An explosive return that’s just as good as the first book “Jasmine Throne”. Full of love, pining, and betrayal.

There were plenty of twists both anticipated and unanticipated. Dare I say this one was more heart wrenching than the predecessor. With a new big bad in the midst I can’t wait for the next one!

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri is a sapphic adult fantasy like no other! The first of The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy, The Jasmine Throne, was among my fave reads last year and is an absolutely gorgeous Indian-inspired epic fantasy. It jumps between multiple POVs, including ruthless and ambitious women who will do anything to protect the ones they love…or to seize power and reclaim their identities.

There is epic nature-based magic and spiritual powers described in such vivid detail. Fans of Avatar:The Last Airbender and of She Who Became the Sun would love this series! The world is so well fleshed out that I am utterly transported into Priya and Malini’s world.

This second book has even more world-building with the Yaksa and the rot, military plots, monks, political maneuvers and betrayals. And MORE sapphic tension!?? I devoured this book and cannot wait for the final one!!

Thank you @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

the oleander sword is the second book in the burning kingdoms trilogy, following priya and malini after the events of book one. while i did enjoy this book, it did suffer from second book syndrome. the first half was very slow paced and focused largely on repetitive small events. this was especially true for malini’s pov, as i found the battles tedious to get through. while i didn’t really have an issue with the slow buildup in book one, but. at this point, since the reader already understands the world and politics, i really wanted to get to the main plot right away. i also wish priya and malini’s relationship had a little more nuanced development but i’m excited to see where book three takes them because of that ending. all that being said, i think one of the highlights of this series is the way religions are written. so many of the main characters have their religious beliefs serving as their primary motivation and it’s genuinely intriguing to learn more about the characters through their beliefs. divinity took a larger role in this book and the yaksa were written excellently, as a perfect example of divine horror. don’t want this review to get too long but here’s a short list of other things i think the book did well: bhumika’s arc, the aditya/rao relationship, worldbuilding in general, and priya’s individual arc.

And OUTSTANDING sequel. Malini and Priya are two of my favorite female characters. Malini is cutthroat and savage in this book. The ending has me reeling!! Can’t wait for the next book!! Thanks to netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book expanded greatly on the world and lore but it felt like a filler book compared to something like the first one. There was a plot but it was more focused on completing the first and setting up the third book rather than having its own intricate storyline to expand upon with the third book. I still enjoyed this book thoroughly but I wish there was more happening, the ending does have me excited for the next one!

4.75*

“How do you stand against a god that lives inside you?”

While The Jasmine Throne centers on Priya, The Oleander Sword centers on Malini. I don’t want to go into much detail, because The Jasmine Throne is such a beautiful book and I believe one should enjoy it before reading any reviews of The Oleander Sword. So let’s talk about the vibes.

I flew through TJT in only a matter of days, but TOS took me about 10 days. I felt that more action happened in TJT, and TOS kind of fell short, succumbing to second book in a series syndrome. HOWEVER, while it did mostly set up the third book, it was beautifully written, and the yearning that was in the first book continued into the second, maybe even at a higher level. The .25 reduction in rating comes solely from the second book syndrome feeling, because otherwise I loved it and I can’t wait to read the third book.

I have a feeling I’m going to be real hurt or real happy. Tasha Suri sure knows how to do both.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

CW for death, blood, war, violence, fire, sexism, and animal death

4 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC.

This sequel was quite good. I am glad that I decided to pick this one up after not really loving the first. It took me a while to finish as it is as dense as the first one, but this one was more enjoyable.

I liked Malani and Priya's relationship but there was hardly any of it in this book. Maybe in the next one?
I am looking forward to the next book because that ending was.... YIKES. I need to know what happens next. Can't wait!

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri is a great continuation of her Burning Kingdoms series and a fantastic sequel to The Jasmine Throne. It expands on the great worldbuilding of the first book, exploring new corners of her South Asian inspired fantasy world.

The characters get lots of development, and it was lovely to see the romance between the two main characters finally get where everyone wanted it to go.

This book isn't as tight as the first one, and has a lot of pacing issues (hard to follow time skips, slow in the middle, a bit rushed at the end), but was still a really fun read and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

I need the next book ASAP! This was such a beautiful and tragic read. I feel so deeply for the pain of Priya and Malini and Rao. Everything I thought was going to happen was not at all what actually happened. I can't wait to see how this adventure turns out!

