The last and final book in Tanaz Bhathena’s The Wrath of Ambar series follows Gul and Cavas as they learn more about their magical connections and plan their fight against the new queen. The story starts about a month after the last one ended, and their relationship has already changed. I took some time to warm up to Gul and Cavas again.

I still believed in them individually as well as together, and their combined magic was fascinating to observe. They are both mentally strong and loyal people, but one seemed to drown in his own desire for revenge while the other was consumed by her fear of killing innocents.

Despite the fact that most of the time they are apart, I still felt they weren’t explored enough. However, the separation also enabled them to fight harder for their survival and to start believing in one another more, which I really liked, so I guess that was perfect for the plot.

Ultimately, I thought this was a satisfying conclusion to this duology, with nicely-tied up storylines and foreshadowing of the climax that made it feel more satisfying.

There were a lot of exciting set pieces and great character moments in this series, making it a duology I would recommend – especially if you’re looking for a POC-written chosen one story.

4.5 stars

I was definitely looking forward to reading the final installment immediately after finishing the first book. Luckily, compared to the first book, the ending was very satisfying and was more exciting to me.

It’s a been a few months since the events of the first book and things are different, especially between Cavas and Gul. Living in Tavan with spiritual beings and a new army standing behind the Star Warrior, the two of them must work together to discover their own magic while bracing themselves for an impending war.

I don’t know if I’m the only reader that likes this, but I actually enjoyed the parts where there was training and new learning experiences for the characters. In stories like this where they need to discover more about themselves, the training sequences are important to their character arc and I think Tanaz did a good job not going over the top or making things too dramatic. As for the plot overall, I think it was a lot better than how Hunted read, with things being kind of dull. This conclusion was more exciting and I didn’t expect most of the things that happened in this story. It kept my interest more than before.

Just like with Hunted, I loved Gul’s character and how she seemed to be even stronger within these pages. Despite having nightmares and literally going through hell in this book, her arc was still incredible to read.

Thankfully, Cavas was more likable in this book. He has a better head on his shoulders and isn’t so judgmental toward unnecessary people (ahem, Gul). I actually felt nervous for him after his capture early on, which wouldn’t have really happened if I felt the same way about him as I did in Hunted.

Both of the main characters also had wonderful side characters with them and I believe it helped strengthen their own arcs. Instead of just each other, Gul and Cavas had other people to interact with or turn to at times, so they didn’t have to be so dependent on each other.

The conclusion to this duology was just right and, if there had been another installment, I think it would have just dragged the story further than it needed. Making it two novels was the perfect choice and it definitely satisfied me and, with other readers, definitely provided the closure necessary for this world and the characters.

I absolutely loved Hunted by the Sky so I was excited to hear that a sequel was coming out and that this would be the concluding book. Unfortunately this book wasn’t my cup of tea. The beginning was really slow and it took me longer than usual to try to get into the book. The dialogue was stilted and a bit immature. If you do read this book, note that you have to read the first in order to read this one.

I’ll be doing an Instagram post book feature on 6/22.

Diving back into the world of Hunted by the Sky was a delightful experience. While I did not completely remember the events that took place in the previous book, getting into Gul and Cavas' head again made the story enjoyable. I loved to see their relationship develop despite the stakes stacked against them. It was difficult to get into the story because of the slower pace and monologues but soon after the action makes up for it and the monologues become important in their character development.

Once again, I appreciate the simple yet wonderful world Tanaz Bhathena has crafted, the medieval setting brought to life with vivid imagination and easy to follow writing. Even the side characters had an important contribution to the story that I adored following. I love how epic the battle scenes were and the tenuous alliances. Also the heartfelt author's note in the end!!

Rising Like a Storm is a satisfying conclusion to The Wrath of Ambar trilogy. Great action, characters and ending chapter. Would definitely recommend this series!

Rising Like a Storm manages to deliver a book that examines one's responsibility, rebellion, and leadership. What begins as Gul struggling to embrace her powers, ends with epic battle scenes and questions about how to fight for the future. The character, and plot, development throughout Rising Like a Storm is a journey. Gul has to figure out what embracing her power means not only for herself, but also her relationship with Cavas. All while the world, and larger plot, has to figure out how to fight for freedom. While Gul's journey took center stage for me, especially at the end, I loved how epic Rising Like a Storm got! If you were craving some battle scenes, Bhathena delivers action, loss, and sacrifice all in one. If you enjoyed the dynamic between Cavas and Gul in Hunted By the Sky, Rising Like a Storm deepens it further and I found myself becoming more invested as I read.

