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A review by alyram4
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena
4.0
Solid 4/5 stars
I'm really digging all of these mythology/folklore inspired fantasy novels lately. Especially with my reread of Percy Jackson, I'm really wanting to read more books steeped with folklore and myths. Hunted by the Sky has amazing worldbuilding, and I actually feel like I was immersed into the world. I know very little of Indian culture, myths, and customs. The little I know is what I've been told my a college friend of mine. I loved delving into a world rooted in a culture different than my own, and this book did a fantastic job in keeping me engaged.
There were times where I had to slow down and reread sections, but this is mostly due to me not being able to read and quickly decipher the language being used. There's a glossary at the end of the book, so there was a lot of jumping back and forth for me. It's especially hard to switch back and forth when reading on the phone, so you can sense how I would be a little frustrated. It's not something I particularly mind in the end though, as I've read a bunch of books using Spanish that I assume other readers would have to look up to understand. I definitely get it, and I actually think it adds an extra layer into how real the books feels.
My main issue for knocking down a star were characters. I depend a lot on connecting with the characters. I can forgive them if I really enjoy the story, and that's a bit of the case here. I never connected to anyone until the near-end of the book. Decisions are made where I personally felt they didn't make sense, and sometimes people act very naive or childish. It bothered me enough to the point where I rounded down my rating. However, I can look past it as I did start to care near the end. There was genuine character development happening, even if it wasn't as quickly as I had hoped. I'm hoping that the next book will lead me to truly care for the characters.
I'm really digging all of these mythology/folklore inspired fantasy novels lately. Especially with my reread of Percy Jackson, I'm really wanting to read more books steeped with folklore and myths. Hunted by the Sky has amazing worldbuilding, and I actually feel like I was immersed into the world. I know very little of Indian culture, myths, and customs. The little I know is what I've been told my a college friend of mine. I loved delving into a world rooted in a culture different than my own, and this book did a fantastic job in keeping me engaged.
There were times where I had to slow down and reread sections, but this is mostly due to me not being able to read and quickly decipher the language being used. There's a glossary at the end of the book, so there was a lot of jumping back and forth for me. It's especially hard to switch back and forth when reading on the phone, so you can sense how I would be a little frustrated. It's not something I particularly mind in the end though, as I've read a bunch of books using Spanish that I assume other readers would have to look up to understand. I definitely get it, and I actually think it adds an extra layer into how real the books feels.
My main issue for knocking down a star were characters. I depend a lot on connecting with the characters. I can forgive them if I really enjoy the story, and that's a bit of the case here. I never connected to anyone until the near-end of the book. Decisions are made where I personally felt they didn't make sense, and sometimes people act very naive or childish. It bothered me enough to the point where I rounded down my rating. However, I can look past it as I did start to care near the end. There was genuine character development happening, even if it wasn't as quickly as I had hoped. I'm hoping that the next book will lead me to truly care for the characters.