The Oleander Sword really shredded my heart and I loved every minute of it. Tasha Suri writes some of my favorite characters ever; every time I’m bummed that a chapter is focused on a character I don’t like/care about, by the end of it I’m enraptured anyway. I got bored of reading about war strategy and politics for so long, which is just a personal dislike, but the writing is gorgeous. thank you NetGalley and Tasha Suri for the ARC, I can’t wait for the final book!

A fantastic follow-up and a visceral novel on its own. This work is full of spectacular worldbuilding and incredibly complex characters with thrilling agendas.

Tasha Suri once again proves that she is an author that is an automatic read for me. This book had me by the throat in a chokehold right away. Tasha Suri writes the feminist characters that every little girl dreams of reading about. All her characters are so well-written, fleshed out and beautifully complicated. Outside of the tyrant, I cannot think of any characters that I do not like. They're so well-written and complicated it makes you hope and understand them all.

No other author has ever, not only understood, but written human emotions and human trauma the way she does. She explores it in a hauntingly beautiful way that not only rips into your soul, but makes you seen understood. Tasha Suri has the ability to change the way both lesbian characters are perceived/understood, but also the way they are written. I believe this woman will change how female characters and lesbian characters are written in the world of fantasy. She doesn't rely on overdone tropes or stereotypes.

Her complicated politics and worldbuilding will suck you right in. Every single thing about this book will reel you right in and leave you begging for book 3.

Now this was a BOOK. Holy shit the twists and turns. The character development. The ENDING.

I'm so scared for how book three is going to wrap up, because I have no clue how it's going to go.

Love this world, these characters, and the magic! There were some crazy cool, epic scenes! That said, I had a hard time getting through this...and I can't say exactly why. I've been struggling with long covid brain fog while trying to read this and I place a lot of the blame there. But I do think there was something about the pacing that didn't work great for me. I think we spent too much time inside characters' heads.

I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion of this trilogy! My favorite parts of this installment were the Yaksa. I can't wait to see what is going to happen with them! Malini's story was also very gratifying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the advanced reader copy!

Sexual violence? Not that I remember. Other content warnings? Misogyny, war, death, torture (off page), kidnapping.

The Oleander Sword is the second book in Tasha Suri's Queer Indian Inspired (F/F) Epic Fantasy series, "The Burning Kingdoms", which began with last year's The Jasmine Throne (which I reviewed here). The Jasmine Throne was a tremendous book, featuring two strong women as its protagonists - a princess from an Empire whose chauvinistic brother insists she submit and burn as a sacrifice and a girl from a conquered people, who used to be one of the magical servants of their religious devotion to seemingly gone magical beings. It was a story of love, empire, colonization, and what it really means to be a monster. So I was really excited to read the second book in the trilogy.

The Oleander Sword isn't quite as good as its opener in my opinion. The story adds major supernatural elements (to what was already there), and while they do hit on a theme - the return of the past being not glorious, but horrifying - it kind of overcomplicates things from the first book's powerful themes of Empire/Imperialism and what comes before during and after. At the same time, the characters remain incredibly strong, and the story continues to deal with at least one really strong theme - what it really means to "sacrifice" as exemplified by the actions of three different main characters for those they love, and the people they call their own. It's still a really strong second novel, so I can't wait to try the conclusion.

NOTE: Spoilers for Book 1 are inevitable below:

-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------
The world has changed for Parijatdvipa and Ahiranya - and for Priya and Malini along with them. Armed with a prophecy of the Nameless God declaring her the rightful Empress, Malini has now gathered together forces of disgruntled nobles on a campaign to take back the throne of Parijatdvipa from her cruel and monstrous brother Chandra. And gifted with the powers of an Elder - the power of being thrice born in the Deathless waters - Priya finds herself leading a new Ahiranya, using her magical powers to stave off the Empire's incursions and to try to heal the Rot from consuming Ahiranya's people. In their new roles, Malini and Priya may dream of the other, but physically seem permanently separated.