I won't lie, I definitely needed to reread the first book again (pandemic brain is real, that's for sure) before reading this but I'm so glad I did! Rising Like A Storm is a sharp and smart end to this (imo) underappreciated duology by a writer whose writing I've sought out ever since her brilliant debut. I'm hoping that Rising Like A Storm will convince readers reluctant to tackle another series to give Tanaz Bhathena a chance on this duology and the other two contemporary YAs she's written.

An enjoyable conclusion to the duology. I loved seeing these characters growth. The addition of Shayla's perspective added a great peek into her mind and her motivation. It made the bad guy more dimensional and complex. The author continued the exceptional world-building in this sequel.

Hunted by the Sky was one of my favorite fantasies of last year and I was very excited when I received the advance copy from the publisher. I’ve been in a bad slump for a few weeks now and trying to keep my mind off reality by binging cdramas, but finally decided that it was time to catch up with my arcs. And what better way to get out of my slump than a highly anticipated desi fantasy.

I will be honest, my memory is very bad these days and I couldn’t remember too much of what happened in the first book. So it took me a bit to get into the groove of the story, but I also got slightly bored in the first fifth of the story. There were quite a few training montages and lots of harsh internal monologuing, which made the pace a bit slow and not very engaging. But once the turning point comes (mentioned in the blurb), the story finally picked up the pace as well as intensity, finally engaging me deeply, with a drive to know more. The writing is otherwise wonderful as expected from the author, perfectly capturing the feelings of rage, despair, doubt and all other myriad of emotions in the various characters. However, I did expect that we would get to know more about the world beyond Ambar and maybe even meet other royals and people, but unfortunately the author sticks to one kingdom only. Not that it took away anything from the existing story, it just could have been more expansive and interesting.

It also took me a while to warm up to Gul and Cavas again. The story starts a few months after the end of the first one, and their relationship is already changed. They are both very mentally strong and loyal people, but it seemed like one would drown in his own desire for revenge and the other in her fear of killing innocents. I still believed in them individually as well as together, and their combined magic was fascinating to watch, but I still felt it wasn’t explored enough because they were separated for most of the book. However, the separation also enabled them to fight harder for their survival as well as start believing in each other more, which I really liked, so I guess that was perfect for the plot.

But their interactions with the side characters were my favorite part of the book. There are many of them, each with their own eccentric personality, their own flaws and motivations. It was fun to Juhi and Amira again, their imprisonment terrible to experience but it does nothing to dampen their fierceness. We also get to know new characters like Subhog, Esther, Sami and many other women as well as specters who are lively and fun. I also enjoyed seeing Amar in a completely new light, and just watching everyone experience his thoughts and his honor and hope for a better future.

In the end, this was a good sequel/finale for this duology. I especially liked the ending because it neatly wrapped up the story, there was enough foreshadowing for the climax which made it more satisfying, and we also get to see a glimpse of the future which was interesting. There were some great action set pieces and wonderful character moments, making this a series I would definitely recommend - especially if you are looking for a new kind of chosen one story by a POC author.

What an amazing conclusion to a great duology! I loved Gul and Cavas' journey through Touched by the Sky and I truly adored they're journey through Rising Like a Storm! Gul's journey was so great and empowering and I loved everything about her! Cavas is such a great character and I felt we got more of him in this story which I really enjoyed and appreciated. I loved that they're love for each other truly made each other stronger, and while they had personal faults, they were able to successfully work through them in the end. The ending confrontation was so well done and I was on the edge of my seat! I loved this conclusion and can't wait for more from this author!

This book said "Rising Like a Storm" and rose like a <i>flipping</i> storm indeed and given that I finished it only five seconds ago and am still reeling, this review is going to be all over the place but I'd rather write it now when the emotions are still running high and the words seem easier to fish out of this whirlpool in my mind.

