So prepare for a bit of a mixed review... (thanks Netgalley for the review copy)

Overall to Bargain with Mortals is a pretty strong book - great setup of tensions with a main character stretched between two worlds, an impactful setting of a colonized land. The book has good pacing and plenty of balance between action and reflection and the scenes felt vivid and clear.

On the other hand I felt like the themes were a little overplayed? I guess as a reviewer I should present a bit more certain but I genuinely just felt a bit blurry about this book. Overplayed is perhaps the wrong word - it all felt well, OVERT, the racism, classism, sexism and colonial nature of the setting was all kind of just explained as it was. Don't get me wrong it was kind of refreshing to read a work of fiction that was just outright and earnest with this material and honestly I think if someone picked up this book with little understanding of this sort of dynamic it would be a useful lesson.

But I think what I was missing was a genuine sense of the the murkiness of this all. I don't mean in a way to soften the harshness of the themes presented its actually more that the main characters are positioned such that its never really any character tension to tie in a more emotional challenge. I can't really explain more without spoilers but one example is that Poppy is blamed for an event in her childhood which showcases some of the tensions between her upper class upbringing and her new lower class allies - but rather than dive deep into that murk, the story is just like "well the event wasn't directly Poppy's fault problem solved"

Maybe I'm being too picky but we'll see.

My final nitpick is that the story kind of plateaued and felt like a setup for a sequel. The key villain is sidelined and some plot points just disappeared (again presumably for exploration in later books).

Again it might seem like I'm slamming this book but really I think its a sign of the author's deft skill that I'm kind of focusing on very niche elements of the book - overall its solidly plotted, characterized and as mentioned very vivid.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!

I really really enjoyed this. Far more than I thought I would. I stayed up late finishing it.

The plot is great, I liked that the world and the characters were front and centre. I bought Poppy's internalised colonialism. I enjoyed Hasans character a lot, and even Kylar grew on me tho bro is an absolute mess and not a great person. I loved the complex relationship between Poppy and Samina.

I didnt actually feel like it was rushed oddly. It felt natural. I wouldve liked to see more of Arun and the book is deeply fascinating for its intereogation of caste between magic and non magic users. Id love to see that explored more and look forward to it in the sequel.

Stolen history, themes of rewritten but existing divides which were wrong and classism were very well explor3d. Especially in the books willingness to congront class opression as wrong, and the way racial opression only makes it worse.

I had a fantastic time. Glad I read it. Not for everyone but definitely for me. The descriptions were beautiful, a frw stood out to me ans the imagery of the cathedral on the bones of the temple was particularly powerful. I loved the complex array of different takes on colonialism from white mans burdern to genocide. In some ways white mans burdern is insidious because it convinces you to shed your culture yourself under the illusion of a choice. Very well handled.

I had a very good time reading this book!
Great plot and characters, political fantasy with a sprinkle of magic powers inherited from ancient gods and a fight against colonial powers in a world that reminded me of Colonial rule overseas... Count me in for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

To Bargain With Mortals is the first in a new duology by debut author R.A. Basu. It follows the story of Poppy, a noble's daughter and Hasan, an underground criminal leader. When Poppy runs away from her fiancé-turned-usurper and is kidnapped by Hasan, she must come to terms with the reality of who she is, what her family has done, and whether she is willing to remain complacent in the face of oppression.

I love reading stories about oppressed people fighting against the machine; people desperately trying to live, but also for their culture to survive after the dust settles. To Bargain with Mortals was definitely that, and I think the journey was beautiful! 

I thought the character development for both Poppy and Hasan was great. Poppy began the book as a very privileged, ignorant person, and Hasan was a hot head who chose violence; however, by the time the book ends, they have more in common than they would probably admit. 

There is so much to unpack in the sequel (Zeyar and Harithi??), and I am truly excited to read it!

The (very minimal) cons:
-Poppy was bit unbearable at times, but I understand that this is very important to her overall story arc & character development.
-Hasan was a little too nice and shiny to be the most feared underworld villain in the world.
-The pacing of the action scenes felt a bit stilted.
-I do with there was a little more information about the religious aspects.

