Poppy Sutherland has struggled to find her place in the world since she was adopted as a young child. Her skin color makes her an outsider to those who colonized her land, but her father's position as Viceroy ensured she's separated from her culture. After learning her fiancé's true feelings, Poppy is forced to ally with a man who embodies everything she was taught to hate.

I absolutely loved this!!! Basu does such a fantastic job creating interesting characters that are compelling and easy to root for. I love the magic, I love a main character with power and unknown origins, and I'm so excited to see how the series ends! I love The Jackal, and I cannot wait for more of him!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the eARC! Projected publishing date: October 28th, 2025

I have such mixed feelings about this. I want to like it, but I'm not sure I do.
It has a lot of potential, but it's just not all the way there for me and I'll try my best to comprehensively express why.
On one hand, I do really like the historical setting. However the addition of modern technology is honestly just an odd choice that sort of prevented me as a reader from fully immersing myself in the world. I understand what this choice was aiming at, and I can't really put my finger on what it is that makes It clash so much, because it could have been a cool concept - but in this book it feels a bit unnatural, and it disturbs the balance, sort of?

I'm also a bit disappointed in the magic system, which sounds really cool but is not explored nearly enough in the book.

The book is fast paced and I burned through it fairly quickly but thinking about it, that might have more to do with the fact that it reads very YA to me, rather than me being so taken by the story.

I did really enjoy the fact that this story tackles some very important themes relating to colonialism, assimilation, privilege and being "the good immigrant". RA Basu does a good job at including perspectives of "in-betweeness", which gives the FMC a bit more depth. I do think that this can and should be further developed in upcoming books in the series, since there is a lot more to unpack on the subject.

Overall, it wasn't a homerun, but I am looking forward to seeing where the story goes and will be reading the next one.

Thank you to Skies Press and Bindery Books as well as NetGalley for giving me this ARC to read.

Many thanks to Bindery and Netgalley for sharing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

To Bargain with Mortal was an impressive debut. I enjoyed many aspects of the book. The magic system was novel to me, and I appreciated that none of the characters were just good or bad.

Poppy, the female lead, is an imperfect main character. In another review, someone described her perfectly as so ruled by self-pity that she does not recognise her own privilege. This sometimes makes it difficult to fully connect with her, but also incredibly realistic. Many of us have fallen victim to not recognising our own privilege, I believe. Her difficult position, having grown up as part of the oppressor's elite, while never really belonging because of her heritage, is incredibly well described and a key aspect of her character, driving her decisions and hopes for the future.

Hasan, the male lead, is also not really a hero. His motivation to be part of a rebellion is very much driven by personal reasons, and his go-to answer to conflict is usually violence. Throughout the book, he starts to realise that, while violence sometimes helps to solve an immediate issue, a long-term improvement of his people's situation must be driven by diplomacy.

The commentary on colonialism, politics and religion was poignant and is a key aspect of the book. At times, it did not feel like a fantasy novel at all, to be honest. So, while the magic system is interesting, it did not really feel like an integral part of the story. The magic came in handy a couple of times, but did not really drive the story forward. To be honest, it often felt like it wasn't all that relevant. I am curious to see how this will be further developed in the next book.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Being fully honest I've been struggling to get into this book when I first started reading it, but it gripped me at some point and I couldn't put it down. I truly loved this book! It has all the hallmarks of great fantasy: a unique magic system, a powerful yet underestimated female lead, a fiery but principled male lead, and a people ready to resist centuries of colonial oppression.

What stood out most was the moral complexity. No side is flawless, even the Virians grapple with their own history of discrimination and exploitation before the white colonizers arrived. To unite and drive change, they must confront and overcome their own flaws.

The character growth was another highlight. Initially, Poppy is consumed by fear and self-pity, blind to her privilege and fixated on her own struggles. Through new encounters, listening to others’ stories, and discovering the roots of her powers, she transforms. Similarly, Hasan evolves from a hot-headed gangster who defaults to violence into someone who embraces diplomacy and selflessly serves his people. Their development was a joy to witness!

