BLOG TOUR & REVIEW|| A House Of Rage and Sorrow- Sangu Mandanna // A Stunning sequel which YOU MUST READ // + my favourite quotes and INTL giveaway

I am so excited to bring to you today my review for A House of Rage and Sorrow, Book #2 in the Celestial Trilogy. I LOVED A Spark of White Fire so much and this book was somehow even more better and left me tearful at the end. A biggest shoutout to Shealea @ Caffeine Blog Tour for organizing this amazing blog tour and giving me the chance to be a part of it.

Synopsis: 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. 

Amazon || Book Depository || Goodreads 

Publication Date: 17th September by Sky Pony Press

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Space Opera

Trigger Warnings

War, Dificult Family Relationships, Mentions of Death

 

Ratings: 5/5

A Spark of white fire was a very beautiful book which showed the themes of family, friendship, politics and love. A House of Rage and Sorrow took all of this and multiplied it ten times and presented it in the most bewildering and emotional way. This book left me with tears in my eyes and it was such a powerful book.

The Characters

Esmae is one of my favourite protagonists ever and with this book she grows even more amazing. Esmae is angry and heartbroken over the events of the first book and she is out for revenge now. The one thing I love about this series is how all the characters are nuanced and important in some way or the other. I loved Max and Amba and Kirrin was just splendid. I really liked the characterisation of Alexie and I especially loved reading about their mother who is so cold and you can feel it when you’re reading it. The characters are the soul of this book.

The Power Struggle and Complicated Family Dynamics

I think for a book inspired by Mahabharata, we would expect family dynamics and politics but this book makes it so much more interesting and it keeps you reading till the end. The rivalry and the politics is SO GOOD and it keeps you invested and rooting for the characters. As a reader, you can feel the rage and the grief of the characters, especially Esmae, and it makes you go through intense emotions.

Pacing and Story

The pacing of the book is steady and the author never lets the stakes feel low. You will definitely read this book in one-sitting because of its smooth flowing pace and super intriguing story. The story moves forward and there are revelations made. We are finally introduced to Esmae’s mother and she is nothing like what you would expect. There are many truths revealed which are heartbreaking and take the story forward. The last 25% of the book is super intense and I was literally left with my mouth open with tears in my eyes.

Titania’s POV

This book gives the POV of our amazing sentient warship, Titania. Titania is hilarious and charming and it is an absolute delight to read the book from her persepective. She plays such an important part in this book and I am very excited to see how her role will end up in the last book. Titania’s story is very interesting and we do not know how she is going to react now after the ending this book.

The Gods and their stories

Another good part of this book was the Gods and their stories. Amba and Kirrin’s stories are explored. All the Gods have to take sides and this is making the whole war more complicated and loyalties are tested. I really love reading about this whole dynamic of the Gods and their favourites and it makes the story complex and perplexing.

Favourite Quotes

“You’re a star hurtling at a thousand miles an hour and it’s impossible to hold on to you.”

“My mind is like the thorn forest outside the palace, knotted and vicious and screaming and never, ever still.”

“All I can do is stand guard between her and the secrets that will swallow her whole.”

“It was always a potrait in a gallery of ghosts” 

This series is criminally underrated and it deserves so much more love and hype. It is an absolutely astounding book. It has all the elements to make it a great space opera: family dynamics, politics, love, friendship, war, sentient warships, involvement of Gods and their favourites, unveiling of secrets and hard truths and an intriguing plot. I cannot recommend this book enough and I will be shouting about it to everyone. So if you haven’t read this amazing books, read it soon because this is a book you do not want to miss out.

KNOW THE AUTHOR

Sangu Mandanna was four years old when an elephant chased her down a forest road and she decided to write her first story about it. Seventeen years and many, many manuscripts later, she signed her first book deal. Sangu now lives in Norwich, a city in the east of England, with her husband and kids.

Author Website || Goodreads || Twitter  

SUPER FUN CHARACTER NAMING CHALLENGE

Prize: The privilege of naming one of the Book 3 characters (one winner only)

Scope: Open worldwide/internationally

Everyone can enter and make name suggestions, just follow the instruction in the following tweet:

Our blog tour for A HOUSE OF RAGE AND SORROW will launch in a few hours, & we also have a contest. 💛

The prize? Name one of the characters for Book 3!

The mechanics?
💫 RT + follow @SanguMandanna
💫 Reply w/ your suggested character name + #ATourOfRageAndSorrow

Ends Aug 31 pic.twitter.com/32cJLzoevs

— Caffeine Book Tours (@CaffeineTours) August 18, 2019

You can and should check out the rest of the blog tour stops and check out the launch post for more details here:

• Have you read this series ?

• Who is your favourite character ?

• Are you a fan of sci-fi and fantasy ?

Thank you to the publisher,author and Caffeine Book Tours for an eARC of the book! All opinions are my own!