5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, anti-colonialism, magic, dual POV

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 4/6 and my review blog as of 5/1, and will be posted to Instagram 5/3.

This book actually reminded me a lot of And the Sky Bled , though this one focuses less on the environmental side of things than that one did. Also, revenge overall is less of a factor in this one. That being said, if you liked AtSB, you'll probably like this book as well.

We start the book with Poppy as a child and get a glimpse of what her life is like as the adopted Viryani daughter of the Welkish Viceroy. While Poppy is clearly privileged, it's also obvious from the start, even as a child, that she's been isolated from her culture and is craving that contact. Naturally, as colonialism tends to go, that contact is actively discouraged and denied, and eventually she's sent off to college in Welkland. Again, while Poppy is clearly privileged, even among the Welkish, she also faces the difficulties of being a brown Viryani in white Welkish high society, and thus is subject to abuses, both physical and social.

With this background, we're primed to be sympathetic to Poppy, and she is a sympathetic character. She clearly cares about people and has clearly been through a lot, I liked her character. That being said, she's also blind to a lot of the misfortune prevalent in Viryana as a result of Welkish colonial rule. While she recognizes some of it, she still has a lot of learning (and unlearning) to do. One of the other Viryani characters calls her out, saying that Poppy is so used to being the most oppressed person in any room that when she's not, she doesn't even recognize it, and I think that's a very apt way of putting it. Something I appreciated was that she is willing to learn and she is willing to apologize when she gets things wrong. Over the course of the book Poppy is abused, gaslit, and kidnapped, so she could very easily refuse to listen to what the people around her are saying, but once she's given evidence and time to process, she does tend to come around.

I also liked seeing Poppy's relationship with her parents. Poppy is Viryani while her parents are both Welkish, and they've tried to raise her to be Welkish. Any digression from that, even in enjoying Viryanian stories, is considered a transgression to be met with reprimand (Poppy going to a Welkish college is actually a punishment). At the same time, Poppy's parents do love her, which becomes especially clear later on in the book. Likewise, Poppy is perfectly aware of her differences from her parents and all the ways both them and others make her suffer for those differences. Despite that, she also loves her parents and is deeply affected by the idea of anything happening to them. I liked seeing how Poppy and her father's relationship in particular evolved over the course of the book, and I liked where they were at the end, it set up an interesting path forward. I'm also curious to see where Poppy and her mother's relationship is going. They were more at odds over the course of the book, but by the end seemed firmly on the same side, so it'll be interesting to see more of that.

Hasan is also an interesting character. He and his two brothers inherited a large and fairly successful gang after the passing of their father and have continued to run it well. Family plays an important role here, and we see pretty much from the get-go that though the Devar brothers may quarrel, they would go to the ends of the earth for each other. Aside from wanting/needing to get his brother back, Hasan is coming from a place of disadvantage, having had to survive the Welkish regime and deal with the issues that arise from it in ways that Poppy hasn't. His worldview has been shaped by those experiences and the experiences of those around him, and while he's often right, there are also times where he makes assumptions that Poppy corrects him on. Like her, he's stubborn. But like her, he's willing to learn.

I particularly liked seeing Hasan and Zeyar's relationship. The middle brother is the mediator, but Hasan has a black and white viewpoint while Zeyar operates more in the gray, which naturally causes tension between the two. I liked seeing their moments of unity when it came to getting their brother back. One thing I found particularly interesting was when Hasan did something that aligned with what Zeyar might typically think/do but Zeyar disliked it, and vice versa. It was an interesting way to challenge their existing viewpoints.

The side characters all felt fleshed out and real as well. Zeyar, as mentioned, gets a good amount of time on page, and he even has a view POV chapters himself. I actually liked him a good bit, though later on he makes some decisions and has some perspective shifts that made me like him less. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here. Harithi and Samina are two other gang members that get a good amount of page time. I liked Harithi's no nonsense attitude and her willingness to call out everyone. I look forward to getting to see more of her in book 2. Samina was an interesting one as well, though she's on-page less than Harithi. Samina actually started out as a childhood friend of Poppy's, and we get to see the two of them interact from the beginning of the book. Their lives diverged, however, though they clearly end up back in the same place. I enjoyed getting to see both their perspectives on things, past and present, and I definitely get both sides of their relationship.

