Publishers Weekly
★ 06/27/2022
Suri returns to the ancient India–inspired world of her Burning Kingdoms trilogy with this alluring, action-packed, and gut-wrenching sequel to The Jasmine Throne. Priya is now a temple elder of Ahiranya, and her elemental powers have only grown, while Empress Malini is on the war path with an army of allies to take down Parijatdvipa’s fanatical Emperor Chandra, her brother. As Priya works to understand the origin and purpose of her magic, Malini struggles to maintain dominance over a cabal of generals who doubt her every move. Suri laid the groundwork of this artful, immensely detailed world in book one, and now allows it to explode with politics, magic, and theology. The heroines are fierce and tender as ever, both brimming with a quiet, molten rage stemming from a thirst for vengeance, righteousness, and love. Meanwhile, Priya’s temple sister Elder Bhumika’s relentless work to provide sanctuary and safety despite the grotesque horrors of the empire surrounding her nearly steals the show. Suri’s strength lies in the palpable, chest-clutching tension she creates between friends, lovers, and enemies. The result is a taut, emotional sequel that will leave series fans eager for the finale. Agent: Laura Crockett, Triada. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"A magnificently reimagined southern Asia where spirits walk the earth and fire has a will of its own... The Oleander Sword continues Ms. Suri’s heady epic, skillfully keeping a close, human eye on the people who star in it."—Wall Street Journal, on The Oleander Sword
"Suri laid the groundwork of this artful, immensely detailed world in book one, and now allows it to explode with politics, magic, and theology. The heroines are fierce and tender as ever, both brimming with a quiet, molten rage stemming from a thirst for vengeance, righteousness, and love....[A] taut, emotional sequel that will leave series fans eager for the finale."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Oleander Sword
"This complex, sprawling story is filled with lush worldbuilding, politics versus personal feelings, and familial love and betrayal...An epic tale of love: for family, for power, for country."—Library Journal (starred review) on The Oleander Sword
"THE BURNING KINGDOMS trilogy is easily shaping up to be one of my all-time favorites! ... This is a wonderful sequel, and one of my favorite books of the year ... Tasha Suri is a phenomenal writer, and she completely immerses the reader in this world."—Grimdark Dad, on The Oleander Sword
"The Jasmine Throne is an intimate, complex, magical study of empire and the people caught in its bloody teeth. It’s about resistance and power, histories both personal and political, and the heroes who must become monsters to survive. I loved it."—Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, on The Jasmine Throne
“Tasha Suri writes the female characters I didn’t realize I was aching to see in fantasy, to devastating effect. The Jasmine Throne is a fiercely and unapologetically feminist tale of endurance and revolution set against a gorgeous, unique magical world." —S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass, on The Jasmine Throne
"Lush and stunning... Inspired by Indian epics, this sapphic fantasy will rip your heart out."—BuzzFeed News on The Jasmine Throne
"Suri’s incandescent feminist masterpiece hits like a steel fist inside a velvet glove. Blisteringly furious and astonishingly tender by turns, its women take on the patriarchal empire with every weapon at their disposal. Simply magnificent."—Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun, on The Jasmine Throne
"The Jasmine Throne pulls you under, sweeping you away on a current of gorgeous prose and intricately imagined magic and politics. Filled with sharply-drawn characters who ache with longing: for peace, for war, for one another. It left me breathless."—Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter, on The Jasmine Throne
"The Jasmine Throne raises the bar for what epic fantasy should be. Tasha Suri has created a beautiful, ferocious world alongside an intimate study of the characters who will burn it all down."—Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights, on The Jasmine Throne
“A masterpiece. Suri continues to storm the realm of epic fantasy. The Jasmine Throne is the powerful, female-centric series I've hungered for—with deftly-woven prose and a pair of glorious women destined to wreck your heart.”—Heather Walter, author of Malice, on The Jasmine Throne
"It’s especially satisfying when a sequel arrives that not only exceeds our expectations but blows them out of the water entirely, holding on to the things we loved about the original novel but adding compelling new pieces that make the story even richer and more compelling than it was before. Such is the case with Tasha Suri’s The Oleander Sword, a complex, immersive follow-up that’s packed with surprises, sacrifices, and characters that are easy to root for even when they are often difficult to like."—Paste Magazine, on The Oleander Sword
Library Journal
★ 07/01/2022
Malini knows she would be a better ruler of Parijatdvipa than her brother and with the prophecy of the nameless god proclaiming her empress, a loyal army, and the rage of a woman that burns hotter than the pyre many would cast her on, she attempts to claim the throne. Meanwhile, the powerful priestess and Elder of Ahiranya, Priya, carries on trying to cure the blooming rot that is killing her people and loosen the tyrannical hold Parjiatdvipa has on her country. While Priya's magic seems like a gift from the gods, that same magic holds a truth that none would imagine. As Malini and Priya's paths are brought together again, their destinies are as closely bound as their hearts and souls, and both are willing to do whatever it takes to reach their goals, even if it means being torn from each other. This complex, sprawling story is filled with lush worldbuilding, politics versus personal feelings, and familial love and betrayal. VERDICT Suri's second volume of the "Burning Kingdoms" trilogy (after The Jasmine Throne) continues an epic tale of love: for family, for power, for country.—Kristi Chadwick
