What a delightful conclusion to one of the most enjoyable duologies I've read in years. Plenty of action, soulful characters with many obstacles to overcome, beautiful world-building and something just a little more original than what I've been reading in the last year. I loved how the two stories can both intertwine, and stand alone. That takes a sort of talent not seen often. And I rarely say this, but I loved the ending, and thought it perfect.

Definitely give it a read! In fact, give anything Suri writes a read, because she is a behemoth of contemporary young-adult fiction! ( )

Tasha Suri gives us the second book of what is for now The Books of Ambha duology. This is the story of Arwa, the younger sister of Mehr, the center of the first book. I didnt like this one as much and skipped a lot. It's not that it's poorly written, I just found Arwa less interesting than Mehr. In a rather odd twist, I found that just as Mehr was too cunning for a teenager, I found Arwa, too simple for the politics of her upbringing. I also wondered about her marriage. We are not told how long she was married before being widowed, and no hint is given why she has no children. Nor is barrenness mentioned as a source of stress in her marriage and in society.

I think this book is more suited to a younger, more romantic reader than me. ( )

I have been procrastinating on this book for a long while, so I was quite happy for our Indian Lit Readathon 2020 because it finally made me add this to my tbr and get to it. And while I won’t deny the brilliance of it, I also think I was not in the right headspace to appreciate it completely.

I read Empire of Sand too fairly recently, so the world of Ambha is still fresh in mind and it was nice to be back here. While EoS was more about one of the main pillars of this world - the faith in the Maha and the exploitation/genocide of the Amrithi people; this companion novel takes on the other major pillar - the Emperor and the politics of his court, and the role women play in this world. The Mughal inspiration is very much visible in the representation of the women - from the power the women closest to the Emperor wield in the household and influence his decisions behind the scenes to the courtesans who have their own secret influence across the court to the forgotten women - the widows who are expected to be ghosts because they are nothing after the death of their husbands. And just like we got to know more about the daiva in the first book, here we get to navigate the realm of the dead and how the knowledge they possess can be used to save the world.

It is in this world that we follow the story of Arwa who is a 21 year old widow. She has never been the kind of person a noblewoman of their land is expected to be, but she has suppressed her inherent nature, made herself small and tried to fit into the expected mold of a useful daughter and wife. But when her whole world is upended, she just doesn’t know what to do anymore. She is full of grief and rage, but no way to channel it. And when she learns how the empire she has grown up revering is built upon lies, her self loathing only increases. She throws herself into finding a cure for the curse affecting the empire, to be useful for something and not just waste away without purpose. In this endeavor, she gets to team up with Zahir who is the Emperor’s illegitimate child, unwanted in his own way. This is a tale of two people who are not valued in this society because of their lineage and circumstances, trying to do something useful so that they can survive, even if it means putting their lives on the line because they have no other choice.

The reason I say I couldn’t appreciate the book enough is because being in Arwa’s head throughout, we get to experience her immense grief and loss in close quarters and that really made me more depressed (I don’t think I would’ve been so affected if not for the pandemic and lockdowns). But I also loved the friendship that develops between her and Zafir based on mutual respect and their quest for survival and knowledge. It’s a very slow burn romance that is beautiful to watch unfold.

The best part of the book (and the series in general) is the themes the author tries to discuss and make us think about. Especially in Realm of Ash, we get to question if an empire whose centuries of prosperity is built upon the backs of an oppressed people, their exploitation and genocide, is worth saving. And we can’t help but see the parallels between this story and the history of US/UK built upon slavery and colonialism. We also see a whole group of people completely cutoff from a part of their heritage and forced to conform/assimilate to the majority culture, and how much trauma this can lead to. And finally, the one theme which is the major source of grief for Arwa is how much love can hurt; how even when we act based on love and kindness, these actions may cause long time harm on our loved ones.

To conclude, I feel like I’ve just rambled incoherently and this has been the case for a while. I seem to have lost my touch in being able to articulate my thoughts about books, so please excuse my ramblings. Just go and read this series because the writing is beautiful, the world building is amazing while also having so many parallels to our real world, the characters are unforgettable and the romances are just the most evocative and emotional. The pacing can be slow, so be prepared to savor these books instead of binging them. And I also recommend the audiobooks because the narrator Soneela Nankani has such a lilting and soothing voice that you will get lost in her storytelling. ( )

The Ambhan Empire has been plagued by a curse, which seems to have become worse since the death of the Maha. Now that the Emperor lies near death, it becomes gravely apparent to young widow Arwa, who hides the true lineage of her blood and the curse it carries, and bastard prince Zahir they must find the answers from their ancestors in the treacherous realm of ash.

This is the second book in the Books of Ambha series. I did not know that going in, but I don’t feel like I necessarily needed to have read the first book. This one made complete sense all on its own, though I am now curious about the first book, Empire of Sand.