This book deals primarily with themes of racism, colorism, and colonialism. We see a lot of this from Poppy's POV and the way she's treated despite being the Viceroy's daughter (and even the way her parents treat her). That being said, Poppy also has moments of perpetuating these things throughout the book and it's one of the areas she experiences growth in. Alongside these topics, we also get casteism as a theme. In this world, there are Viryanis who have elemental powers, called daivyakt, and those who do not have any powers, called vasudhakt, with the daivyakt being the higher of the two castes. Most of the book is focused on the first three topics, but we see aspects of casteism throughout the book, with it really coming out toward the end of the book, with people even directly pointing out to Hasan, Poppy, and co. the issues with caste and with assuming the Welkish made it all 'equal under oppression.' It was an interesting conversation and I'm curious to see where it'll go in the next book.

To Bargain with Mortals is an Indian-inspired fantasy that’s not afraid to say what it wants. Weaving a wonderful story of politics, coming into your own powers and standing for what you believe in, it also highlights the consequences of colonialism in a way that more people ought to see.

Poppy Sutherland is the adopted daughter of the Viceroy of Viryana. She has grown up brown-skinned amongst the white elite, and as the story progresses, she is forced to change her perspective on the world in order to get what she wants - and deserves.

Meanwhile Hasan, the notorious gang leader known as the Jackal, ends up in deep water when one of his brother’s is captured. In a desperate move he ends up crossing paths with Poppy, which ends up having consequences for all of Viryana.

I enjoyed this book tremendously, and it was even my favorite read in April! Poppy as a main character is a breath of fresh air. She knows what she wants, and she knows how to lie. And even if she is naïve, she is also extremely clever, and I couldn’t help but root for her.

The writing is easy to get in to, even if action scenes does get a little too abrupt or confusing from time to time. The cast of characters were great, and I either hated or loved certain characters with a passion.

Overall, a great book with some great societal commentary woven into the world. 4.25 stars rounded to 4.

First, thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for the e-arc. I will make the review vague as to not reveal any spoilers.

Overall I loved the book. It's right up my alley with an easy to understand magic system and political drama.

For the most part, I liked the characters. It was easy to sympathize with each main characters struggles. I enjoyed the theme of family and loyalty, both through Poppy and the Devar brothers.

The story is interesting and kept me wanting to keep reading.

The world building was a little tough for me at times. I felt like I started to have a grasp of it and then something would be revealed and I would have to reorient myself, even when I was about 75% through the story.

I had some issues with pacing of the character development of the FMC. I felt like her change happened too quickly. I hope in the next book we can see her really get in touch with her roots and really discover who she is.

My only regret is now I will have to wait so long to see how the story ends.

This book is so good in so many ways
Thinking back on it I would have loved more depth with the world building, that would've absolutely made this a five star read for me. But overall the plot, magic, characters, world, were all so well executed

This book addresses racism, prejudice, discrimination, sexism and colonialism perfectly. The writing style is unique and well done.
The pacing of the book was steady, I enjoyed how our multiple POVs were explored and noticeably flawed characters with room to learn and grow. I loved poppys development throughout the story and I enjoyed seeing her find who she is meant to be.
The romance was definitely more subplot which I did enjoy as a lot of fantasy these days are very romance heavy.
This was a good political fantasy that overall addressed serious and potentially tricky subjects in a way that was done well.
I look forward to book 2

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for providing an ARC for review.

I need to start off this review by stating that I REALLY wanted to like this book. I’ve been excited to read this since it has been teased on TikTok, and the second it was available on NetGalley I requested it.

