I really enjoyed this conclusion to the Burning Kingdoms trilogy, though I had a hard time getting into it at first. The book is long and rather slow paced for a good 2/3s of it, especially when compared to the urgency of dealing with the Yaksa. Everyone makes moves in their own way but with very little coordination, and there are plenty of political moves and side dealings which have ramifications in the later parts of the plot but feel meandering during the set up portions. I was so confused at how scattered the characters were in each of their arcs. Even when Rao and Malini are at the same spot, how come they don't actually sync up??? I know they don't always know where the others are but I would've loved to see the cast together more.

Despite the pacing, which I had some issues with, this book is absolutely filled with Suri's beautiful prose and imagery and was a joy to read. All of the side characters add a lot of depth and intrigue to the plot, and I could never guess what was coming next. The plot is entirely original and captivating.

I loved Rao and Bumikha's respective arcs the most. They're filled with longing and grief and big emotions. I found Priya and Malini's arc to be satisfying in the end, but I was pretty uninterested in it for most of the book. They spent so much time apart and each had their own concerns. I would have loved for their dream interactions to be longer and explore more nuance and depth. The brief kiss they shared was nice but I wanted more of an UMPH of big, big emotions. I thought Bumikha and Jeevan's arc and Rao's grief had a much stronger emotional pull.

Overall I think this is a solid conclusion to an absolutely amazing trilogy, even if I liked books 1 and 2 a little more than this one.

I could not wait to get my hands on this book. This is the 3rd book in The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy and it was a good and satisfying conclusion to the story. A little bit of a slow start, but once things start picking up around 30-40% in, I could not put this one down.

I loved our characters in this series. Obviously Priya and Malini are the stars of the show. But I came to really enjoy Bhumika's perspective in this book. Rao was also a highlight of the story and I appreciated seeing his growth and the arc that started in book 1. Aside from those main POV characters, I also enjoyed so many of the smaller side characters: Rukh, Sima, and Lata especially. Tasha Suri created a very believable cast, and one that you could not help but root for.

I do think the pacing of the story was a but quicker than book 2: The Oleander Sword. Which I think was a good thing overall, but also feels a bit odd going from one to the other. I think I would have been okay with this one being a little bit longer to fully flesh out some of the important plot points. Some parts just seemed to happen conveniently fast/easy (esp. Rao's travels outside of the empire/the search for a weapon to kill the Yaksa).

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an eARC of this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for a review! I loved the first two books in this series so much and regularly thought about the cliffhanger to book 2 in the two years between that book and this one. Unfortunately I think that means that my expectations were so so high. Parts of this book felt a little disappointing to me but ultimately I think the ending was as good as it could have been.

This was a solid conclusion to this Indian inspired epic fantasy story. I appreciated how this entire series focused on strong female protagonists.

I would recommend this series to readers looking for a character driven story with a rich setting. However you will want to start back at the beginning with The Burning Throne.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This was a fully and completely epic ending to such an Incredible series.

This series has made me feel so, so much. Malini and Priya have been left in a very precarious place with one another after the events of book 2, and I had no idea how Tasha Suri was going to bring it all back together (but endlessly faithful that she would do it justice, and she DID). The threat this world is facing has grown into such a terrifying and complex one, it really feels impossible to overcome. This is really for fans of high, epic fantasy, with incredible and detailed world building, political movement, and distrust at every turn. It’s also a phenomenal love story that had me feeling breathless and heartbroken on many moments, only to be put back together so completely come the end.

I lost a bit of steam at the midway point of this book, but I blame myself for that entirely as I’ve gotten a bit out of practice with his complex of a fantasy story. It’s completely jam packed with action, so it never feels slow for that reason, and the characters have grown and changed so much. This book reminded me how much I love not only Malini and Priya, but also the side characters that they love. They’re all as morally grey and lovable as ever, and both Malini and Priya have been through massive transformations (in literal and figurative ways).

This story is ultimately about so much: love, war, religion, navigating forces we don’t understand, overcoming betrayal that cuts deep. It’s epic and lovely and feminist and powerful and I can’t wait for everything Tasha Suri has coming next. Thank you ro Orbit and NetGalley for this eArc!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

My favorite part about this series is definitely the characters, and the journey we go through with them. Early on all of the different characters can be a bit confusing but as the series goes they stay with you. I still think Bhumika and Rao are the stand out characters for me, but that has a lot to do with the types of characters I tend to prefer. Malini is not my cup of tea but I think it was interesting to see half of this series through her eyes since it hinges so much on women overcoming a million trials and prejudices. To see her rise into power and how she is similar and differs from Chandra was also very full circle in a lot of ways. Priya is a bit more my speed as a character but again, we see how that conflicts as she encounters life amongst the yaksa and the impending war that Ahiranya is facing. Again, I just really appreciate Bhumika and Rao as characters. We see a different version of Bhumika here but Tasha Suri did a wonderful job of making her still feel like Bhumika even with so much of her having been altered. For Rao, we see him at his "worst" as he is grieving but his sensitivities in a world full of so many cruel and misogynistic men, he is a delight. I'd say of the entire set of characters he is probably the softest at heart.

