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singalana's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
I can't pinpoint the one exact big thing that's wrong with the book. It's more like there's a hundred little things.
I can't quite remember what possessed me to buy this book, given that YA fantasy is not my thing. Since I have it, I might as well read it. If I'm not mistaken, this is the author’s debut novel and the opening of a four-book series.
We follow an orphan girl called Kali, who grows up in a remote temple of sisterhood. One day, a rajah comes to claim girls to be his courtesans and one will have the questionable honour of becoming his 100th and final wife.
Guess what, of course our main girl gets picked, despite being plagued by a mysterious illness. The rajah orders his very handsome and very unprofessional captain to be Kali’s guard, and an insta-love romance ensues.
But wait, there's more! Kali has to fight for her right to party - eh, marry the rajah (who is at least twice her age, by the way - a fact that is not once mentioned in the story). All the courtesans who wish to take her place as a wife may challenge her to fight to the death.
And to complicate matters, mysterious rebels with magical abilities threaten the rajah’s reign.
So basically, that's the plot. And then to the complaints.
I can't quite remember what possessed me to buy this book, given that YA fantasy is not my thing. Since I have it, I might as well read it. If I'm not mistaken, this is the author’s debut novel and the opening of a four-book series.
We follow an orphan girl called Kali, who grows up in a remote temple of sisterhood. One day, a rajah comes to claim girls to be his courtesans and one will have the questionable honour of becoming his 100th and final wife.
Guess what, of course our main girl gets picked, despite being plagued by a mysterious illness. The rajah orders his very handsome and very unprofessional captain to be Kali’s guard, and an insta-love romance ensues.
But wait, there's more! Kali has to fight for her right to party - eh, marry the rajah (who is at least twice her age, by the way - a fact that is not once mentioned in the story). All the courtesans who wish to take her place as a wife may challenge her to fight to the death.
And to complicate matters, mysterious rebels with magical abilities threaten the rajah’s reign.
So basically, that's the plot. And then to the complaints.
- The main character was a bit of a confusing mess. At first, the reader is led to believe that she's a poor, sickly girl, not much good at anything. And when we get to the end, lo and behold, she turns out to be exceptionally talented and special.
- The characters lacked personality and acted “out of character”, not in a way I'd expect a rajah to behave. What makes the villains villainous, except that they exploit women and swim in riches while their people live in poverty? There weren't any interesting discussions about those themes.
- The age gap issue was never brought up, and it was not even mentioned.
- Some of the word choices were odd and didn't fit the tone of the story.
- Even though this is YA, I think the life of the courtesans could have been depicted with less glossing over.
- I didn't really buy the romance.
- Some action scenes were confusing and not very well written.
If you want a similar story written better, read Tad Williams’ Shadowmarch. It's not perfect either, but it has similar elements.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism