The prophecy of the nameless god—the words that declared Malini the rightful empress of Parijatdvipa—has proven a blessing and curse. She is determined to claim the throne that fate offered her. But even with the strength of the rage in her heart and the army of loyal men by her side, deposing her brother is going to be a brutal and bloody fight.
The power of the deathless waters flows through Priya’s blood. Thrice born priestess, Elder of Ahiranya, Priya’s dream is to see her country rid of the rot that plagues it: both Parijatdvipa's poisonous rule, and the blooming sickness that is slowly spreading through all living things. But she doesn’t yet understand the truth of the magic she carries.
Their chosen paths once pulled them apart. But Malini and Priya's souls remain as entwined as their destinies. And they soon realize that coming together is the only way to save their kingdom from those who would rather see it burn—even if it will cost them.
This is such an incredible book. Tasha Suri's The Oleander Sword, second volume of The Burning Kingdoms, doesn't suffer at all from second book syndrome. The narrative only gets richer and grows in complexity and scope; the beautiful prose is truly vivid and immersive. The book moves inesorably towards a reckoning of love and sacrifice that left me speechless with its brutality. Suri makes bold choices, but they work perfectly in the context of the world and the story she's telling, a story of misoginy and religion and the choices we make in a war. The divided loyalties of Malini and Priya are the driving force of the book; their two subplots weave in a heartbreaking way towards a catastrophic ending that redefines battle lines.
The love between Priya and Malini is beautiful because it comes despite all odds and neither of them works under the assumption that they can escape their own duties. They're both incredibly multi-faceted protagonists; but it's the whole cast that makes this book, aided by the skillful use of chapters with different point of views, showing us the thoughts and motives of other characters. While a beautiful love story, indeed, this book is first of all a book about war and its costs; about colonialism and the price of religious war. It's an incredibly complex book that hits all its marks perfectly.
The yaksa are the perfect antagonists, utterly alien and terrifying; the descriptions of the unnatural changes they bring about are especially vivid and horrifying. They aren't beholden by mortal laws; they're other, incarnating themselves from outside, and the sparse backstory that is offered is tantalizing and strange. They're cruel, but because of an impersonal disinterest, not out of real malice. On the other side of the spectrum there's Malini's tyrant brother, revealing himself to be a weak man easily manipulated. In the end Suri manages to make you feel for him while also utterly despising him.
The conflict between love and duty is also explored in the ties between Priya and Bhumika, Bhumika and Jeevan, Malini and Aditya, Aditya and Rao; the tapestry of conflicting loyalties is complex and sometimes ruthless.
The Oleander Sword is an excellent sequel that efficiently tears your heart out and stomps on it.
✨ 5 stars
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