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worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
4.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A prophecy foretells the downfall of the cruel Raja Lohar of Ambar at the hands of one who bears a star-shaped birthmark and ever since, girls across Swapnalok with this mark have been disappearing. As Gul, who bears such a mark, flees her home, hiding from the Sky Warriors who murdered her parents, she runs into a group of rebels known as the Sisterhood of the Golden Lotus who take her in and train her in magic. Two years pass and though Gul can only just barely wield her magic, her thirst for revenge has not abated, and she is determined to find a way into the palace. Enter Cavas, a non-magus boy who lives in the tenements with his ailing father and is considering leaving his position in the royal stables to join the king’s army. A chance meeting at the bazaar on the night of the moon festival ends up with both of them being drawn into the plot as reluctant partners.
Hunted by the Sky inspired by Ancient India – this always makes me really happy because I’ve come across so few that use this kind of setting, considering it’s perfect for fantasy novels and especially so when done by an own-voices author. I recognized so many of the cultural influences and this book reminded me a lot, in terms of the feel of the world atleast, of The Candle and the Flame which I read last year. The magical aspects of this world are so fascinating with seemingly endless number of ways in which magic can manifest, from talking to animals, seeing the future, seeing ghosts and wielding dead magic (what that is exactly, I’m still not too clear on and would really like a proper definition rather than vague mentions).
As for our two main characters, though I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface so far, I enjoyed them a lot. Gul is like the ‘Chosen One’ figure, the prophesied Star Warrior who is meant to take down the tyrant king, yet can barely access her magic and has spent her whole life running and hiding from those hunting her because of her birthmark. Cavas on the other hand, is just trying to keep his head down and do his job so he can take care of his father – he is a character who is very easy to overlook, but really shouldn’t be because he is turning out to be just as crucial to the plot – not to mention all the secrets about his past that are only hinted at in this book! The chemistry between Cavas and Gul on the other hand was rather lacklustre in my opinion and could have been presented better, not to mention, it felt quite rushed too. The side characters are just as interesting, from the Sky Warriors and their leader, General Shayla to the Sisterhood and of course, the secret group we meet at the very end of this book and I want to know so much more about all of them.
The pacing wasn’t the best and nothing very interesting happened until well past the halfway point, but curiosity alone will keep you reading, if only to delve deeper into this world and its characters. I would have liked to spend more of the story inside the walls of the fort itself and learn about the history of the world in more detail and if the initial chapters had been faster, this could have been done. I also found this ARC really hard to read because of poor formatting, so it took a while longer to finish than is normal for my speed.
Overall, this was a solid read and the ending, while not entirely unexpected, was still shocking (not to mention absolutely chaotic), and raises so many questions! Hunted by the Sky was an interesting start to a new series and certainly a unique one. I can’t wait to see where this story goes next!
Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A prophecy foretells the downfall of the cruel Raja Lohar of Ambar at the hands of one who bears a star-shaped birthmark and ever since, girls across Swapnalok with this mark have been disappearing. As Gul, who bears such a mark, flees her home, hiding from the Sky Warriors who murdered her parents, she runs into a group of rebels known as the Sisterhood of the Golden Lotus who take her in and train her in magic. Two years pass and though Gul can only just barely wield her magic, her thirst for revenge has not abated, and she is determined to find a way into the palace. Enter Cavas, a non-magus boy who lives in the tenements with his ailing father and is considering leaving his position in the royal stables to join the king’s army. A chance meeting at the bazaar on the night of the moon festival ends up with both of them being drawn into the plot as reluctant partners.
Hunted by the Sky inspired by Ancient India – this always makes me really happy because I’ve come across so few that use this kind of setting, considering it’s perfect for fantasy novels and especially so when done by an own-voices author. I recognized so many of the cultural influences and this book reminded me a lot, in terms of the feel of the world atleast, of The Candle and the Flame which I read last year. The magical aspects of this world are so fascinating with seemingly endless number of ways in which magic can manifest, from talking to animals, seeing the future, seeing ghosts and wielding dead magic (what that is exactly, I’m still not too clear on and would really like a proper definition rather than vague mentions).
As for our two main characters, though I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface so far, I enjoyed them a lot. Gul is like the ‘Chosen One’ figure, the prophesied Star Warrior who is meant to take down the tyrant king, yet can barely access her magic and has spent her whole life running and hiding from those hunting her because of her birthmark. Cavas on the other hand, is just trying to keep his head down and do his job so he can take care of his father – he is a character who is very easy to overlook, but really shouldn’t be because he is turning out to be just as crucial to the plot – not to mention all the secrets about his past that are only hinted at in this book! The chemistry between Cavas and Gul on the other hand was rather lacklustre in my opinion and could have been presented better, not to mention, it felt quite rushed too. The side characters are just as interesting, from the Sky Warriors and their leader, General Shayla to the Sisterhood and of course, the secret group we meet at the very end of this book and I want to know so much more about all of them.
