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aarnireads's review against another edition
dnfed somewhere around the first 100 pages. bro if nothing happens for that long, the pacing is as slow as a snail and you get 49504850945 pOV chapters with irrelevant forgettable side characters.. then you've lost me as a reader.
also from reading other reviews, i don't think i miss much.
also from reading other reviews, i don't think i miss much.
quietnyx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
debchan's review against another edition
4.5
i felt like i was eating flowers the entire time. in fact, it reminded me so much of hanahaki disease (i do wonder if tasha suri meant to do that).
where to even begin praising this book. so many pages, and yet i just kept turning. which is wild because personally, the pacing was quite slow, very languid, and the stakes to me never felt that dire. and yet i couldn't put it down. there is something addictive about it, just like smoking prem's pipe. the way suri manages to capture the small scenes and the details is superb. every single scene is packed with description that really drops you right into the middle of what's going on. it's like i was watching a movie with how vivid everything was.
the plot took a bit to get going at first, but once it did, it rolled out like a scroll. the whole time i was think of that part in shrek, where he says "ogres have layers; onions have layers!" this book felt like a gigantic onion. everything was peeled backwards and i had so many eureka! moments i kept flipping back to read old passages with more context. although, it could also be that i don't have a good memory or comprehension but i like to think suri dropped facts here and there that i glossed over only to have them be shoved in my face pages later. i said i never felt the stakes, and besides the last couple of pages, i really didn't. there was a lack of urgency, but maybe i'm just too used to movies where plot is raced through into hyperdrive. the book felt very packaged neatly, which is a good thing, i love a present. but it felt clinical too, like some spark was missing. i didn't put the book down but i could've at any moment (besides maybe the end). idk how to describe it because i do love this book, but i couldn't exactly give it 5 stars.
it was truly the characters that get me reading. what a brilliant cast.
priya: a servant in a lord's house just surviving day to day. she had the kindest heart ever. even the children of the streets knew her and knew that she would help them as much as she could. she's also hiding a very big secret from her past. i loved joining her on her discovery to finding the true extent of her powers. i know it's been done so many times, but there's just something about someone who's lost almost everything discover that they're truly more powerful than anything else they could imagine. and that she wants to use her powers to help people, especially her country (?). i'm not sure what the technical term for it is, land or province or city-state? i also love main characters who are smart. bc it just makes the tedium of explanation disappear and moves everything along much faster. she was so quick-witted and i appreciate suri for keeping the cogs turning instead of everything explained to us.
malini: the sister of the emperor, a princess who is being punished and locked away in a tower. i could feel her palpable frustration through the pages, as she was drugged out of her mind. that she was so physically weak, yet mentally she had plans, she had her manipulations, and she was smart. again, i love calculating vengeful main characters. her past was full of pain at the hands of her brother, and because of that she really lost everyone. and that's turned her angry and looking for revenge. i love revenge arcs, mostly because i love main characters who don't gaf and will switch off their consciences to get what they want. yes she reminds me of rin from The Poppy War, except! that we could see rin's arc coming from a mile away that she was always going to do whatever it took. malini was introduced to us as weak and useless, and as her true nature was revealed, it was such a delight to see all that hatred. i cheer her on with all my heart.
priya and malini: that first interaction, i was so hooked. priya is mainly trying to keep malini alive and then there's that added layer of distrust. now what i love about them at first that most couples in books don't have is PRACTICALITY. they both want to survive. they both know the other can be useful to them. and they take advantage of that. there's no moaning or groaning or drawing uneccessary miscommunication out. and that's because they know each other. how refreshing is that? two characters who truly know each other and aren't afraid of what they see. a means to an end, if you will. ok this book had been out for some time now so yeah i knew about the waterfall scene. but when i read it? absolutely gagged, like hand over mouth gagged. that ending too? i'm so down for characters who love each other, know their love for each other, and also know their own responsibilities and duties. a bit of The Priory of the Orange Tree if you will. (bc ead's and sabran's promise was legit the only thing i remember about that book)
bhumika: MOTHER literally. she's known for having a soft heart and taking in strays. but she's also extremely powerful and willing to sacrifice herself to get to her greater goal. finally, characters with brains and a plan for the future! i know her relationships with both priya and ashok were complicated, but when it came down to it, they all buckled in for their people. i'm so glad she was so adept at politics too bc at least someone knows what's she doing in that sphere.
rao: i know he was quite active here, like he really did a lot. but looking back, he was also so passive, a tool for malini. go him! his own grief and past had led him down this path which let's be fr i'm not sure he wants to take. bc he does love malini, but she is transforming in front of his very eyes and idk if he's ready to handle the new her. but whenever i got to his pov, it was always comforting, especially his friendhip with prem.
prem: speaking of, my favorite side character! i do believe his whip weapon was really cool and i love a guy with an extremely loyal contingent. he just wanted to enjoy his wines and play pachisa (aka chess).absolutely flabbergasted when he died. ofc tasha suri write such a lovable character and then kills him while reminiscing how his life could've ended up if he had lived. i just wanted him and rao to help malini and live their days in peace. ugh.
