This was a fabulous end to the Burning Kingdoms trilogy. It starts a little slow for my taste, but once it gets going there is a lot going on. I really love Priya and Malini, as characters and their story with each other.

Keeping my review spoiler free so I will not be discussing main plot points or developments in detail.

What a bittersweet ending, such a wonderful series! When I think back to The Jasmine Throne I never could have expected all the directions that this series went, it's so unique, compelling, and well-written! I went through the full range of emotions reading this!

I especially loved following Priya's story as she is thrust into a position she never expected or wanted, and seeing what she is willing to do for her people.

Bhumika's POV continued to wreck me, she has been one of my favorite characters since the end of book one. I grew such a greater appreciation for Jeevan.

Malini's POV was less interesting, I understand what she was going through but it felt more like waiting for that inevitable part of the plot to come into play before my interest was piqued - she has never been of huge interest to me either though.

I felt the pacing a bit off, a lot happened but this was a long book and then the ending wrapped up so quickly. This is common in many fantasy books, and I have no huge interest in battle scenes or anything so drastic, but it still felt like it should have taken up a larger percentage of the book to me.

4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you Orbit and NetGalley for the eARC!

Perfect ending to a thrilling sapphic trilogy, full of all the angst you could hope for. Enemies to lovers, but are they actually enemies? Murder attempts and magical political intrigue, there is never a plot twist you can see coming.

An exciting conclusion to the trilogy. Loved the beautiful descriptions of the world and the characters. Plenty of action and intensity. I did struggle at time connecting with characters and really feeling for them sometimes. I think that had to do more with me than the story itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the chance to read an advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

The Burning Kingdoms trilogy is one that I cannot recommend highly enough. Each volume has impressed me and drawn me in, and I’ve come away loving every single volume. While admittedly I went into this volume with a patchy memory of the first two, I wasn’t too lost for long; The Lotus Empire manages to remind you where you left off without ever needing a lengthy recap. It’s woven in expertly, and I was able to catch up quickly.

Like the first two books in the trilogy, the pacing wasn’t always the strongest, but overall it comes together nicely enough that it isn’t a big issue for me. It’s also a very ambitious finale, with a lot of threads having to wrap up and come together—including some threads introduced in this book. While not every single resolution was 100% satisfying, I still came away happy with the ending. It’s a strong conclusion to a very strong trilogy, and I genuinely think this series has earned its place especially as one of the sapphic fantasy greats, but as a fantasy series generally too.

Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit for the ARC. I really liked the first book so was excited to request the third book when I saw it on Net Galley. Unfortunately this was before I finished the second book which I did not like as much. I do not think this book is the one for me, but am sure others will probably like it.

And she sticks the landing! A really fantastic end to a consistently great series. While the entire series explores the impact of faith and religion, I really feel like those themes go hard in this book, as we take the ongoing issues of Malini and the expectation that she burn by the priests of her empire and bring in the eldritch horror of the yaksa, the gods of Priya's people, and more fully explores how alien they are, their origin, and how they function in this world. I loved the question throughout the book of - what do you do when your gods are just as bad as the empire that crushed you underfoot? What happens when they're WORSE? The conflict that Priya deals with in this book is utterly captivating, and really elevates this series above other, more basic rebellion fantasy series. I loved the look at what choices people will make when all their choices are bad, and how people survive while trying to keep their morals and ethics intact - or not.

I also think that the relationship between Malini and Priya is one of the best in the enemies-to-lovers space. The author at no point disregards the very real reasons these two characters have to distrust each other, and doesn't ignore the issues of power imbalance throughout the series. I do think that some things were tied up too neatly, when they came back together in this book, but given how much was going on in the book, it didn't surprise me too much. Also, even though this is a sapphic fantasy, I didn't read this series for the romance, so. I don't really care that I think one of the main tensions between these two from the previous book was wrapped up too neatly. I did like the ultimate ending these two were given; I was concerned about the direction this would go, but I needn't have been; Suri wrote it very well, without making things too easy or pat.