4/5 stars. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a story about over coming oppression, historical fantasy, and finding your identity in the midst of adversity.

My thanks to Bindery Books and Net Galley for a free DRC of "To Bargain with Mortals" by R.A. Basu.
DNF at 25%.
I was so excited about this debut as soon as I saw the amazing cover and that the target audience is adults. Now here it is where the issue was for me. It was not as much the fact that we had two young adult protagonists, but the tone of the writing was juvenile, with caricature side characters. I loved how at the start there was a hint of worldbuilding, but we did not got much development of that.
As a reader I need at lest one component to hook me, if it is not a compelling main character, than at least a vibrant world, or an intrigue, but unfortunately none of that was present here.
If a reader enjoys YA or new adult, maybe this story will work better for them.
I will give this author another try in the future.

This was a solid debut fantasy duology. Inspired by colonial India, we follow Poppy and Hassan and their struggle against the politics of Viryana.

Overall, I enjoyed this. I thought the beginning and middle were entertaining and interesting. I didn’t think the magic was anything unique, but I did like how Viryana religion was played into it. I thought this was one of the more interesting aspects of the books and wish it was touched on slightly more.

I thought the discussion on colonialism, prejudice, and culture were compelling at times. We even dive into the discrimination within Viryana culture pre Welk colonization.

I enjoyed the writing itself, but thought this read more like a YA than adult fantasy. The characters felt younger than they were described to be.

I thought the pacing of the last 20% felt extremely rushed. Things were wrapping up and conveniently being solved so fast. Because of this, it felt like more like a standalone than duology so I’m not sure how compelled I would be to read the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery for the ARC In exchange for a review!

DNF at 20%.

I think there's an audience that will enjoy this book, but I'm not that audience. It's a fantasy take on British colonialism in India, which is an interesting concept. However, the execution is lacking in depth and subtlety. The characters are a bit skin deep in their motivations, whether for good or bad.

The story tells the POV of the two main characters, Poppy, the orphan project of a powerful British-coded aristocrat who hates the whole system but still wants to be part of it, and Hasan, the mobster with a heart of gold.

The whole setting was a little confusing as it was so clearly set on British colonialism in India. But parts of it felt very 1800s while others felt much more modern, as cars and telephones exist.

Probably the most interesting part for me was Poppy, who had some complexity in knowing the system stunk but feeling like her only chance was to embrace it and climb to the top.

I was very curius to read this, since it is being published through a well-known TikToker that I admittedly admire.
This stroy was political, character driven, it told an infuriating story of colonizers come to an island and dismantling their government while treating the natives incredibly poorly. Our protagonist is a native adopted by the viceroy (highest authority on the island) and she grows up with high education, while everyone doesnt accept her, because of her roots. Only her parents seem to accept her as she is. The MC is infuriating because she doesnt recognize her own priviledge, and one time she even compares herself to everyone else who had to grow up in orphanages or on the street, not recognizing how she grew up in riches and always had enough food on the table.
While the story progresses well, we also have two brothers who are part of a gang, kidnapping our MC in an attempt to save their third brother who was arrested. Their story is even less compelling, I found it lackluster. All brothers are very flawed, communication sucks, and their mother doesnt seem to care very much. One brother was even excomunicated, the mother does not care, even though the author attempts to portray her otherwise, and the excomunicated brother is being built up to be a villain in a next book.
All in all, I think the author writes in a very detached way. They dont seem to bond with the characters very much. This seems more like a colonizer critique, while also forgetting humanity. The natives are not portrayed well. Actually, nobody is portrayed well. Everyone is very one dimensional and lackluster.
I will not continue the series, as I did not enjoy the writing style. This seemed way to underdeveloped to me.

Thank you Netgalley and Bindery books for this advanced reader copy.

