The Bone Ships introduced us to the world–where the bones of gigantic sea dragons once provided the building materials for ships, with hints of something even darker and more interesting going on in the background.

Call of the Bones Ships takes up that up another level, really digging more into the often twisted politics and future of the world. It manages to give us quite a bit more insight into Joron Twiner, who is forced rather handedly to come into his own–with whatever that ends up meaning–and torturing him rather much along the way. We also get a lot of more of the gullaime (and the Gullaime specifically). There’s still a lot more to unpack there, so I’m looking for the third.

It ends up being rather a darker book, which fits even better as the successor to the series.

Overall, wonderful worldbuilding, a darker tone, fascinating characters, and worth the re-read. Onward!