To Bargain With Mortals deals with many complex examples of self-hatred and bigotry. Viryana and Welkland are obvious analogues for India and Great Britain respectively, and the story takes place after the colonization of Viryana. Viryana had a caste system based around whether the person was granted access to magic, and thusly their place in society was determined by the gods and therefore immutable. The Welkish were able to infiltrate Virian society and exploit this power imbalance by providing necessities for those without magic. Through this, they were introduce their religion that states all men are created equal by the Founder. (This is a reskin of Christianity.) By winning over the favor of the non-magical population, Welkland was able to gain power before conquering the entire island.

Therefore, Viryana already suffered from different forms of bigotry and subjugation; Welkland just added racism and imperialism to the mix.

To Bargain With Mortals examines the different types of bigotry that are prevalent in this type of society. However, each character begins to feel like a 2D representation of each type of bigotry the author wants to explore. There are multiple times throughout the book where two characters are put together in order for one character to expose how the other character’s thought process is limited or ignorant.

The trouble is that these revelations begin to feel like morals at the end of the fairytale that are being spoonfed to the reader. Even though I agreed with the author on the majority of these points, this moralizing began to feel annoying. Rather than trusting the reader to understand the material and draw their own conclusions, each form of bigotry is explicitly named and denounced, to the point where this feels more like an essay than a novel. (I know science fiction and fantasy are used often to explore progressive and regressive ideologies; I just don’t think it was done well in this instance.)

While elements of the story are rich (the cultures present, the magic system, the complexity of the two societies vying for dominance), the characters and scenarios feel flat. The pacing is odd. Portions of the story that should carry heavy emotional tension lack depth, and in the worst case scenario, feel farcical.

I don’t know what the sequel is going to accomplish. I worry that it will be more of a political treatise on how a society recovers from colonialism, involving the author debating herself philosophically, rather than an epic power struggle that involves gods and mortals (that also has sharp commentary and politics and social norms). I don’t know that I want to read that book.

Receiving this as an arc and going in blind, I have to say I really enjoyed this book. All of the characters were so lovable, and grew throughout the story. Poppy’s inner struggle with her upbringing and how she really had to come to accept facts about her biases was so well written. The Jackel was perfection. I throughly enjoyed reading about him and his brothers (and their mom is hilarious). For being a fantasy, I found the world simple to understand and yet easy to be drawn into. I love that they are required to give something up in order to use their gifts, and Poppy’s struggle with that. The ending had me stressing, and while I heard there is a second book coming out this ended was more soft pause, rather a big cliffhanger. You’ll have some answers but a lot more still to come. My teeny tiny complaint is I would have loved more of Hasen and Poppy’s relationship to grow together in this book. This is not a romance IMO, BUT as a person who only reads romances, I still really really loved this. And I can’t wait to see if/how their relationship ends up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

Sadly, this is a DNF at 26%. This isn’t a bad book. The main reason this didn’t work for me was that it’s categorized as Adult Fantasy but reads like a very, very young YA Fantasy. The characters didn’t have distinguishable traits and weren’t likeable. Despite the various struggles Poppy was facing, I found it extremely hard to read about her. She faced a lot of racism, which was tough to read but she responded to that racism in the same way she was being treated just to fit in…

I think the characters just didn’t feel authentic or congruent to me. The world building was lacking and not linear, the writing was juvenile, the pacing of this book was extremely slow (which isn’t an issue for me, usually) and some aspects of the world building were repeated multiple times.

Despite all of this, I think the plot was interesting but the miscategorization ruined my enjoyment. The characters were in their 20s but were presented like 14-15yo. There were a few instances where I thought : well… just what exactly did you expect?

Overall, I think the publisher/author would win to recategorize this one as YA.

I’m back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars so I’ll round up. To keep it simple…

What I liked:
-the focus on world building; no immediate romance; themes of colonialism and racism, preservation of culture, self-governance and representation, sexism, and class boundaries. Lots to tackle but woven together well.
-POVs were primarily on 2 main characters but did stray to some minor supporting characters as needed.
-exposition was done pretty naturally
-easy read without being dumbed down or simple
-unique world set in an industrialized time

What I didn’t love:
-felt like more of a setup for the next book at times
-the premise of what Poppy wanted felt pretty far fetched for the type of society this world was built into

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My final verdict is that R.A. Basu is very talented but she plays it too safe.

