Scan barcode
bookwormbullet's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
I can’t believe one of my favorite fantasy trilogies is over--I feel so empty now LOL
The Tiger At Midnight trilogy holds such a special place in my heart as one of my favorite South Asian-inpsired fantasies. Swati Teerdhala’s writing, characters, and world-building is so addicting and it’s honestly such an amazing debut series. The series had such a satisfying end with The Chariot At Dusk, especially after everything that our characters went through in the previous two books.
One of my favorite aspects of Chariot was seeing the dynamic of Kunal & Esha’s relationship shift. The push and pull between the two after the events of Archer was super interesting to follow, and allowed for some really raw moments between the two. Earlier in their lives, both Kunal and Esha were thrown into their roles and this journey without either of them necessarily wanting it, and in Chariot, they finally have a moment to reflect on their journeys and ask themselves what matters to them most.
I also adored the chapters in Kunal’s POV where he was so focused on winning Esha back and the chapters in Esha’s POV where she was trying so hard to forget about Kunal. I feel like you rarely see books in YA in which the female character is the dominating one in the main relationship, so it was really cool to see that played out. And honestly generally, Esha’s character feels like such a breath of fresh air. It’s one of the main reasons why I love this series so much--Esha is unapologetically herself and the Viper 24/7. Seeing a South Asian woman be badass, commanding, and a leader instead of falling into the submissive trope is everything! I truly aspire to be like her.
Some other aspects I loved about Chariot were the action sequences--of which there were many. Seeing Kunal, Harun, and Reha’s powers in action were so cool! Speaking of these characters, I also really loved the found family aspect of this book. Found family is one of the best tropes in fantasy, and these characters all stole my heart. They’re all so unique and loveable in their own ways, even while considering we haven’t seen too much of them in the previous two books. I found myself really liking Laksh’s character (surprising, I know), and Farhan, Bhandu, Arpiya, and Aahal. My favorite character, hands-down, is Alok. All of these characters’ little moments were so funny and added amazing comic relief during the serious scenes. Here were some of my favorite moments:
First up we have Alok being a number one KunalxEsha fan:
Esha grumbled something under her breath, and Laksh put a hand over her twitching hand, whispering something low into her ear.
Kunal’s blood rose, and his nostrils flared. He wanted to break that hand.
“Laksh has been mooning over Arpiya.” Alok’s whisper jolted Kunal. “Esha and he are just friendly. Stress of betrayal and all. It’s Mayank you have to look after,” he said darkly.
Kunal sputtered. “Mayank? Not Harun?”
Next we have one of the many hilarious twin moments between Alok and Aahal:
“Are you sure the trip down the mountain didn’t addle your brain, Kunal?”
Kunal glared at him. “No more than poison did yours.”
Alok unleashed a beleaguered sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So very mature of the both of you. Really representing us well here.”
“If it’s any consolation, I feel the same way about them,” Aahal whispered to Alok, pointing a thumb at Farhan and Bhandu.
Lastly, we have a little LakshxArpiya moment, a pair that I surprisingly really enjoyed and would have liked to see more of:
“Now the question is, how do we get it back from her?” Farhan said.
“Send me,” Aahal said excitedly. “I got a new weapon I’m dying to try out.”
“Raid on their camp,” Bhandu said.
“A knife to the heart,” Arpiya said. Laksh gave her a look, but it wasn’t one of disgust.
“I’m learning so much about you,” he said. “I kind of like it.”
Anyways, I love this series so much and I’m excited to see upcoming news about Swati’s current WIP. Go read this trilogy if you haven’t already!
The Tiger At Midnight trilogy holds such a special place in my heart as one of my favorite South Asian-inpsired fantasies. Swati Teerdhala’s writing, characters, and world-building is so addicting and it’s honestly such an amazing debut series. The series had such a satisfying end with The Chariot At Dusk, especially after everything that our characters went through in the previous two books.
One of my favorite aspects of Chariot was seeing the dynamic of Kunal & Esha’s relationship shift. The push and pull between the two after the events of Archer was super interesting to follow, and allowed for some really raw moments between the two. Earlier in their lives, both Kunal and Esha were thrown into their roles and this journey without either of them necessarily wanting it, and in Chariot, they finally have a moment to reflect on their journeys and ask themselves what matters to them most.
I also adored the chapters in Kunal’s POV where he was so focused on winning Esha back and the chapters in Esha’s POV where she was trying so hard to forget about Kunal. I feel like you rarely see books in YA in which the female character is the dominating one in the main relationship, so it was really cool to see that played out. And honestly generally, Esha’s character feels like such a breath of fresh air. It’s one of the main reasons why I love this series so much--Esha is unapologetically herself and the Viper 24/7. Seeing a South Asian woman be badass, commanding, and a leader instead of falling into the submissive trope is everything! I truly aspire to be like her.
Some other aspects I loved about Chariot were the action sequences--of which there were many. Seeing Kunal, Harun, and Reha’s powers in action were so cool! Speaking of these characters, I also really loved the found family aspect of this book. Found family is one of the best tropes in fantasy, and these characters all stole my heart. They’re all so unique and loveable in their own ways, even while considering we haven’t seen too much of them in the previous two books. I found myself really liking Laksh’s character (surprising, I know), and Farhan, Bhandu, Arpiya, and Aahal. My favorite character, hands-down, is Alok. All of these characters’ little moments were so funny and added amazing comic relief during the serious scenes. Here were some of my favorite moments:
Esha grumbled something under her breath, and Laksh put a hand over her twitching hand, whispering something low into her ear.
Kunal’s blood rose, and his nostrils flared. He wanted to break that hand.
“Laksh has been mooning over Arpiya.” Alok’s whisper jolted Kunal. “Esha and he are just friendly. Stress of betrayal and all. It’s Mayank you have to look after,” he said darkly.
Kunal sputtered. “Mayank? Not Harun?”
Next we have one of the many hilarious twin moments between Alok and Aahal:
“Are you sure the trip down the mountain didn’t addle your brain, Kunal?”
Kunal glared at him. “No more than poison did yours.”
Alok unleashed a beleaguered sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So very mature of the both of you. Really representing us well here.”
“If it’s any consolation, I feel the same way about them,” Aahal whispered to Alok, pointing a thumb at Farhan and Bhandu.
Lastly, we have a little LakshxArpiya moment, a pair that I surprisingly really enjoyed and would have liked to see more of:
“Now the question is, how do we get it back from her?” Farhan said.
“Send me,” Aahal said excitedly. “I got a new weapon I’m dying to try out.”
“Raid on their camp,” Bhandu said.
“A knife to the heart,” Arpiya said. Laksh gave her a look, but it wasn’t one of disgust.
“I’m learning so much about you,” he said. “I kind of like it.”
Anyways, I love this series so much and I’m excited to see upcoming news about Swati’s current WIP. Go read this trilogy if you haven’t already!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
sankta_aleena's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Torture and Sexism
More...