THE CHARACTERS: BEAUTIFUL CHARACTERS WITH A MAGICAL RELATIONSHIP
The story is told from Arwa’s perspective. She is a young widow with the blood of the cursed Amrithi people, but was raised to be Ambhan by her stepmother. The conflict in her character overlaid the story, but still managed to be beautifully subtle. I loved how it was simply a part of her, her upbringing and her blood, and helped her evolve as a person, but didn’t contain any real anger. Arwa was a bit of a lost child, but she carried strength and maturity, devotion and humility. She was a beautiful character, fragile yet strong. My one complaint about her was that it seemed like it was the effects of the realm of ash that really prompted her growth instead of it being something more internally driven.

The other main character is Zahir, the illegitimate son of the dying emperor. He should have been put to death alongside his mother, but the love of his sister saved him, though it did condemn him to a life spent in a tomb. Studious and curious, he strove to save the empire even though his family chose to ignore his existence. Sometimes he felt a little too good to be true and maybe his humility and modesty went a little overboard, but those traits perfectly suited him. I really enjoyed reading about him.

I have a love-hate relationship with the relationship formed between Arwa and Zahir. Most of the book felt like it was friendship with a line drawn in the sand that neither of them would cross. And then they became more than friends and it seemed to happen very quickly, very intensely. Still, their relationship somehow felt magical, right, and beautiful.

THE WORLD BUILDING: A TRULY EXTRAORDINARY PLACE
I loved the world Suri built in this book. To put it mildly. It was extraordinarily well-done and well-thought out. The world was rich and the realm of ash was a little terrifying to me as a reader. I loved that the world made sense, that it didn’t have anything extraneous.

South Asian-inspired, it was beautifully painted and had a rich culture to match. The people and the world worked together to create a rich tapestry of life and history. I loved that the history played a strong role even as the characters were looking toward making a better future. The building blocks were perfectly placed, which made it so easy for me to immerse myself in the world. I was sad to come to the end of the book because I didn’t want to leave the world just yet.

THE PLOT: BEAUTIFUL IN IT’S SHEER SIMPLICITY
I must be honest and say I didn’t pay as much attention to what the book was about as I should have. I was too often caught up in the characters and the world to really think about what the story was. It was nicely character-driven, so the story simply flowed around them. Every plot point made sense, every wench held a strong purpose, every setback was perfectly placed. The story advanced at its own pace when it was necessary in support of the characters. It was so lovely to be swept up in the lives of Arwa and Zahir.

Now that I’ve come out of the book and reviewed what it was about, I realize the plot, at its core, is quite simplistic. It’s two people working to save their empire. There are pieces built onto it to provide complexity, but the sheer simplicity made this a beautiful read. There were a few major events, but the story did move at a slow pace. Strangely enough, I never noticed until now just how slow it had been.

OVERALL: SLOW, BUT RICH
Overall, I thought this a truly beautiful book. It makes me think of pouring out honey: slow, but rich and sweet. I wanted to both finish reading to see how it ended and to never finish reading so I could stay with the characters and the world. Arwa and Zahir felt alive to me and I felt pieces of myself in them. The world was stunning and I wanted to keep exploring. Even though I haven’t had the benefit of reading the first book, I didn’t feel any confusion, and I can’t help but be in a bit of awe about what a lovely read this was.

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit, for a free e-copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

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98 points, 5 stars!

Quote:

Lonely, Jihan had called him. But Arwa could only look at him and think of his vulnerable neck, his wrists, the moonlight on him and think, Starving, he is starving.

Review:
Wow. Enchanting. Beautiful. I already know this review will feel inadequate compared to the elegance that is the book itself. The way the story flows and draws you in just was so well done. I managed to feel like I was the main character, Arwa, and was so drawn into her story. Captivated, even. The setting was exemplary. Realm of Ash was just so, so good.

While reading, it really struck me how different a book Realm of Ash would be if I hadn't read Empire of Sand first. It would have been a profounding different experience. Both of these books can be considered standalone, and Realm of Ash does take place about ten years after the first book so it does have spoilers for the ending of that amazing book. I think it actually would have been quite fun to read this without the context, which is not something I typically ever say. I would have loved to have had the perspective of Arwa without Mehr getting in the way.

A lot of time has passed since Empire of Sand. The world has become different, worse since the Maha died. Less safe. Famine. Disease. Fear. This setup leads to some absolutely brilliant worldbuilding and a magic system that I wanted to know more about. There was just so much more to learn than I could have thought possible. Yet I still wanted to know more. It was amazing.

And then there is the main character. Ah, Arwa, you poor thing. Before the book began, Arwa was the sole survivor of a vicious attack that killed her husband as well as the entire military installation he was in charge of. Before that, she spent her life trying to be perfect, fearing that she would be found to be less than foolproof, because her bloodline made her cursed. Now widowed, Arwa is considered a ghost and from here her true journey starts. Realm of Ash takes Arwa from her desire to become cloistered away with other widowed women, to her decision to stand up and be useful, to Arwa being strong. I love Arwa, broken bits and all.

The romance is an adorably slow burn. The kind where you know it is going to happen, and you just want to knock these two numbskulls together to make them see what they have. Propriety? A complete taboo against the very idea of remarriage? Bah, who needs any of that? We have some love to get to!

And if all this wasn't enough gushing, just look at that cover. Isn't it exquisite?

I received this book from Orbit in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to Tasha Suri and Orbit for providing the opportunity to review this copy. ( )