This book was entertaining but ultimately left me feeling conflicted.
The themes were good.
The magic system was interesting.
The characters unfortunately fell so flat for me.
Poppy the FMC started off so strong for me but as the story went on I found I liked her less and less. Specifically the dynamic with her parents was very hard to read through for a multitude of reasons and didn't feel realistic to me at all.
Piggy backing off that the parent dynamic for Hasan was also difficult to understand as the mother constantly flipped on what son she wanted to protect.
Overall several of the characters felt very wishy/washy in their values and normally I love a good character growth arc but this one just didn't work for me.
Suffice it to say I loved the world, I loved the lore, but the characters didn't work for me leaving me at a 3 range for rating.
I hope in book 2 we see more of the world building and lore and some of the characters develop a bit more.

Thank you NetGalley and Binder Books/Skies Press for this ARC!

I rated it 3.5 on StoryGraph but rounded it up to 4 here.

To Bargain With Mortals is a historical but also modern fantasy, and while that would probably make you all think that it has dual timelines, that’s not what I mean at all acutally. What I do mean is that this takes place in a society where women’s value and title is still based on her father or husband’s status. She has just earned the right to own land but is still expected to sit back, wear pretty gowns, throw lavish parties and be ignorantly happy, birthing male heirs to her husband. But they also have modern cars and weaponry?

I think the magic system introduced in this story is super interesting. It’s based on the four elements, but also giving sacrifices to gods, and I really wish we had more time to explore that.

This book tackles colonialism, racism and the feeling of not beloning in any part of society, and it’s partly done well, but I also feel like it’s a bit too surface level. Racism is such a complex subject with a long history, and this book simplifies and overexplains a bit too much, to the point the reader feels declared kind of dumb. But despite this feeling a little odd I also don’t neccessarily think it’s only bad. Because our main character is also kind of naive to other peoples issues in the beginning, and very self centered when it comes to discrimination, I think this simple way of talking about it can evolve into a more complex debate as the FMC evolves into a more complex character.

Overall I definetly think this is an author to keep an eye on, and I will definetly try to get my hands on the second book in this duology once it comes out.

There is one other thing I need to point out, and I need you all to keep an open mind now and not just turn away from this fascinating debut. This book doesn’t have a romance. There are definetly some inklings towards possible pairings in the next book, but it doesn’t rely on a romance to carry the story, and I honestly find that so refreshing. The author has built an interesting world, a really cool magic system, characters who are lovable but not without their flaws, and everything ties together so well despite there not being any romantic tension between them. It’s really cool, and I love that.

Poppy, is an adopted heiress who has been is outcast. Her fiancé wants to use her to take power. She ends up being kidnapped by Hasan. Hasan is gang leader (aka Jackal) that is wanted because his family has divine magic which has been outlawed.

This book deals with some big themes, colonization, racism, identity, power and revolution. Virian is now colonized and the old Virian ways are considered heresy. Anyone Virian with divine magic is being dealt with. Not that Virian was perfect before being colonized. Old Virian had a different form of control in a cast system. To me that is one of the most interesting aspects of this book. It shows that no matter who is in control, the key word, “control” that makes those in power untrustworthy and can lead to negative consequences for those under their rule.

The world building is nicely done and really gives a sense to the trial the people are going through. I also enjoyed the references to old Virian history and folklore. Another strong part of the book is well done character development throughout. The growth that Poppy goes through is so well done. She goes from scared and obedient to strong and resilient.

Overall this is a well done novel that I enjoyed and I look forward to more releases from he author.

Full disclaimer: I went into this without reading the blurb too extensively, fully intending to be surprised by the plot.

When I first started reading this book, I thought it was going to be a fantastical, "Bridgerton style society" story, but it is so much more than that.
The plot is filled with exciting gang culture, subterfuge and cunning politics.

This book is very character driven, shining light on multiple points of view, leaving the world itself to be simply described. On the otherhand, the world-building holds a lot of substance and space for expansion in future volumes in the series.

To Bargain with Mortals is fast-paced, thrilling and all consuming. It makes you feel happy, sad, angry and uncomfortable. I absolutely recommend this book and am excited for what happens next in this world.

To Bargain With Mortals is a gripping fantasy that deals with political systems, colonization, and what it means to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. Poppy's growth as she realizes that not only does she not want to be a pawn, but that she wants to be a voice for those who don't have one is extremely impactful. The pacing of this story is extremely well executed and made me want to keep reading the entire time. I can't wait to read book two in the duology to see what happens next!

