After the amazing experience of The Jasmine Throne, I was greatly excited to begin The Oleander Sword in the Burning Kingdoms series. Since the first novel set my expectations very high, I was nervous that this novel would not live up to the first. Luckily, this novel was amazing and continued to thrill me as a reader. The story takes place soon after the first novel ends (about a year), where both Malini and Priya are on the next steps of their journeys. Like the first novel, there are multiple POVs, so sometimes it takes more effort to keep track where you take a moment to remember who you are following at a certain moment. The cast of characters, including Aditya, Rao, and Bhumika, to name a few, are all interesting in their own way, though, so I did not mind having to take my time following along.

This novel is best read after the first not only because the story is continuous, but the first novel laid an incredible foundation for this one. The world, characters, and lore are all set up well in the first novel and this one expands on everything to further immerse the reader. Priya and Malini still care for each other, but each had their own path and worries. Malini is on her path to usurp her brother, the Parijatdvipan Emperor, Chandra, and reclaim the throne. Priya is on her path as an Elder of Ahiranya. The romance that exists between these two characters was very well-written, especially given their circumstances. I loved this style in Suri’s writing where the reader can still connect with the characters and their relationships even if they are not interacting directly on the page.

Overall, I have a love/hate relationship with novel mainly because I now must wait for the next story to finally figure out what happens after the ending! Aside from my impatience to figure out what happens next, I loved this story as I did not expect to read it in a single sitting. The characters and story were very captivating, and it is difficult to find fault in the writing. The story built nicely on the previous story and nicely set up the next novel without this novel feeling like it solely was the bridge between them. There was enough going on in this story that it was interesting on its own and did not feel like it suffered “second-book syndrome.” I did tend to enjoy the story with the temple more than the war, but both were enough to hold my interest. It will be a tough wait until 2023 to see what happens next!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

In exchange for an honest review, I was given an eARC of The Oleander Sword by NetGalley.

This books is honestly one of my top reads of 2022. Tasha Suri has woven a world of fascinating magic, where blessings are not always what they seem. The mythology of the Yaksa was something I loved learning more about in this book.

The Jasmine Throne did a fantastic job of setting up this book, honestly. In this book the story continues and while it took me a moment to get into The Jasmine Throne, it took me no time at all to get into The Oleander Sword. I was hooked from the first page. Between the budding relationship of Priya and Malini, the choices each character has to make and the politics they all must play, there wasn’t a lull in this book at all. I was worried that the expansion of POV would lose the thread but it worked well for the story that Tasha Suri weaves. The book has done an amazing job at continuing the saga and I look forward to the next book!

In The Oleander Sword, the second novel of The Burning Kingdoms trilogy, Tasha Suri has produced an even more intensely involving and brilliant book than she did in The Jasmine Throne. That first novel richly explored the many selves and identities its characters had to adopt to survive as they strove to increase their power, whether worldly or spiritual or both. The Oleander Sword raises the stakes even higher by confronting the major characters with the price of their success. Each faces a brutal choice of sacrificing what is dearest to them to achieve a greater good or a higher ambition. This is an incredibly powerful novel that heightens the tension of these choices while also setting the stage for a conflict of even grander scale in the final volume of the trilogy.

.........

This may be the middle book of a trilogy, but there is none of the feeling of a story merely bridging to a greater climax that compromises a lot of middle books. Suri has deepened the drama and stakes of the story on all levels. She so vividly brings to life the human bonds tested and broken by ambition, power politics, war, religious belief and the mingling of supernatural forces in mortal lives. While delivering a strong story of war for the throne of Parijatdvipa, it sets up an even grander scale of coming conflict as the yaksa return to Ahiranya. The Oleander Sword is a great book in its own right that certainly gains from its position in a trilogy but that can also be read on its own.

Wow.

This book was everything I was looking for in a sequel. It expanded on the worldbuilding beautifully, it developed our favorite characters, and, of course, Malini and Priya's relationship was exquisitely written.

The Jasmine Throne leaves us with Malini and Priya on opposite sides of their worlds, serving their own people the best they can. Priya is dealing with the spread of the rot in Ahiranya, while Malini is leading a campaign against her brother, Chandra. Suri does a wonderful job at keeping us interested in the dual POVs; never once was I wishing that I could just spend the entire book in Malini's war camp, or wish the heart of the book stayed in Ahiranya, as it did in The Jasmine Throne. Suri also spends a good amount of time expanding on Bhumika and Rao's perspectives, whom I love to death, and even more minor characters'. Every character's POV had a purpose, however, and it never felt like Suri was trying to distract from the main story or add unnecessary details.

