Description :
Book: House of Rage and Sorrow (The Celestial Triology #2)
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Young adult fiction, Science fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Epic Fiction
Number of pages: 264
Published by: Sky Pony
Published on: 17 September 2019
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Blurb :
Esmae once wanted nothing more than to help her golden brother win the crown of Kali but that dream died with her best friend. Alexi broke her heart, and she vowed to destroy him for it. And with her sentient warship Titania beside her, how can she possibly fail?
As gods, beasts, and kingdoms choose sides, Alexi seeks out a weapon more devastating than even Titania. Past lives threaten the present. Old enemies claim their due. And Esmae cannot outrun the ghosts and the questions that haunt her. What really happened to her father? What was the third boon her mother asked of Amba? For in the shadows, lurking in wait, are secrets that will swallow her whole.
The House of Rey is at war. And the entire galaxy will bleed before the end.
“Maybe it’s time the great House of Rey came to an end. After all, what are we now? Just a house of rage and sorrow.”
Premise:
The part 1 of the series was amazing but the second part knocked all my senses off. The second book is an absolute masterpiece. It have to be my favourite book of the series.
Esmae is no longer the easy, gullible, kind princess. After everything that she loved and lost in the prequel, now she is a warrior, craving for blood, war and revenge. She no longer wants reconciliation. The character development was something I liked very much since Esmae was too naive for a MC in the prequel. Not everything she did was praiseworthy yet I connected to her. She survived loss and that changed her so it wasn't her fault. The book describes her pain in a very raw manner which will make the reader go through the agony with her.
But she also gained power and support. She had her loved ones who would do anything to protect her.
The story in this book feels like a very separate and new one. It does have minute connections to Mahabharata but it emerges as a new masterpiece.
The plot of the book is perfect with all the pages holding the power to let the reader dive into the story. The book also gave us a detailed information about many things like the back story of immortals, the full life circle of Amba, etc.
And Titania keeps secrets even though she is a war ship. This ship never fails to amaze me.
One of the points that add to the beautiful narration of this book is the multiple POVs. We read the story through the main characters and what more do I want?!
The complex family relationships turn more complex and tricky. The book is full of twists, turns and revelations and that is literally the best part of it.
Also, cherry on the top is a very new and unpredictable relationship.
The final 25% of the book had me awestruck with a whole different scenario going on. It'll make you bite your lips where you'll come to hate certain characters more than ever but also fall for some characters whom we misunderstood.
All in all, I'll always recommend this series. ALWAYS!!
This series need to be read. It is extremely underrated and I don't know why? But please if you are reading my review go and read it. You won't be disappointed.