I feel like this had so much potential, but ultimately felt short. The moral heart of the story was very simple and wasn’t explored with any sort of nuance, it was very black and white. Poppy was such a weak main character, despite her power and her role in the community and I found that I didn’t care whether or not she achieved her goal. The world building was mediocre. It wasn’t super heavy in regards to setting so there wasn’t info dumping, but there were so many places that could've been explored more and I finished feeling unsatisfied with the world building, magic system and character arcs.

To Bargain With Mortals is a South Asian fantasy that centers on Poppy Sutherland, a young woman adopted by a colonial viceroy, who struggles to find her place between the Welkish colonizer society she's been raised into and the colonized Virian community she was ‘saved’ from.

While R.A. Basu tackles such themes as colonialism and racism she maintained a very surface level discussion of the issues. While it may initially seem under developed I feel this was done intentionally to allow the commentary to mature along with the maturing of the characters, who were initially naive and unaware of their own subconscious biases and harmful actions.

While the plot is predictable, the magic system was intriguing and provided a rich world building and history of the gods. One of my favorite moments was the telling of the stories through song providing a connection to the gods and their magic.

I personally did not feel connected to our main POV of Poppy , she seemed very impersonal, entitled and a bit annoying and her thoughts were quite repetitive and selfish however this also lends to her character showing growth by the end of the book. I personally preferred the perspective of Hasan and the gang as they also struggle with their own history of harmful behavior and racist tendencies but we see each member of the Devar family questioning their own flaws, whether in a mature positive way or in a way to intended to further their personal agenda and leading down the wrong path I’m sure will be expanded on in the sequel and I look forward to following along on the journey to overthrowing a bigoted government and working towards a flourishing Viryana.

Poppy Sutherland, an orphan adopted by the Viceroy of Viryana, strives to make her adoptive parents proud and adhere to their beliefs. At her private school, she faces ridicule for her appearance, being a native of Viryana and not part of the upper social class. Determined to secure her place in society, she plans to get engaged. However, on the night of her engagement party, she uncovers her fiancé's true feelings, prompting her to embark on a journey of self-discovery and heritage exploration. This story is captivating, and I highly recommend it!

WOW. Incredible!!! 4.5 stars. I started it at 3pm and finished it at 11:30pm, I think I went once to the bathroom! I sat down and didn’t get up until I finished it.
I’m a big big fan of fantasy with bipoc main characters and I adore the way culture & racism are explored in these books, and To Bargain With Mortals did not disappoint. We saw Poppy go through so much, the character developpement was amazing, so was the world building!

Two quotes stayed with me:
"But just because you didn’t have it easy doesn’t mean that you didn’t have it easier than the vast majority"
"Surviving in a racist society was an act of resistance in and of itself"

I cannot wait for that book to be published so that everyone can admire R.A. Basu talent and enjoy the novel she wrote. I also cannot wait for the second book, even though I know I will have to wait a long time. I can’t wait to learn more about what Poppy and her friends will do in the future!!

To Bargain With Mortals started off slow, but once I got into the story, I couldn’t put it down! I loved the world building, the cultural aspects, and the unique magic system. Often times, it felt like I was reading a magical historical fiction, which I loved!
The book is more plot driven than romance driven, which is not a bad thing! I enjoy a little bit of both in my books and the plot was definitely there! I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2!

The world building in the book was incredibly interesting and it felt like it took on quite a few contemporary issues in the world in a well done way. The characters were strong with fantastic writing.

I'll be honest I did struggle a little with this book - the world building was really good but I think I would pick up a physical copy because I definitely need a map

I gave this book 4.5 stars on Storygraph but since there's only full star options here, I am rounding it up to 5.

I greatly enjoyed this book. The world building was interesting, I enjoyed the characters and I found it grappled with difficult real-life topics like colonialism and it's impacts in a really meaningful and engaging way. I also liked that part of the book gave regency-era vibes in some ways and felt at times like it was a magical historical fiction.

I will definitely be getting a physical copy for my shelf when it comes out and will be reading the sequel!