A review by relright
The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

3.0

This series honestly drives me nuts. If I could give the plot and world building its own rating they’d get 5 stars. Every time I summarize this series or think about it I’m obsessed, it’s so fun and should be immersive. but it’s just so slow paced and poetic in its descriptions it really drags me down and makes me wish for an abridged version. I felt like this about the first novel when I read it last year and had really hoped the second book wouldn’t feel the same since so much of the world building was out of the way but alas the slow pacing still affected my enjoyment. But again the plot is totally worth it - South Asian high fantasy following two women from opposite upbringings - Priya from Ahiranya who has been blessed by the enchanted waters to imbue her with the powers of the extinct yaksa gods and Malini the former princess and now self professed empress of Parijatdvipa who is now in civil war with her brother who wants her to burn on the pyre as a sacrifice to their gods and reinvigoration of the empire’s control over the region. However things become complicated as the yaksa return to Ahiranya but wearing the faces of the dead making it clear that the powers were never gifts but instead a matter of control as things begin to take on a bit more of a horror element. Priya must also reconcile her love for Malini with the conflicting priority of protecting her homeland from the empire that has crushed them for decades and utilizing her gifts in acts of war versus acts of defense. I am glad I came back to this series but glad I switched to audio to help with the pacing issues. I will finish the trilogy when it comes out later this year and would absolutely devour a screen adaptation as I think it would be beautiful.