Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 02/09/2022
Cover:
This gorgeous green cover is absolutely stunning and fits well with the design for the previous book in this series. The illusion of Malini is a great touch that reflects her significant role in the story.
Writing:
The fascinating world is gradually re-introduced and then developed further in this sequel. However, while the writing style remains captivating and easy to follow, it also takes on a flowery flair filled with excessive details. Despite this, there are still many unanswered questions regarding various elements of the magic system, including the powers granted by the deathless waters. This book also sees an increase in the points of view (POVs) compared to the previous book. This dragged down the story’s pacing and made it less engaging, as some POVs add little to the story.
Everything has a price… Everything demands sacrifice.
Storyline:
The story begins shortly after the previous book with a strong focus on the political landscape and characters. The pace is slow and does not really pick up since the storyline is filled with underwhelming conflicts and schemes. There is also little action for most of the story, even though there is an ongoing war! Thankfully, things pick up towards the end of the book as we finally get some intense action, along with numerous twists and painful sacrifices. This set things up nicely for the next book, but I wish the whole story had been as gripping as the final chapters.
Main character:
Priya, Malini, and Bhumika are all struggling under the weight of their newfound responsibilities and the unsolicited opinions of others. Still, each character shows great self-confidence and awareness, displaying their growth since the previous book. Bhumika remains my favourite as she experiences the tension of being both a leader and a mother. In contrast, I was far less invested in Malini and Priya in this sequel. Malini is simply busy fighting for scraps of respect and power in a man’s world, which was frustrating to observe. On the other hand, Priya fades into the background as she plays a supporting role for Bhumika and then Malini in their power struggles.
Secondary characters:
The large cast of secondary characters was not only hard to keep track of, but most characters only made small contributions to the story. The overt attempts at making these characters appear complex and well-rounded only drag out the story. I would have prefered having the focus on fewer characters to keep the story as tight as possible.
Romance:
The cuteness that is Priya’s and Malini’s relationship is filled with way too much angst and pining for me in this book. I did, however, enjoy the two delicate connections, one involving Rao and the other Bhumika, a lot more.
Let me show you how to break me
In short, I had high hopes and expectations for this sequel, but I was disappointed. While I enjoyed the political aspects of the previous book, I was underwhelmed and bored by the various power struggles in this book. The rest of the storyline dragged as numerous POVs and tangents were explored. Even the romance aspect failed to keep me interested as it seemed too forced and angsty. Those looking for a similar read would like The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.
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[…] my interest was gradually worn down by their romantic and personal struggles. You can check out The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri for another ensemble fantasy […]