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rwatkins's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it. 2.5/5 (12.5/25)
If you like war elephants, chariot battles, Indian Gods and Demigods, or mythological retellings, then give this one a try. I disliked many of the author's style choices, but the story, characters, setting and themes are all rich with fantastic elements.
Content Warning: suicide, incest, rape, abortion, polygamy
Minor Spoilers Below.
Plot: 2/5
This is difficult to score. The plot is influenced heavily by stories from the Mahabharata, a great mythology. But the execution has some flaws.
Following two princes, one albino and one blind, and their troubled ascendance to lead an empire. There are some great moments with battles, heroics, struggle and tragedy. There are also some broken plotlines which lead nowhere and plot holes with Gods and Demigods choosing to be fickle. A heavy focus later on the wives interrupts the story instead of enhancing it. Time lapses are sudden and difficult to follow. The pot becomes convoluted, with gaps, mainly due to some style choices made.
Setting: 3/5
Placed in the Burnt Empire, in ancient times when Gods and Demigods still influence the royal bloodlines. A conglomeration of over a thousand smaller kingdoms, rife with rebellions and revolts, the size of the empire can be felt through some moments in the plot. This is Indian-inspired, with war elephants and a few colloquial terms, though descriptions are basic. There is an attempt at cultural relevance through the war-like mantras of what it means to be Krushan.
The map does not contain all of the named kingdoms or locations, and has other places named that are not mentioned in the book.
Other kingdoms are presented, but differentiated only by geography, with mountain kingdoms, forest kingdoms, and the desert empire of Reygistan. Any differences in customs or culture are not explored.
The magic is not explained, but there are gurus who can wield sorcery. There are Demigods that can do just about anything. And Gods that could do anything but rarely intervene. There are demons with Godlike powers as well. The magic is on an epic scale.
Characters: 3.5/5
Shvate is the albino prince, with troubles in daylight and great dedication and loyalty to his brother, family and kingdom. Well-written ,with strengths and faults, and the best written journey in the book. His failure to meet his own impossible expectations was particularly interesting.
Adri is the other prince, Shvate's brother, and blind from birth. I saw quite a bit of inconsistency with him, at times self-sufficient and other times reliant on others, interested in politics then despising politics. Trauma explains some of this, but due to the frequent gaps in the story, it was not easy to connect implied consequences with observable actions not seen until much later in the book.
Jilana is the most complex and my favorite character, struggling with rule of the kingdom and keeping her family safe. She makes some bad decisions, justified by her motives, and though a bit tough at times, she was fun to read.
The wives were introduced late in the novel, written in a way I found difficult to like or empathize with, and took over quite a chunk of the book. There were some glimpses of goodness in their pages, but most of their scenes served as exposition.
Vrath is the coolest and most interesting character, a Demigod with immense powers, but he gets sidelined quite a bit so that the princes aren't outshined, as this is supposed to be their story.
Jarsun is the main antagonist, a demon with numerous powers and a grudge against the princes and the Krushan rulers.
Style: 1/5
The pacing suffers from poor transitions between scenes and time jumps. It gets wrecked by repeated scenes from new povs that aren't adding any new information for the plot. It is slowed by too many povs, including a crow and vulture pov, that didn't need to be there. So much could have been cut, including repetition in descriptions, inner dialogue, dialogue and exposition. The wives' perspectives interrupted, more than helped along, the flow of the story.
There were a few authorial promises made and not kept, the most obvious being the prologue establishes that this will be a story about two princes being challenged by their sister for the throne. The sister is mentioned offhandedly once after the prologue, so the story was not what was promised in the prologue or the jacket.
It felt more like a collection of disjointed short stories tailored together then a clear and cohesive story. Some of those stories were very good, but the execution of combining them into a coherent whole was an utter failure.
The language is ok, with some minor Indian terms thrown in for flavoring. There is frequent mention of the digestive behaviors of horses early on, and the smells of such throughout the entire book. Yes, horses stink, but it doesn't have to be a focus in a fantasy novel.
Themes: 3/5
There are glimpses of some heavy themes in the character work.
Shvate is an over-achiever who expects perfection from himself, so when he fails, it takes a heavy toll on him as he experiences crippling guilt and shame.
Adri suffers from depression, self-pity, low self-worth, and crushing insecurities.
Unloving parents, disabilities, trust, betrayal, revenge, power and fear are all tackled in these pages to some degree.
If you like war elephants, chariot battles, Indian Gods and Demigods, or mythological retellings, then give this one a try. I disliked many of the author's style choices, but the story, characters, setting and themes are all rich with fantastic elements.
Content Warning: suicide, incest, rape, abortion, polygamy
Minor Spoilers Below.
Plot: 2/5
This is difficult to score. The plot is influenced heavily by stories from the Mahabharata, a great mythology. But the execution has some flaws.
