well, tasha suri has done it again. what a book!

firstly, i’d just like to talk about how much i loved the jasmine throne. when i first read it, i instantly loved it. the characterization??? the worldbuilding?? the relationship between priya and malini?? i was hooked. i ended up re-reading it and i’m pretty sure it was my top book of the year. i was so, so, so excited for the oleander sword. so, when i got the email that i received this arc?? i ran around my room screaming in excitement. and my god did it deliver. suri has written an excellent sequel that lives up to the first book.

first, i wanna talk about the plot. so, this book follows malini as she tries to wrest control of parijatdvipa from her brother chandra and commands an army, and also follows priya as she settles into being an elder of ahiranya and tries dealing with the rot. besides following priya and malini, we also start following bhumika, who holds a higher diplomatic position in ahiranya. the plot is intricate and neatly-crafted.  i think my favorite part of this novel was the ending. it is so heartbreaking, but so well-done and really keeps in suspense for the final book. this book will break you, put you together and then whack you in the face with a hammer.

next, the characters. all three of the leading characters(priya, malini, and bhumika) were written SO WELL. i really need to stress that all three of the leading women were written so well, and that you can really sense their individual voice and character. i also enjoyed a certain choice of malini’s near the end. well-deserved. 

next, the romance. malini and priya’s romance…so good. they start off the novel writing letters to each other which is??? so good. they end up reuniting later in the novel due to…circumstances and the longing, the yearning between these two??? my god i folded. 

finally, the writing. WOW is it as good as ever. i tend to not know how to describe writing, because i’ve never been able to find the words to accurately describe how i feel. however, i think one of my favorite things about this series (besides literally everything else) is the writing.

the oleander sword is magnificent and an excellently-executed sequel. this was one of my most anticipated releases and suri has not only delivered, she has surpassed my expectations. also now i’m so excited to see the conclusion to this exceptional series like what’s gonna happen????

 

thank you sm to netgalley and to orbit books !!!