#Review - A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna #YA #SyFy

Series: Celestial Trilogy # 3
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Release Date: June 29, 2021
Publisher: Sky Pony
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction

“A rare gem of a sequel . . . Each page drips with action and moral complexities.” —Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire, on A House of Rage & Sorrow

A prince without his kingdom.

A kingdom without its princess.

The destruction of the stars themselves.

War is destroying the galaxy. Esmae has vanished without a trace. A terrifying, ravenous beast is devouring the stars one by one. Titania is offered a gift that may well be a curse. Alexi, the exiled prince, is asked to pay a heavy price for his mistakes. And far, far away, on a dark, mysterious planet, a sleeping god stirs awake.

War or family.

Pride or peace.

As the end of the world draws ever closer, Esmae and Alexi must decide how far they’ll go to win—and who they’ll sacrifice along the way.

Celebrated author Sangu Mandanna promises a gripping conclusion to the Celestial Trilogy in A War of Swallowed Stars. 

 

A War of Swallowed Stars is the third and final installment in author Sangu Mandanna's Celestial Trilogy. This book picks up immediately where A House of Rage and Sorrow finished then jumps 36 days where Titania picks up the story from Esmae. This story focuses on several key characters. Esmae Rey, Titania, and Radha. The series is inspired by the Hindu epic The Mahabharata and places it in space. Mandanna's trilogy takes the tropes of fate, love, and bargaining with the gods and shoots them to the stars. Fans of mythology and retellings will eat this up.

The House of Rey is at war, and for Esmae, the daughter who was tossed away by her mother Kyra Rey in favor of her brothers Alexei and Bear, this may be the end of the road as prophesied. Esmae is all but missing from the first part of this book after her actions against Arcadia. Esmae as a main character is full of rage and sorrow over the things she has lost and things she has done, but she also understands she is lucky enough to have friends like Max, Radha, and Titania who care about whether she lives or dies.

By birthright, Esmae, not Max, nor Alexei, should be in control of Kali. It was bad enough that her own mother did some really nasty things to Esmae in order to keep her away from Kali so that Alexei could become King. But with Esmae out of the picture and nobody is truly sure whether she is dead or alive, her friends Max and Titania and Sybilla struggle to find out what really happened to her and if they can save her or not. Especially Titania the sentient starship that was created by two Gods and a King.

Titania is the greatest starship ever built. She was created by two Gods and a King and was supposed to go to Alexei before Esmae's choices in the first installment. Titania's life changes when she is offered a chance to become human. For Titania, she's like a new born fawn testing every aspect of her new being. Readers  get to see things from Titania’s perspective in this book. We see how she loves and protects Esmae, and despite just being a mechanical warship, she is a full-fledged character whose presence in the book makes it feel wholesome.

One of the underlying storylines of this book is the emotional toll war takes on everyone involved. Esmae gets to the point where she is sick of war and doesn't care if Alexei is the one who comes out on top. Sybilla and Radha find comfort with each other which makes both stronger for it. Max has outed himself as a God, but even Gods have weaknesses that can be exploited. In the end, Esmae's choices are heart breaking, especially with the number of people who die because of Kyra Rey's machinations. 

Cast of Characters:

Esmae Rey, princess of Kali. Eldest child of King Cassel and Queen Kyra. 

Max Rey, crown prince of Kali. Adopted son of King Elvar and Queen Guinne. Commander of the Hundred and One and the reincarnated god Valin. It's a long story!

Cassela Rey, great-grandmother of Esmae. She cursed Kyra which is what started this whole mess.

Alexi Rey, exiled prince of Kali. Esmae's twin brother. 

Abra (Bear) Rey, exiled prince of Kali and youngest brother.

Kyra Rey, queen consort of Kali before her exile. She was so terrified of Esmae that she nearly killed her own daughter three separate times.

Sybilla Bloom, second in command of the Hundred and One. Has feelings for Radha.

Darshan Karn, King of Wychstar, creator of Titania

Radha Karn, princess of Wychstar, loyal to Esmae who saved her life, max and of course, Sybilla. 

Immortals:

Amba, war goddess

Kirrin, god of tricks and bargains. Helped create Titania for Alexi.

Suya, sun god

Tyre, god of justice

Thea, goddess of hearth and home

Ash, the destroyer. One of the original Gods with Bara and Ness.

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#Review - A House of Rage and Sorrow by Sangu Mandanna #YA #SyFy

Series: Celestial Trilogy # 2
Format: Hardcover, 264 pages
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Publisher: Sky Pony
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult Fiction / Science Fiction

One kingdom. One crown. One family.

“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.”

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.

