DNF at 48%

honestly, I’m super bummed I didn’t like this. It was one of my most anticipated fall reads, and I was so psyched to get an arc. Unfortunately this is marketed as adult, and it is extremely YA, and the mislabeling does the book a major disservice. The characters feel young and one-dimensional, the plot isn’t fleshed out, and the dialogue is really rough. I actually double checked several times that this is a supposed to be adult. The premise is amazing, the cover is beautiful, and I really wanted to love this book. Unfortunately it really missed the mark for me.

Poppy Sutherland had summoned that storm, washing half the city with her wrath.

We love a female rage moment in this household. We love that book in general.

So, I loved pretty much everything about this book but I'll give you the highlights that made it 5 ⭐️
• The magic is not so much the driving force as the dividing factor. The Welkish, the colonizers, consider it heresy but even among the Viryans it creates issues of classism and racism that the author doesn't shy away from. It was refreshing to read about a world where the characters actually tried to use their brains rather than their magic.
• Poppy. I loved Poppy as a main character so much. She was in an impossible situation being a Varyan raised as a Welkish and even though she had it rough she was humbled on every turn about how worst other people had it and she took it like a champ. She saved herself from her predicament and honestly we stan.
• How realistic all the characters felt. Other than the big bad who had no redeeming qualities, everyone else felt like real people with their goods and bads trying to do what they believed best (expect Hasan, he is my baby boy and I don't care if he burned people alive).

All in all, you should definitely keep an eye for this book. I'm looking forward for the sequel and the first one isn't even out yet.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an e-ARC of To Bargain with Mortals. I'll be honest, I wanted to like this book more than I did. Poppy Sutherland is a FMC that should have resonated with me, but I just felt some of her decisions were frustrating and it made sense why things did not work out the way she expected. Overall, I think it was an interesting book. But it just wasn't for me.

This debut work tried to tackle some big topics. Colonization, prejudices and perceptions.

I actually liked our heroine Poppy okay. Being an adopted daughter of her peoples colonizer was an interesting choice that I really liked a lot. She had to tackle her own self hatred, and misconceptions.
Hasan being an idealistic gang leader grated on me. I’m not against showing mercy or being benevolent in this role, it just felt very heavy handed.

I found myself putting this book down a lot. It also feels very, young, despite being listed as an adult fantasy book. I liked the story, but I was not engaged enough for it to carry me through the lulls. For that, it’s a three star read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley & Bindery Books for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

The concept in this book is unique and very intriguing, however I think it needs more refining (which could be happening considering this is an ARC).

The first 10% was fast paced, easy to follow and then it felt like the story wasn't progressing. The pacing was inconsistent and the ending felt rushed.

My biggest issue with the book was the information dump via inner monologues/thoughts from the main character 'Poppy' as opposed to being shown the issues of the society through interaction between various characters. Everything was spelled out. As a reader, I felt like we weren't shown much, but when we were it would be spelled out right after in one of Poppy's 'revelations'. It made it difficult to stay immersed in the story as it was very repetitive.

For example, <spoiler>During Poppy's engagement party, when she overhears the other women at the party talking about her. That on its own was very telling about the issues within the world our FMC lives in. I wish there was more of THAT throughout the book and less of walls of text spelling out the racism, poverty and other issues within the society and world the author built. It got exhausting very quickly to read the same thing over and over again being spelled out. As opposed to adding more depth and complexity to the scenes of her seeing the poverty from the car or interacting with people (i.e the dinner scene). More of that would have MUCH more impact than walls of text talking about poverty, racism, discrimination etc.</spoiler>

Because of those multiple 'revelations' that Poppy has, I found her character not as well developed as the side character. She lacked depth while our supporting characters were better developed and more complex.

Curious to see how the series progressing since it is a very interesting concept and world that the author built.

One final note, I hope there's a lexicon included in the final book to refer to as well as a map. Who doesn't love a good map?

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Skies Press for the opportunity.

When I initially saw Emma talk about this book on her book page, I didn’t realize that it was from her imprint, Skies Press. I had the sound off, saw the cover, added it to my tbr, and went on my merry way. Imagine my excitement when I searched Bindery on NetGalley and saw it was available to request! I am so glad that I get to be a part of sharing this debut novel with the world.