It's not long, though, until Priya and Malini find each other again, and I want to emphasize how wonderful their relationship is. If you, like me, sometimes dread when the main romance turns into an established relationship, since it takes some of the steaminess out of the picture, never fear. These girls are PINING. Every scene together had me begging Suri to just let them kiss, dammit! And no spoilers, but there definitely ARE some steamy scenes. Suri does not let the sapphics down on this one, never fear.

Of course I need to mention the worldbuilding. The religious aspect especially is just so immersive. Religion is something Priya holds close to her heart, while Malini views it more callously, using it to further her campaign as empress and strengthen the loyalty of the men around her. I just think the spirituality of the characters is so fleshed out. Chandra, especially, was an amazing villain as a terrifying religious fanatic. These characters' gods guide their every move, and Suri's work on writing religious effigies, scripture, and history is so impressive.

If I had to critique one thing, it would be the pacing of some of the parts surrounding the war. I get travel scenes can be a slog to read and write, but sometimes the characters seemed to transport from city-state to city-state. I don't know how large Parajatdvipa is, but I swear days would pass in Bhumika's point of view back in Ahiranya, while Malini has traveled half the country. It didn't necessarily take me out of the immersion, and I'm aware this is a bit of a nit-picky complaint, but I had to mention it.

The battles, too, can left something to be desired, though it might be because I just finished some of Kuang's and Sanderson's works. They only seemed to last a couple pages, and were more of a means to an end than anything. It's probably because Malini isn't much of a fighter, of course. The scenes just didn't have the intense twists in the middle of battle, or genius strategic maneuvers from the characters, that I had come to expect from epic fantasy. Suri more than makes up for it, though, with the scenes surrounding the battles. Her dialogue is exquisite, and her scenes always left me on the edge of my seat, even in no character was in immediate danger.

Other than those two complaints, the rest of the pacing and plot was amazing. I almost thought this was going to be a duology, just because of how high-stakes it felt for a middle book, but somehow the stakes rose even higher by the end of it. This book does not suffer from middle book syndrome, I can assure you. So much happens that you are not ready for.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be crying over my favorite fantasy couple ever and waiting (in)patiently for the third book already.

I received an Advanced Copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tasha Suri is an author that knows the story she wants to tell and is intimately familiar with her characters and the world they live in - she crafts words with passion and beauty and pain, pulling the reader into her world, introducing her characters, and weaving a story that envelops them all perfectly. Her books are spellbinding, seamlessly gorgeous, painfully beautiful. She is a masterful storyteller.

The Oleander Sword is the perfect sequel to The Jasmine Throne. The characters continue to grow and become more real even as their magic grows and raises them to something more than human. The world warps and shapes in unexpected and exciting ways, driving a breathtaking and magical story. I felt every wound, experienced every emotion, and waited with baited breath for each twist and turn.

I cannot wait for the third and final piece of this story, I know Suri will wrap it up perfectly!

Tasha Suri's novel The Oleander Sword is the middle book in a planned trilogy that began with The Jasmine Throne. It's the kind of book that comes with maps and lists of characters from different countries, and it opens with a war, as Malini, who has just crowned herself Empress, seeks to defeat her fanatical, princely brother. But Oleander Sword doesn't sprawl across new viewpoint characters and their disconnected subplots, the way one might expect from a book in this sort of package. It's fundamentally a very focused story. Half is how Malini will balance her drive to consolidate power with her love for Priya, once a servant girl. The other half is how Priya, newly filled with magical force from the treelike yaksa she worshipped as a child, will square the demands of her own power with her love for Malini. There are sudden betrayals and the fulfillments of mysterious prophecies--the book's title, in particular, cuts in an unexpected way--but if you've read Jasmine Throne, the confrontation that Oleander Sword sets up for the final volume will not astonish you. The satisfaction is not in authorial sleight of hand, but rather in game pieces clicking into place.

Suri's fantasy novels are inspired by medieval India, rather than vague impressions of England or France, and I particularly enjoy the way that this upends fantasy conventions. Inheritance isn't driven by birth order, for instance, and the trope of the ambitious priest carries different weight.