Where do I begin? Maybe with mentioning that this was my most anticipated release of the year, from the moment I devoured Hunted by the Sky last summer. I had thought that the series would be a few books longer and I was so sad when I realised it was only a duology but hey, you know what? This is <i>perfect</i>. I actually appreciated that the story wrapped up within only two books because if the events of this instalment had stretched any longer, I (and I'm sure the other readers too) would be having a stressful time. Don't get me wrong, I loved every second of it, but my god, the stress and anxiety... So yeah, I was beyond excited when I saw the email from the lovely lady from the publisher's (not sure I can mention her by name) saying that I'm getting access to an eARC. One million thank yous for giving me this privilege.

I thought the beginning was a little bit hard to get into but that's absolutely normal with every book in my experience. As soon as the recap/catch-up part was past, I got sucked right in and lord, I could hardly bear to put the book down there onwards (but why are we even surprised, since that's exactly what happened with Hunted by the Sky?).

Tanaz Bhathena has crafted this world, so beautifully, so intricately, I don't even have the words to explain how brilliant it is. The reader (or at least <i>I</i>) is able to paint a clear mental image of the settings and characters, and she's not even going out of her way and using flowery language in her descriptions. Compared to some other pieces of writing, it's all so simple and straightforward and yet so vivid, I am in awe. It literally makes me wish I could draw these things out because Ambar seems to be so gorgeous. It also makes me wish we could have a tour into the other lands as well, if not stories set there?

Her writing also made me feel every emotion like I was there myself, fighting for the Star Warrior. Like, literally every changing tide uncorked a new cocktail of sadness, pride, anger and fear, in varying percentages. I was tearing up every other chapter be it for the brave souls lost or when things worked out in Gul's favour. To be very honest, I did not really understand the necessity of some of the deaths but at the same time, I know it was probably my attachment to the characters speaking and I'm sure the author had her reasons, which I will not question. Tanaz ji has earned my complete trust.

I love the stable trust between Gul and Cavas. Very often in plots like this, there are shifts or falterings, especially when there are possibilities of love triangles like here but I absolutely love how nothing shook that trust in their relationship, how they learned to communicate with each other. I know that there is a point when it seems there is doubt for one hot second, but I think that more than doubt, it was fear and uncertainty, which honestly with the whole series of mess they have both been through, it was normal. We should also take a moment to appreciate all the side-characters, because there were many of them but they were written well and clear, they each got their own time to shine. The strategy and action scenes, equally worthy of admiration!

Seriously, I bow to Tanaz Bhathena. And thank you, for writing The Wrath of Ambar, and giving us the treasures this series is filled with, and many other things that I do not know how to express right now. I can't wait to read more of your splendid work.

This book was amazing and beautiful in so many ways! I love how the reader gets to dive right back into the series close to where we left off. There are so many magical and fantastic parts to this book! The world-building is by far one of my favorite parts, the author does a lovely job of setting the scenes and building on that. Gul and Cavas are wonderful, they're growth throughout this series is amazing. I love the side characters and the depth of each of the main characters, you really get to sense who they are and what they've gone through and it's wonderful. Even with knowing their flaws they grow throughout the books and it's a magical book with action, adventure, romance, and heart! This is a book for anyone who wants a great story with gorgeous settings and unforgettable characters!


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!!

The conclusion to The Wrath of Ambar duology, Rising Like A Storm brings together an eclectic bunch of hero’s to restore the rightful king to the throne. Imaginative world building lends mystery and truth to the storyline, giving the reader a taste of what living in medieval India was like.

Tanaz Bhathena is a wonderful storyteller, who has developed compelling young adult characters whose self-doubts and imperfections are what make them relatable to any YA reader. Main characters, Gul and Cavas, literally rise like a storm on their quest to destroy the usurper queen and restore balance to the kingdom of Ambar.

“You have magic in you, daughter.” I have always wanted to possess magic and Ms. Bhathena has created a likely scenario that younger me could have seen myself in. I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion to the series and look forward to reading more from Ms. Bhathena in the future.

This book started off a bit slow for me and I felt like it took a while for me to actually get into it. The dialogue seemed a bit immature at times as well but about 60% through the book it picked up nicely and I felt like it was a satisfying conclusion to this duology.

Cava and Gul both showed growth, strength, courage and I loved their interactions together. I feel fans of the first book will enjoy the way the story was concluded.