Following two princes, one albino and one blind, and their troubled ascendance to lead an empire. There are some great moments with battles, heroics, struggle and tragedy. There are also some broken plotlines which lead nowhere and plot holes with Gods and Demigods choosing to be fickle. A heavy focus later on the wives interrupts the story instead of enhancing it. Time lapses are sudden and difficult to follow. The pot becomes convoluted, with gaps, mainly due to some style choices made.
Setting: 3/5
Placed in the Burnt Empire, in ancient times when Gods and Demigods still influence the royal bloodlines. A conglomeration of over a thousand smaller kingdoms, rife with rebellions and revolts, the size of the empire can be felt through some moments in the plot. This is Indian-inspired, with war elephants and a few colloquial terms, though descriptions are basic. There is an attempt at cultural relevance through the war-like mantras of what it means to be Krushan.
The map does not contain all of the named kingdoms or locations, and has other places named that are not mentioned in the book.
Other kingdoms are presented, but differentiated only by geography, with mountain kingdoms, forest kingdoms, and the desert empire of Reygistan. Any differences in customs or culture are not explored.
The magic is not explained, but there are gurus who can wield sorcery. There are Demigods that can do just about anything. And Gods that could do anything but rarely intervene. There are demons with Godlike powers as well. The magic is on an epic scale.
Characters: 3.5/5
Shvate is the albino prince, with troubles in daylight and great dedication and loyalty to his brother, family and kingdom. Well-written ,with strengths and faults, and the best written journey in the book. His failure to meet his own impossible expectations was particularly interesting.
Adri is the other prince, Shvate's brother, and blind from birth. I saw quite a bit of inconsistency with him, at times self-sufficient and other times reliant on others, interested in politics then despising politics. Trauma explains some of this, but due to the frequent gaps in the story, it was not easy to connect implied consequences with observable actions not seen until much later in the book.
Jilana is the most complex and my favorite character, struggling with rule of the kingdom and keeping her family safe. She makes some bad decisions, justified by her motives, and though a bit tough at times, she was fun to read.
The wives were introduced late in the novel, written in a way I found difficult to like or empathize with, and took over quite a chunk of the book. There were some glimpses of goodness in their pages, but most of their scenes served as exposition.
Vrath is the coolest and most interesting character, a Demigod with immense powers, but he gets sidelined quite a bit so that the princes aren't outshined, as this is supposed to be their story.
Jarsun is the main antagonist, a demon with numerous powers and a grudge against the princes and the Krushan rulers.
Style: 1/5
The pacing suffers from poor transitions between scenes and time jumps. It gets wrecked by repeated scenes from new povs that aren't adding any new information for the plot. It is slowed by too many povs, including a crow and vulture pov, that didn't need to be there. So much could have been cut, including repetition in descriptions, inner dialogue, dialogue and exposition. The wives' perspectives interrupted, more than helped along, the flow of the story.
There were a few authorial promises made and not kept, the most obvious being the prologue establishes that this will be a story about two princes being challenged by their sister for the throne. The sister is mentioned offhandedly once after the prologue, so the story was not what was promised in the prologue or the jacket.
It felt more like a collection of disjointed short stories tailored together then a clear and cohesive story. Some of those stories were very good, but the execution of combining them into a coherent whole was an utter failure.
The language is ok, with some minor Indian terms thrown in for flavoring. There is frequent mention of the digestive behaviors of horses early on, and the smells of such throughout the entire book. Yes, horses stink, but it doesn't have to be a focus in a fantasy novel.
Themes: 3/5
There are glimpses of some heavy themes in the character work.
Shvate is an over-achiever who expects perfection from himself, so when he fails, it takes a heavy toll on him as he experiences crippling guilt and shame.
Adri suffers from depression, self-pity, low self-worth, and crushing insecurities.
Unloving parents, disabilities, trust, betrayal, revenge, power and fear are all tackled in these pages to some degree.
ashtonj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
2treads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Second time around reading this one and I enjoyed it just as much, but can identify certain areas where I felt that the author got a bit carried away with the writing.
Based on the Mahabharata, Banker has definitely captured the epic feel of the world and the various supernatural characters that inhabit the pages. There is action, political intrigue, betrayals, and snide interplay. Definitely worth the read.
Based on the Mahabharata, Banker has definitely captured the epic feel of the world and the various supernatural characters that inhabit the pages. There is action, political intrigue, betrayals, and snide interplay. Definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Grief, Animal death, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, and War
qdove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
trgrze20's review against another edition
3.0
3.25
There were things I liked and there were things that I really did not.
