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A review by thebookwormsfeast
The Bone Ships by RJ Barker
5.0
"Come to me!" she shouted to those on the sea. "Come and die at the hand of Lucky Meas and her crew!"
Ok. This is a strong contender for a new favourite book right now!!!
I absolutely adored this story, and the characters we meet are all close to my heart already. To think of how we meet them and where they stand by the end, I'm awed. I want to be part of it. The feeling of belonging, and camaraderie - but still with that hint of spiciness that you get from stories set on the sea. I think that's why I was so obsessed with Pirates of the Carribbean growing up.
This reads like a grimdark out on the seas. There's ships made of the bones of sea dragons. A constant war. A harsh, unforgiving, and absolutely diabolical society. And we follow along from the perspective of a ship full of criminals.
Although bleak, the world feels so rich - and there still feels like there is still so much to uncover and unpick. I do have a small gripe of it felt repetitive at times (bits of information were often repeated throughout the book, like boneglue being flammable, to my mind a tad excessively). But it really is the smallest of gripes. The overall work completely swept me away and had me hooked from start to finish.
I can't wait to read the next - and love that I won't have to wait too long for the final in the trilogy either.