And Bhumika remains amazing. She has consistently been my favorite throughout the series, and while she had some bits that really dragged, I still loved her and everything about her. I think one of the things that I love best about this series, too, is that even though Priya and Malini are undoubtedly the main characters, Suri has put so much effort into making her secondary characters into very, very real people. Bhumika might share main character status, to an extent, with Priya and Malini, so it makes sense that she is beautifully drawn. But Rukh, Sima, Rao, Jeevan, Raziya, Varsha, Ganam, Sahar... even if some of them don't get POV chapters, they are fully realized characters, with motivations and emotions and their own lives that we get a sense of, even if we don't see them.

I am so glad this series ended strongly. I am excited to purchase this book when it comes out. Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

Flawless. 5/5 stars.

Do you like....
Romantic angst?
Lovers to enemies?
Feminine rage?
Religious and political undertones?
Unique magic systems?
Complex but manipulative gods?

I did savor this book more than I usually do. It does seem to move at a slower pace for the first 1/3, but then the tension slowly amps up in a perfectly delish way that it became hard to put it down each night. The cast of characters is diverse and we see multiple POVs throughout the story, all of which pull together perfectly to finish the story. The writing is lush in a way that adds to the story without making it laborious to read. Priya, Malini, Bhumika - all "strong female characters" but in such different ways.

This series (and Tasha Suri) are so underhyped when it comes to popular bookish media. Seriously, if you liked the political machinations of something like Game of Thrones or Wheel of Time, this book series is for you.

A satisfying conclusion to the Burning Kingdoms trilogy! After the cliffhanger at the end of The Oleander Sword, The Lotus Empire starts off with a bang and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. As always, Suri's writing is beautiful.

This book will be reviewed and featured on my instagram account : @emily_reads_everything. In addition, my goodreads account will have a starred rating, as well as one here. My GR account is linked in the profile of my instagram.

General thoughts: I adore this series, and nothing changed with the last installment of the trilogy. This world and these characters are so beautiful and so vivid.

One of my most highly anticipated reads this year, so I was thrilled when I got approved for an ARC. I then promptly reread Jasmine Throne and Oleander Sword to prepare.

I’m usually a little hesitant to give out 5 stars to unfinished series, because I’ve been burned by disappointing conclusions before, but I am so happy that The Lotus Empire is a case where I can now go back and bump up the ratings for the first two. The whole series is a 10/10, no notes for me. I loved every minute with it.

I’m not going to go into plot stuff, because spoilers, but I love Priya, Malini, and Bhumika so much, and I was so happy that even though Priya and Malini’s relationship is obviously the heart (heh, get it) of the story, Bhumika isn’t sidelined, and she gets her time to shine. And Sima and Rukh and Jeevan too! Especially on reread, Rukh became the character I was most attached to, and I was SO WORRIED about him!

The eldritch horror of the Yaksa went so hard in this book, and I was not expecting it to, but man was it evocative. And if kindles supported emojis, most of my notes would have just been 😭😭😭 as I stressed about everyone the whole time. So many emotions!!

Tasha Suri has definitely become a favorite author after how flawless this was, and how much I enjoyed the Books of Ambha duology. Eagerly looking forward to whatever she does next! Especially anything involves incredibly angry lesbians!

The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri was an exhilarating journey from start to finish, offering a deeply satisfying conclusion that made the entire ride worthwhile. This book takes the enemies-to-lovers trope to a whole new level, delivering a romance that's just as captivating as the plot itself. From the moment I started, I was hooked, and it held me until the very last page. What truly stood out was the brilliant character development—not only did the main characters grow in compelling ways, but the secondary and even tertiary characters had their own well-crafted arcs, making the world feel rich and alive. By the end, every storyline was tied up beautifully, leaving no loose ends and making for a thoroughly fulfilling read.

Tasha Suri crushes it again! This series is amazing and this book was such an exciting resolution to the trilogy. This makes me want to go back and start over again from book one!

