Blog Tour and Review: A House of Rage and Sorrow

A House of Rage and Sorrow is the second book in the Celestial Trilogy. Check out my review for A Spark of White Fire (the first book) here.

Title: A House of Rage and Sorrow

Author: Sangu Mandanna

Rating: 5 Stars

Format: eARC

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Date Published: 3 September 2019

Goodreads Description: 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.

Book Links

Amazon / Book Depository / Goodreads

Author Information

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.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

Giveaway Information

Check out Caffeine Book tours on twitter for more information on the giveaway! The prize? Getting to name a character in book 3!

Tour Schedule

I received a free eARC of this book for the Caffeine Book Tour. All opinions are my own.

General Thoughts

Cue simultaneous screaming and sobbing. THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I freaked out over the first book and how good it was, but A House of Rage and Sorrow takes the cake. OMG. My love for this series will never end and I need the third book ASAP. Okay, let me take a few deep breaths as I try to sort out my thoughts.

We’re thrown right back into the stunningly unique world created by Mandanna. She blends sci-fi with fantasy like no other author. Both these novels are inspired by the Mahabharata, an Indian epic, which I haven’t read and didn’t know about before now, but I will most definitely be checking it out. A House of Rage and Sorrow gives us some more knowledge about the world and its myths and legends, and I am here for it.

The plot also never lets you catch your breath. It’s constantly moving and keeps you hooked. Every scene and every chapter leads us to the finale of the book, and some revelations were made that shocked the hell out of me. I can’t wait to see what happens further, especially since there are some mysteries that remain.

A big thing that had me screaming about this book was the representation. I’m going to compare it to Star Trek (my ultimate sci-fi) in the sense that I hope our future can be like this book. We have such a diverse set of characters, lesbian, bi, genderneutral, genderfluid, even a change of gender. And no one bats an eye. My perfect future is where, like in Star Trek and in AHORAS, everyone is accepted and can just be who they are. That is what makes this book so special.

Characters

The biggest addition to this book was Titania’s POV chapters. I never thought I’d love a sentient spaceship so much but here we are. She’s an entire character on her own with a unique personality and her own thoughts. I loved reading her POVs, especially considering this book is so full of twists and turns.

Esmae’s grief is the one big thing that powers the story. It’s so real and tangible and raw, my heart hurt every minute of this book. She faces some terrible choices and terrible people, and it’s hard not to lose part of yourself in that. I really hope she finds some peace and catharsis in the next book.

I once again loved the Esmae and Max scenes. Once again their romance does not take centre stage in the story, but you can tell how much they love and care for each other. Max’s reveal was also fun and one I suspected was going to happen.

I haven’t even touched on the political intrigue and war strategies of the book. War isn’t always an “us vs them” situation, and there isn’t always a clear villain. This book does a great job of painting that picture. We’re on Esmae’s side, but she isn’t sure which side she’s on. I love it. I love this book dearly.

Thank you Sangu Mandanna for writing this absolute masterpiece.

Let’s Chat

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Playlist

I also made this cool playlist for A House of Rage and Sorrow.

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