A review by tammie_reads
A Dark Queen Rises by Ashok K. Banker
5.0
CW: graphic violence/gore, body horror, infanticide, drug use
I HAVE SO?? MANY?? QUESTIONS???
Probably slightly less than a full 5 stars in terms of my personal enjoyment because this book had more battle scenes than the first book, which is just not my personal preference (but I have a feeling I'm probably in the minority here so if you found book 1 a bit slow and not action-packed enough, you'll probably enjoy book 2 more), but this was just such a good follow-up to the first book that I'm just going to give it 5 stars anyway.
This is now one of my new favourite series. It is just so grand and epic in every sense of the word, and the intricacy and care that Ashok Banker has put into the worldbuilding in this series is absolutely phenomenal (though like I mentioned in my review of the first book, I am not familiar at all with the Mahabharata, so I'm not able to judge it in comparison to the original text). I was a little worried about following completely new characters, but my worries were completely unfounded. I absolutely loved Krushita and Drishya, as well as some of the side characters (Bulan in particular is a favourite).
I have so many questions that are still unanswered, which is to be expected in book 2 of a 9+ book series, and I cannot wait to have them answered in future books. Apparently, the third book is titled The Blind King's Wrath, and I am literally buzzing with excitement because I cannot wait to see how all of this is going to be somehow connected.
If you are a fan of political fantasies and/or fantasies with a more classical style of narration, I cannot recommend this series enough.
I HAVE SO?? MANY?? QUESTIONS???
Probably slightly less than a full 5 stars in terms of my personal enjoyment because this book had more battle scenes than the first book, which is just not my personal preference (but I have a feeling I'm probably in the minority here so if you found book 1 a bit slow and not action-packed enough, you'll probably enjoy book 2 more), but this was just such a good follow-up to the first book that I'm just going to give it 5 stars anyway.
This is now one of my new favourite series. It is just so grand and epic in every sense of the word, and the intricacy and care that Ashok Banker has put into the worldbuilding in this series is absolutely phenomenal (though like I mentioned in my review of the first book, I am not familiar at all with the Mahabharata, so I'm not able to judge it in comparison to the original text). I was a little worried about following completely new characters, but my worries were completely unfounded. I absolutely loved Krushita and Drishya, as well as some of the side characters (Bulan in particular is a favourite).
I have so many questions that are still unanswered, which is to be expected in book 2 of a 9+ book series, and I cannot wait to have them answered in future books. Apparently, the third book is titled The Blind King's Wrath, and I am literally buzzing with excitement because I cannot wait to see how all of this is going to be somehow connected.
If you are a fan of political fantasies and/or fantasies with a more classical style of narration, I cannot recommend this series enough.