TO BARGAIN WITH MORTALS is a low fantasy inspired by colonised India. It follows Poppy, a girl adopted by the same people that colonised hers, and Hasan, the underground crime lord, on their quest for change.

While the book has a lot of discussion on racism, dismantling colonialist tactics, calling out Poppy on her own internalised classist ideologies, it also hammered **hard** on the readers on the fact that ACTUALLY SHE DOESN’T THINK LIKE THEM!! SHE’S A GOOD GIRL. Poppy’s adoptive father is a viceroy, he’s racist and powerful, but he’s also loving to her. I actually understand and love to see this struggle coming out of this relationship, I prefer this so much more than him just being an asshole. But every once in a while, the author would be like oh but Poppy looks at poor people and thinks noooo they don’t deserve this 💔 She doesn’t sound like someone who was indoctrinated, just for the sake of keeping her morally correct.

Multiple times the authors actually say words like “racist”, “police brutality”, etc... and I’m like hmm I see what you’re doing but it’s so obvious! And then I remembered how people think R.F. Kuang doesn’t trust her readers, and yeah... this author 100% doesn’t 🗿 Honestly… we kinda deserve it. Readers need things spelled out to them in this day and age, not gonna lie.

But making it so obvious who the “good“ people are make this book so surface level. We have Hasan, the mmc, who is supposed to be The Jackal, a feared criminal, so powerful and cutthroat, but he’s SOOOOO MORALLY CORRECT it’s infuriating. He has no vice and is a feminist! He decided to support Poppy’s decision to become the viceroy whereas his BROTHER Zeyar also wants to be in the House of Representatives and be a politician and Hasan was so against it?? You can support a random woman so easily but not your brother?

By the way, let’s talk about Zeyar. He is portrayed as someone who is calculated and only thinking about what other people can do for him... AND THAT’S HOW A CRIME LORD SHOULD BE. THAT’S WHAT HASAN SHOULD BE. Zeyar choosing to be in the House of Representatives forces him to do horrible things like siding with the Chief Police, and I just can’t help feeling like that’s a… SO MUCH BETTER ANGLE TO APPROACH THE STORY, like I would have loved to have the talk about the moral compromise you have to take for the ‘greater’ good, how you have to corrupt your own personality for the people, etc... That’s so much more interesting than what Hasan is doing, because we already understand where he comes from from Poppy’s side of the story. So he’s just a... hero??? He’s not a crime lord??? And I know Zeyar is a good guy underneath and he’s just doing ‘wrong’ things because we got a chapter in his POV, where he says he has no political aspirations other than helping his people, but everyone gave him shit for “giving in” to the police. WHO BTW MANIPULATED AND BLACKMAILED HIM!!

But overall, both brothers are so stupid, they just believe Richard (who is a villain through and through) every single time. Yet once when Zeyar believed while Hasan didn’t, suddenly Zeyar is the dumb one. BOYS YOU’RE BOTH DUMB. I don’t understand how they could’ve kept their shady business going on if they were so easy to string along.

I know I said a lot of my frustrations, but I don’t think this is a bad book, I think it was a solid debut and I think the author is very talented. I really enjoyed Poppy in the beginning where she played Richard along to rope him into proposing to her. I enjoyed seeing her maneuvering the subtle sexism and racism coming directly from people she loved. I also enjoyed seeing how she reengaged with her community on her way to become a better leader. I will never shoot down a fantasy that tackles these hard and nuanced topics, however I do think some of the details were too convenient just for things to move in place or to influence how readers should view certain characters, and that takes away the real harrowing discussions we could’ve had.

Actual rating 4.5, but rounded up!

This book was an engaging read. Once I got into it a few chapters, it was hard to put down and I was always excited to pick it back up again. The magic system is very cool and unique, I love its cultural ties. I also liked the ethical dilemmas that our characters struggled with. Poppy and her natural-born culture vs the culture she was raised in and her working to come to terms with that. Hasan and what he and his family have done to achieve the power they have. The dilemma regarding the daivyakt and how they treat(ed) the vasudhakt and how that helped opened the door for the the Welkish to colonize under the guise of equality. Just so well done. I also appreciated Poppy's growth to someone who can take control of her own future.