To Bargain with Mortals follows Poppy, who’s stuck balancing two completely different worlds—high society and her native people. The stakes are solid, the plot moves quick, and there are enough twists to keep you flipping pages. It’s fun but still has emotional weight.

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

4.25 rounded up.

Thank y0u NetGalley and Skies Publishing for an eARC of this stunningly gripping story.

To Bargain With Mortals is such an excellent story regarding social commentary on politics, casteism, racism, classism, sexism, etc. Poppy is a fascinating main character, and I found it really intriguing to view the world through her eyes. I think it's an important story to read, especially with the current climate. I found it especially important, as a white person, to read the POV of someone who isn't and step into their shoes. I really enjoyed the magic and political structure/nature of the story. There was zero romance, and that's ok! I think it would have taken away from the messaging of the book. I'm curious to see how things evolve in the second book and cannot wait. I felt like I couldn't put this book down and just wanted to keep reading what happens next.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own *

4.5 stars

I didn’t expect anything from this book, and I ended up loving it.
I was honestly surprised by how much the story hooked me—I read it in just two days because I couldn’t put it down.
The format was amazing: it moves quickly from scene to scene, always switching between characters’ points of view, which kept things dynamic and never boring.
I really liked the world-building, the way magic was introduced, and especially how the story wove in cultural elements.
That was one of the most interesting parts. The characters were great, and the political conflicts added real depth to the plot.
I’ll admit I docked a tiny bit off my rating because I expected a bit more romance—there are just crumbs—but it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the story.
This book wraps up one major plot, but leaves plenty of threads for the next one, and I’m super curious to see where the author takes it.
The writing style is smooth, the world and characters are engaging, and I absolutely recommend it.
If you’re into fast-paced, surprising fantasy stories with a fresh setting and no romance, this book is for you.
It has cliches, yes, but the world and culture make it stand out in the best way.

Thanks Net Gallery and Bindery Books for the ARC! I LOVED this book so so much, it was exactly the kind of read I needed. I flew through it and couldn’t put it down. I wished there was more magical/fantasy elements, but hoping that comes in books to follow! Loved reading about Poppy, the politics, different class systems and the different family relationships. Great book

It is always so refreshing reading a book that normalizes other cultures than those we are used to in fantasy. Even if it's a fake world, the casual reference to something besides old English culture is cool.

I will say, my one knick pick is that I had a hard time wrapping my head around the time period it was set in. Society felt right out of the 1800s but then they had cars and cameras and what sounded like a very modern society with guns and police lights. Not a bad thing, just something that kept taking me out of the story.

I think my favorite thing about the book is the layers. You have the privileges of the white colonialists...but then also the prejudice and privilege of those that came before and how everyone was forced to reevaluate what they knew. I also like that power was important...but it isn't what wins the day for Poppy. Her spirit, compassion and cleverness is what gets her what she wants.

Overall fantastic story and I am so upset I'm going to have to wait ages for a second book.

Loosely based on the colonisation of India, this had a really cool and promising premise. But sadly, the characters didn’t quite land for me, and the plot kind of dragged along. I also found myself wanting more from the world and the magic system—it felt like there was a lot of potential there that wasn’t fully explored. Honestly, the magic didn’t feel all that necessary and didn’t add much to the story in the end.

2.75 stars.

An amazing story of overcoming prejudice and learning how to connect with ourselves and our roots, wrapped in a fantasy world based on the colonization of India. Full of rich, complex characters, all with their own pasts, hardships, and prejudices to work through. A must-read for any young person learning about colonization and it's long term effects. This story strikes a perfect balance, highlighting the flaws and prejudices existing in all societies, without stripping any one group of their humanity.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot is gripping and the overall world building is great.