I was able to immediately draw the parallels to the world in TO BARGAIN WITH MORTALS and to our real world counterparts of India and England. That is a main theme throughout the entire story and it really is able to shine light on the atrocity that is colonization. I also noticed things that I have heard South Asian creators talk about online about being told they were “too brown” or that their cultural habits were “rude” or “savage.” I really appreciated all of the real world things that were placed in this fictitious world.

I can see how some people may say that Poppy was repetitive and whiny and didn’t see how she had benefited from her upbringing, even though she too had many struggles-but I believe that is the whole point of the story and how we get to where we get at the end of the book. You see great growth in her as a person, which is the main theme of the beginning, proving to her family and society that she has changed and is a “proper” Welkish woman now. Not only do we see growth in Poppy, but also in Hasan. As they form their tentative alliance, and eventual friendship, you see his own prejudices of their own people begin to falter and see where maybe he had also been wrong on some fronts. Also, I hate Richard and I hope his pillow is always warm.

Annnnd because I am who I am as a person, I did read the last page before the epilogue before I was even halfway through. Finding out what that last page had to say, filled me with questions and how R.A. Basu was going to bring it to life. Now, I’m left with questions about what book two will say.

Did I expect to find one of my favourite books of the year just randomly nosying through Netgalley? No. Did it work out? Absolutely.

Honestly I’d give this six stars if I could.

For a debut this was stunning. Layered and every little facet was given absolute care.

This has the airs of a genderbent Babel (which is among the highest compliments I can give) if we saw far less of Oxford University and way more of Oxford itself. I know that comparison is probably too easily made for two books about colonisation, but what I found Babel lacked in some ways I found TBWM really leaned into. We see a much broader magic system as well as a world at large and every aspect of it, from the very lows to the very highs.

In particular there’s some aspect of moral greyness particularly in her father (who’s a bastard don’t get me wrong but I adored how 3D Basu makes him) and the misogyny of the greater cast that isn’t done for shock value but there’s a lot of genuine thought and intrigue into every value and motivation we see. Nothing feels written for the sake of writing it, and this will definitely be a book I’ll come back to to see all the hints and references that I didn’t see the first time around!

I especially adored the introspection we see from Poppy as she comes to understand that she comes from a strange place of privilege in a way and slowly how she builds from self-centred goals to wanting to do better for her country. It was such a beautiful path to track across this book and I’m already chomping at the bit for book two.

Basu had an incredible talent for knowing when to let the story pause and let the reader breathe. In particular when describing the plays of the Viryani, and the stories nanny would tell young Poppy. That along with the other formats found in the book like the letters translated so beautifully into world building that I genuinely, genuinely loved.

My one only real critique is that the dialogue is extremely heavy handed. They all talk quite pompous which I could see as being wearing on some readers. But it never really irked me too bad.

I adored Poppy from first page to last. There’s a gentle kind of intelligence and thoughtfulness that Basu sews into every line of dialogue and thought that made her so extremely likeable, easy to follow and with clear if brutal motivations.

I honestly think a disservice is done to Hasan. He’s dubbed in a lot of the marketing as what can easily read as the 2D love interest common in romantasy. That’s a discredit to what Basu crafted in Hasan. Yes a bloodthirsty antihero in the work he does and what he’s willing to do for his family. But in TBWM we see the slow development of a relationship between him and Poppy that’s so much more than the “touch her you die” kind of trope common to the genre. There’s an intelligence and gentleness in him too which we genuinely don’t feel like we see often in this kind of story. And then the (not really twist just his involvement in it) that suits the arc so well and just… hurry up and give me book two already.

I reckon I’m a lifelong fan.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

Man, I was really excited for this book, but unfortunately, it did not work for me.

I'll start with what I <i>did</i> like. The commentary on imperialism and colonisation, as well as the caste system, racism and the entire socioeconomic system, was poignant and very well articulated. It remains a relevant and necessary topic to this day. The magic system was also very interesting. I'm always a sucker for a good elemental story, but the additions of the gods and how said colonisation has impacted the magic were a very unique take. There's more to be explained, sure, but our heroine is a novice, so those are naturally to be expected from the sequel. And while the overall plot was enticing, unfortunately, it fell flat in its execution.

