The Oleander Sword (The Burning Kingdoms, 2) Paperback – August 16, 2022

What an epic journey! This is truly sci-fi at its best. I don’t believe I understood the scope of the story and how it is truly more science fiction than fantasy. I really can’t ruin it for you only to tell you that I couldn’t put it down and I believe I’ve read over 1000 books of different genres consisting of lesbian characters, and few things I’ve read have compared to this series. The 3rd book of the series can’t come soon enough.

My only complaint that this book was not wrapped in any way, so when it was boxed with other items in the box, it slightly damaged this book. Shipping is fast though

Incredible! This story is beautiful and life-changing and new.

SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO: not a romance, out of your comfort zone, POC author/character, bet or dare, established couple; UNICORN: 400+ pages, more than 2 POVs, faith (possibly other categories)This is not a standalone story. It wasn't that long ago that I'd read the first book, and I still had to refer to the cast of characters reference every once in a while. Priya and Milina went their separate ways at the end of The Jasmine Throne, and this novel started off with both of them going forward with their plans for the future of their own regions. Priya and Bhumika used their thrice-born powers to try to keep and prevent the rot from spreading to more people and crops. Milina sought support for a war against her corrupt brother, Chandra. Chandra's fake Mother's fire was a challenge for Milina and her army, so she wrote to Priya, and she came out to help. The true source of the rot started to stalk Bhumika and Priya, becoming dangerous to their region, and the yaksa, the manifested rot spirits, began revealing their true intentions. The setup for book three is already making me excited for Suri's next book. So far, it's a fantastic series that many readers will love.

This book is an amazing followup to The Jasmine Throne.Avoiding spoilers, every moment reading feels like you're on the edge of divine revelations.One moment you're panicking over the suspense, the next you're smiling wickedly (and the next you're hot and bothered).I cannot recommend this book enough.

Malini is still determined to claim the throne as the empress of Parijatdvipa but knows that she has a long journey ahead of her. Not only must she engage with her brother’s forces, but she also must try to keep the men following her in line. Priya is an Elder of Ahiranya and wants to rid the land of the rot that is spreading and plaguing it. She’s torn between her duties and wanting to be near Malini. But when unexpected conflict rises that threatens the world as they know it, they realize they must work together to save everything they care about.I was so excited to read this work after how much I loved the previous one, but I was a little disappointed. It heavily explored the politics, strategies and battle planning of Malini, Priya, and Bhumika, which made for a slow read overall. Several interesting things still happened in this book, but unfortunately, there were chapters of exposition, inner thoughts, and planning that were not as interesting or engaging as I hoped they would be. The best part of this work was learning more about the yaksa, their role in the world, and all of the lore incorporated surrounding them.The characters stayed well written, and I enjoyed getting to learn more about some of the secondary characters. Though the cast of characters remained large and even grew some, which at times made it difficult to keep track of exactly who was who. Thankfully, despite the lag in the plot, the characters’ voices and personalities were not lost or lessened.This book suffers from Middle Book Syndrome in my opinion; It was a good read but didn’t live up to my expectations after the previous book. I still recommend it to those who are reading this series, as the next book promises to be intense. My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for allowing me to read and review this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I waited too long since reading The Jasmine Throne, and I forgot so much. I remembered the basic plot, but I forgot most of the side characters. Even by the end of this book, I still couldn't keep them straight. I appreciate that the author put the POV character's name at the beginning of each chapter, but I had no idea who they were. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, which is my main complaint.Overall, though, I liked the book. Priya and Malini are separated for almost the entire book, and their individual journeys were exciting to follow. The climax and the ending were absolutely NOT expected. I knew something had to happen to set up a reason for Book 3, but this ending pleasantly surprised me.Particular aspects I loved were Priya and Malini's intertwined love (beautifully written), Bhumiya dealing with her daughter being taken hostage (terrifying, and I don't have kids), the terrible power of the yaksa, and the description of the rot. It's fascinating to me that the author can describe flowers, vines, and greenery and make them disgusting and awful.The politics are similar to Game of Thrones, but it doesn't have the same epic scope. There's still betrayal, loyalties switching, and discussions of strategy against the backdrop of this fascinating world.Apart from my inability to track characters, I really liked this book. Looking forward to Book 3.

I wanted to read this about halfway through the first book, and I was not disappointed in the least. Feminist fantasy with an array of exceptionally well written and nuanced characters, in a well fleshed out world where the stakes keep getting higher, and by the end of this book, it went code red in a way I never expected it and I couldn't be more pleased. I hope the next book comes out soon!