ashok: i get this man a lot. i get his own grief, his own guilt, the awful things he'd do to see his vision complete. and i don't even disagree with him. i just placed all my loyalty with priya and so while she sometimes hates him, she also sometimes loves him. i wish they had more times as siblings, that he received the gentleness that even priya a servant, got more than him. i wish him nothing but peace. he deserves it.
rukh: just a boy willing to do anything to survive. there were times i was absolutely furious with him and times i felt bad for him. but i'm glad he had priya when he had no one else. she was a lot more generous than she could've been. and yet he was also still a child, starving and desperate. i can't really blame him for the things he did.
aditya: i just liked seeing him in contrast to malini. she really should've taken him by the shoulders and given him a good shake. but it was never his destiny to do what she had to do. i hope he stays in the picture, mostly because i love a good sibling dynamic, especially theirs. and someone needs to make sure he doesn't end up dying fr.
chandra: congrats tasha suri! you wrote a villain we all love to hate. someone i would love to see the downfall of. someone completely irredeemable. i love villains who don't have some awful backstory, they're just cruel people. enough with the sad childhoods. give me villains who enjoy suffering and pain and wreck havoc just for the fun of it.
also huge props to tasha suri again and again. i usually go into books wary because i rarely like the main characters of book, eventually disliking being in their heads i end up rooting for the angsty antagonist with a reasonable sad backstory. it took me no time at all to love priya and malini. priya was so kind, had human connections with others, and yet knew exactly what line she had to walk to keep herself alive, while also carving out space for malini. and malini absorbed all her anger, refused to walk into her death, remained stubborn to the end, and prevailed, keeping herself alive so she could live another day to enact her vengeance. they weren't stupid, they did exactly what they had to do. and so it was natural for me to root for them, and against chandra. yay!
i was surprised at the myriad of povs. it reminded me of joost from Six of Crows, a means to establish and further the plot when no main characters were around to do so. like we'd pop into someone's end just to see what was happening and then poof they'd be useless. although idk if i'd rather have that or like in Sons of Darkness (which i just finished) where main characters observe events and you're like ok but is there reason this character is there to witness this for the reader or are we just dropping them in so it can be explained? i'm not sure which i like, if i even like either, but just something i noticed. like all those povs, and i couldn't get a prem pov? rip.
i'm so glad the last book's release date is coming up soon, bc that's what was keeping me from reading this in the first place. this is such a beautifully written book and i loved (almost) everyone participating in the action. malini, i hope you burn your brother to death and give him the worst retribution you can think of. priya, i hope your people can be safe and free once more. i hope they both find each other again and don't have to threaten to kill each other! incredible first book to a much anticipated series.
where to even begin praising this book. so many pages, and yet i just kept turning. which is wild because personally, the pacing was quite slow, very languid, and the stakes to me never felt that dire. and yet i couldn't put it down. there is something addictive about it, just like smoking prem's pipe. the way suri manages to capture the small scenes and the details is superb. every single scene is packed with description that really drops you right into the middle of what's going on. it's like i was watching a movie with how vivid everything was.
the plot took a bit to get going at first, but once it did, it rolled out like a scroll. the whole time i was think of that part in shrek, where he says "ogres have layers; onions have layers!" this book felt like a gigantic onion. everything was peeled backwards and i had so many eureka! moments i kept flipping back to read old passages with more context. although, it could also be that i don't have a good memory or comprehension but i like to think suri dropped facts here and there that i glossed over only to have them be shoved in my face pages later. i said i never felt the stakes, and besides the last couple of pages, i really didn't. there was a lack of urgency, but maybe i'm just too used to movies where plot is raced through into hyperdrive. the book felt very packaged neatly, which is a good thing, i love a present. but it felt clinical too, like some spark was missing. i didn't put the book down but i could've at any moment (besides maybe the end). idk how to describe it because i do love this book, but i couldn't exactly give it 5 stars.
it was truly the characters that get me reading. what a brilliant cast.
priya: a servant in a lord's house just surviving day to day. she had the kindest heart ever. even the children of the streets knew her and knew that she would help them as much as she could. she's also hiding a very big secret from her past. i loved joining her on her discovery to finding the true extent of her powers. i know it's been done so many times, but there's just something about someone who's lost almost everything discover that they're truly more powerful than anything else they could imagine. and that she wants to use her powers to help people, especially her country (?). i'm not sure what the technical term for it is, land or province or city-state? i also love main characters who are smart. bc it just makes the tedium of explanation disappear and moves everything along much faster. she was so quick-witted and i appreciate suri for keeping the cogs turning instead of everything explained to us.