The pacing wasn’t the best and nothing very interesting happened until well past the halfway point, but curiosity alone will keep you reading, if only to delve deeper into this world and its characters. I would have liked to spend more of the story inside the walls of the fort itself and learn about the history of the world in more detail and if the initial chapters had been faster, this could have been done. I also found this ARC really hard to read because of poor formatting, so it took a while longer to finish than is normal for my speed.
Overall, this was a solid read and the ending, while not entirely unexpected, was still shocking (not to mention absolutely chaotic), and raises so many questions! Hunted by the Sky was an interesting start to a new series and certainly a unique one. I can’t wait to see where this story goes next!
share_the_book_dragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
teawithbree's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
maddiebills's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
lmwrites's review against another edition
3.0
I love any kind of medieval AU with magic, and this one does not disappoint. TBH, I wasn't paying attention to the chapter character headings, and in Cavas's first chapter I thought Gul was narrating. Got real excited when I thought she was queer, but quickly got over my confusion/disappointment as I got deeper into the magic.
abhisikta_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Hunted by the Sky is the first book of 'The Wrath of Ambar' Duology. It is a romantic fantasy and is set in Medieval India. Gul is born with a star-shaped birthmark on her arm. Girls having this birthmark are hunted down, as one of them is destined to kill the tyrannical King of Ambar. Gul and her parents have spent their entire life running from the Sky Warriors of the King. But one day, they found out the location of Gul and went to capture her. However, Gul's parents save her, and during this process, they are killed by the Sky Warriors. Gul flees away and is rescued by a gang of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus. They start training her in warrior magic so that Gul can take revenge on the King for her parent's murder.
Cavas works in the palace as a stable boy and is ready to enlist his name in the King's army to save his terminally ill father. Circumstances force Gul and Cavas to cross paths where the latter gets entangled in Gul's mission of vengeance.
Will Cavas help Gul in her revenge? To know more, you have to read this book.
I wanted to read Hunted by the Sky as it is one of the talked about books of bookstagram and because I love reading fantasy fiction. Honestly, the book lived up to my expectations. The writing style of the author is brilliant. I loved how she has intricately described everything in the book, starting from the description of the palace, the clothes, and food.
I liked both Gul as well Cavas' characters. The book has been narrated from both Gul and Cavas' viewpoints. This helped me learn more about their backstories and understand their thought processes.
However, one thing that I missed in the book was the romance between Cavas and Gul. Surely, there were some sparks, but the chemistry between them (as stated in the blurb) was absent. Also, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and could have been better.
Hunted by the Sky reminds me of Children of Blood and Bone because of the similarity in the plotline. I highly recommend this book to people who love reading fantasy fiction or have enjoyed reading Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
Cavas works in the palace as a stable boy and is ready to enlist his name in the King's army to save his terminally ill father. Circumstances force Gul and Cavas to cross paths where the latter gets entangled in Gul's mission of vengeance.
Will Cavas help Gul in her revenge? To know more, you have to read this book.
I wanted to read Hunted by the Sky as it is one of the talked about books of bookstagram and because I love reading fantasy fiction. Honestly, the book lived up to my expectations. The writing style of the author is brilliant. I loved how she has intricately described everything in the book, starting from the description of the palace, the clothes, and food.
I liked both Gul as well Cavas' characters. The book has been narrated from both Gul and Cavas' viewpoints. This helped me learn more about their backstories and understand their thought processes.
However, one thing that I missed in the book was the romance between Cavas and Gul. Surely, there were some sparks, but the chemistry between them (as stated in the blurb) was absent. Also, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and could have been better.
Hunted by the Sky reminds me of Children of Blood and Bone because of the similarity in the plotline. I highly recommend this book to people who love reading fantasy fiction or have enjoyed reading Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
angelhisugi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-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
thebookedpath's review against another edition
3.0
Decent read. I expected more mythology or for there to be some sort of deity characters. This book was slow. I almost rated it lower, but it did start to pick up in the end. However, it wasn't enough to bring it to 4 stars. I liked the backstories of the three women who care for Gul. I liked this sort of sisterhood community they had and how they trained all these girls. I found Cavas to be annoying and a little judgemental. However, I liked the descriptions of the festivals and the colors used in the book.
slaapkameractivist's review against another edition
4.0
Yeah this was really good! It is fantasy and has mytholog based on Indian and Persian mythology. I absolutely loved it, I think the only thing I struggled with was keeping up with the information. It's a lot for someone with my cognitive issues. But not so much that it pulled me out of the story completely. Can't wait to start part 2.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2.75 stars
Ok story with insta-love romance, narrative is very slow. Hopefully sequels picks up pace.
Ok story with insta-love romance, narrative is very slow. Hopefully sequels picks up pace.