A House of Rage and Sorrow is the second installment in Sangu Mandanna's Celestial Trilogy. The story picks up immediately from where A Spark of White Fire left off. Drawing on the Mahabharata and Indian mythology, Mandanna's trilogy takes the tropes of fate, love, and bargaining with the gods and shoots them to the stars. Fans of mythology and retellings will eat this up. You can feel the intensity of what is happening between Esmae and her family, especially her brother Alexi and her mother Kyra Rey. 

It has been (3) months since Esmae's best friend was killed in a duel with Alexi. It has been (3) months of rage and grief. The prophecy is finally coming true and as much as she did not want to accept it in the first book, she is coming to term with it now. Esmae is on a path of vengeance and honestly, she doesn't care who gets hurt in the crossfire. Esmae has been betrayed by almost everyone she trusted. Her brother who fears an equal. A mother who fears a curse. A King who wanted Alexi to win Titania, but which ended up going to Esmae after she won a competition for it. 

Titania the sentient starship that was created by two Gods and a King. We also get to see things from Titania’s perspective in this book. We see how she loves and protects Esmae, and despite just being a mechanical warship, she is a full-fledged character whose presence in the book makes it feel wholesome. This book is just as rife with tension as its predecessor and fills you with the same edginess as the first one.  

Mandanna could have held back in this sequel and waited until the final installment to unload. I am glad she didn't. This book is filled with many emotionally charged scenes. The ending of this book was very explosive. I can't wait to see how the author deals with everything and wraps it in the next book. This story was easily one of the fastest reads that I have finished this year and yes, I am eager for the finale.

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#Review - A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna #YALit #SyFy

Series: The Celestial Trilogy# 1
Format: E-Galley, 320 pages
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction / Space Opera

The first book in a scifi retelling of the Mahabharata. When Esmae wins a contest of skill, she sets off events that trigger an inevitable and unwinnable war that pits her against the family she would give anything to return to.

The first book in a scifi retelling of the Mahabharata. When Esmae wins a contest of skill, she sets off events that trigger an inevitable and unwinnable war that pits her against the family she would give anything to return to.

In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back.

Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali.

It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart.

Inspired by the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian stories, A Spark of White Fire is a lush, sweeping space opera about family, curses, and the endless battle between jealousy and love. 

 

"A spark of fire so hot and white that no one will be able to put it out."

A Spark of White Fire, by author Sangu Mandanna, is the first chapter of a major new trilogy with everything you want: complicated family dynamics that could rip the universe asunder, exhilarating action aboard an epic warship, swoony romance that will have readers begging for more. The story itself was pitched as Red Rising meets An Ember in the Ashes. It is a multicultural YA space opera inspired by the Mahabharata. 

The novel follows Esmae, a cursed and forgotten child of an Empire's dethroned Queen, who wants to return to her real family, and finds herself on the wrong side of the war that could destroy kingdoms across the galaxy. Esmae has lived her entire life onboard Wychstar, a spaceship kingdom. Nobody knows her true identity. She's watched over by Amba, the Goddess of War, and is best friends with Prince Rama who she grew up with. She plans on helping her brother Alexei win Titania, the sentient, unbeatable spaceship blessed by the gods.

Esmae, who is much beloved by the Gods & Goddesses, believes that winning Titania will help her win back Kali's throne for her brother Alexi that was stolen by their uncle Elvar and his adopted son Max. To do so, she will have to come out of the shadows, make a once in a lifetime shot at an impossible game where she is the pawn in a warlords game, and reveal her true identity. There's no black and white when it comes to who the villains are. This is a story about two sides of the same family battling for the Kingdom of Kali.

There's a whole lot of gray areas that are slowly revealed and unraveled the further you get into the story itself. Esmae discovers that the uncle who stole her brother's throne isn't entirely evil, nor is his son Max, nor are the people of Kali like Sybilla. Kali is a realm of warriors, myths, & usurpers. Of course, this puts a wrench in her plans as she starts liking her life with them and as she gets to know her brothers Alex and Bear. The one missing piece is the mother who threw away her only daughter.

Esmae is the spark that will tip the scales, but her actions will lead to consequences she can't imagine. The story is filled with plot twists and shocking surprises. This is a universe filled with Gods who may provide weapons, play tricks, grant boons, and level curses but they can't hurt humans or physically interfere or lose their immortality. This is the kind of impeccably put together, sweeping world building and character development that breaks out in the market and changes the conversation.    

Fans of Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes, Amie Kaufman's These Broken Stars, Beth Revis' Across the Universe, & Rhoda Belleza's Empress of a Thousand Skies will enjoy and ask for more. Drawing on the Mahabharata and Indian mythology, Mandanna's trilogy takes the tropes of fate, love, and bargaining with the gods and shoots them to the stars. Fans of mythology and retellings will eat this up.  Book 2 will release in Fall 2019, and Book 3 is slated for Fall 2020. 

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