malini: the sister of the emperor, a princess who is being punished and locked away in a tower. i could feel her palpable frustration through the pages, as she was drugged out of her mind. that she was so physically weak, yet mentally she had plans, she had her manipulations, and she was smart. again, i love calculating vengeful main characters. her past was full of pain at the hands of her brother, and because of that she really lost everyone. and that's turned her angry and looking for revenge. i love revenge arcs, mostly because i love main characters who don't gaf and will switch off their consciences to get what they want. yes she reminds me of rin from The Poppy War, except! that we could see rin's arc coming from a mile away that she was always going to do whatever it took. malini was introduced to us as weak and useless, and as her true nature was revealed, it was such a delight to see all that hatred. i cheer her on with all my heart.
priya and malini: that first interaction, i was so hooked. priya is mainly trying to keep malini alive and then there's that added layer of distrust. now what i love about them at first that most couples in books don't have is PRACTICALITY. they both want to survive. they both know the other can be useful to them. and they take advantage of that. there's no moaning or groaning or drawing uneccessary miscommunication out. and that's because they know each other. how refreshing is that? two characters who truly know each other and aren't afraid of what they see. a means to an end, if you will. ok this book had been out for some time now so yeah i knew about the waterfall scene. but when i read it? absolutely gagged, like hand over mouth gagged. that ending too? i'm so down for characters who love each other, know their love for each other, and also know their own responsibilities and duties. a bit of The Priory of the Orange Tree if you will. (bc ead's and sabran's promise was legit the only thing i remember about that book)
bhumika: MOTHER literally. she's known for having a soft heart and taking in strays. but she's also extremely powerful and willing to sacrifice herself to get to her greater goal. finally, characters with brains and a plan for the future! i know her relationships with both priya and ashok were complicated, but when it came down to it, they all buckled in for their people. i'm so glad she was so adept at politics too bc at least someone knows what's she doing in that sphere.
rao: i know he was quite active here, like he really did a lot. but looking back, he was also so passive, a tool for malini. go him! his own grief and past had led him down this path which let's be fr i'm not sure he wants to take. bc he does love malini, but she is transforming in front of his very eyes and idk if he's ready to handle the new her. but whenever i got to his pov, it was always comforting, especially his friendhip with prem.
prem: speaking of, my favorite side character! i do believe his whip weapon was really cool and i love a guy with an extremely loyal contingent. he just wanted to enjoy his wines and play pachisa (aka chess).
ashok: i get this man a lot. i get his own grief, his own guilt, the awful things he'd do to see his vision complete. and i don't even disagree with him. i just placed all my loyalty with priya and so while she sometimes hates him, she also sometimes loves him. i wish they had more times as siblings, that he received the gentleness that even priya a servant, got more than him. i wish him nothing but peace. he deserves it.
rukh: just a boy willing to do anything to survive. there were times i was absolutely furious with him and times i felt bad for him. but i'm glad he had priya when he had no one else. she was a lot more generous than she could've been. and yet he was also still a child, starving and desperate. i can't really blame him for the things he did.
aditya: i just liked seeing him in contrast to malini. she really should've taken him by the shoulders and given him a good shake. but it was never his destiny to do what she had to do. i hope he stays in the picture, mostly because i love a good sibling dynamic, especially theirs. and someone needs to make sure he doesn't end up dying fr.
chandra: congrats tasha suri! you wrote a villain we all love to hate. someone i would love to see the downfall of. someone completely irredeemable. i love villains who don't have some awful backstory, they're just cruel people. enough with the sad childhoods. give me villains who enjoy suffering and pain and wreck havoc just for the fun of it.
also huge props to tasha suri again and again. i usually go into books wary because i rarely like the main characters of book, eventually disliking being in their heads i end up rooting for the angsty antagonist with a reasonable sad backstory. it took me no time at all to love priya and malini. priya was so kind, had human connections with others, and yet knew exactly what line she had to walk to keep herself alive, while also carving out space for malini. and malini absorbed all her anger, refused to walk into her death, remained stubborn to the end, and prevailed, keeping herself alive so she could live another day to enact her vengeance. they weren't stupid, they did exactly what they had to do. and so it was natural for me to root for them, and against chandra. yay!
i was surprised at the myriad of povs. it reminded me of joost from Six of Crows, a means to establish and further the plot when no main characters were around to do so. like we'd pop into someone's end just to see what was happening and then poof they'd be useless. although idk if i'd rather have that or like in Sons of Darkness (which i just finished) where main characters observe events and you're like ok but is there reason this character is there to witness this for the reader or are we just dropping them in so it can be explained? i'm not sure which i like, if i even like either, but just something i noticed. like all those povs, and i couldn't get a prem pov? rip.
i'm so glad the last book's release date is coming up soon, bc that's what was keeping me from reading this in the first place. this is such a beautifully written book and i loved (almost) everyone participating in the action. malini, i hope you burn your brother to death and give him the worst retribution you can think of. priya, i hope your people can be safe and free once more. i hope they both find each other again and don't have to threaten to kill each other! incredible first book to a much anticipated series.
carlendonahue's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
elizabethwantstoread's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
hollyl0uise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
harmah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
selmalikesbooks's review against another edition
4.5
this is what i want from a fantasy book! the book has strong world building, interesting characters and beautiful writing. i’m looking forward to continuing this series :)