THE BONE SHIP’S WAKE by R.J. Barker – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Bone Ship's Wake by R.J. Barker
Series: The Tide Child #3
Published by Orbit on September 28 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 592
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

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.

My review of The Bone Ships

My review of Call of the Bone Ships