Reviews

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

fioni's review

adventurous emotional tense

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!! TASHA SURI WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!!!! ONE MILLION STARS AND A THOUSAND BLESSINGS BE UPON YOU!!!!

my first 5 ⭐ book of the year. the jasmine throne was already amazing but this had me positively gagged. the writing is so easily digestible but so sophisticated at the same time, and it feels effortless, too. it's incredible. malini my beloved!!!

one thing, though. i feel baited by the (stunning) cover art 😔😔😔. i really thought we were going to see malini in a full on sword fight or something ☹️

manuboss's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.75

reading_meg's review against another edition

5.0

- I always worry about the second book slump, and this one did such an incredible job at avoiding the pitfalls that so many sequels fall into!
- Priya and Malini's relationship!! The separation and the longing throughout this book was spectacular!!
- I loved all the political dynamics from the first book, and this book goes further with the addition of the war. This is especially so well done by the different POVS.
- The yaksa are terrifying!!

blibana's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.75

theincrediblehallk's review

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

4.0

bookish_withsky's review against another edition

4.0

Absolutely marvelous sequel to the first book. The writing, as seen in the Jasmine Throne, continues to be impeccable. The tender moments between Priya and Malani had my heart entirely. The story continued to develop and grow beyond my expectations and it was genuinely such a great time. I cannot recommend it enough.

flowingleaves's review

adventurous dark 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

5.0

nonesensed's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

Malini leads an army to overthrow her cruel brother Chandra and to claim her now prophecy supported position as Empress. Priya remains in her place of birth, using temple given magic to hold back the rot and support her fellow Temple Elder in ruling their people. But neither Malini's army nor Priya's magic is invincible and before Malini finds herself summoning Priya to her side. Because surely her winning her war is a surefire way to secure Priya's home as well? Surely no equal threat is brewing in Priya's home? 

Tasha Suri is so, soooo good at writing a) characters to root for, and b) villains to love to hate, and this book took that up to eleven! The rest I have to say is spoilers, so if you want to avoid those, just know that if you enjoyed book 1, book 2 is definitely worth reading too.

Okay, so what's not to love here? This book has it all! Malini writing secret love letters to Priya and hiding them instead of sending them. Priya immediately coming when Malini calls. Bhumika doing her best to save everyone to the point of sacrificing her very personality. The yaksa returning and proving to be eldritch abominations utterly uncaring of human life. Malini winning her throne and murdering Chandra, only to lose her other brother to holy fire and Priya to involuntary betrayal. In short, I can't wait for book three!!!

rdebner's review

adventurous dark emotional tense 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? No

4.75

rachaelleibowitz's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0