Reviews

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

micaelacccc's review against another edition

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I'm so sorry I just can't. Everyday I pick up this book and start reading and I tell myself, just push through you'll get to the good stuff after all this unbelievably slow plot. I'm not really one for deep descriptions of war and politics, so I don't think this book was really for me even though I enjoyed the first one very much. I also think the characters are sorely lacking in this novel, as Priya & Malini don't feel the same as they did in The Jasmine Throne, and their relationship feels more forced than it did before. And all those needless POV's oh my gosh. I just can't bring myself to keep reading anymore when I end up skimming half the chapters anyways. Really disappointing, I don't think it's terrible but I just won't waste any more time on this book. 

tomoshiekah's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

rileytaylorauthor's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0

saskiajva's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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? No

3.0

There are a lot of really great things this series has going for it - I love the morally grey characters, and the unexpected choices they make because of it. I really like the settings and the characters and the love story. And i really love the plot - there were so many things i haven’t seen done before, so many twists and turns i wasn’t expecting. That said, this book took a while to really grab me and I wasn’t invested until about halfway through when we encounter the first twist. From there i was much more interested, but I did keep feeling like I wish there was a little more punch to everything. I want to see more of Priya and Sima’s friendship; i want a deeper dive into the inner turmoil of the characters; i want the twists and betrayals to really hit me deep, and i just feel like everything was ever so slightly short of it’s full potential. I’ll probably still read the last book though :)

karebearrawr's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

osprey503's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

Excellent second installment of this series. This book was a bit faster paced than the first, but still packed with world building and political ploys. Continues to focus on three women main characters who each have different strengths and flaws. The main love story felt more natural in this book since the characters know each other better. Looking forward to book 3!

ferlefur's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cchapple's review against another edition

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5.0

Tricky political maneuvers? Check. Neat Magic? Check. Romance? It's Tasha Suri, of course there's romance. Epic staged battles with clever tactics? Check. Horror? Oh yes, this novel is terrifying!

This series is soooo good.

burnsys_books_811's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed this book more than book one and had fewer criticisms. I still feel there is an issue of telling rather than showing, especially with Malini, we are told she is smart and politically savvy but most of her succesful moves occur off page. We are mostly shown her failures, or when others bail her out. I believe she IS smart, show me. I also still feel that as readers, we are expected to know things about this made up world, especially around the religions. While it has definitely improved, I still don't feel I understand much about what the people BELIEVE. The truth, and how they practice, gives me some insight, but I still have little understanding of what the people actually believe, which I feel should be more in focus considering the heavy place of religion in these books.
Also contains a trope I despise: women giving up their power, and it is quite possible we see more of that before the series is through. Aditya's sacrifice, however, was a bit of a pleasant surprise

haylee_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I somehow managed to get through this whole audiobook in one day. I really love Suri’s writing and how transporting it felt. Everything is so well described and lush, without feeling like one giant info dump. I really love Priya as a character, she is so complex and I loved her chapters the most. There were a lot of minor character chapters, but like in The Jasmine Throne, I think they helped move the story along. I did really struggle with the pacing of this book and I never felt fully invested. So much was going on but it also felt like absolutely nothing was happening at the same time. I’m excited for book three though and I am eager to see how this story ends.