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booksthatburn's review against another edition
I generally have trouble keeping track of names, and the dizzying array of point-of-view characters made it too difficult to continue, especially in combination with the slow pacing. It makes it feel like too many people are talking and nothing is happening. Even the very brief battle wasn't enough to help. I tried to read it for two months but it started feeling like a chore so I stopped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Body horror, Murder, Animal death, Alcohol, and Blood
Minor: Excrement, Suicide, and Sexual content
holyschmitz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.75
In this thrilling sequel to The Jasmine Throne, three main characters must reckon with the high cost of power. Dark secrets wait at the root of a strange and powerful magic; brutal war and waning faith surround the figure of a prophesied rule; new threats arise to challenge a newly freed country. With mysteries that draw readers further into the story and twists that keep them on their toes, The Oleander Sword takes the series in exciting directions. I'm rooting so hard for Priya, Malini, and Bhumika, even as their motives differ and their paths diverge, and I'm so exciting to see where Tasha Suri takes them next.
Themes: the impact of imperialism and war, religion, challenging misogyny and xenophobia within the context of the world, the cost of power and secrets, sapphic romance, complicated characters
Themes: the impact of imperialism and war, religion, challenging misogyny and xenophobia within the context of the world, the cost of power and secrets, sapphic romance, complicated characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Violence, War, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Body horror, Addiction, Racism, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, and War
Minor: Classism, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Animal death, Suicide, Self harm, and Homophobia
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Animal death, Torture, and Suicide
enchantressreads's review against another edition
adventurous
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
“How do you stand against a god that lives inside you?”
While The Jasmine Throne centers on Priya, The Oleander Sword centers on Malini. I don’t want to go into much detail, because The Jasmine Throne is such a beautiful book and I believe one should enjoy it before reading any reviews of The Oleander Sword. So let’s talk about the vibes.
I flew through TJT in only a matter of days, but TOS took me about 10 days. I felt that more action happened in TJT, and TOS kind of fell short, succumbing to second book in a series syndrome. HOWEVER, while it did mostly set up the third book, it was beautifully written, and the yearning that was in the first book continued into the second, maybe even at a higher level. The .25 reduction in rating comes solely from the second book syndrome feeling, because otherwise I loved it and I can’t wait to read the third book.
I have a feeling I’m going to be real hurt or real happy. Tasha Suri sure knows how to do both.
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
CW for death, blood, war, violence, fire, sexism, and animal death
While The Jasmine Throne centers on Priya, The Oleander Sword centers on Malini. I don’t want to go into much detail, because The Jasmine Throne is such a beautiful book and I believe one should enjoy it before reading any reviews of The Oleander Sword. So let’s talk about the vibes.
I flew through TJT in only a matter of days, but TOS took me about 10 days. I felt that more action happened in TJT, and TOS kind of fell short, succumbing to second book in a series syndrome. HOWEVER, while it did mostly set up the third book, it was beautifully written, and the yearning that was in the first book continued into the second, maybe even at a higher level. The .25 reduction in rating comes solely from the second book syndrome feeling, because otherwise I loved it and I can’t wait to read the third book.
I have a feeling I’m going to be real hurt or real happy. Tasha Suri sure knows how to do both.
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
CW for death, blood, war, violence, fire, sexism, and animal death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, and Blood
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Sexism
Minor: Animal death
qace90's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
Oleander Sword is even better than Jasmine Throne and has me utterly adrift in feelings. Full review closer to release, but trust me - you need this book in your life!!
Full review:
I finished Oleander Sword and now I don’t know what to do with myself. How dare it end there?! Where’s the next book?! I need to know what’s going to happen next!!
Oleander Sword picks up a year after the events of Jasmine Throne. Bhumika and Priya are Elders of Ahiranya and trying to lead their country into a prosperous future, but are having to deal with the politics of the highborn and also trying to stop the spread of the rot, if they can’t reverse it’s effects. Malini is empress but she’s still having to fight to hold that title, especially as her brother Chandra has found a weapon that makes people question the veracity of the prophecies claiming she is the true and rightful leader of Parijatdvipa. Her claims to the throne are also hindered by men who would rather see her brother Aditya as emperor, as he is the eldest and was once the crown prince, but he has no interest in ruling; he sees his place as a priest for the nameless.
