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A review by onthesamepage
The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Second books in a trilogy are always a risk, because most of the time, the book functions as a setup for the epic conclusion, and suffers as a result. Not so with this book, which did do a fair amount of setup, but never at the expense of the story. There was so much happening throughout, and all of it was gripping and interesting. I found myself constantly gravitating towards this book over other books I was reading, because I wanted to know how the characters were doing and what they would end up having to deal with next.
Our main perspectives in this book are Priya, Malini, and Bhumika, and in a surprising twist, I think Bhumika's chapters fascinated me the most. She is left behind in Ahiranya while Priya goes to help Malini win her war, and shit almost immediately hits the fan. Bhumika is a subtler character than the other women, but no less strong, and I really liked seeing the way she dealt with everything that was being thrown at her. Also, the romance between her and Jeevan is so freaking sweet.
Rather than giving us an entire book where Priya and Malini barely engage with each other, the first dose of romance comes pretty soon, in the form of a couple of letters the two sneakily exchange. There is a lot of longing and pining, and even though they have feelings for each other, this is no less a slow burn than the first book was. The power dynamics between them are really interesting; Malini wields traditional power as empress, and Priya adores her enough to go along with everything, but Priya is really the more powerful of the two, and I loved seeing the way they navigated that.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, but you can expect some interesting reveals about the yaksa, Priya's powers, and the rot.
Second books in a trilogy are always a risk, because most of the time, the book functions as a setup for the epic conclusion, and suffers as a result. Not so with this book, which did do a fair amount of setup, but never at the expense of the story. There was so much happening throughout, and all of it was gripping and interesting. I found myself constantly gravitating towards this book over other books I was reading, because I wanted to know how the characters were doing and what they would end up having to deal with next.
Our main perspectives in this book are Priya, Malini, and Bhumika, and in a surprising twist, I think Bhumika's chapters fascinated me the most. She is left behind in Ahiranya while Priya goes to help Malini win her war, and shit almost immediately hits the fan. Bhumika is a subtler character than the other women, but no less strong, and I really liked seeing the way she dealt with everything that was being thrown at her. Also, the romance between her and Jeevan is so freaking sweet.
Rather than giving us an entire book where Priya and Malini barely engage with each other, the first dose of romance comes pretty soon, in the form of a couple of letters the two sneakily exchange. There is a lot of longing and pining, and even though they have feelings for each other, this is no less a slow burn than the first book was. The power dynamics between them are really interesting; Malini wields traditional power as empress, and Priya adores her enough to go along with everything, but Priya is really the more powerful of the two, and I loved seeing the way they navigated that.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, but you can expect some interesting reveals about the yaksa, Priya's powers, and the rot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Death