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A review by books_over_everything
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena
5.0
Initial Thoughts
I had seen this book floating around on Instagram and I believe it was my lovely friends Brad and Britney of @audioshelfme who first showed it off and made me want to look it up. Some things to note, I am half Indian and love seeing Indian mythology represented in fantasy novels. It’s not super commonplace and it was also so important to me that this novel is an Own Voices novel. After learning what the book was about, that it represents my culture, and that the FFBC was hosting a tour, I knew I had to be a part of it!
Some Things I Liked
That glossary. Yes, that is at the end of the novel but major props to Tanaz Bhathena for not italicizing her non-English words. I loved that. As mentioned above, I am half Indian, but I cannot speak a lick of anything other than English. I struggled to pronounce these words as much as probably anyone reading words in a new language would and I love that! Some words felt familiar and others were entirely new and I can’t stress enough how well they were woven into the story. They felt organic. By the end of the book, I still probably couldn’t pronounce most of them, but the vocabulary made so much sense.
Surprise enemies to lovers vibes. I really wasn’t expecting that tension between Gul and Cavas but I was so there for it! I loved their banter and the fact that they both narrate the story.
On that note, I loved Cavas and Gul’s first meeting and all of the other Easter egg kernels sprinkled throughout the book. Latif?? I can’t say any more but, I will say I suspected what his deal was before it was formally announced. However, I loved the subtlety in the writing style. Specifically, the scene where our narrators meet. I recall thinking, is this Gul, no, this can’t be Gul, we’d know if it was her. Tanaz Bhathena didn’t need to say it, she dropped that tiny hint about the necklace with three beads and it was perfect.
Stars as a theme. One word. Obsessed. I can’t stand how much I loved the mythology and world building in this story. This isn’t the first Indian-inspired story about the stars that I’ve read so I’d be curious to delve into my own culture more to find out which myths this book was based on.
Series Value
That ending. First of all, I am officially broken. If it wasn’t for numerous other tour commitments, I’d be in a serious book hangover right now. I must read the next book. It’s not a question of if, it’s definitely when. I can’t wait for it!
Furthermore, the clues and subtle hints in the writing style lend themselves so nicely to a re-read of Hunted by the Sky before reading any sequels. So, this book has both high sequel potential as well as high re-read value.
Final Thoughts
I can’t stand how much I loved this book. I want to tell everyone I know how much I loved it. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Why can’t all books be this good??
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Choshki – if you enjoyed the themes of gods, goddesses, stars, and Indian-inspired mythology, check out this series. The first two books are relatively independent but should be read in order. The third is a series of novellas of stories mentioned in the first two books (but is totally worth reading).
The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala – again, if you can’t get enough Indian mythology, try this series by Swati Teerdhala. Full disclosure, only two of three books are out now and the ending of book two is a doozy. I’m still reeling and I read it almost 2 months ago.
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar – again, if you enjoyed the themes of Hunted by the Sky, try this August 2020 release when it comes out. I have an ARC that I will be starting shortly, but I’ve heard really good things about this book.
I had seen this book floating around on Instagram and I believe it was my lovely friends Brad and Britney of @audioshelfme who first showed it off and made me want to look it up. Some things to note, I am half Indian and love seeing Indian mythology represented in fantasy novels. It’s not super commonplace and it was also so important to me that this novel is an Own Voices novel. After learning what the book was about, that it represents my culture, and that the FFBC was hosting a tour, I knew I had to be a part of it!
Some Things I Liked
That glossary. Yes, that is at the end of the novel but major props to Tanaz Bhathena for not italicizing her non-English words. I loved that. As mentioned above, I am half Indian, but I cannot speak a lick of anything other than English. I struggled to pronounce these words as much as probably anyone reading words in a new language would and I love that! Some words felt familiar and others were entirely new and I can’t stress enough how well they were woven into the story. They felt organic. By the end of the book, I still probably couldn’t pronounce most of them, but the vocabulary made so much sense.
Surprise enemies to lovers vibes. I really wasn’t expecting that tension between Gul and Cavas but I was so there for it! I loved their banter and the fact that they both narrate the story.
On that note, I loved Cavas and Gul’s first meeting and all of the other Easter egg kernels sprinkled throughout the book. Latif?? I can’t say any more but, I will say I suspected what his deal was before it was formally announced. However, I loved the subtlety in the writing style. Specifically, the scene where our narrators meet. I recall thinking, is this Gul, no, this can’t be Gul, we’d know if it was her. Tanaz Bhathena didn’t need to say it, she dropped that tiny hint about the necklace with three beads and it was perfect.
Stars as a theme. One word. Obsessed. I can’t stand how much I loved the mythology and world building in this story. This isn’t the first Indian-inspired story about the stars that I’ve read so I’d be curious to delve into my own culture more to find out which myths this book was based on.
Series Value
That ending. First of all, I am officially broken. If it wasn’t for numerous other tour commitments, I’d be in a serious book hangover right now. I must read the next book. It’s not a question of if, it’s definitely when. I can’t wait for it!
Furthermore, the clues and subtle hints in the writing style lend themselves so nicely to a re-read of Hunted by the Sky before reading any sequels. So, this book has both high sequel potential as well as high re-read value.
Final Thoughts
I can’t stand how much I loved this book. I want to tell everyone I know how much I loved it. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Why can’t all books be this good??
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Choshki – if you enjoyed the themes of gods, goddesses, stars, and Indian-inspired mythology, check out this series. The first two books are relatively independent but should be read in order. The third is a series of novellas of stories mentioned in the first two books (but is totally worth reading).
The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala – again, if you can’t get enough Indian mythology, try this series by Swati Teerdhala. Full disclosure, only two of three books are out now and the ending of book two is a doozy. I’m still reeling and I read it almost 2 months ago.
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar – again, if you enjoyed the themes of Hunted by the Sky, try this August 2020 release when it comes out. I have an ARC that I will be starting shortly, but I’ve heard really good things about this book.