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stellaethoughts's review against another edition
5.0
i can officially say that sangu mandanna is one of my favorite authors
nihaarikasingh's review against another edition
5.0
Sequels can often fail to live up to the first book, but that was not the case with A House of Rage and Sorrow. It is a book that I couldn't put down; I finished it in a day. The prose is stunning, yet simple to understand. I highly enjoyed the elements of mythology mixed with science fiction and fantasy. The world building was just as incredible as it was in A Spark Of White Fire . But this was so much more painful than the first book.
We see Esmae struggle with her grief and emotions, and as I read through, my heart really ached for her. She's not a perfect protagonist, and that's what makes her such an incredible character. We see her struggles and her strengths and just....I love her so much.
This book also focuses more on the side characters, as well as Titania (the giant warship) and that's another reason why this book feels like such a perfect sequel. And the way this ended makes me all the more excited to read the third book!
We see Esmae struggle with her grief and emotions, and as I read through, my heart really ached for her. She's not a perfect protagonist, and that's what makes her such an incredible character. We see her struggles and her strengths and just....I love her so much.
This book also focuses more on the side characters, as well as Titania (the giant warship) and that's another reason why this book feels like such a perfect sequel. And the way this ended makes me all the more excited to read the third book!
derek_hudgin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
Very fast, intense follow up to A Spark of White Fire...almost too fast. It’s a period of war, so I get it, but we had very little time to just sit with the characters. I feel like more build up to the characters arcs and hooks would have benefited the story.
jrho's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alexandra_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!
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!
herlizaness's review against another edition
5.0
I just cried the whole way through this book, why do I keep reading things that cause me pain?
Every single family dynamic from Esmae and her siblings to Max and his father to the gods just absolutely breaks my heart. I wanted to scream at everyone to just make peace, stop breaking yourselves and breaking the world to make yourself feel whole! I am terrified for the third book because I genuinely don’t think it can get much more painful than this. A house of rage and sorrow is an extremely accurate title for this book, to say the least.
I am so invested in Kirran and Amba and the gods in general. Their dynamics just ... oof. I would kill for more - a scene, a chapter, a short story totally unrelated to the events of this series, anything. The sibling dynamics are just yeah.
Every single family dynamic from Esmae and her siblings to Max and his father to the gods just absolutely breaks my heart. I wanted to scream at everyone to just make peace, stop breaking yourselves and breaking the world to make yourself feel whole! I am terrified for the third book because I genuinely don’t think it can get much more painful than this. A house of rage and sorrow is an extremely accurate title for this book, to say the least.
I am so invested in Kirran and Amba and the gods in general. Their dynamics just ... oof. I would kill for more - a scene, a chapter, a short story totally unrelated to the events of this series, anything. The sibling dynamics are just yeah.
inkdusted's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.75
alexiacambaling's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved A Spark of White Fire and considered it one of the best underrated YA books I’ve read and so I was really looking forward to this one. I have to say, it doesn’t disappoint and there’s no trace of second book syndrome to be found as A House of Rage and Sorrow ups the stakes for the brewing war between brother and sister.
Here, Esmae is reeling from the death of her best friend at the hands of her brother Alexi and vows to destroy him. While she still longs for love and acceptance, she no longer has any illusions about her family and now knows that they will have to fight. I love her character and how angry she was. Her thirst for justice and vengeance can be felt through every page and just when you’d think she can’t get hurt anymore, there’s still more twists to come. There’s still more coming and truths which can destroy everything she thought was true.
A House of Rage and Sorrow doesn’t let up. It’s pace is breakneck and there’s so much stuff happening that sometimes, it can get a little difficult to keep up. Still, every second just kept me glued to my seat as the plot unfolded. As I mentioned, there’s quite a few twists in this book and some of them are pretty surprising. In this world of meddling gods, there’s a lot that can happen and a lot which can change the course of the story. As the stakes get higher, I’m really intrigued as to how the story ends because it’s now difficult to imagine a truly happy ending for the parties involved.
I also adored the side characters in this book and how they have their own struggles and life outside the main character and plot- especially Radha and Sybilla. Titania’s perspective is a wonderful addition and I enjoyed reading it. Also, the scene where the three girls have to undergo the trials in the Empty Moon was amazing and I liked how not all of them were able to complete it, in part because it added a lot of realism and depth to the scene. Max also has a lot of things going on and he gains a lot of character in this book. I was a bit more neutral as to his character in the previous one, but I grew to appreciate his character more here.
Overall, I really liked this book. More secrets come to light, betrayal, power struggles, etc. It has everything you could possibly want in a political family drama and I’m very excited to see how the story ends. Highly recommended.
I loved A Spark of White Fire and considered it one of the best underrated YA books I’ve read and so I was really looking forward to this one. I have to say, it doesn’t disappoint and there’s no trace of second book syndrome to be found as A House of Rage and Sorrow ups the stakes for the brewing war between brother and sister.
Here, Esmae is reeling from the death of her best friend at the hands of her brother Alexi and vows to destroy him. While she still longs for love and acceptance, she no longer has any illusions about her family and now knows that they will have to fight. I love her character and how angry she was. Her thirst for justice and vengeance can be felt through every page and just when you’d think she can’t get hurt anymore, there’s still more twists to come. There’s still more coming and truths which can destroy everything she thought was true.
A House of Rage and Sorrow doesn’t let up. It’s pace is breakneck and there’s so much stuff happening that sometimes, it can get a little difficult to keep up. Still, every second just kept me glued to my seat as the plot unfolded. As I mentioned, there’s quite a few twists in this book and some of them are pretty surprising. In this world of meddling gods, there’s a lot that can happen and a lot which can change the course of the story. As the stakes get higher, I’m really intrigued as to how the story ends because it’s now difficult to imagine a truly happy ending for the parties involved.
I also adored the side characters in this book and how they have their own struggles and life outside the main character and plot- especially Radha and Sybilla. Titania’s perspective is a wonderful addition and I enjoyed reading it. Also, the scene where the three girls have to undergo the trials in the Empty Moon was amazing and I liked how not all of them were able to complete it, in part because it added a lot of realism and depth to the scene. Max also has a lot of things going on and he gains a lot of character in this book. I was a bit more neutral as to his character in the previous one, but I grew to appreciate his character more here.
Overall, I really liked this book. More secrets come to light, betrayal, power struggles, etc. It has everything you could possibly want in a political family drama and I’m very excited to see how the story ends. Highly recommended.