So I should start by saying that this book was one of my most anticipated books of 2020. I can also 100% say it lived up to every single expectation I could have had!
The day I woke up to an email saying I had been approved for an ARC of this book I was almost late to class trying to get it onto my Kindle as soon as possible and devour it.
This review will be fully spoiler free, and I'll try and break it up into sections instead of just crying about how amazing it is.
1. Characters
Oh boy, my favorite characters are back and they're better than ever! Esha is still whip smart (pun intended haha) and cunning, a charismatic powerful leader. We get to see a lot more of her interacting with the team of the Crescent Blades, and seeing her surrounded by people who love and trust her is so nice. We delve a little deeper into her backstory and how everything that happened to her family, as well as the events in book 1, have affected her. She's still fully fleshed out and every single one of her decisions makes sense and feels authentic, even if they scare me sometimes.
And Kunal, my best boy, my favorite strong boy, he's also back! We really explore Kunal's reactions to the situations that had fully upended his life, and we see him adjusting to having new loyalties and goals. My favorite thing about this is how we don't see him transformed fully by this. He's still Kunal, the brave, wonderful soldier who's devoted to his duty. We just get to see the notion of duty for him evolve and change, and we grow with him. I adored him so much in TTAM and I'm glad to say I still love him.
All of the side characters also wormed their way into my heart. The first book centered so strongly on Esha and Kunal that I was a little bit worried I wouldn't care about anyone but them, but I really truly loved everyone. They had full personalities and didn't feel like plot devices, or stand ins for a particular role. They helped build the atmosphere of this book and I loved it!
2. Worldbuilding
This world is so rich and lush I want to sink into it. The fantasy setting feels lived in and tangible, and the divinity and mythology infused into the magical elements of the world make me so happy. Kunal's heritage and the magic that entails, as well as the jamna bond as the final solution felt possible and so, so perfect.
The elements that are so specifically desi and Hindu mythology based made my heart sing. The Gods, the demigods, even the setting of the palace and the way the politics play out gives me hints of the kind of mythology and magic that would make up my bedtime stories and it feels so wonderful to be able to see that on the page.
This is the kind of non-western fantasy that I love to see, and this book really does just check all the boxes for me in terms of worldbuilding.
3. Romance
Esha and Kunal, the ultimate ultimate enemies to lovers... they never disappoint, do they.
Fair warning– this book is not as much of a romance as book 1. TTAM sets up their relationship and so it really features Esha and Kunal much more. But I adored seeing them work through things in this book. There is a love triangle, a situation I've never been overly fond of but it works well in this situation as it plays off of suspicion and uncertainty that have already been plaguing Esha and Kunal.
Their dynamic gets tested in really interesting ways, and they react in exactly the way that makes sense for their characters in this extreme situation. As much as I would love for them to be happily ever after all the time, this book handles the situations very well. I love them so much, it's wonderful.
4. Plot
I won't say much because this review is spoiler free, but hot damn this book was good! The beginning hooks you back into the world and then it picks up the pace and you're along for the whole ride, and it's such a roller coaster.
And the ending did, in fact, murder me– the only way to revive me is to inject book 3 directly into my veins, please I need to have this book ASAP.
5. Overall
TTAM got me through a really difficult week of my life and I will always be grateful for it. This book was such a fantastic follow up to a book that means so, so much to me, and I'm so grateful I got the opportunity to read this and review it early.
If it wasn't obvious already, I rated this book 5/5 stars. I adore it so, so much, and I need book 3 in my hands by the end of the day. Please preorder this book if you can, and if you haven't read TTAM yet please, please do that now. Here's a review/discussion I posted on the topic last year.
The above tweet has the preorder and goodreads links by the author, and you should follow her too because she's fantastic!
Thank you so much for reading, have a great day!