!
Barker brings his stately seaborne epic to shore in fine, heartrending style.
Full review
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Yark!
September 30, 2021
https://lynns-books.com/2021/09/30/th...
My Five Word TL:DR Review : A fantastic ending to series
I have to say that The Bone Ship’s Wake could possibly be one of the most satisfying, slightly bittersweet and tear inducing endings to a series that I can recall reading. Put bluntly, and if you don’t have time for the rest of this review – this series is superb. If you’re already familiar with this particular author through his Assassins (Wounded Kingdom) series then you’ll know he can write some addictive fiction loaded with lovable characters and compelling plot. He manages to find a winning balance between light and dark through the use of great dialogue, emotional impact and humour and his characters quite simply take on a life of their own. I never quite expected to fall so hard for a seafaring story, in fact it felt a little risky in some respects to take such a step away from the fantasy ‘norm’ but the author pulls it off and then some. In fact, towards the final chapters I was actually cursing out loud – ‘give these characters a break for pity’s sake’ – but, my pleas went (mostly) unheard. This is an author who will pull on your heartstrings relentlessly and who refuses to take the easy option.
I don’t intend to go into the plot much here although there may be some unintentional spoilers for the earlier books so if you haven’t yet started this series take heed (also take my advice and dive into this series soon).
A year has passed since Call of the Bone Ships concluded. Meas is captive, held who knows where and tortured cruelly. Joron now commands the Tide Child, although, for reasons that I won’t reveal, refuses to be named Shipwife instead becoming known as the Black Pirate. He’s not proud of many of his actions since Meas was taken and is becoming desperate to find her before the truth will out and her chances of survival disappear. This is truly a race against time as Joron is slowly being eaten away by Keyshan’s Rot. You could be forgiven for thinking this a tale of revenge with one man at the heart of the story relentlessly chasing what seems an unachievable goal and going to terrible depths in order to do so but, in fact, it’s much more than that. At its heart this is a story of hope, right and wrong and the sacrifices that people make to live decent lives free of tyranny. Also, who am I kidding, there are sea dragons, tentacled beasts, mystical foggy waters that are believed to be haunted, dark, stormy and impassable seas and impossible chases.
Predominantly this third instalment spends a good proportion of the time on the high seas. There are chases, fantastically described as these tall ships cut through the waves, nail biting skirmishes with sea critters and lulls where the Tide Child creeps silently through foggy seas hoping to avoid detection. There is also a dramatic return to land and a daring plan of rescue fraught with betrayal and reveals. In fact there are so many twists and turns that as a reader you eventually start to mistrust everything and doubt everyone – this is not easy to achieve and it’s so good because it creates an enormous amount of tension as you’re reading and keeps you glued to the page and constantly on edge.
The absolute, hands down, winning element is of course the characters and the amazing character arcs that have been experienced throughout the series. Joron makes for excellent reading. He has committed atrocities and suffers accordingly. Surprisingly for me, particularly with Meas being such a compelling character and so easy to love, I actually found Joron and Gullaime stole the show in this final instalment – and in fact I would say that the crew of the Child Tide reached the same conclusion as I did.
The other winning elements to this. Well, the writing is superb. Barker seems to have crafted his very own nautical language that is both easy and immersive. I loved the time aboard ship and the ease with which we slipped into tension and danger and then escaped barely by the skin of the teeth. On top of this I think the way the author has taken Meas and Joron and effectively turned them into, what would appear in simple terms to be stereotypical pirates with peg legs, eye patches, talking birds perched on shoulders, etc, but then actually managed to defy convention and make them so defiantly original – well, what can I say. It’s impressive.
Any criticisms. Well, apart from being sad that the adventure has concluded, I confess to moments of anger at the author’s relentlessly harsh treatment of the characters (*shakes fist*)! The only other thing I would mention is that this is a series to be relished. It takes it’s time to become established, to grow and reshape. Basically, patience is not only a virtue but a requirement. This isn’t a speedy read but to quote an old adage ‘all good things to those that wait’.