But fate will conspire to bring the two together once again - for when Chandra fights back with magical fire, Malini realizes the only way she might be able to overcome is with magical power of her own....Priya's power. But can Priya even lend her power to Malini when such an act would involve her submitting to Malini's rule - something that would undercut their pledge for Ahiranya's independence? And what would it do for their love if Priya remains only a tool for Malini to use to secure her rule. Priya and Malini will be forced to figure this out quickly, as the nobles under Malini's rule may be shaken badly if they believe divine providence has left Malini's side...something that will destroy all they both have worked for.


But the Priests of the Mothers and Nameless One in Parijatdvipa are concerned of more dangerous things than just an Imperial Civil War, and are determined to sacrifice anything, and anyone, to stop them. And back in Ahiranya, the powers behind the Deathless Waters, the Yaksa, are returning, and may demand sacrifices of its people far beyond what any mortal could imagine, all in the name of ensuring their return is not stopped once more.....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jasmine Throne very much was a story of Empire, Colonialism, and what comes during, before, and after such conquering, with two dueling perspectives - Bhumika and Ashok - having different views on how a conquered land should proceed forward...trying to accept things and carve a new path forward or trying to violently restore an old probably lost order....and Priya, the main character from Ahiranya caught in between them. It was also a story of power and monstrous acts, and how far one can go to attain power without becoming possibly irredeemably a monster, as Malini believed she was becoming as she tried to manipulate everyone, even Priya at first, for the sake of escape and vengeance upon a Chauvanistic brother and his religious backers who propped up him up even as it became clear that he too was a horrifying monster. The book ended with the two leads trying to figure those fears out even as they took their separate paths: Malini becoming less of a manipulator from the shadows and more of the direct leader as Empress and Priya working alongside Bhumika to carve a new way forward with their magic, having benefitted from Ashok's revolutionaries in carivng the path forwards.

The Oleander Sword continues from the pair's very different status quo, and really, while the story jumps to a few other point of view characters here and there, also manages to pick up a third main character in Bhumika as well. For Malini that means seeing her try to manages an army of people not used to serving a woman, whose faith in her can diminish at a moment's notice, where she can no longer hide beneath the veneer of working for her seemingly hopelessly passive brother. For Priya that means stretching herself thin trying to help stop the Rot infecting her people and to help sustain their nation...while also preventing others from trying the Deathless waters and undergoing the same sacrifices, especially those she cares about. And for Bhumika, it means trying to manage the same noble powers who she one tiptoed around from beneath her husband's veneer of authority, who she now has to deal with directly (while also dealing directly with the revolutionaries she now is the Elder too).


The story takes these characters in fascinating directions at times and forces them into difficult choices when things go horribly wrong, especially when the supernatural (Magic Fire, the Yaksa) appear on all fronts and begin to threaten more dangerous situations. Once again this forces Malini and Priya to try to work together - to deal with their romantic attractions to each other as well as the way their different backgrounds - Malini the rogue princess/empress of the colonizing power that conquered Priya's land - make it so difficult for them to be together and to work together....as the very act of being together can make it look like one may be submitting to the other, a definite problem for Priya (whose role as a leader of the new Ahiranya means she needs to show her independence) and for Malini (who can't be seen as submitting to a foreigner if she wants to maintain her authority). And then there's the way the supernatural throws the two of them against the powers of the status quo and those of pasts long conquered for good or for ill, whose prayed for return may be just as dark and deadly as the new status quo they're trying to build....after all, the book seems to be arguing, the leaders of the past may not have been good either, and their return will not bring back happy times....especially when they may have been and may still be oppressive themselves (cycles of oppression here).


Most of all, and most interesting of all, is the theme of Sacrifice between the three women protagonists, all of whom embrace it in various ways....and not the ways the men necessarily believe sacrifice should be - Sacrifice, quotes Bhumika in a memorable passage, is not merely a grand single gesture of self destruction, but the long effort of fighting for others "day in day out, even with the sure knowledge of [] inevitable failure." The idea of sacrifice and what all three women attempt leads them to very different places, ones in which leave us with a really great cliffhanger.


