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leaflit's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
I liked this one better than the first one. I wasn’t sure I was going to keep going with the series after the first book but I’m glad I did and looking forward to the third. Lots going on, faster pace and getting deeper into the lore. Ends with a lot of plot lines set up for an exciting sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Vomit, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death, Murder, War, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Kidnapping, Torture, Drug use, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Gore, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Confinement, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Domestic abuse
greymalkin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What a gorgeous and fascinating world Tasha Suri has created! I really enjoyed Jasmine Throne but I like Oleander Sword even more. The writing is smoother and more assured, and the characters finally have just enough power and momentum to start making really big choices.
I enjoyed the evolution of Malini and Priya's relationship since it was always going to be complicated and messy and it's good that the book embraced that. The only thing I didn't really like was the forced ending. I completely get that they needed to set this up for the third book but it felt jarring and not very believable. I wish it had been the other way around where Priya watches as the yaska puppet her body and kill Malini and the horror and grief hollows her out completely to let the yaska in. And so Priya flees, not knowing that Malini actually lives due to the mothers keeping her alive (and of course they exact their own price from Malini- perhaps Malini's love or memories of Priya). That would feel more in keeping with the emotional tenor of their relationship- where Malini keeps having to give away pieces of herself and Priya keeps having to bow to to a great power even as it sickens her, and this could be the "rock bottom". Oh well. It was still an excellent book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Body horror, Murder, and Sexism
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
wordwilderness's review against another edition
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? Yes
5.0
After the conclusion of The Jasmine Throne, I knew the tone and plot of The Oleander Sword were going to be different. At the end of The Jasmine Throne Malini escapes her imprisonment and begins her quest to overthrow her brother Chandra, the emperor of Parijatdvipa. Meanwhile, Priya remains in Ahiranya to rule alongside Bhumika as temple elders. With the separation of our two main characters and the expansion of the plot beyond Ahiranya, The Oleander Sword promised high stakes and a bloody battle for the Parijatdvipan empire.
Plot & Story Focus
One of my favorite parts of The Jasmine Throne was the development of Malini and Priya’s relationship, so I was worried about how their separation would affect my enjoyment of the sequel. I was also curious to see how the overall feel of the story would change as the focus moved from the characters’ relationships to the war for the empire. It turns out my worries were unwarranted. The Oleander Sword continued to revolve around its characters and their conflicts, even as the plot expanded.
Although The Oleander Sword continued to develop its characters and relationships, there’s no doubt it drifts further into epic fantasy than The Jasmine Throne with its widespread worldbuilding, epic battles, and the introduction of world-ending conflict. In my opinion, The Jasmine Throne toed the line between epic and high fantasy, because even though the conflict and worldbuilding spanned across an empire, most of the focus was aimed at Priya and Malini’s budding relationship. The story was always going to expand, but it does give The Oleander Sword a different feel than The Jasmine Throne.
Malini’s path of conquest was the main source of conflict in the story. I’m going to be honest, I usually don’t pay attention to large battles far beyond “swords, yay!”, and The Oleander Sword delivered in that area. What I loved most about this plotline was getting to see the conflict and tension between Malini and her allies.
Malini wasn’t the first in line for the throne, and unlike Chandra, she didn’t have powerful priests to back her claim to the throne. The only way she had any chance of defeating Chandra was by gaining powerful allies. We learn in The Jasmine Throne that Malini spent her time before being banished gathering allies, and The Oleander Sword is really where we get to see the results of her networking. Unfortunately, the promises she made to gain those allies were the promises of an emperor. Throughout the story, Malini must plan assaults against her brother’s armies while placating the allies she needs to defeat him. The tension this created made for an exciting story. I loved seeing the decisions Malini was forced to make, and the different side of her character it brought out.
Writing Style
I was incredibly impressed by how well Tasha Suri continued to weave together all her characters’ motivations and stories into the narrative. I enjoyed the multi-pov style in The Jasmine Throne, but I think The Oleander Sword is a much better example of how this writing style can bring empire-wide plotlines to life. While The Jasmine Throne mostly focused on Malini’s imprisonment with a few “side” plots, The Oleander Sword follows multiple conflicts that will determine the fate of the Parijatvipan Empire.
Tasha Suri also has a very vivid and elegant writing style that gives her stories a magical feel. It makes the story flow at a very gentle pace without getting boring. I also love how her depiction of certain scenes makes them linger in my mind like my own memories. When I think back to my favorite moments in the book, it feels like I was actually there.
When I finally decided to pick The Oleander Sword back up after classes ended, I decided to get the audiobook because I thought Suri’s writing would be best to listen to. I was right. Listening to The Oleander Sword audiobook was like being wrapped in a warm blanket and being told a bedtime story (albeit, a very dark and bloody one). After I finished listening to The Oleander Sword I decided I needed to go back and read the series from the beginning as audiobooks.
Characters
In terms of characters, The Oleander Sword continued with The Jasmine Throne’s themes of unlikely allies, the sacrifices it takes to gain power, and the development of our favorite sapphic power couple: Priya and Malini. There really wasn’t much room for improvement, in my opinion, but one difference between the first and second books was that the side characters felt more compelling. Bhumika was an especially interesting character to follow as she faced the consequences of seizing the power she needed to reclaim Ahiranya. I also really enjoyed seeing more of the relationship between Rao and Aditya. I wasn’t expecting there to be such a close, loving bond between the two, so it was a pleasant surprise. Whenever I reread the series, I want to pay more attention to Rao’s perspective because I missed some of their relationship dynamics just because I wasn’t looking for them. I was more focused on Priya/Malini, Priya/Bhumika, and Priya/Sima.
Speaking of, I loved getting to see more of Sima in The Oleander Sword. She got sidelined in the first book, but she has a lot of potential as a character. In this sequel, Sima demonstrated that she is exceptionally loyal and charming. One of the saddest parts of the book for me was seeing Sima struggle to hold on to her relationship with Priya as Priya continued to become more powerful and untouchable. Sima wanted to be the one to protect Priya, but how can you protect one of the most powerful humans in the empire? As the series continues, I’m really interested to see how Sima changes as a result of Priya’s choices. I think she has the potential to become a key player in the third book of the series.
Series Flow
Another thing that stood out to me in The Oleander Sword was just how perfectly it acted as the second book for a trilogy. This sequel reached an exciting climax for the original conflict while seamlessly weaving in new antagonists to set up the finale. In my experience, sequels often transition the original conflict to the third book for the finale or they only focus on setting up new conflict for the finale. In both cases, the second book in a trilogy can become dull because all it does is act as a transition between the first and third books. But The Oleander Sword managed to set up the final conflict without taking away from its own plotline.
You’ll Like This Book if You Enjoy…
- Epic fantasy
- Multi-POV books
- A large cast of characters
- Compelling and conflicted relationships
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Abandonment, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Misogyny, Violence, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
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