The Bone Ships is a swashbuckling epic fantasy set in an archipelago world where the bones of extinct sea dragons are a commodity, fought over by the two enemy nations of the archipelago to build their ships. Joron is a crewmember of the Tide Child, a black ship crewed by those condemned to death. He is taken under the wing of legendary captain/“shipwife” Luck Meas as they are given a covert mission to find the first dragon ever spotted in centuries that may tip the scales of war.

This book is told entirely in the perspective of Joron, who is mostly an observer as he witnesses how Meas is able to turn the dysfunctional crew of criminals of the Tide Child into a ship that can succeed. We also see him grow from a bitter and jealous young man to a loyal and honorable chief mate/“deckkeeper” under the guidance of a strongwilled woman who nurtures him for reasons we don’t know yet. I liked Joron from the start, but it does take a while for his to really grow on you as the first half of the book really focuses on driving the narrative forward and introducing its world.

I learned far more about seafaring and naval warfare that I ever needed to know as the book is set nearly entirely on ships. I did find it difficult to imagine a lot of what that involved as I don’t actually have any experience sailing, but the book does give a valiant effort in conveying it to me. The story is action-packed, dramatic, twisty, and far darker than I was expecting while still being a lot of fun to read. It also plays with gender roles with its matriarchal society, utilizing language, biology and cultural expectations in surprisingly effective ways.

The Bone Ships delivers imperfect morally gray heroes, a found family, and seafaring adventures in this epic fantasy series opener that promises of a bigger story to come.