This book is such a strong story. It is every bit as great as the first one and ends with everything in place for the story ending. This is a beautifully crafted story, the author is at the top of her game. Malini and Priya show how prior life experiences and responsibilities can pull loved ones in different directions. The relationships between Priya, Bhumika, and Ashok are very well written. Rao is incredible, struggling with what he knows will happen and what he wishes he could do. All of the supporting characters are developed with their own motivations. War is definitely hell and death and loss are not magically glossed over. Priya and Malini face hard choices and losses. I have very high expectations for the next book and I know I won't be disappointed. Read this series, it is truly exceptional.

I kept consuming this in bigger and bigger chunks the more this fire of a plot unfurled and consumed our characters. This is an intense follow up to the Burning Thrones, as our characters start getting exactly what they wanted and finding out that maybe it is an empire of dust and ashes that awaits them. The characters amp to match the intensity of the plot, frequently being pushed to see what their limits are as to what they believe, have faith in, and are willing to do to reach their ideal. I also was not expecting the turn one of the side plots takes, like a snake creeping up on you. Though ultimately I saw the turn that Priya and Malini end up taking at the end of the book, it still hurts, and you end up reading the back third of the book and just praying that they find their way out of it. There’s also a theme of cycles throughout this book, and you keep praying that they’ll find a way to break out of theirs. In summary, fuck me the fuck up with this last book in the trilogy Tasha Suri, you’ve had your dark middle book, and I can’t wait to see how you decide to swing the landing. Pick up The Jasmine Throne while you’re at it and mainline some of the best sapphic fantasy I’ve read in a while.

Thank you #NetGalley for an early copy of #TheOleanderSword by #TashaSuri to read and review! (Spoiler Free!)

Let me start by saying #TheJasmineThrone was one of my all time favorite fantasy novels. And to find out it would be a trilogy was a dream!

The Oleander Sword picks up right where The Jasmine Throne leaves off. This book is equal parts adventure, excitement, political intrigue, and most of all, lustful longing. The slow-burn levels of desire between Malini and Priya in this series are nearly unmatched. Malini constantly needs extraordinary feats of impossible strength, will power, and sacrifice from Priya, and Priya gives all of that, and more, unconditionally, at every turn.

In addition to the simmering sexual tension between the two main characters, the cast of supporting characters is well fleshed out and adds a deeper level of understanding and background to the book. The supporting cast never detracts from the main story line. Instead, I found myself loving and caring about many of the additional characters that I didn’t find myself drawn to in the first book.

Overall, this sequel is just as good, if not better, than the first one in the series. I would give The Oleander Sword 1,000 stars if it were possible. As it stands, 5/5 is as much as I can do. And anyway, “What is a star, but distant fire, reaching for you across worlds?” (Quote from The Oleander Sword…)

I finished Oleander Sword and now I don’t know what to do with myself. How dare it end there?! Where’s the next book?! I need to know what’s going to happen next!!

Oleander Sword picks up a year after the events of Jasmine Throne. Bhumika and Priya are Elders of Ahiranya and trying to lead their country into a prosperous future, but are having to deal with the politics of the highborn and also trying to stop the spread of the rot, if they can’t reverse it’s effects. Malini is empress but she’s still having to fight to hold that title, especially as her brother Chandra has found a weapon that makes people question the veracity of the prophecies claiming she is the true and rightful leader of Parijatdvipa. Her claims to the throne are also hindered by men who would rather see her brother Aditya as emperor, as he is the eldest and was once the crown prince, but he has no interest in ruling; he sees his place as a priest for the nameless.

This book had me immediately in my feelings and needing someone to scream with because the way Tasha Suri executes emotional complexity alongside political machinations and ripple effect manipulations in nothing short of masterful. The prose is absolutely gorgeous, but for me this book is all about the emotions. Everyone is trying to do what they believe to be the right thing and so many are working towards their goals for love - of someone, of country, of faith. I love the complexity of these characters and how hard it sometimes is to sus out who is in the right and who is in the wrong - especially as so many of these characters are doing bad or harmful things for the right reasons.

Oleander Sword is absolutely gorgeous on so many levels and really delves into complexities of motivations and goals while also giving space for softness and love. But even the soft, loving elements have thorns and hurt. Priya, Malini, Bhumika, and all the other characters are trying their best in a world and time when sometimes the best you can do is offer your enemy a quick death. But who is the true enemy when ancient powers are coming back into the world?

I just, I am utterly in awe of the writing and the story Tasha Suri is telling with this series and cannot wait for the third book’s release. If you’re a fan of epic fantasy with complicated motivations, nuanced interpersonal dynamics, and messy, messy feelings you absolutely need to read this book!

[Cannonball review will post August 13]

“How can you look at me so tenderly, and ask me to die for you?”