For the main characters, Hasan is a great character and I loved the intricacies of the relationships between the Devar Brothers some of it felt contrived but it mostly felt like brothers being brothers (and being slightly dumb). I found Poppy a bit harder to get on with. She was a great character and it was great to see her personal journey. However, I found her inner monologue trifling at times.

There were a few points in this book where I felt like the story dragged slightly. Some of the plots felt unnecessary. There were points where it felt as if a certain plot was going to lead the the final stretch. However, the plan involved in that plot was soon changed and it felt like there were a few too many side plans trying to come together. I do wish we had learnt more about the gods, hopefully these will be expanded on in the next book as Poppy grows into her ‘new’ powers.

I’m so excited to see where Poppy and Hasan’s stories go in the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and R. A. Basu for the eArc and allowing me to review this. 4.25 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Where to begin with this book! The lush and immersive descriptions pull you in right from the start. Throughout the entire book you get vast knowledge on the history of this world, explained in a way that didn’t feeling over the top or forced.

The characters were fleshed out so well. I looooved journeying through the story with Poppy as she came to realize the power of who she is as a person and her acceptance of her daivyakt. Hasan is a brutal gang leader and oh my goodness I loved it! 😂 He uses violence as scare tactics and it created such intense and action packs moments in the story. As he progresses I loved seeing him recognize that violence, though effective lol, won’t get him to where he wants to be in the world.

Overall this book was such a fun ride full of politics, magic, tension, action, understanding, and rebellion. I highly highly recommend if you’re looking for a book to sweep you away and leave you wanting more!

An outcast heiress and notorious gang leader team up in order to topple an imperialist and oppressive society that holds them all down.

Poppy lives between cultures as the adopted daughter of the white Viceroy and as such she is not white enough to actually join high society, but nor is she at home with her own people due to her privileged upbringing. Hasan, known to most as the Jackal and a notorious criminal, abducts Poppy in order to get his brother back – but soon they find that if they ally themselves, they could do way way more than just get Hasan’s brother back…

Honestly, with that premise and that GORGEOUS cover and To Bargain with Mortals being loosely inspired by colonial India (in a different world of its own – it is important to note), I was absolutely pumped when I got the notice that I was approved for an ARC of this novel on Netgalley.

And I'd like to start by saying that To Bargain with Mortals is a very interesting read. I found it both refreshing and heartbreaking to read Poppy’s perspective – to see her work so hard to belong somewhere and yet find the door shut in her face every time because the is not enough – neither white enough nor Virian enough, and I thought R.A. Basu did an excellent job portraying that. I also appreciated the discussions on privilege and classism – which is always one of my favorite parts of reading novels (particularly fantasy) about imperialism, colonialism and post-colonialism. It’s a discussion that is so necessary in this day and age, particularly with what's currently happening all around in the world.

I was also impressed with the world building. It was large, and evidently well thought out, but also kept light. The author chose to not dump too much onto us with exposes and instead showed us what the world was like through Poppy and Hasan’s experiences.

Unfortunately, I also feel that there were some missed opportunities there. I would have loved to learn more about the faith system and the magic! That would have made the book feel even more fleshed out and the world even more real than it did in the end.

I also found it hard to root for either of the main characters. I’ll start with Poppy. Although I appreciated reading about her plight, I felt I was being kept at bay and didn’t get to see much of her personality. That made her decisions feel quite underdeveloped at times – which I think is a shame, because she has a lot of potential as a character! Then I was supposed to believe that Hasan is a hardened criminal- but he’s the most morally sound character (like, basically absolutely purely white) to be found in this book!

All in all, I do feel this is a decent debut – especially when it comes to the discussions on colonialism and the super interesting world. I’m giving this book three stars because I would have liked to see more fully rounded characters.

I have received To Bargain with Mortals as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

‧₊˚✧3.5 ✧˚₊‧

I want to start off this review by saying that the cover lured me in. It was so beautiful and when I looked at how it looked from closerby it got even better. I was, however, a bit reluctant to start this story for som unknown reason, but I am super glad to have read it!