The Lotus Empire has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year, as an enjoyer of the two previous novels in the Burning Kingdom trilogy and it did not disappoint!

This is arguably the best book in the trilogy. From my own personal enjoyment, engagement with the series, and an advancement in Suri’s use of prose. What an amazing thing to see a story and author grow while still keeping the heart of the story intact.

The writing, pacing, prose, character development, and world building increased tremendously. The metaphorical writing was a strength Suri found in this series and expanded upon in this novel.

While a lot is happening, arguably sometimes too much, it all fits into place especially after just recently reading the previous two books in the series. It can be slightly daunting to go into this novel with its large cast of characters and multiple points of view but the way Suri writes these multitude of ideas together, weaving in characters and ideas fits together like a perfect puzzle.

Overall I have found this to be the strongest novel in the trilogy. From the political intrigue to the complexities of relationships formed during war intermixed and balanced with action and metaphorical and flowery language.

What an incredible end to this trilogy, and what a wonderful mark Suri has left on the sapphic fantasy genre as a whole. (Absolutely loving the rise in this genre too!)

A very, very solid 5 stars! A trilogy everyone should read, I truly believe that it is an incredible addition to modern fantasy and The Lotus Empire proves it!

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for this arc.

I joined netgalley on a whim to try and read more books that would be hard for me to access. When I went to request a few arcs to try and get into the game, I saw that The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri was on the list and just threw my name into the pool not expecting anything. Lo and behold, I was permitted the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

Unfortunately, I think I held too much anticipation for this story. Although I devoured it quite voraciously, I was having difficulty recalling the events of the two previous books. Especially the conclusion of the middle book, The Oleander Sword, which I loved so much. Having forgotten most of the events, I found that getting into the groove for The Lotus Empire was an arduous task. I honestly feel that both The Oleander Sword and The Lotus Empire need to have a brief synopsis at the beginning to remind us of the big events. That would have made this more enjoyable.

I ended up spending nearly half the book trying to remember who was who and how they all fit into the puzzle, which honestly detracted from the piece. Following that, most of the events seemed disjointed and like I was reading more of a story plan than a finished product. This was a little frustrating to me as I am a reader that delights more in the slow descriptions than events. I know Suri can write some phenomenal work, that really put us into the mind of the characters. In The Lotus Empire, the characters didn't feel as fleshed out as they were previously, and more like they were implements to just finish the story. This led me to feel that I was rushed through the journey rather than being encapsulated by the action.

With everything happening so fast, things felt a little too convenient with how events and certain objects came into play which detracted from the overall climax. To me, it feels that this book would have benefitted from being split in two so we could have the time with the characters and their struggles.

This missed the mark with me and felt like an unsatisfactory conclusion to an epic tale.

I want to rate this 4.5 stars but I’m not sure how so 5 it is! I have loved this series from start to finish! What an emotional ride this last book was, so much growth and an epic journey for all of these characters! To think back on where they were to the end of this book is absolutely stunning! The work built throughout is so intriguing and full of life (literally) and love and grief and despair and history and belief and the richness of culture, I just absolutely loved this!

I was genuinely wondering how this book would turn out after the last cliffhanger, but honestly, the way Suri manages to blend all the forces acting on this world down into the POVs she chooses, how everything unfolds, and the political intrigue of it all placed against these two girls trying to find a way forward is incredibly well done. This is a hell of an end to this trilogy, and man, if you have not read this trilogy before, please go to the library and start with the Jasmine Throne and tear through the rest of the trilogy before this comes out in November. Cheers to Suri, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

"There will be war, of course."
This quote came early in the book, and it spoke to me. Of course, by the end, I understood why.
The pov transitions made each character lovable. I could also keep the story straight, so bonus points for that.
As for world building, I didn't realize until the end it was the third book in a series. It still made sense, but there was a lot missing that I realized were because it was likely already explained in the other books. I'm not going to lie; this is mainly why the rating is a neutral three stars. It was good, I just can't accurately fully understand how good it is without the other books.