As I hinted above the jump, it doesn't quite all work - I thought the introduction of the supernatural like the Yaksa kind of took away from the really strong character interplay between the humans and the themes of Imperial/Colonial Power/Rule and what comes next, even if it does work alongside those themes. But even with that, The Oleander Sword is an excellent second novel and I look forward to seeing this trilogy conclude.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While the Jasmine Throne was more broody, slow burn, knife to the throat in the romance aspect, The Oleander Sword delves into a deeper and more complicated relationship. We also lean more heavily into the political dynamics of the war Malini has waged against her brother. In order to save her own life, Malini must unite her people, raise an army, and challenge the ways of the past. In doing so, she puts her life, her love, and her family on the line. Meanwhile, Priya is dealing with an internal battle. She has sworn her allegiance to Malini and put her own life at risk. Not to mention, she is suffering the effects of the Rot and figuring out who she is.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book, this series, and this author. I can't wait for book 3 :)

One Sentence Summary: As Malini and her army, with Priya supporting her, march towards her crown, Priya’s home of Ahiranya sees the return of long-gone creatures.

the oleander sword tasha suri
Spoilers for the first book, The Jasmine Throne, may lie directly ahead.

Overall
The Oleander Sword is a worthy second book in this trilogy. While some of it was a little too predictable for my tastes and the romance didn’t feel woven in quite as well and deftly as I had expected, I adored the story this book told. The romance took hold of my heart, making it ache for the losses and sacrifices Malini and Priya are forced to deal with, as well as other characters. The battle for Malini’s crown is fierce and terrible, but had some nice twists and turns, even if some of it wasn’t quite as glorious as I had expected. What I loved best, though, was the subtle push and pull of the followers of the mothers, in which women must willingly burn to produce magical fire, and those like Priya who have had to hollow themselves to let in a green sort of magic. It felt like a tug of war between nature and destruction, life and death, and carried through the entire book. The Oleander Sword is beautifully written, softening the sharp edges, offering a deeper look into a fascinating world with characters who must make painful choices page after page.

Extended Thoughts
The Oleander Sword picks up the story approximately a year after the events of the first book. During that time, Malini has taken her army ever closer to Harsinghar to face her brother Chandra and claim the crown for herself as the first empress. But being a woman in power means her grasp on it is slippery. Her male generals will bow to her, but it doesn’t stop them from maneuvering around her when it suits them, because she’s female. In Ahiranya, with the regent dead, Priya and her temple sister Bhumika lead the country as the Elders, but putting a country that’s been decimated by the rot isn’t easy, and there’s only so much their magic can do. Malini and Priya are never far from each other’s thoughts, but their lives become heavily intertwined when Malini asks Priya and her magic to join her, and Priya knows she must go, unwittingly leaving behind a country about to face a double edged sword.

Where The Jasmine Throne felt more like setup, introducing the reader to the world, politics, struggles, religions, and characters, The Oleander Sword felt like a full jump right into the action. There are battles and scheming, romance and loss, and two women pulled between loyalty for their countries and their love for each other. The Oleander Sword reads like honey, sweet and slow, even when the battles and losses and monstrous acts occur. The writing flows thick and sweet and soft. Considering the events contained on these pages, it felt a little at odds sometimes, but it also made reading this akin to a dream.

Malini, Priya, and a collection of minor characters tell the story, some more interesting than others, but all of them always driving the story forward and revealing something new. They all have their own loyalties, their own loves. They’re real and rich and detailed, coming to life page after page. I felt immersed in their lives, feeling their joys, heavy losses, and conflicts as so many of them were pulled in opposite directions. Despite how sweet and beautiful the writing was, its also bittersweet as so many of them lost what they wanted and were forced to make horrific choices. My heart broke for so many of them, and I just kept wanting something good and right to happen for them.

The central relationship is between Malini and Priya. Theirs was an excruciating slow burn in the first book, but is really ramped up in this second installment. They’re gorgeous together, clearly so in love with each other they sometimes can’t seem to think of anything else. Sometimes they felt too much like they were mooning over each other, especially Malini to the point where she almost seemed blinded by it. Their romance was so delightful and so sweet, but it’s woven into a fierce battle, making it sometimes jarring when they chose quiet interludes instead of doing some much needed planning. They worked beautifully together, though, their trust in each other amazing despite all the time and distance their tenuous relationship had to endure. The romance wasn’t woven in quite as well as I had hoped it would be, and sometimes came off too strongly for the events that were going on at the time, so it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for me. But I loved the heartbreak of this doomed loved story, and I’m anxious to see what happens to them in the last book. It was great to have the romance soften the edges of the story, but sometimes I wished the edges had been sharpened a little more.