Disclaimer: I got this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved that this book explored Indian culture and fantasy. It also has an incredible group of mythical creatures in this duology. Tanaz Bhathena really made me feel like I was there. This book has a lot of action scenes and it is relatively fast-paced! Unfortunately, there were a lot of inner dialogues which was a bit of a turn off for me (personal preference). However, if this is something that doesn't bother you I'd recommend it. I'd like to note that I'm a South Asian reviewer so this is #ownvoice rep. I also want to say that there is a scene where a character is raped (letting you know in case this is a trigger for anyone). Other than that, this was a pretty decent book. It just wasn't for me.

This book was really good and a very tidy end to the duology! The author provided enough backstory that the reader slid nicely into the world and remembered the key points of the storyline, but the book didn't drag. There was nice chemistry between the two lead characters and nice development for both, especially Gul's arc. I hope to see more from this author!

I love how TB used this duology as an exercise in rewriting Indian history and changing it's colonization through fantasy.

The main characters, Gul and Cava's, both appear to be straight, but TB has two supporting characters in a lesbian relationship to purposefully comment on the fact that homosexuality was against the law until recent history, which is a powerful statement, especially in this historical-type setting.

TB truly paints a beautiful picture of the land, the people, and the mythical creatures in this series.

The piece that made it 3.5 stars for me (between good versus great) was the way the conversations, and sometimes inner-dialogue, seemed to default to extremes. For me, dialogue is more powerful and profound when it has only a few exclamation marks throughout the book. And this felt like every conversation had multiple, even when it didn't seem necessary for the scene. As I have said in other reviews, this might just be my personal preference and the added exclamation marks might breathe more passion into the words for other readers:)

I do want to note possible trigger warnings, without spoilers, because the details were so vivid and incredible at times that it really engages you, but might be something certain readers need to know ahead of time:
This book, like the first, had so much action and adventure and TB does not shy away from graphic details in battle or torture scenes. The scenes where couples.become more.physocally intimate are written with more of a closed-door feel when things start to get extra heated. There is a scene during a battle where a female seems to be on the verge of being raped.

I received an ARC through Net galley in exchange for an honest and fair review and am grateful for this opportunity.

This is a world of living specters, death magic, caste systems, rebellious royals, coups, gods, prophecies, and love. This sequel is a solid second half of this epic duology based on ancient India. Gul, the fabled Star Warrior, must work with new and old friends, and with Cavas, the half-mage who has grown from a reluctant (even resentful) ally to something more. The evil Raja Luhar is dead, but in his place a usurper queen reigns, and she is more terrible than ever. Will they be able to bring down Shayla and see Raja Amar—the rightful heir—on the throne?

This duology was jam packed with exciting magic, powerful female characters, and strong character development. It upped the ante from the previous title—Gul, no longer a revenge-focused young magi must step into her own and become the leader she is meant to be. The story opened with enough exposition to get the reader back into the world and the key points of the plot, but also moved along at a steady pace. It was neither too fast nor too slow for most of the book—a good balance of action and character development. The strength of the book really is on Gul’s character arc as she believably grows into her own, and I felt totally with her in her choices and frustrations. I also enjoyed the development of side characters and the overall hopeful note it took. Shayla on the other hand was a pretty flat villain—her complex past is hinted at with her added POV (it was just Cavas and Gul in the previous book) and also with her relationship to other supporting characters.

The pacing sped up toward the end when final battle seemed to happen very quickly though, with a lot happening all at once by the end. But the other main characters were so strongly drawn that though it happened fast, it came together for me.

The strength of this book lies in the imagination of the world and the battle magic, and the characters you cannot help but root for, especially Cavas and Gul. It’s only two books so if you won’t own it you should consider buying both because it’s worth it.

"Rising Like a Storm" is a satisfying ending to the Wrath of Ambar duology. The build up to the final showdown takes a lot of twists and turns, and the characters' relationships are more developed in this second novel. A must-read if you enjoyed "Hunted by the Sky"!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

With King Lohar dead and a usurper queen in power, Gul and Cavas face a new tyrannical government that is bent on killing them both. Their roles in King Lohar's death have not gone unnoticed, and the new queen is out for blood. What she doesn't know is that Gul and Cavas have a connection that runs deeper than romance, and together, they just might have the strength and magic to end her for good. I absolutely loved reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

I was so excited to read this sequel to Hunted by the Sky. This sequel lived up to all my hopes and dreams of a second book. I loved the growth that both Gul and Cavas go through. They both find their own voices and grow stronger together.