This story starts with Poppy Sutherland, the adopted daughter of the viceroy, who is sent to a Welkish college to adjust her manners to fit the Welkish vision. After 7 years she returns to her homeland Viryana. Only to discover that she still lives between cultures. Will she reconnect with her Viryana roots or will she be stuck in her Welkish ways?

What did I like about the story?
- I love how the viceroy adopted Poppy to act as his heir, even though it came with hardship for Poppy herself.
- The story is told mostly out of Poppy's and Hasan's POV, but sometimes even ventures into the world of the sidecharacters, showing the reader multiple layers of the story.
- Love the influences the author uses. The author told us on Goodreads that she got a lot of inspiration in Colonial India. This makes the story refreshing and interesting to read.
- The story is a good mix of older and modern customs and settings.
- There were definitely some plottwists I didn't see coming.

In the end what I want to say is that I enjoyed this story a lot. The characters are diverse and refreshing, with Rohini being a hardass, but with soft sides, Richard being the snakiest snake to ever snake without actually being a real snake and so many more amazing characters. However, if you're looking for a light read, this is not it. Multiple heavy but socially important topics are touched upon, of which one was definitely racism.

Oh and before going into my thank you's I just want to say this: the Montroses misnaming Zeyar the whole time made me rage.

At last I want to give a big thanks to Netgalley, Bindery Books and R.A. Basu for the eARC of this lovely book. I hope to be able to read the sequel as well!

This book blends colonization, identity, magic, and romance in a way that feels fresh and powerful.

It follows a girl who was adopted by a white colonizer family and raised to suppress her heritage and magical gifts. Watching her slowly unlearn that internalised shame and reclaim her power was incredibly satisfying. The turning point—where she finally stops trying to blend in and starts fighting back—hit hard in the best way.

The romance is slow burn and full of tension. Her love interest is fighting for his people and pushes her (gently, persistently) to face the truth of who she is. Their relationship builds gradually but meaningfully—it’s not just romantic, it’s part of her journey back to herself.

The political tension ramps up toward the end, setting the stage for a rebellion that I’m dying to see unfold. By the last page, I was fully invested. Bring on book two—I’m ready for war.

Excellent fantasy novel about colonialism and society. That sounds heavy and like it might not be enjoyable, but let me tell you, R.A. Basu crafts a beautiful story, the plot is incredible, the world building is fantastic, and the characters *chefs kiss*, I can't wait to read more from this author, 4.5 stars!

What drew me to To Bargain with Mortals was the interesting setting - this fantastical take on India offers an unique setting seldom explored in new adult literature. While the political commentary is quite on the nose, it certainly isn't intended to be subtle and sets up a reallt interesting premise for the second volume.
I enjoyed this story of empowerment and power struggles with a hint of fantasy and look forward to the second one!

3.75 stars

"There are more of us than them, and they know it. Every tyrant needs his subjects, but no people need a tyrant.”

To Bargain With Mortals is the first book in The Reckoning Storm duology by debut author R.A. Basu, it follows the story of Poppy Sutherland, the adopted daughter of the viceroy, and Hasan, a criminal leader known as the Jackal.

Overall, I really liked the story. I enjoy other world fantasies or alternate universe fantasies in which we have a situation heavily inspired by actual historical events (no surprise there since I'm a huge R.F. Kuang fan), when I heard this was inspired in colonized India, I knew I had to pick it up.

I don't know if it's because my own country was colonized as well, but I really enjoy reading stories about colonialism, resistance and how people fight to keep their culture, while also critiquing the flaws in their previous system, and this book delivered that.

We had many discussions about privilege and intersectionalism, which are always welcome. Poppy is a character that needed to have that reality check.

"But just because you didn’t have it easy doesn’t mean that you didn’t have it easier than the vast majority.”

“So you can tell me how lucky I had it in a Welkish-run organization that dehumanized me, but I can’t tell you the same? What makes us different, Poppy? What makes your struggles more important than mine?”

