cj13's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, and Drug use
oscarhp's review
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
hhaung's review against another edition
5.0
When I started the first book of this duology (so far) "Mission to the Mughals" I was unsure whether I'd like it or not. I wasn't keen on reading about Mughals per se nor the new characters but luckily there was one character "Amir Salim" that was already known to me through a short story "The Company Men" which made me more interested in the book.
Once I started, I cannot stop. The story zips along pretty well -- once you get used to the foreign nature of the Mughal court. That first book was a 4.5 star book.
This book, not needing the time to build the world or the characters, took me on a rollicking ride. The story enthralled me. The characters shone. From historical characters like Jahanara, Nur, Dara, and Aurangzeb to fictional characters like Gervais, Bertram, Monique, and others, characters are vivid and it's really fun being a fly on the wall to all the machinations or shenanigans that are going on (not sure if Amir was real or not but he's a great character too).
Here, we have a 3-way succession war that quickly became 2-way with almost equal odds. Battle lines are drawn and sides chosen. There isn't a villain per se in the story (the two I disliked were the bigoted Jesuit and Roshanara). I sympathized with most of the characters.
The twist (courtesy of Jahanara) as the last battle of this story unfolded took me by surprise. I felt very sorry for Carvelho. The outcome was very satisfying. The ending (at the dock) was a vivid picture in my mind -- a lone horserider staring at the distant ships leaving. It leaves me wanting for the sequel to follow very very soon (if not now which is impossible) :D
In short, a great sequel to Mission to Mughals and a 5 star read!
Once I started, I cannot stop. The story zips along pretty well -- once you get used to the foreign nature of the Mughal court. That first book was a 4.5 star book.
This book, not needing the time to build the world or the characters, took me on a rollicking ride. The story enthralled me. The characters shone. From historical characters like Jahanara, Nur, Dara, and Aurangzeb to fictional characters like Gervais, Bertram, Monique, and others, characters are vivid and it's really fun being a fly on the wall to all the machinations or shenanigans that are going on (not sure if Amir was real or not but he's a great character too).
Here, we have a 3-way succession war that quickly became 2-way with almost equal odds. Battle lines are drawn and sides chosen. There isn't a villain per se in the story (the two I disliked were the bigoted Jesuit and Roshanara). I sympathized with most of the characters.
The twist (courtesy of Jahanara) as the last battle of this story unfolded took me by surprise. I felt very sorry for Carvelho. The outcome was very satisfying. The ending (at the dock) was a vivid picture in my mind -- a lone horserider staring at the distant ships leaving. It leaves me wanting for the sequel to follow very very soon (if not now which is impossible) :D
In short, a great sequel to Mission to Mughals and a 5 star read!
rikeuvan's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
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