The writing and dialogue felt very stilted and unnatural at times, coupled with the repetitiveness and clunky pacing, you got tired of seeing the same things again and again. I promise we got it the first three times these things were discussed.

Then there's our main characters, Poppy and Hasan. I feel for Poppy, I really do, but sometimes she was naive to the point of stupidity. They also keep regressing; Hasan would be the first to criticise the caste system while acting combatively when confronted by those oppressed, Poppy would come to very astute conclusions while talking with her father, then had to relearn the same lessons like they were brand new information. Her position is precarious for sure, and like I said, I feel for her, but it simply gets to a point. The ending was also very clunky, the resolutions would come frustratingly conveniently, and it left albeit small, yet noticeable plot holes.

The book is not necessarily bad. It definitely has its merits, and I see the potential for the sequel; it simply needed more polishing. But the issues were so numerous they kept piling up till the end, it was simply too hard to ignore.

Thank you Netgalley and R. A. Basu for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
once an outcast, now being accepted is what poppy had went through.
From learning, unlearning and re-learning.
It had been a very hard journey.

the book talks about politics, colonisation and how inequality and teachings that are Forbidden been shunned by those who deem superior. And how your brown skin colour makes you feel like you're not worthy.

I'd rather say that the storyline was good. The characters had their own flaws. Poppy had to go through hardships and had to learn a lot considering her powers. And how Hasan who was the jackel, had his own hardships until he met poppy.
Their chemistry was like a business relationship 😅

But if there is a book 2 then I'd wait for it. But was a interesting book to read.

4.5⭐

Thank you to R. A. Basu, Emma Skies, Skies Press and Bindery Books for the ARC.

𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 is the first instalment in the Reckoning Storm duology, a stunning reflection on politics and purpose, blood and allegiance and what we do with histories we inherit, in a world loosely inspired by India during the colonial rule of British Raj, following an outcast heiress and a notorious gang leader, in a country in a brink of revolution or destruction.

I was so intrigued to this story ever since I heard about it. I was hooked from the first pages and absolutely loved reading it! There were so many perspectives and views of the happenings shown throughout the narrative which made it so much easier to understand both sides of the story.

This is a sharp, evocative and brilliantly explored fantasy of a colonized nation where everything is not what it seems.

To Bargain With Mortals is a set in the colonized nation of Viryana, which was once a flourishing Kingdom with culture, magic and identity. This tale isn't just an enemies to allies dynamic exploration where they become lovers, it's a tale of power, injustice, identity, erasure of culture, and existence. This book is a strong political statement — with a powerful message.

Viryana was conquered and colonised by the Welkish people, who seem to be loosely inspired by the British Raj and the Virians as the Indians during the colonial rule of the British Raj. Basu explores the journey, from how the Welkish slowly invaded Viryana internally and eventually stripped the people of their country and turned into a colony of the Welkland Empire. The Welkish entered in the guise of helping to bring change in the Virirans caste system but it turned out to be a plot to strip down their right, tear down their culture and religion, destroy their lands and make them into the 'lowest' type of people to exist in their own lands.

Hasan and Poppy are two equally flawed protagonists, who are both driven to silence in a system that doesn't consider their voices. They both want change to their worlds, albeit with different goals but they want to spark the change. They are compelling protagonists who are complex yet flawed, which makes their mindset and actions relatable most times.

Basu didn't write this tale with any bias. The author does not favour the Welkish or the Viriyans with any plot armour. The flaws in the Viriyan's caste system which created a divide between the non-gifted Vasudhakt, who were considered inferior and the Daivyakt, the magically-gifted people of the gods who were considered superior. This system unintentionally was a trigger to what led to the colonization of Viryana. After becoming a colony, the Welkish treated Viriyans equally alike with disdain and treated them like lowest class of people.

𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 is the brown-skinned orphan who was adopted by the Viceroy of Viryana. She's rejected by the white high society and the people from her native island. Poppy is a presentation of how the Welkish tried to colonised the natives of the nation. She wasn't allowed to learn about her native culture and was punished for it while at the same time, wasn't trusted and treated the same way as the other high society members because of the colour of her skin. She was just a woman wanted to secure a place in society when neither sides wanted her. She started off as an entitled and privileged character and her character development towards the end which made her see that she didn't want to be comfortable, she wanted everyone to feel safe. She wanted to bring that change in the capitalistic government she lived in and become the change that the Virians and Welkish needed.

