Well, hello there, guys! I finished these books a few days ago and I loved them so much. I am going to split this post into some categories so that you can skip to which ever part you like. Also I am going to try and keep it spoiler free, but if there are going to be some you will see a spoiler warning before it.
1. Short summary of the book:
I will give you just the synopsis of the first book, because I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys, since there is a plot twist at the end of it. This is the GoodReads synopsis:
“Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?”
2. Characters:
In these books there are a lot of complex and interesting characters and it was very entertaining to read about their journeys and relationships.
Tarisai:
She is our main character and I loved her so much. She had a miserable childhood and it made me cry reading about it from the first chapters. Because of her sad circumstances she makes a very relatable character, in which people can see themselves. Tarisai is a caring and sweet person and I find it really hard to believe that someone wouldn’t like her. She wants the best for all of her friends and would do anything to protect them and make sure they were taken care of. After reading this book she is now one of my favorite main characters. I also liked how her character took a new turn in the second book, because it humanized her a lot and made her even more loveable.
Sanjeet:
Sanjeet is also a very sweet character. He as well, had a tragic childhood, but it’s amazing to see how both of them worked over these things and managed to be happy and make their own family(with their council members). He is the love interest of this book and him and Tarisai are the perfect couple. The bits and pieces that we got of them throughout the series were just perfect and melted my heart. It was also really heartwarming to see how even when they disagreed, they still managed to make up and be stronger than ever as a couple.
3. Writing style:
I really liked this series, so, of course, I also really enjoyed the writing style. At times it almost felt like it belonged to a fairytale. Throughout this duology there were also some songs that were important to the story, and I felt like they were beautifully written.
4. Things I loved (about the book):
I liked so many things about this series, so I’m going to try my best to write about all of my favorite ones. Firstly, I really like how the worldbuilding was done throughout the series, but especially in the first book. It is a very complex world, but the world building was not heavy at all, it was done piece by piece to not overwhelm the reader. Secondly, I really liked the plot of the first book, but also the idea of the second one, even if I felt like it could’ve been better executed. Thirdly, I think that the romance was so good and heartwarming (Sanjeet and Tarisai have my whole heart in a grip). There is also a lot of LQBTQ+ representation: we have asexual and bisexual characters, and I feel like Jordan did a great job at representing ace people. The first book also has really good pacing(the chapters are actually quite long, but a lot of things happened so it kept me on the edge of my seat). While I didn’t really like the second book, I really liked how Tarisai’s character in this book, because it was very natural, very human(her feeling like she wasn’t doing enough for the Arit Empire, and how she felt the guilt for all the injustices made over the years because of other rulers). Lastly, I also enjoyed that this book made me cry and be very emotional(which for me is a great thing because it means that the author did a great job at making me connect with the characters and suffer when they suffered).
5. Things I didn’t enjoy:
There weren’t any things that I disliked in the first book, however, I can’t say the same for the second one. What I didn’t really like was the lack of action in the book. There were things happening, but I just didn’t live up to my expectations. I also wished that the whole part where Tarisai goes to the Underworld would’ve been more detailed and ample; it was way too short for my liking. Otherwise, I can’t really say that I disliked anything from this amazing series.
6. Favorite quotes:
“I think deep down, we’re afraid that things could get better. Afraid to find out that all the evil - all the suffering we ignore – could have been prevented. If only we cared enough to try.” - Raybearer
“The only difference between a murderer and a hero is who tells the story.” - Redemptor
I will also like to show you one of those really beautiful songs:
“Eleven danced around the throne,
Eleven moons in glory shone,
They shone around the sun.
But traitors rise and empires fall,
And Sun-Ray-Sun will rule them all,
When all is said-o, all is said
And done-heh, done-heh, done.” - Raybearer
7. Overall opinion:
I really liked these book and I would recommend them to anyone that is a fan of fantasy and is looking for a more diverse series(besides the LGBTIQ+ representation we also have a full cast of characters of color). It’s also a really good series for people that enjoy the found family trope and there is also a “one bed” scene, even if it’s not exactly what you might expect, it was still really nice. Overall, I gave the series 4 stars and I really enjoyed it.
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