The Lotus Empire is an epic and compelling conclusion to the Burning Kingdoms trilogy. I’m going to avoid a plot summary to keep from spoiling the previous books in the series but do know that The Oleander Sword ends on a major conflict between characters a large world-changing threat, and it is up to Burning Kingdoms to navigate extremely tense relationships and tie together an intricate web of sociopolitical aims into a satisfying conclusion. This is where The Lotus Empire excels: as the final piece of a long and complex trilogy, this book does an amazing job of reaching a satisfactory ending to the many plot arcs throughout the series.

The main core to this is the relationship between Malini and Priya: though the two spend a good portion of this book apart, the single-minded devotion each never loses its weight, even as the boundary between adoration and hatred of the enemy shifts back and forth. This was a high point of the book for me: Malini’s constant struggle to balance her love for Priya, her reputation which allows her to keep her throne, and the ramifications of the end of The Oleander Sword are tense and complex. Priya’s struggle to reckon with the reign of the Yaksa, her feelings for and about Malini, and the protection of her people are equally compelling. Overall, these relationships are the beating heart of this book, and their interrogation is amazing, as it was in previous books in the series.

As for side characters, Bhumika’s plotline is equally compelling. Her mental state throughout this book is one which feels as though it could be very hard to connect with as the reader, and yet it is navigated expertly. On the other hand, I found Rao’s plotline to be a bit more lacking. It’s not bad—I still felt his grief and struggle to move forward with his life to be a strong through-line in the book. That being said, I felt as though his plot could stagnate, where the timbre of his chapters never really changed or developed in a way that made them interesting. While I like his ending, I found his chapters more dry than those of the other characters.

The other major strength of this book and series as a whole is the prose: often, Suri describes things in metaphor in a way I found really intriguing to read. It’s the kind of writing which conveys emotions very well. It forgoes literal interpretation of the words in order to better portray the atmosphere of a scene. In my opinion, it might be the single greatest strength of the series, and something I enjoy reading immensely.

In the end, I believe this is a four out of five-star book. The reasons I am not giving it five stars is twofold: first is the issue with Rao’s storyline as discussed above, and the second as that the pacing of this book felt off, in a way that I have some trouble putting words to. It not necessarily that the book is slow: plenty happens, and each of the viewpoints is generally interesting at any given time. Yet, I still struggled to get into the book, especially at the beginning. I think it is, at least for the first good chunk of the book, a lot is happening, but it does not necessarily feel like it is driving in any particular direction. This does get better a bit past the midway point of the book, but even then, I didn’t find this book to be as easy to get lost in as the previous two entries for most of the story. This book felt long in a way the previous two did not, though I am not sure what the difference is.

Overall, I did enjoy my reading experience with this book. The series is one I definitely recommend to any reader who likes intricate and imaginative fantasy series, and especially those who are interested explorations of relationships that are just never simple or straightforward. I am very glad I read this series, and very grateful to have been given the chance to review the final book.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the book! If you enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy I think you will love this too! It had the perfect bitter sweet ending that I love and the mixed point of view really works here as a way to get many different perspectives on the complex events happening. Honestly I was so excited to get the opportunity to read it early, but when I went to start I was almost too scared to read it since I have enjoyed this series so much, but it is worth it, and I can't wait for it to actually come out so I can buy it and add to my collection.

Since I don't want to give any spoilers, the rest of my review is about the trilogy overall and how I think it really works together. The characters of Priya and Malini have grown so much as individuals and in their relationship together throughout the three books that they feel like real people with wants, hopes, and dreams. You understand why they make the choices that they make because you know what they went through to get there. I also think the stakes ramped up in a very interesting way throughout the books, always keeping with the theme of love and the things that we have to do for the people that we love .

Tasha Suri has definitely become a must read author for me and I am excited to see where she goes next!