When I got approved on Netgalley for the sequel to The Jasmine Throne, I quite literally screamed. I have been DYING to read this book and now that I have finished it, I don’t know what to do with myself. I finished this last Saturday night at 1:30am and I haven’t been able to commit and finish another book since I finished this one.

The lesbians are back and they’re not messing around in the second book in The Burning Kingdoms trilogy. My heart belongs to Priya and Malini (I like when women do bad things 🥰). The world-building? Perfection. The character development? To die for. The romance? Swoon-worthy. The pining? Absolutely incredible. I was hooked from page one and I honestly couldn’t even tell I had read a 600+ page book by the end. Tasha Suri really outdid herself with this (also Tasha, if you’re reading this, that ending was rude but it’s okay I still love you). If you haven’t done so already, please go read The Jasmine Throne and then run to your local bookstore to pick up The Oleander Sword on August 18th so you can feel my pain.

🗡Jenna

*thank you Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: August 18, 2022
TW: fire/fire injury, death, gore, misogyny, sexism, xenophobia, animal death, body horror

loved it. tasha suri is amazing. This series is going to be amazing. I loved book 2 just as much as book 1

Everything demands sacrifice.

This is the premise for everything in this book, questioning just how much our beloved characters are willing to sacrifice to achieve their goals and perhaps the greater good.

The Oleander Sword picks up a year later where The Jasmine Throne left off, with Malini on her prophesied quest to claim her throne, and Priya attempting to stop the spread of the rot in Ahiranya. However, when it becomes clear their reunion will prove more beneficial to both of their causes, the priestess and empress join forces (all while trying to maintain appearances and resist giving in to their feelings for each other). Meanwhile, Bhumika is left behind to deal with the growing threat at home, which rapidly develops into a much bigger issue than anticipated.

It's difficult to find the words to fully encompass such a lush and thoroughly satisfying addition to this series. The entire book feels like a slow burn filled with war politics and sapphic pining (omg the romance in this book is far more palpable than Jasmine Throne!) that leads to an intense climax and ending that still has me in tears. The plot is ambitious, with Tasha weaving multiple POV's effortlessly to create a full picture of what is happening. Also, her writing style? Absolutely wonderful. She paints this world beautifully and in a way that's easy to read. I found myself unable to put the book down and "one more chapter"ing myself right into finishing it in a day.

And that ENDING? No spoilers, but oh my goodness, MY HEART. I cannot wait to read the next book when it comes out!

There’s absolutely nothing I didn’t adore about this book. The Jasmine Throne was such a strong start for the series, but it did have a lot of world-building to do. The Oleander Sword starts lighter on that end, since we already know most of its characters, and it allows itself to skip over time and bring us directly to the moment with the most potential for tension.

I didn’t know how Suri would accomplish that, when Malini and Priya start the book separated, but that separation doesn’t last long, and yet, there’s plenty of tension in Priya’s decision. I obviously wanted my favorite couple together, but once the big surprise in Bhumika’s perspective came, I was obviously torn about where I wanted Priya to be. The war also proved to be just the right level of difficult—with setbacks that didn’t feel contrived just so Malini wouldn’t win too easily and a sacrifice that really did hurt.

The book also flows so much more easily. The mysteries are revealed faster, the action is well-paced, and the character development is perfect. I really didn’t think this book would be so good. Usually second books feel like fillers, but this is the rare middle of trilogy book that feels even better and frankly more heart wrenching than the series opened.

I don’t know how Suri will top that with book 3, but at this point, I’ll read anything she writes.

First of all, wow. The first book of this series captured my heart and the second book ripped it out of my chest (but in a good way).

Tasha Suri is giving me the fiction that I wanted but didn't know that I wanted because I didn't think I could have it. It's a masterfully executed feminist, queer, Indian-inspired high fantasy epic that explores themes of colonialism, religion, war, and sacrifice by following the story of powerful, complex, ambitious women who fight for their ideals and the people they love in a world that's not comfortable with powerful women. It's a beautiful story, and one that both makes you think and punches you in the gut over and over. With themes of faith, sacrifice, power, morality, and the way that systems like religion and empire treat women as tools, The Oleander Sword is not only a thrilling and exciting fantasy story or a deeply compelling and complicated love story, but also an exploration of the power and complexities of femininity in a patriarchal world where love can be both a strength and a weakness.