By this point the world building was already fleshed out but there was a lot of interesting visuals that come to fruition, through the use of fire and the spread of the rot. These are common elements in the first two but we see them in a whole new way.

My one issue is that there is so much bouncing around in the plot that I really can't remember specific circumstances except for when it comes to Bhumika and Rao because they are on one straight trajectory, whereas with Malini and Priya we see them moving around all over with small to large battles. It works, however, at the core of this story because this is truly chaos of war, and something much larger than our two main characters. They may be at the center but every move they make has a ripple effect, as well as so many moving parts around them like the actions of the yaksa, the priests, the rot, their own decisions, etc. Everyone is vulnerable and spread out, and even though the plot feels muddled together at times, you do not forget the core of this story and where it moves.

I was a little confused by the ending pertaining to Priya but I just see it as another chance to read the book later and find out more from the story along the way. All and all I'm happy to see where this story led, despite my confusion at times, and I'm sad it is over.

MINI SPOILER AHEAD:

I want to see an additional novel of what Rao and Sima get up to during their travels. I desperately need more.

Rep: WLW characters, mlm character.

This was an absolutely stunning end to a very compelling and entertaining trilogy. I loved the sapphic romance, and I loved the mythology associated with this fantasy novel.
I really liked how the ending of the book tied up everything and there were no plot holes or questions that I had at the end. The novel did definitely did not end the way I expected it to, but I was totally OK with that because this ending was even better than I expected it to be. There were a couple of times where I started to get a little bored because the pacing was just not perfect for my taste, but that was super easy to get over with the incredible content I was getting overall.

Now the empress, Malini, is reeling from Priya’s betrayal. Priya meanwhile has made her way back to Ahirayna and has survived her third time in the deathless waters. An unknown yaksa is also speaking to Priya promising protection to Ahirayna that will require a sacrifice. And Priya has been chosen to provide one. As the rot continues through Parijatdvipa, Malini finds herself at war to stop the yaksa and Priya. But a greater threat is coming that will force Malini and Priya together before their world is turned to ash and rot.

How bittersweet it was reading this. But the end of such an incredible story usually is. Seeing how long it had been for me between book 2 and 3 I should have had a refresher before diving in. As such I struggled for the first bit of the book and it didn't help that there were so many POVS. But I needed to know how Priya and Malini’s stories ended. And like I said bittersweet. Adding in Bhumika and her story gave this so much more. I loved all three of these women, their strengths and sacrifices made me root for them all. I’m happy with the endings they all got but feel like a big question was left unanswered for me at the end. Will definitely be keeping an eye on what Tasha Suri will be doing next.

Rating 4 stars

I really liked the wrap up to Suri's series. even though there were certain storylines that felt rushed, the overarching themes of love and chosen family really stand out to me. the way in which Suri used the yaksa and their enemy to bring changes on the human world was interesting and demonstrated a push and pull that mirrors what keeps certain peoples apart and at odds.

A tale that explores the strengths and weaknesses of empire, power, belief, and love. All throughout this series, what kept me reading, was how Suri is unafraid to break her characters and their relationships in order to realize their growth which then impacted the flow of the story.

Wow! I can't even believe it's over, and it was so good the whole way through. What a great epic fiction triology this is!
I don't even know what to say exactly because this book was so eventful. There was always something happening. The constant reflection on power and how it can create monstrosity was very well explored through the different characters gaining and losing power in cycles.

Tasha Suri has always been able to create beautiful stories, write incredible worlds, and intense emotions throughout her books. I enjoyed this book, but I feel as though not a lot happened in this book and the pacing was quite off, which really disappointed me. I loved book 1 & 2, still enjoyed book 3, but I think it could have been thought out better. Thank you for the opportunity!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: November 12, 2024

DNF 20%
To be honest, I really struggled through the first 2 books in this trilogy. I enjoyed the world and the characters but the writing just didn't hook me and keep my attention. I have been getting better at not forcing myself through books this year so I decided to DNF it. But since it was a writing style issue, which is personal, anyone who thinks the premise sounds interesting should try it as it might work well for them!