I liked the dialect interaction between characters. I felt the author did a decent job at making you feel a sorta bond in a short amount of time. I also liked the build up to events. For example: Karni’s first kid or testing the heirs on the burning throne. Also appreciated how heritages and plot points were repeated. Some might find that annoying, I found it helpful to keep track of everything in a larger novel. I also thought the timeline jumps were not difficult to follow
I didn’t like the actual “build up scenes” or their conclusions. For example: the first war with jarsun. Based on what I read, I thought he died but he randomly popped up again and again with no context how he survived or is surviving through the a$$ kickings. There was no mention of krushita, the rightful heir, after the exile even though half the synopsis on the book is referencing her. I felt vital character building moments were skipped over such as mentioning shvate and Adri’s training. One minute they were put in camp, the next they’re at war and fully trained. Or that they have a half brother who randomly appears. Or that the brothers are all of sudden married. Or that geldry had 101 kids at once and it is treated as normal day. Just things I felt could/should have been delved into more to flush out the story and build more connections between the characters and with them.
There is potential in the story itself and it did read easy and peek my interest enough to read it all. Still undecided if I’ll continue on.
There were things I liked and there were things that I really did not.
I liked the dialect interaction between characters. I felt the author did a decent job at making you feel a sorta bond in a short amount of time. I also liked the build up to events. For example: Karni’s first kid or testing the heirs on the burning throne. Also appreciated how heritages and plot points were repeated. Some might find that annoying, I found it helpful to keep track of everything in a larger novel. I also thought the timeline jumps were not difficult to follow
I didn’t like the actual “build up scenes” or their conclusions. For example: the first war with jarsun. Based on what I read, I thought he died but he randomly popped up again and again with no context how he survived or is surviving through the a$$ kickings. There was no mention of krushita, the rightful heir, after the exile even though half the synopsis on the book is referencing her. I felt vital character building moments were skipped over such as mentioning shvate and Adri’s training. One minute they were put in camp, the next they’re at war and fully trained. Or that they have a half brother who randomly appears. Or that the brothers are all of sudden married. Or that geldry had 101 kids at once and it is treated as normal day. Just things I felt could/should have been delved into more to flush out the story and build more connections between the characters and with them.
There is potential in the story itself and it did read easy and peek my interest enough to read it all. Still undecided if I’ll continue on.
sydney_arcuri's review against another edition
5.0
5/5
EDIT: After finishing the second book I decided that I wanted to bump up my ratings since the aspects I wasn't too found off didn't really effect my overall enjoyment of the story.
This was soooo good. Banker really knows how to write multiple perspectives in a way that gives each character an individual voice. However, with that said I felt that some of the POV's (especially some of the female perspectives) fell short of the depth that was created in their male counterpart perspectives. Other than that, *chefs kiss* please go read this!
EDIT: After finishing the second book I decided that I wanted to bump up my ratings since the aspects I wasn't too found off didn't really effect my overall enjoyment of the story.
This was soooo good. Banker really knows how to write multiple perspectives in a way that gives each character an individual voice. However, with that said I felt that some of the POV's (especially some of the female perspectives) fell short of the depth that was created in their male counterpart perspectives. Other than that, *chefs kiss* please go read this!
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely dove into Upon a Burning Throne because I got the audio ARC from Netgalley for book 2. It just so happens to work out because this one was available on Kindle Unlimited. Double whammy guys!
That being said, I was pretty intrigued to dive into this one. I'll admit that I was getting tons of Game of Throne vibes - which is good because so many other people mentioned that save vibe in their reviews. Phew! Glad we are all vibing together.
As for the characters, it felt like a lot to keep track of - kind of like that series. In the beginning, I didn't know what I was going to get out of everyone because things were moving at a snail's pace. Yet, after part 1 things really took off. I was so glad that I was getting action, betrayal, and all kinds of twists. It made this book very hard to put down and walk away from.
I can't wait for more complications and revenge in the next book. I hope the sequel does a good job of continuing this storyline because it's going to suck if it falls victim to the second book syndrome. Especially with the GOT vibes and all.
That being said, I was pretty intrigued to dive into this one. I'll admit that I was getting tons of Game of Throne vibes - which is good because so many other people mentioned that save vibe in their reviews. Phew! Glad we are all vibing together.
As for the characters, it felt like a lot to keep track of - kind of like that series. In the beginning, I didn't know what I was going to get out of everyone because things were moving at a snail's pace. Yet, after part 1 things really took off. I was so glad that I was getting action, betrayal, and all kinds of twists. It made this book very hard to put down and walk away from.
I can't wait for more complications and revenge in the next book. I hope the sequel does a good job of continuing this storyline because it's going to suck if it falls victim to the second book syndrome. Especially with the GOT vibes and all.
youfoundjoanne's review against another edition
3.0
great writing, but it devolves into miscommunication plots and the most compelling characters tend to be minimized. still plan on reading the next book though.