This book had me immediately in my feelings and needing someone to scream with because the way Tasha Suri executes emotional complexity alongside political machinations and ripple effect manipulations is nothing short of masterful. The prose is absolutely gorgeous, but for me this book is all about the emotions. Everyone is trying to do what they believe to be the right thing and so many are working towards their goals for love - of someone, of country, of faith. I love the complexity of these characters and how hard it sometimes is to sus out who is in the right and who is in the wrong - especially as so many of these characters are doing bad or harmful things for the right reasons.
Oleander Sword is absolutely gorgeous on so many levels and really delves into complexities of motivations and goals while also giving space for softness and love. But even the soft, loving elements have thorns and hurt. Priya, Malini, Bhumika, and all the other characters are trying their best in a world and time when sometimes the best you can do is offer your enemy a quick death. But who is the true enemy when ancient powers are coming back into the world?
I just, I am utterly in awe of the writing and the story Tasha Suri is telling with this series and cannot wait for the third book’s release. If you’re a fan of epic fantasy with complicated motivations, nuanced interpersonal dynamics, and messy, messy feelings you absolutely need to read this book!
Oleander Sword is even better than Jasmine Throne and has me utterly adrift in feelings. Full review closer to release, but trust me - you need this book in your life!!
Full review:
I finished Oleander Sword and now I don’t know what to do with myself. How dare it end there?! Where’s the next book?! I need to know what’s going to happen next!!
Oleander Sword picks up a year after the events of Jasmine Throne. Bhumika and Priya are Elders of Ahiranya and trying to lead their country into a prosperous future, but are having to deal with the politics of the highborn and also trying to stop the spread of the rot, if they can’t reverse it’s effects. Malini is empress but she’s still having to fight to hold that title, especially as her brother Chandra has found a weapon that makes people question the veracity of the prophecies claiming she is the true and rightful leader of Parijatdvipa. Her claims to the throne are also hindered by men who would rather see her brother Aditya as emperor, as he is the eldest and was once the crown prince, but he has no interest in ruling; he sees his place as a priest for the nameless.
This book had me immediately in my feelings and needing someone to scream with because the way Tasha Suri executes emotional complexity alongside political machinations and ripple effect manipulations is nothing short of masterful. The prose is absolutely gorgeous, but for me this book is all about the emotions. Everyone is trying to do what they believe to be the right thing and so many are working towards their goals for love - of someone, of country, of faith. I love the complexity of these characters and how hard it sometimes is to sus out who is in the right and who is in the wrong - especially as so many of these characters are doing bad or harmful things for the right reasons.
Oleander Sword is absolutely gorgeous on so many levels and really delves into complexities of motivations and goals while also giving space for softness and love. But even the soft, loving elements have thorns and hurt. Priya, Malini, Bhumika, and all the other characters are trying their best in a world and time when sometimes the best you can do is offer your enemy a quick death. But who is the true enemy when ancient powers are coming back into the world?
I just, I am utterly in awe of the writing and the story Tasha Suri is telling with this series and cannot wait for the third book’s release. If you’re a fan of epic fantasy with complicated motivations, nuanced interpersonal dynamics, and messy, messy feelings you absolutely need to read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and War
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Animal death, Suicide, and Torture
- Grief - Immolation - Battle - Drowning - Threats toward a child’s safety - Alcohol consumption - Sensual/sexual content - Reference to torture (off page) - Poisonlaurareads87's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is what I want in epic fantasy: a compelling setting, political intrigue, amazing world-building, meaningful diverse representation, and a plot I’m consistently excited about. It’s also what I want in a middle book of a trilogy: self-contained enough to not feel like it ended too abruptly while still leaving me on the edge of my seat for the third book. The ending — I won’t say much about it but suffice to say that I’m waiting extraordinarily impatiently for book three and am a little bit stressed about it! The multiple perspectives — and there are a *lot* of them — feel distinctive and are used to great effect in developing the characters and their motivations, and the religious and magical elements that were intriguing in the first book are further elaborated here beautifully. One of the absolute best fantasy series happening right now — highly, highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Grief, Suicide, and Torture
Minor: Animal death
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