I can’t believe this series is over! It was a satisfying ending and the writing was strong throughout. This series feels so green and naturey and rich, and that’s no different in this book. The pacing of the plot was my least favorite in the trilogy, and it felt like very little happened for a long time. The ending picked up speed and lots of things happened quickly. I wish it had all been a bit more evenly paced. Overall I liked it but didn’t love it, but would absolutely recommend to anyone who liked the first two books!

It took me a while to read this because 1. I forgot what happened in the previous two books and 2. the beginning was slower than I wanted it to be after the ending of the last book. I enjoyed it overall though! I think my favorite of the three is still the first, because I just am more of a fan of the inner machinations of minds, powers at play, and smaller environments and not so much battle, but I still wish it wasn't over. I'm an absolute LOVER of sapphic fantasy so this didn't even have a chance at getting less than 3 stars but Priya and Malini are so strong and trying not to be gushy and weak for the other to protect their families and I absolutely love them for it.

Tasha Suri has the final book of her tale of a version of India in which Burning women can produce a magical flame. The blessed mothers created the flame to destroy the Yaksa, good like creatures from the void. The Jasmine Throne (paper and winner of the World Fantasy Award) introduced the sister of the emperor, Malini, who has refused to be burnt alive, and Priya who will brave the deathless waters three times to access the powers of water and life. Malini decides that she can only survive by becoming Empress and starts a civil war. She wins this war in The Oleander Sword (paper) but the Yaksa return, bringing rot and devastation with them. Special magic has to be found to restore The Lotus Empire(paper from Orbit) and that will require sacrifice from both Malini and Priya. Very exciting ending with lots of treachery.

Sadly I just couldn't finish this book. I was 100 pages in and I felt like nothing was happening and it was unclear what the character's goals were. I'm not someone who needs a ton of action, but if there's little action you need a lot more from the characters. I was pretty meh about this series after book two, and I think I should have just let it be - it is clearly not for me. It's disappointing, because this world and magic system were so interesting, and I know so many people love this series. The pacing just did not work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really enjoyable end to the series. For me, this answered some of my outstanding questions about the yaksa as well as developing their storyline, and also provided some explanation of mother’s fire and the origins of that. I particularly enjoyed Rao’s arc, as well as Bhumika’s storyline.

The Lotus Empire closes out Tasha Suri’s epic fantasy trilogy. The final book in the series wraps up all the threads of that were left open in book two nicely, while adding some new characters and twists. Like the first two novels, there are many characters, points of view, and plots, and is quite long with lots of build-up. There is a bit of a deus ex machina aspect to the solution for getting rid of the yaksa, but otherwise it was a good ending.

The Lotus Empire delivers a grand and emotional finale to The Burning Kingdoms trilogy, bringing the intertwining fates of Empress Malini and Priya to a climactic resolution. Malini now holds the throne of Parijatdvipa but faces the horrifying choice of sealing her reign with a fiery sacrifice—or finding another to take her place. Meanwhile, Priya, bound by the power of the deathless waters, confronts her own fate as a yaksa demands a sacrifice she can scarcely bear to make. As their paths diverge and converge once more, the two must set aside their differences to face an ancient enemy threatening to destroy everything they’ve fought for.

Tasha Suri’s lush and evocative prose continues to shine in this conclusion, masterfully weaving themes of power, sacrifice, and love. Malini and Priya’s arcs reach deeply satisfying emotional crescendos, cementing their roles as two of the most compelling heroines in recent fantasy. However, the third installment’s slower pacing and the overwhelming number of side characters slightly detracted from the central narrative. At times, these additional threads pulled attention away from the core of the story, diminishing the urgency of the plot.

Despite these shortcomings, The Lotus Empire is a bittersweet, epic finale that will resonate with fans of the series. Suri’s ability to balance personal stakes with sweeping political and magical conflicts remains unparalleled, and this trilogy cements her as a standout voice in fantasy.

The Lotus Empire picks up immediately after The Oleander Sword and that heck of a cliffhanger.

Unfortunately for me, besides that cliffhanger, I didn’t recall much of the first two volumes and it took me a fair chunk of the book to get my sealegs. It’s to the author’s credit I enjoyed myself despite my own lackluster memory (The series merits a full reread before I can determine if the first 50% of the book was particularly meandering or all is due to my lackluster recall). However, the pieces all come together quite beautifully in a really fitting conclusion.

To speak about the series more broadly than this volume, I find it immensely refreshing to experience an epic fantasy focused on a non-Western-inspired civilization and with Sapphic main characters that is also so well-written.