The drawbacks for me were
1. Poppy did take longer than I would have liked to wake up to her naiveté but then when it did happen it somehow happened too quickly in the moment? Hard to explain. Overall it wasn't poorly done, but maybe could have been smoother?
2. I did initially have a hard time establishing in my brain what kind of time period we were in, though I know this is a fantasy so it can do whatever it wants. Initially I was thinking more Regency era, but then there were cars and factories which moved it to the 1900s which was initially whiplashy but I did settle in.

Overall, this was great! I am very much looking forward to the next book to see how their story finishes. It simultaneously wrapped up well but gave me enough to chew on that I am ready to start the next book like right now, which is my fav ending to a book in a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for the e-ARC!!

To Bargain with Mortals by R.A. Basu is a great story about identity, loyalty, and reclaiming power. Poppy Sutherland, caught between the world she was raised in and the one she was born into, has to decide who she truly wants to be. Her shaky alliance with Hasan, who is a gang leader fighting for his people’s survival, sets the narrative about resistance and self-discovery. The setting, inspired by colonial India, I think does well in grounding the magic and politics in a world that was easy to follow.

Basu explores the cost of assimilation and the quiet violence of prejudice, showing how deeply systems of power shape personal choices. This is a great pick for readers who enjoy character-driven fantasy with political intrigue, slow-burn romance, and a strong commentary on colonialism.

Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC

This book was so intriguing to me, and it gripped me right from the start.
Thank you Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have very conflicting feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the storyline and thought the premise was so strong, but the pacing felt off. The start and middle was slow at times, and then the ending felt rushed. I needed more closure, more emotional release after everything the book set up.

As for Poppy, unfortunately, I didn’t really connect with her. I wanted to see more growth from her, more connection to her roots. I felt for her as she was caught between two worlds, not fully belonging to either. But I just didn’t feel her.
Hasan and his brothers storyline had real promise of something great. However, in the scattered POVs from other characters I did find myself skimming sometimes.

I'm hoping this is a setup for an epic series where we get to connect on a deeper level with the characters introduced. And where Richard finally gets what's coming to him.

To Bargain With Mortals follows Poppy Sutherland and Hasan Devar. In the country of Viryana, Poppy is caught between two cultures, and isolated by both. Trying to fit in to be seen as worthy of the next Viceroy while learning to understand who she is and who her ancestors were, Poppy finds herself kidnapped by Hasan Devar, a notorious gang leader also known as the Jackal.
Hasan kidnaps Poppy as a bargaining chip to get his brother back from the police officers that imprisoned him, only to realize that Poppy is one of them, and knows absolutely nothing about her magic and powers.
On the brink of revolution and learning about herself and what she is capable of, both Poppy and Hasan have to do serious politicking and use their strengths both together and separate, to get what they want.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for this arc.

To Bargain with Mortals by R.A Basu is an extraordinary read. It delves deep into the roots of power and one's place in society.
Poppy Sutherland has no power over her life. No control, no freedom to speak her mind. Shipped off to a finishing school, she returns to secure her place in society. Hasan, in an attempt to retrieve his captured brother, kidnaps the heiress. The banter between them is top-notch!! Would love to see more of it.
This is a tale of coming of age and finding who they are against all obstacles.
Loved her character arc and how she changed herself and her views of the world as she learnt more about her heritage.
Deeply set in political it is an inspiring story altogether.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this digital review copy.

To Bargain With Mortals combined the world of fantasy and impactful themes to tell a compelling story while addressing real social issues that can be easily blocked out in a fantasy setting.
I really enjoyed the world building, which is very loosely based on the colonial India, the lore that was created for this story, and found the politics interesting.
I thought highlighting the issues of racism, sexism, and classism, for example, was integrated well into the fantasy plot. It's important to keep telling these stories and not shy away from heavy topics, as they're so relevant in today's climate.