𝐇𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫 is the ruthless criminal known as the Jackal, who has been a long time target because of his family's gift in divine magic — the same magic that the colonizers tried to wipe out. He is an extremely complex and morally grey character, who would do anything to achieve his goals. He is very protective of his family, culture, religion and people and wants his nation to change because he lived in a world that judged him by the colour of his skin which meant that his voice wouldn't matter. He would do anything to bring the change, even if it meant that he had to kill people and burn the colonizers to the ground.

Is this a love story? It isn't, at least not yet. In the heart of this novel is a girl who wants to be accepted and have security of her life, a lonely girl who is conflicted about her identity throughout the book, in a tale of power, vengeance, change, colonialism and culture.

For fans of political fantasy which deals with a colonised nation in a brink of revolution or destruction, a tale brimmed with politics, identity and vengeance.

*real rate: 3.5*
Political struggle, identity search, and a new fictional world inspired by colonial India!
This is the debut novel of this author, and she did a great job for her first book. One thing I loved was that she didn’t add a romance right away; instead, she let us settle into the story and focus on the main characters, Poppy and Hassan, individually. The lore of the daivyakhi was fascinating, and the political intrigue (especially the rebel plotline) kept me turning the pages.
Hassan, the MMC, was definitely the standout for me. His journey was the most captivating, and I often found myself more invested in his storyline than Poppy’s. The questions around his brothers—one arrested, another whose loyalty is uncertain—kept the tension high and made me eager for more.
If only I had been able to connect more with Poppy, this could have been an amazing read. She’s a kind soul, but she spends so much time struggling to fit into the Welkish circle that never truly accepts her. On top of that, the pacing sometimes felt a little too fast for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

How to describe this book? This book was quite the story. It is not a new stor, it is about something that has been happening in our world for thousands of years. What happens when two very different cultures clash against eachother and one takes over another? What happens when your are try ing to be part of two different worls and en up being part of none? This is a book about colonialism.
R.A. Basu did such a good job in creating all the politics around this matter. And our main character Poppy has to dive into her own forgotten culture to understand her place in the world, and she has a lot to learn, especially being in a society where everything is against her.
I have to say I had a little bit of trouble with some parts of the book, especially with our main male character and his vision of the world. Violence is not always the way to fix things. But I can appeciate the growth that both our main characters go through throught the story and I am looking forward to read about the challenges that are waiting for them

3.25 rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for this advanced E-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very good first installment in a series and I look forward to see if the author can continue to deliver and work through the story.

Characters: I preferred our male MMC far more than the FMC but it may be because his story line is reminiscent of Six of Crows. While it was refreshing to have our characters be in their twenties the decisions made and actions felt like I was reading a YA at many points.

Story/themes: nothing extraordinary or groundbreaking here for fans of fantasy but the pacing was pretty good so it kept everything moving. A lot of political intrigue which isn’t always my favorite but Basu sprinkled in just enough of magic to keep me entertained.

a truly stunning debut that deeply wrestles with the histories and rebellion against colonialism and its effects, learning to trust yourself and reconnecting with the stories that created you, and reclaiming the narrative. had chills multiple times reading this. all of the characters in this book were so interesting and dynamic and i’m really looking forward to how things ramp up in book 2!

3.5
A riveting debut novel by R:A Basu. The magic system was interesting and intriguing. It was very political which was for me a little too much at times. It's marked as an adult novel but I kind of think it reads as a YA. It was a fantasy that tackled racism and colonialism, sexism and class boundaries. Overall a really good book and I'll definitely keep a lookout for the next one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this eARC.

𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐛𝐲 𝐑. 𝐀. 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐮
~ 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒅𝒖𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 #𝟏
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ | 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁 — 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

As someone whose family lived in colonial rule and whose lives changed a lot from it, this book resonated deeply with me — from the intentions and political image the author wanted to portray in this book.