I don't want to give away too much about the plot, but I will say that Suri does an excellent job of drawing the reader into two parallel stories: one, of Malini's campaign to unseat her brother and claim her place as empress while also grappling with her love for Priya and her need for Priya's strength, and another of Bhumika and Priya's struggle to nurture and lead a newly liberated Ahiranya into the country that its people deserve. Battles are fought, both on the battlefield and in the sangam, people meet their gods and are unsure they like what they see, and every character faces impossible choices as they realize that they cannot always protect the people they love without hurting them in the process. Politics and personal relationships are tightly intertwined, and both are developed in an incredibly compelling way as we see the fight for Parijatdvipa unfold from multiple perspectives.

I absolutely recommend this book and series to anyone; it's one of my favorite things I've read recently or ever, and my only sadness is that I'll have to wait before reading the third installment, as the end of the second book does a great job of wrapping up one conflict while also leading into another, much larger one.

One word: Amazing. I couldn't wait to read the sequel to The Jasmine Throne because I absolutely fell in love with the world and the characters. The Oleander Sword did not disappoint and was simply a masterpiece. I cannot wait for August 16th so I can buy a physical copy and I am already eagerly awaiting the third installment of this beautiful series.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the chance to read the ARC!

Sequels are hard to get right, usually filled with lots of angst, moping and pain. Not to say Oleander Sword isn't filled with it because it is...a lot of it. But it's because there's so much more at stake, even more difficult choices and lots of sacrifices. This book was heavy with war politics since the focus is on Malini preparing to take over the empire as its fated Empress. Alongside her mission comes a slight change in direction with a new threat arising and that's where we see Bhumika shine the most.

The religions of the nameless, the faceless mothers and the yaksa's deathless waters are more fleshed out and play an integral role in shaping the future of this world and its characters. Morally grey as ever, these religions' influence on the decisions of their followers are the driving force of most conflict within Oleander Sword, so I'm curious to see how this is further handled in the final book.

The essence of book 1, the justice seeking ambition that made me fall in love with Priya and Malini is still at the core of this story and continues to push these women towards their respective destinies. At the same time, their yearning love for one another either stands in the way of their success or is the key to securing it. I'm hoping it's the latter :')

I am so antsy to find out how their story ends!!! Thank you netgalley and orbit for providing an advance e-arc.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it absolutely delivered. Everything that worked in the first book—the character-building, the political intrigue, the complex religious dogma, and intriguing magic system—this book builds on those things and gives us more of each. Somehow Tasha Suri managed to tell a story about war and politics without sacrificing any of the character moments. Malani and Priya’s relationship developed beautifully. The side characters really shined as well. This will easily be in my top 10 reads of 2022.

<i>Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Jasmine Throne was one of the best, if not the best, book I read in 2021 so I went into the sequel with extremely high hopes, none of which where let down. It was everything I loved about TJT (the magic system, worldbuilding, the relationships between so many complex and complicated characters, not to mention Suri's incredible skill in bringing it all to life) and so much more.

There was not very much "new" worldbuilding in this book, since it was not really needed, but there were certainly some developments to the world Suri already build that kept me thoroughly engaged. The development with the yaksa and the magic system was balanced well with the political intrigue that was new in this series, with the central relationship between Priya and Malini tiding me over whenever the plot was not moving as fast (chapter 41, my lord).

I usually don't like political intrigue very much but maybe it's the POV characters I love so much who were so interesting in themselves that I just had to keep reading for them and didn't even realize when the political thread of the plot caught up to me. It was also not unnecessarily complicated as much of fantasy political plotlines tend to be, which just bogs down the story and makes it exhausting to get through.

There were some unexpected developments with characters that I was not really expecting, namely Chandra. I loved to hate him in TJT and that's all he was, and he's still not a character I care about the way I do Malini, Priya, Bhumika, Rukh, Jeevan, Rao, and even Aditya, but he definitely became a character I understood more and almost felt bad for by the time the book wrapped up. Some ill-advised empathy for Chandra was not what I was expecting going in, but I'm glad it happened. A story is only as good as its villians I suppose, and TOS delivers on that front.

Honestly every front. I might go reread it while I still have the ARC and try not to cry while I wait for the next one.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc!

This book wrecked me in the best way possible. Picking up shortly after the events of the Jasmine Throne, we see Priya and Malini separated as they both struggle towards their differing goals. However, war soon reunites them even as their fundamental differences threaten to tear them apart. Tasha Suri continues to astound with her tightly woven plots and Priya and Malini's agonizing slow burn relationship. The book completely flew by, and I can't wait for the next installment.