Reviews

House of Rage and Sorrow: Book Two in the Celestial Trilogy by Sangu Mandanna

debchan's review against another edition

4.0

so maybe i was way harsh with the first book.

i don't hate max and esmae. they are way better in this book (maybe because we've already established they love each other instead of running in circled around each other). plus esmae's character? she really went from annoying mc to killer mc.

the way she

Spoiler

was like yeah even if everyone came back to life i would NOT be happy. like she really wants to go on fighting and screaming for the rest of her life which i can get behind. i mean, she can't kill alexi but who knows. she may get on board with that anytime soon

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another thing,

Spoiler

what's weird is the double standards. it always seems like the badass assassin murderous main character will have no qualms killing people. but alexi killed ONE (1) person and she was like: unforgivable. it could be because rama was her best friend and she's not exactly the most rational person in the world but oh well

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one of my favorite things about esmae is the fact that she literally throws herself headfast into danger. like she will jump off a ship and plunge 50 feet out of the air onto solid ground and then be like "oh i wasn't expecting to be in a hospital" but also she gets super strategic and plans extremely well.

not sure how much i like

Spoiler

the fact that max was literally a reincarnated god. he was literally varin? as soon as i read the character description of varin in the beginning that said he was not important AT ALL i was like hm yeah sure. but the fact that max = varin and he knew the whole time? smells suspiciously like the kane chronicles.

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titania best ship ever. i hope she gets

Spoiler

to be in some human form like she clearly wants to be

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plus

Spoiler

radha and sybilla? amazing. the scene where sybilla fails the test truth becuase she literally has no idea she's in love with radha. that's just iconic.

i feel like i can't review this book without spoilers. there's just a lot to uncover. but now we move on to the sole reason i'm reading this series.

the man, the myth, the absolute golden legend. alexi rey. you can't write a character who is arrogant, strong, a little bit evil, a little bit soft, and blond?? and not have me absolutely love him. not gonna lie, poor guy should back down because esmae doesn't want peace even offered up to her on a golden platter. the scene where he

Spoiler

gets all sad and is like bear and i will be happy enough here on this deserted planet with no one else but ourselves becuase i just want a truce and peace. mandanna can just rip our hearts to shreds.

i would love an alexi point of view. i don't want to see how others view him, i want to be in his head and experience things from his perspective. also what's with the relationship between him and kirrin? like i'm sure they could be power couple if they wanted... please... i would love to read that. edit 5 hours later: i have confirmed that indeed kirrin is in love with alexi but the real question here is: is alexi in love with kirrin?????? i'm in need of answers

alexperc_92's review against another edition

5.0

I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

The epic saga of Esmae's adventure continues in this thrilling sequel! Inspired by the Indian stories and mythology, Esmae has to face trickster gods, new danger and also her conflict between her true and adoptive family.

I enjoyed thoroughly this book! It felt small in length as I read it but the action was fast-paced and the secrets, betrayals, and revelations kept coming the one after the other! I also read Titania's POV and I believe that this will play a critical role in the final book. I also loved the romance; Max and Esmae are amazing together and the final moments tore my heart. Amba, the goddess also kind of redeemed for the first book. I seriously her the Rey family both for their hatred and curses but also for their pride and inaction in many of these chapters.

I don't know who or what will survive in the final book. There are many open battles and that final scene was also a kind of a cliffhanger!

babybirch's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

staceyamcgregor's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

rystou's review

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

jacquibear's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

ashleysimon's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-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

4.0

aleighshareads13's review against another edition

5.0

this was such an amazing sequel!! I absolutely love Esmae, she's turning into one of my favourite main characters! This world is so amazing and well-crafted. I can't wait for book 3!

thissimoneb's review against another edition

4.0

A compelling second book that continues to explore the tension between fate & free will in this epic saga.

dinibharadwaj's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0