My favorite part of The Oleander Sword were the conflicting religions. The people of this world follow the nameless, the mothers, or the faceless, and those in Ahiranya follow the temple and revere the yaksa, creatures that have been gone for a long time. But the primary focus seems to be on the mothers (women who burned to save their country) and the magic of Ahiranya given to those who travel thrice through the deathless waters and survive. These people, like Priya and Bhumika, can sense the green, have power over plants, and can halt the rot that grows in people and places. It made it feel like The Oleander Sword was about nature and destruction, and both could be used for good and ill. It appears that this trilogy might be building up to a final clash between the two, and how that impacts Malini and Priya, as they’re on opposite sides, will be interesting, and probably heart wrenching, to see. But I really loved all the conflict in this book, the country vs. country, the idea of a god vs. god, nature vs. destruction. They all added layers upon layers, complicating the lives of the people and how all these countries are supposed to one day live in peace together. It was great, though, to see the priests and other religious figures playing big roles in this book, even if some of it made things just a little too easy and convenient sometimes. They were an interesting layer that definitely held my attention as I tried to figure out what they wanted.

But The Oleander Sword is also a story of sacrifice. So many of the characters are required to sacrifice, and the ones Priya and Bhumika must make felt the most painful. Power comes with a price, and it comes for all of them. Some sacrifices are paid willingly, some are forced, and it was wonderful, but still painful, to watch them play out, knowing there’s no other choice. Loyalties are pulled and the hard paths are taken. Nothing is easy for any of the characters, all of whom have to deal with the consequences of their choices and the choices of others. It was painful and heartbreaking and sometimes I just wanted it to stop, but it was really done in the most beautiful way, where the characters had no choice and went nobly to their fates.

If there’s one thing I had to pick as my least favorite part, it would be that I might have read too many fantasy books. As much as I wanted to be blown away by this book, because the story and writing are beautiful while stinging all the way, too much of it felt a little too predictable to me. There’s always something bad lying in wait around the corner, and the fact that the characters never really seem to catch a break or have one little thing go their way grew a little tiring and predictable. There were, though, some really great twists and turns and some unexpected surprises to balance it out. But I expected so much more from this book that the predictability got in my way of enjoyment at times.

The Oleander Sword is a brilliant sequel to The Jasmine Throne, offering fierce battles, heartbreaking conflicts, a doomed yet intense love story, and sacrifices that rock the worlds of so many characters. It reads beautifully, softening the harsh story it tells, where women are pinned down no matter how in charge they are, where sacrifice is a necessity rather than an option, and where gods and religious ideologies walk the earth, making demands that have the power to tear and destroy. It beautifully sets up events for a powerful conclusion I can’t wait to read.

Thank you to Angela Man at Orbit and NetGalley for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is one of my favorite series right now. Priya and Malini mean everything to me and are such badasses, I LOVE THEM. My favorite character this time around, however, is Bhumika. She's so strong and wonderful and shows that you can be a mother and still be powerful and still have to face the toughest challenges in life. Her story made me tear up a little, but I absolutely adore her. While I liked the first book better (just a little bit), I liked the characters more in this book. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next installation because things are getting GOOD.

I don't think I'll ever get over the YEARNING in Malini and Priya's relationship. Tasha Suri definitely is cashing in on the yearning part and we are happy for that.

I really enjoyed this installment. I think my biggest criticism I had with The Jasmine Throne is that it was dull in places, and although we were discovering the relationship between Malini and Priya, it dragged in bits.

And I can say this had fewer dragging bits. (Technical term I know). But now that we got through all the supposition of the first book we had time to really dive into the characters and enjoy them. I'm trying to find an articulate way to say that the plot was tight. Not that it was constricting, just that the plot flowed well, like a well fitting puzzle piece. Well crafted, if you will.

Would highly recommend reading the series because whatever trepidations I had after the first one, are now gone, and I need to know what happens next! ..

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated sequels of 2022, and Tasha Suri did not disappoint me! I loved the continuation of the plot after The Jasmine Throne. The political intrigue and battles were thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat. The plot was fast paced with fantastic twists. I loved the exploration of politics and religion as well as Priya and Malini's relationship. I need the third book ASAP!

The audiobook was fantastic, and the narrator does a phenomenal job of bringing this story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.