I was quite literally hooked to the plot from the very first page. The narrative was easily flowing and I genuinely enjoyed reading this book. Seeing multiple perspectives throughout the book changed my view of the narrative because we saw so many different sides of the story.

I loved how Basu didn't have any bias written for the Virians or the Welkish. The way that that the author showed the flaw in the system, where the Welkish believed the Virians were inferior and lower to them and the Virirans had an internal bias — a caste system that divided the magically gifted Daivyakt and non-gifted Vasushakt between themselves.

The political commentary was a powerful lemessage. Reading about the racist behaviour of the Welkish — the inequalities brought in by their people to the Virians. The Virirans seem to be loosely inspired by Indiana during the colonial rule and Welkish as the British Raj. The way that Basu showed how colonialism entered the country, how the Welkish slowly gave counsel to the King — which to the Virirans divided among themselves and the Monarchy and the civilians further divided. Colonialism was ploy that stripped down the rights, identity, culture and religion of the Virirans.

This wasn't a romance book — not yet atleast. This was a political fantasy novel, whose magic system is built from the base of prayer and sacrifice. This book deals with heavy themes and ideas, delving deep into politics and colonialism.

Poppy Sutherland was a Virian orphan adopted by the Viceroy, a woman who wanted to fix her place in society and slowly went through so much development and saw that she didn't want to be only comfortable, she wanted to bring change. She wanted to be that change.

Hasan Devar was a complex character. A gang leader with moral that defined his character and the future of this book. He is very protective of his family, his religion, his people and his culture. He wants the change to come and he's willing to help bring that change.

Overall, if the want to read a book loosely inspired by British Raj's colonial rule of India with heavy political intrigue and commentary, this is the prefect read!

I loved the themes of the book. I originally couldn’t finish the book but gave it another try and did enjoy it.

The characters, story building and chemistry between the MCs was well done.

A great book with a lot of promise!
Full of political intrigue, immersive world building and strong characters.

In the colonized nation of Viryana, Poppy Sutherland doesn’t really fit in anywhere, not with the white elite who raised her or the islanders who share her roots. When she finds out her scheming fiancé plans to get rid of her, she runs right into the hands of Hasan Devar, a notorious outlaw with magical powers the colonizers want to erase. He takes her as leverage, but Poppy’s not just a pawn, she’s got her own secrets and big ambitions. Together, they might be able to do more than just survive, they could shake the whole system. The first book in the Reckoning Storm duology, To Bargain with Mortals is a bold, character-driven story about power, identity, and fighting back.

The world building is a little complex but not daunting, it took about five chapters for me to find my feet. The pacing was a little slow to begin with but I enjoyed getting a clear picture of Poppy, Hasan & their back stories before the plot kicked off in earnest.

The pacing unfortunately didn’t pick up for most of the book, there were sections that felt really slow and that were a little hard to get through.

I found the way Poppy is written really interesting, we meet a really sheltered girl who has been kept in the dark about the realities of living in a colony. Poppy has been fed lies & mistruths about the native Viryans that she’s wholeheartedly believed for her entire life. She went from the shelter of her home as the viceroy’s daughter to the shelter of her boarding school and back again. Her character growth is really good, there were times when I was so frustrated with Poppy but I also liked that there was room for growth, she’s an imperfect FMC that we see mature throughout the book.

The magic system doesn’t feature as prominently as I thought it would so I hope to see more of that in the next book. The bit we do see is really cool and I can see it taking on a much bigger role in the next part of the story.

Thank you so much to Netgalley & Bindery Books for the opportunity to read & review this book!

The story touches on a lot of worldbuilding, the world's religions that exist, the peoples' lives, etc. I found the characters to all generally be overall well developed and everyone had flaws and was well-rounded in their own ways. Poppy and Hasan unexpectedly cross paths coming from opposite sides, but they end up having the same alignment with regards to their goals, and it was great to read their dynamic and how they work off of each other. Poppy had relatable moments and her situation provided opportunity for me as the reader to empathize, but there were some moments where I thought the writing execution of how she's trying to tie into the role(s) and her place in society could have been stronger. I would sometimes drop my jaw from reading some of Hasan's perspectives and if there is a sequel (which I thought there was set up for continuation) I think it would make sense to continue expanding on Poppy and Hasan.

Thank you for the complimentary ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.