I found the characters really likeable, and loved how nobody was really without flaws. Even the FMC, Poppy - while wanting to work for the greater good, she still had some unconscious bias as a product of her upbringing, and perhaps didn't have the best motivations for her goals even though her heart was in the right place.

While I do enjoy romance as a part of fantasy books, it was refreshing for it to not be a plot point in this story. I think I see this becoming a theme further in the story, and the slow burn romance I am imagining would be quite enjoyable!

One thing I would have liked is more magic being used, and the religions explored deeper, and I hope this is expanded on in as the story is being told. I think the dynamic between Poppy and Hasan could be fun, with the opposing elements of their magic.

Overall I found this enjoyable and easy to read, and I am looking forward to seeing how the story continues!

Thank you to NetGalley and Skies Press for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

To Bargain with Mortals is a powerful, bold fantasy debut that's well worth your time. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel! Highly recommended for readers who love intricate world-building, rich cultural lore, political nuance, deeply human characters, and stories about reclaiming identity and history.

The world building including the politic struggles and the faith and culture feels like a fantastic version of colonised India in the first half/ middle of the 20th century. The characters undergo great development and change to be even more nuanced in the end.

The romance here is subtle, quiet, and beautifully done.
It simmers in the background, never overshadowing the plot but still hitting all the emotional beats. If you love a slow burn (like... painfully slow) where a lingering touch or using someone's given name feels more intimate than a kiss, you'll adore it! I hope the second book explores this aspect a little more (yes, l'm a sucker for romance, though this book doesn't necessarily need it).

4.5 ⭐️

This is a fantastic story of betrayal, cultural heritage and new found friends!
The main characters are Poppy, an adopted heiress to the local leader of the colonising nation stripped of her original heritage struggling with racism and sexisms on her voyage to become member of the local high society, and Hasan, young co-leader of the local native crime syndicate struggling with his personal moral compass and the connected family problems. They meet under surprising circumstances and even more surprising become allies and possibly friends manoeuvring the local politics.
The world building including the politic struggles and the faith and culture feels like a fantastic version of colonised India in the first half/middle of the 20th century. The characters undergo great development and change to be even more nuanced in the end. There is some romantic tension between Poppy and her male companion, but there is no romantic plot which is quite refreshing. This also makes this book a good fit for younger readers since there is no sexual content or gore, only some fighting scenes without too much detail or brutality (I would probably recommend for 12+ year olds).
I also like the described connection between magic and faith which makes a very believable and easy to grasp system with great implications for the political conflicts. Since Poppy has a birth culture and a culture she grew up with the reader gets a good impression of both sides and not a definitive Good vs. Bad which underlines the great character development again.
All in all a fantastic YA/historical fantasy debut and I can't wait to read the second book of the duology to hear about what happens next to Poppy and Hasan!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

This is such a unique story, weaving magic and religion into a fictional setting based on colonized India. The exploration of privilege and power was done so well. I really appreciate how it’s brought up that the colonizers helped to further divide the Virians between magic users and non magic users.

I loved all of the POVs and each character felt so realistically flawed but willing to learn and grow.

My only issue is the end felt rushed. Many of the plot points felt easily resolved. I also was looking for more interaction and meaningful conservation between Poppy and Hasan at the end. I love slow burn but I expected them to have a stronger friendship by the end. I hope we get to see their relationship build up in book 2.

Thank you so much for the ARC. I’m very excited for book 2.

I had mixed feelings about this book. One one hand, I loved it, the plot was strong and well thought out, however not the other hand, I feel I couldn’t fully connect with the characters and it really put me off while reading.
It was especially hard to connect with the main character, Poppy. Personally, she just didn’t feel relatable at all and there were times where I really couldn’t stand her.
One thing i loved about this book, though, was the world building. I’ve found that many authors struggle with this as they focus more on introducing the plot of their book, however To Bargain with Mortals had a beautifully developed world and a unique magic system.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for letting me read this book as an ARC, all opinions are my own.