shadeyc's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A solid middle book. Tonnes of simmering rage, and another twisty ending.
I do not trust ANY of these characters...
Titania is still the best.
I do not trust ANY of these characters...
Titania is still the best.
liv4theday's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
moonlightmoths's review
5.0
Rep: South-Asian characters, sapphic side characters, & bisexual sc.
Whew this book was so angst-y, it broke my heart. It has that particular brand of family angst that I'm fond of, where the main character just wants to be accepted but realizes it can never be. I enjoyed Esmae's emptional journey throughout the book because it was compelling. You felt all her hurt and betrayal the whole story and it made it so easy to support all her choices since you could see where she was coming from.
The story itself is well-written, with lots of political intrigue and unique characters. There's this underlying feeling of awe but also suspense because you have no idea what will happen next. It's a beautifully craft story that any space opera lover should take some time to read.
Also hats off to Sangu Mandanna for writing such cool mythology into the story and making their family drama interesting as well. I can't wait for [redacted] to get what's coming to them but also half of the plot twists revealed were crazy and I have no idea where this third book is going to go. Another 5 star read from Sangu Mandanna, I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.
Whew this book was so angst-y, it broke my heart. It has that particular brand of family angst that I'm fond of, where the main character just wants to be accepted but realizes it can never be. I enjoyed Esmae's emptional journey throughout the book because it was compelling. You felt all her hurt and betrayal the whole story and it made it so easy to support all her choices since you could see where she was coming from.
The story itself is well-written, with lots of political intrigue and unique characters. There's this underlying feeling of awe but also suspense because you have no idea what will happen next. It's a beautifully craft story that any space opera lover should take some time to read.
Also hats off to Sangu Mandanna for writing such cool mythology into the story and making their family drama interesting as well. I can't wait for [redacted] to get what's coming to them but also half of the plot twists revealed were crazy and I have no idea where this third book is going to go. Another 5 star read from Sangu Mandanna, I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.
rodterez07's review
5.0
Once again, Mandanna has captured magic and stardust and placed them onto paper. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys epic space operas and fantasies populated with memorable characters who pull up a seat in your mind and stay awhile. Esmae is a courageous and formidable heroine you both ache and root for. I can't wait to dive into the next novel to witness the rest of her journey - and I know I will be sad when her chronicle is over. This book deserves a place among every "Best books of 2021" list soon to come.
helenareadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
3.5
A House of Rage and Sorrow by Sangu Mandanna is book two in The Celestial trilogy, and it begins soon after the events of A Spark of White Fire. I can’t say much about the plot without spoiling book 1, but I can share some vague thoughts.
I love how this book explored Esmae’s pain after the events of the first book. She was allowed to feel and confront her rage and it was awesome to read because most of the time women (fictional or real) are expected to hide their pain and anger, and hold themselves together. But instead, Esmae takes charge and rightfully turns into a vengeful person. I still loved Esmae as a character and she was really badass in this book.
There are several other things I enjoyed: Titania (the sentient spaceship) is still amazing; we see a more vulnerable side of Sybilla; and a few cool new characters are introduced. We also get to meet Kyra and she is TERRIFYING. And the evolving dynamic between Esmae and Alexi is interesting as neither of them wants to back down, but they both clearly still care about each other. Alexi is conflicted and Esmae is driven by her pain.
This book has even more twists than the previous book, and while I think twists in general are fun, they weren’t all impactful or explained well. I still like the writing and the plot held my interest, but I have way too many questions about the twists, the mechanics of the world, and a couple of concepts that were introduced here. I wish this book was longer. It was just plot twist after plot twist and there wasn’t enough time to breathe.
And the more I think about the romance, the more I don’t like it. It didn’t add anything to the story for me this time around.
Overall, I loved being back in this world but I wanted more from this sequel. I’m currently reading book 3 of this trilogy and I’m interested to know how it will end.
nhussain's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
readingunderthecovers's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
shealea's review
5.0
Second book syndrome? I don’t know her. I am giving this book all the stars because it broke me and the world is not ready.
Review to follow.
Pleased to say that with the author's blessing, I will be organizing a blog tour for A House of Rage and Sorrow, which you can sign up for!
Review to follow.
tagrace's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The epic, fantastical space opera in this is really unlike anything else I've read. I love this series and wish it was more popular.
loreofthebooks's review
4.0
Esmae is back in this sequel, and her desire to defeat her twin brother has not subsided one iota. She will do whatever it takes to destroy him. But when Alexi starts trying to unleash a devastating weapon, Esmae knows it isn't going to be easy. Meanwhile, sides are being taken. Who will come out on top?
I enjoyed this book just as much as the first -- I think that Mandanna has a great grasp of what makes a book work, and make it interesting on top of that. When I read these books I'm not thinking "when is it going to end?" because I'm too absorbed in what is happening. There is definitely a talent to that. Sometimes I find sequels are lackluster compared to the first, that the ante isn’t upped enough, or the characters aren’t there, but in this sequel none of that seems to be the case, but there are some differences from the first book.
