Praise for the Burning Kingdoms trilogy: "Will undoubtedly reshape the landscape of epic fantasy for years to come." — Booklist (starred review) The plot is also extremely compelling. There is the war Malini is fighting, the stuff Bhumika is struggling with in Ahiranya and Aditya, and his destiny. There is this impending feeling of doom and disaster throughout the entirety of this book. I feel like that's part of the reason why this part is so much tighter plot-wise than book 1. The plot feels like a held breath, just waiting for the other shoe to drop because the foreshadowing is so wonderfully handled that you KNOW something is about to go horribly wrong and all you can do is watch the characters hurtle towards their fate. It might also be, due to the constant theme of Fate and the role it plays in the characters' lives. Ironically we have characters like Rao and Aditya who are ready to follow their fate, and then we have Malini who is trying desperately to wrench her character's autonomy out of the author's cold dead hands. There is this dramatic/structural irony which is why I compared it to Song of Achilles, and that lends a sort of helplessly tragic motif to the novel. Will undoubtedly reshape the landscape of epic fantasy for years to come’ Booklist (starred review) There is much else going on in the book that I don’t want to spoil, but I’ll mention a few things in brief. Rao is struggling with regard to his loyalty to Malini, since she doesn’t appreciate just how important she is to him in terms of his Nameless culture and faith. Chandra is also struggling, and boy, is he evil. But Suri made me understand where that came from to a degree, so he wasn’t quite as cardboard as he might have been. Chandra also gets married in this book, and I felt for his wife. In addition, Kartik’s role in the story is eventually revealed.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Edelweiss for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 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. malini is such a poorly written protagonist. her chapters were painfully repetitive. her political savviness is really just the men around her being stupid. we're told over and over by the narrative how she's a brilliant scheming genius but in reality, all her wins are through plot conveniences and other characters helping her out of their own volition. It pains me to write this review of The Oleander Sword (book two in the Burning Kingdoms series, which began with The Jasmine Throne), because while this isn’t a terrible book, The Jasmine Throne was my favorite book of 2021, as well as the most romantic and lyrical book I read in last year, and I had such high hopes for its sequel. This complex fantasy has multiple POVs that really help to give a full scope of the empire’s activities. Although Malini, Priya, and Bhumika tell the bulk of the story. Malini’s character development was exceptional. There is no easy path for her. She’s definitely my favourite.The Oleander Sword follows the path The Jasmine Throne laid out for Malini, a prophesied empress at war with her brother, and Priya, thrice-born priestess and Elder of Ahiranya. The Jasmine Throne saw them parted as Malini started her quest for vengeance against the emperor, gathering allies and starting a war to determine Parijatdvipa’s fate, and Priya, Elder of Ahiranya, trying to find her footing with its new independence and using her newfound powers to keep the rot plaguing her country away. Malini is still determined to claim the throne as the empress of Parijatdvipa but knows that she has a long journey ahead of her. Not only must she engage with her brother’s forces, but she also must try to keep the men following her in line. Priya is an Elder of Ahiranya and wants to rid the land of the rot that is spreading and plaguing it. She’s torn between her duties and wanting to be near Malini. But when unexpected conflict rises that threatens the world as they know it, they realize they must work together to save everything they care about.

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. I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. DR: Can you talk a little bit about how Priya and Malini came into your life? What was the genesis for The Burning Kingdoms?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 withrage in her heart and the army of loyal men by her side, deposing her brother is going to be a brutal and bloody fight. In general, I thought that the ending was rushed. I thought that about the last book too, and about Realm of Ash as well. Suri has a tendency to rush her endings. TS: Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey, A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore and The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan. I realise between the epic fantasy, the horror-infused literary fiction and the historical romance that’s an odd mix, but it’d keep me well entertained! Does a sacrifice have the same power if you don’t know what you are sacrificing? If you cut out your heart so flowers could grow, so magic could wind its roots in your yielding lungs, without understanding that you would end up here, kneeling before a thorn-mouthed god, being told you must kill what you love? Surely not. Surely the way of things couldn’t be this cruel.” And the magnetic, slow but inescapable, pull that Priya and Malini feel towards one another while Malini must embody an untouchable, godsent empress and they must focus on a war they have to win??? *chef’s kiss*

By far my favorite parts of The Oleander Sword involved the world of Ahiranya. As the magical rot continues to spread and the yaksa walk the earth again, the stakes are higher than ever in this entry of The Burning Kingdom. Suri does an absolutely phenomenal job capturing the otherworldliness of these spooky beings and honestly reading the author’s descriptions of the yaksa made me wish she would also write a horror series. The Oleander Sword effortlessly poses the question of what could be more horrific than encountering one’s own formerly dead gods?

I think Rao’s nameless prophecy that Malini would name the next leader of the empire hasn’t yet been fulfilled. I think Malini will step down and the prophecy will come true when she names the next emperor in her stead. And I’m guessing that will be Rao. 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. 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.