A review by misterintensity
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena

4.0

Ever since her parents were killed by Major Shayla, Gul vowed to kill her and the king who ordered the murder. Girls with a star shaped birthmark are killed due to a prophecy that the king is supposed to be killed by a “star warrior.” She vows vengeance despite her weak magic. As she tries to infiltrate the castle to carry out her mission she keeps running into Cavas, a stableboy whose destiny somehow ties together with hers. This book shines when exploring the role that class, gender, and magic plays in Ambar’s stratification. While most of the chapters are narrated by Gul, Cavas narrates a few chapters. There are a number of threads which enter into the story at various points which pays off in the climax. Ambar feels like a real place however, the way magic works is confusing and a lot of explanations regarding magic gets dumped towards the end. A lot of thought has gone into character motivations and background, which makes a lot of the plot twists very effective. Fans of the Ember in the Ashes series may want to pick this one up.