First off, much like the first book this one doesn’t have all that much action in it. There aren’t any huge or great space battles being fought, not really. There are small minor incidents throughout the story that push it forward in terms of physical action. In this book much of the action is in fact mental and strategy. So while there might not be much physical action pushing the story forward, there is other actions that are. It makes this book unique to me in that aspect, because sometimes pushing a book forward only with strategy can be boring. This book was not boring. (Also, the gods have their own political maneuvering going on, so there is a lot happening.)
The characters in this book too, are pretty awesome. We’ve got Esmae who is just as strong and determined in this book as she was in the previous one, and it works for her. She is absolutely ruthless – she has decided on a course of action and she isn’t going to deviate from it at all. Alexi is her enemy, and she will do anything to see him destroyed and to avenge Rama. Esmae is an easy character to like because she is blatantly honest. And she does have a small character arc in regards to her association with Max, the gods and her mother. And it is a truly amazing one.
We’ve got some minor characters in the book, but this sequel is really all about Esmae, her feelings and Titania. And the mix of those three things is insanely successful. Like the previous one there isn’t a huge romance subplot. There are some in this one, but they’re very minor, but it goes well with this book because to me, the very basis of this book is the political aspect.
The bottom line is this book is very much about a political struggle, and the character development and the action portions are often second to that. And this is not a bad thing, the political struggle and battle is a slow build one. There is a lot of back and forth and twists and turns, and it’s not always coming from one place. There are some surprises in this book!
The writing in this book is fabulous. I can’t say enough how much the writing works in this book. The ratio of dialogue to prose is exceptional. Mandanna seems to have found a great balance in this book, and it flows together excellently. It makes it an easy and an enjoyable read. There isn’t a lot of extraneous prose that can sometimes weight down a book or make it feel awkward, which is nice. But she also continues to world build, but it isn’t all shoved in your face. It isn’t an info dump, but instead it’s parceled out to you piece by piece. There is a lot to say for the ability to do that. Info dumps can be boring, but because it wasn’t an info dump there was nothing boring about this one!
What an amazing book and I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out!
“No,” I agree. “I’m so much worse.”
I enjoyed this book just as much as the first -- I think that Mandanna has a great grasp of what makes a book work, and make it interesting on top of that. When I read these books I'm not thinking "when is it going to end?" because I'm too absorbed in what is happening. There is definitely a talent to that. Sometimes I find sequels are lackluster compared to the first, that the ante isn’t upped enough, or the characters aren’t there, but in this sequel none of that seems to be the case, but there are some differences from the first book.
First off, much like the first book this one doesn’t have all that much action in it. There aren’t any huge or great space battles being fought, not really. There are small minor incidents throughout the story that push it forward in terms of physical action. In this book much of the action is in fact mental and strategy. So while there might not be much physical action pushing the story forward, there is other actions that are. It makes this book unique to me in that aspect, because sometimes pushing a book forward only with strategy can be boring. This book was not boring. (Also, the gods have their own political maneuvering going on, so there is a lot happening.)
The characters in this book too, are pretty awesome. We’ve got Esmae who is just as strong and determined in this book as she was in the previous one, and it works for her. She is absolutely ruthless – she has decided on a course of action and she isn’t going to deviate from it at all. Alexi is her enemy, and she will do anything to see him destroyed and to avenge Rama. Esmae is an easy character to like because she is blatantly honest. And she does have a small character arc in regards to her association with Max, the gods and her mother. And it is a truly amazing one.
We’ve got some minor characters in the book, but this sequel is really all about Esmae, her feelings and Titania. And the mix of those three things is insanely successful. Like the previous one there isn’t a huge romance subplot. There are some in this one, but they’re very minor, but it goes well with this book because to me, the very basis of this book is the political aspect.
He knows the cost of my rage and ruin.
The bottom line is this book is very much about a political struggle, and the character development and the action portions are often second to that. And this is not a bad thing, the political struggle and battle is a slow build one. There is a lot of back and forth and twists and turns, and it’s not always coming from one place. There are some surprises in this book!
The writing in this book is fabulous. I can’t say enough how much the writing works in this book. The ratio of dialogue to prose is exceptional. Mandanna seems to have found a great balance in this book, and it flows together excellently. It makes it an easy and an enjoyable read. There isn’t a lot of extraneous prose that can sometimes weight down a book or make it feel awkward, which is nice. But she also continues to world build, but it isn’t all shoved in your face. It isn’t an info dump, but instead it’s parceled out to you piece by piece. There is a lot to say for the ability to do that. Info dumps can be boring, but because it wasn’t an info dump there was nothing boring about this one!
What an amazing book and I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out!