“You know what I think? I think you’re so used to being the most marginalized person in the room, you don’t know how to recognize that other people have it far worse than you. Maybe you were an outcast— but being an outcast in a Welkish school for fine ladies is still a hell of a lot more privileged than being an orphan in a shoddy human-trafficking sham.”

Now, what's this story actually about? What does Poppy have to do with Hasan? When do they meet?

As explained before, Poppy Sutherland is the adopted daughter of the viceroy of Viryana, the problem is that Poppy is Virian, not Welkish, so she's stuck in the middle, not belonging to the Welkish aristocracy but not belonging to her fellow Virians either.

However, Poppy is determined to make a place for herself in the world, so she decides to marry the best prospect so the society has to accept her. And everything is turning alright... until Poppy discovers her fiancé planned to betray her all along and just wanted to marry her to become the next viceroy.

Yeah, no, thank you. Poppy decides to run away in her own engagement party but when she realizes she doesn't have anywhere else to go, it's too late, she's kidnapped by the Jackal.

And this is the character that conflicts me the most and one of the main reasons of why I rated this book 3.75 stars and not higher. He feels too unrealistic to be a criminal, more specifically the criminal that has control in the whole city, the country even.

Hasan is not a morally gray character, he's almost completely white, his faults are so minimal to his overall character that every reflection he made about the damage he jad caused felt forced, we didn't have much ambiguity. He did have morals and followed them, even when he had to recover money he had lent.

He felt more like a hero trapped in a criminal family, which doesn't make sense since he's the most feared criminal lord. Also, he and Zeyar had tons of communication issues. With that I mean they barely communicated with each other. It felt really unrealistic that they could hold a whole city together with that lack of communication.

Regardless, I really enjoyed the book and I cannot wait for it to be released and for the sequel to be written, I hope I get approved for an arc on NetGalley when the time eventually comes because I really want to know what happens next. And I'm also really interested in what's going on between Zeyar and Harithi, there was one particular scene that had me kicking my feet and giggling.

Zeyar reached for her slowly, giving her enough time to move back if she wished. She didn’t. He laughed, placing one hand at the small of her back, pulling her toward him. The tip of her dagger pierced his skin, crimson staining his shirt, but he barely felt the sting as he leaned down and kissed her.

I'm sorry, but this had me screaming like a total fangirl, I really hope R.A. Basu gives us more content about them in the next book.

“If you take anything away from his story, let it be this: Neither gods nor blood decide who rules. The people do. Understood?”

Some of my favorite quotes that I didn't know where to place in the review:

"Our culture and traditions are not rude. Our way of life is no less valid or civil just because it hasn’t gotten the imperial stamp of approval.”

“The cost of revolution is always blood.” He spread his arms. “Did you really think you wouldn’t have to give anything up to win? Or were you expecting me and my family to make all the sacrifices?”

"She’s so damned sheltered. The only injustices she’s seen are the ones committed against her.”


There was enough food to go around, but the distribution had been intentionally clogged in one place.

“They’re already slaughtering us!” Hasan seized her by the shoulders, forcing her to meet his eyes again. “Don’t you see, Harithi? They starve us, brutalize us, force us to labor in their prison camps. If they tag us like livestock, it’s only a matter of time before they round us up and put us in a pen like cattle. We are all going to die. Will you die on your feet, with a gun in your hands? Or behind an electric fence, shackles around your ankles?”

"When you bargain with mortals, the terms can change at any time. Today, you have the faith of the people. But tomorrow? You may have nothing at all."

This was not yet formatted for an ereader so I was unable to access it to read it, but from what I sampled, I heavily enjoyed. It seems like a bit longer of a read, so I think I want this as a paperback anyways.

I am excited for this book’s release and will look for it at my library and bookstore to add to my shelf!

Thank you for allowing me to sample this eARC! I am leaving this honest feedback voluntarily.