In conclusion, a stunning series not to be missed.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My Five Word TL:DR Review : A fantastic ending to series
I have to say that The Bone Ship’s Wake could possibly be one of the most satisfying, slightly bittersweet and tear inducing endings to a series that I can recall reading. Put bluntly, and if you don’t have time for the rest of this review – this series is superb. If you’re already familiar with this particular author through his Assassins (Wounded Kingdom) series then you’ll know he can write some addictive fiction loaded with lovable characters and compelling plot. He manages to find a winning balance between light and dark through the use of great dialogue, emotional impact and humour and his characters quite simply take on a life of their own. I never quite expected to fall so hard for a seafaring story, in fact it felt a little risky in some respects to take such a step away from the fantasy ‘norm’ but the author pulls it off and then some. In fact, towards the final chapters I was actually cursing out loud – ‘give these characters a break for pity’s sake’ – but, my pleas went (mostly) unheard. This is an author who will pull on your heartstrings relentlessly and who refuses to take the easy option.
I don’t intend to go into the plot much here although there may be some unintentional spoilers for the earlier books so if you haven’t yet started this series take heed (also take my advice and dive into this series soon).
A year has passed since Call of the Bone Ships concluded. Meas is captive, held who knows where and tortured cruelly. Joron now commands the Tide Child, although, for reasons that I won’t reveal, refuses to be named Shipwife instead becoming known as the Black Pirate. He’s not proud of many of his actions since Meas was taken and is becoming desperate to find her before the truth will out and her chances of survival disappear. This is truly a race against time as Joron is slowly being eaten away by Keyshan’s Rot. You could be forgiven for thinking this a tale of revenge with one man at the heart of the story relentlessly chasing what seems an unachievable goal and going to terrible depths in order to do so but, in fact, it’s much more than that. At its heart this is a story of hope, right and wrong and the sacrifices that people make to live decent lives free of tyranny. Also, who am I kidding, there are sea dragons, tentacled beasts, mystical foggy waters that are believed to be haunted, dark, stormy and impassable seas and impossible chases.
Predominantly this third instalment spends a good proportion of the time on the high seas. There are chases, fantastically described as these tall ships cut through the waves, nail biting skirmishes with sea critters and lulls where the Tide Child creeps silently through foggy seas hoping to avoid detection. There is also a dramatic return to land and a daring plan of rescue fraught with betrayal and reveals. In fact there are so many twists and turns that as a reader you eventually start to mistrust everything and doubt everyone – this is not easy to achieve and it’s so good because it creates an enormous amount of tension as you’re reading and keeps you glued to the page and constantly on edge.
The absolute, hands down, winning element is of course the characters and the amazing character arcs that have been experienced throughout the series. Joron makes for excellent reading. He has committed atrocities and suffers accordingly. Surprisingly for me, particularly with Meas being such a compelling character and so easy to love, I actually found Joron and Gullaime stole the show in this final instalment – and in fact I would say that the crew of the Child Tide reached the same conclusion as I did.
The other winning elements to this. Well, the writing is superb. Barker seems to have crafted his very own nautical language that is both easy and immersive. I loved the time aboard ship and the ease with which we slipped into tension and danger and then escaped barely by the skin of the teeth. On top of this I think the way the author has taken Meas and Joron and effectively turned them into, what would appear in simple terms to be stereotypical pirates with peg legs, eye patches, talking birds perched on shoulders, etc, but then actually managed to defy convention and make them so defiantly original – well, what can I say. It’s impressive.
Any criticisms. Well, apart from being sad that the adventure has concluded, I confess to moments of anger at the author’s relentlessly harsh treatment of the characters (*shakes fist*)! The only other thing I would mention is that this is a series to be relished. It takes it’s time to become established, to grow and reshape. Basically, patience is not only a virtue but a requirement. This isn’t a speedy read but to quote an old adage ‘all good things to those that wait’.
In conclusion, a stunning series not to be missed.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
September 13, 2021
I’ve been putting this review off for a few days because I wasn’t sure where to start with how much I loved this book. Anyone who has read the first two books in the series – The Bone Ships and Call of the Bone Ships – will know what to expect, but Barker really took it up a notch in this finale. I don’t typically get outwardly emotional about books, but The Bone Ship’s Wake left me open-mouthed and a little teary.
