Tasha Suri's Burning Kingdoms is an exemplary fantasy series, and I’ll be waiting patiently for its finale in the coming year. Intensely ruthless and brutal at its core, The Oleander Sword is an astonishing sequel that blooms with betrayal, romance, and unintended sacrifice. Like its former, The Oleander Sword elicits a slow pace, that culminates in an ending that left me thoroughly anguished. The political tension underpinning the actions of every character, and the divided loyalties threatening to fracture the established alliances only made this sequel all the more disconcerting. Alongside the ongoing war, and the unsettling shift back at Ahiranya’s temple, there was not a moment in this book where I was not caught in its unforgiving clutches. One character that really stood out to me this time around was Bhumika, who carries the weight of what is happening with Ahiranya towards a sacrifice that was absolutely heart-wrenching. Once again, Suri provides a staggering amount of character perspectives to wade through, woven together in an intricate tapestry that renders itself to the overarching themes of power, loyalty, and love. Everything about this sequel is awe-inspiring, from the intensely romantic and tender moments between Priya and Malini to the gradual undertaking of a stolen empire. Tasha Suri elevates everything previously contended in the first installment, focusing more heavily on battle strategy, and examining the temple of Ahiranya and the Yaska. An expansive and otherwise ambitious addition to the series, The Oleander Sword stole my heart and destroyed my soul with a slow and delicate grace. After the astonishing start to the series that was The Jasmine Throne, its sequel quickly lept to the forefront of my anticipated upcoming reads for 2022. The Oleander Sword is a sequel of such brutal reckoning that I was completely unprepared to venture into. War wages and the deeper Priya reaches into her power to turn the tide, and Malini turns to pent-up rage, the cost of their advance blooms into something truly deadly.
Set apart by their respective roles, Priya and Malini’s destinies remain forever entwined, but as Malini’s campaign to depose her brother takes a brutal turn, coming together may be the only option to truly achieve what they both desire. Meanwhile, Priya, now an elder of Ahiranya and thrice-born priestess, gambles the extent of her power to eradicate the rot taking hold in her country. Declared the rightful empress of Parijatdvipa by the prophecy of the nameless god, Malini embarks on a vengeful path to usurp her brother and lay claim to her throne.
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