I only picked this up because I accidentally downloaded an Edelweiss ARC of the second book, and the beginning was a bit of a struggle but in the end I'm not mad that I finished this. (Though I am slightly disappointed that it's the only book I managed to read on my 6 hour red-eye flight.) I know three stars looks lukewarm, but all things considered it feels right.

There are some repetitive infodumps and a general lack of long-term plot at the start, but the world is pretty well thought-out: complex, but it all makes sense if you can roll with it until you figure it out. Everyone has a role to play, even if they're still figuring out what exactly that role is, and the combination of political and religious conflicts were fascinating.

Ashok and his allies really grew on me — they're genuinely good people, even if they do morally dubious things sometimes, and although the character development is not at all subtle I still enjoyed watching the progression. I know "seemingly-undefeatable warrior discovers his super-special real identity" sounds like the epitome of a trope, but despite recognizable narrative twists and worldbuilding structures the plot was original enough to be entertaining. Admittedly there was a shortage of female characters, but the ones we did get to know (Rada and Thera) were incredible: independent, clever, powerful in their own ways. And the villains — I really loved to hate them!

And it's a funny book too, which I definitely didn't expect. For example, they use "saltwater" as a curse because the demons have taken over the oceans, and I love seeing recognizable innocuous words unapologetically repurposed. The juxtaposition with our world is sometimes overused for arguably only slight comedic effect (e.g.,

Spoiler

Jagdish's marvel at the pocket watch he wins betting on Ashok

), but there's also great banter and some objectively ridiculous situations.

While this series will never become my new favorite, it's a good time. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.