We pick up where Call of the Bone Ships left off, with Joron as the new shipwife of The Tide Child, and desperate to get Meas back from her captors. The synopsis paints this as a revenge story, but in my opinion it’s much more nuanced than that – the book is ultimately about about Joron coming to terms with what it means to be a leader and how to weigh up what is necessary, what is right, and the consequences of one’s actions. We also return to a number of the other themes threaded throughout the series – courage, duty, and finding hope and light in the darkness. Joron has no idea who he can trust as friends become enemies and enemies become allies, but there is still a focus on finding meaning and solace in relationships with others despite all the treachery and betrayal the Tide Child’s crew face.
Those who came to the series for the naval battles also won’t be disappointed; there is plenty of action, particularly in the first part of the book, including a terrifying encounter with a sea kraken that had me on the edge of my seat. My biggest concern with the first two books, and the reason I didn’t give them five stars, is because I found the pacing could drag a little, but that’s not the case here – the story moves along at a perfectly balanced pace. There is always some event unfolding, but readers are also given time to soak in the world-building and themes that Barker has layered throughout the series. The action scenes are great, but I also love the little details, such as the uniqueness of the flora and fauna (which goes beyond the dragons and the guillame), and the subtle shifts in language that mark the Hundred Isles as a matriachal society in all aspects of its culture.
If you’ve read to this point in the series (which – this is definitely not a book that stands alone) you’ll know not to expect a happy ending, but the conclusion is appropriately bittersweet and, most importantly feels right for the characters that we, as readers, have gone on this journey with. Thank you, R.J. Barker.
Note: I received an ARC from Orbit. The Bone Ship’s Wake will be released on 28 September. This review is also available on my blog.
We pick up where Call of the Bone Ships left off, with Joron as the new shipwife of The Tide Child, and desperate to get Meas back from her captors. The synopsis paints this as a revenge story, but in my opinion it’s much more nuanced than that – the book is ultimately about about Joron coming to terms with what it means to be a leader and how to weigh up what is necessary, what is right, and the consequences of one’s actions. We also return to a number of the other themes threaded throughout the series – courage, duty, and finding hope and light in the darkness. Joron has no idea who he can trust as friends become enemies and enemies become allies, but there is still a focus on finding meaning and solace in relationships with others despite all the treachery and betrayal the Tide Child’s crew face.
Those who came to the series for the naval battles also won’t be disappointed; there is plenty of action, particularly in the first part of the book, including a terrifying encounter with a sea kraken that had me on the edge of my seat. My biggest concern with the first two books, and the reason I didn’t give them five stars, is because I found the pacing could drag a little, but that’s not the case here – the story moves along at a perfectly balanced pace. There is always some event unfolding, but readers are also given time to soak in the world-building and themes that Barker has layered throughout the series. The action scenes are great, but I also love the little details, such as the uniqueness of the flora and fauna (which goes beyond the dragons and the guillame), and the subtle shifts in language that mark the Hundred Isles as a matriachal society in all aspects of its culture.
If you’ve read to this point in the series (which – this is definitely not a book that stands alone) you’ll know not to expect a happy ending, but the conclusion is appropriately bittersweet and, most importantly feels right for the characters that we, as readers, have gone on this journey with. Thank you, R.J. Barker.
Note: I received an ARC from Orbit. The Bone Ship’s Wake will be released on 28 September. This review is also available on my blog.
June 20, 2022
The Bone Ship's Wake brings the conclusion to the The Tide Child trilogy. Overall, a very satisfying trilogy with sound characters and an outstanding setting in a harsh world with mostly rough oceans and many predators. But like always, it is the humans that do the most harm, waring, betraying and killing. Accordingly, our favourite ship crew suffers and lose quite a few. The author does not treat his characters kindly, but the story rang true and the outcome was fitting. Additionally, My absolute favourite was still the Gullaime and I was glad to get some answers, though there could have been more, how is everything connected and how does it go on? Maybe I did not get all the hints, but it seems to me not everything has been made clear. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy, I’ll definitively read the authors next one!
November 15, 2024
I felt that this was a satisfying conclusion to the series and probably the best book, I wouldnt call this an outstanding series of books just a mostly satisfying series that wont blow you away but will leave you admiring RJ Barker's bravery at attmepting a nautical fantasy and managing to swim with it.
May 20, 2023
I’m fine. Totally fine. Absolutely positively normal after that finale.
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