I'd say this was probably about a 4 star read for me. I have been looking forward to this book after reading A Spark of White Fire, the previous book, which was an amazing 5 stars for me. This book is more or less a retelling of the Mahabarata in Space and it's different because it's written based from Hindu Mythology, which I don't read a lot of, but have always wanted to read and know more about it.
This book was harder to read for me than the first because it was more emotional than the first, maybe a bit more dark and heavy, but it had to be for where the story's going and with where the story was in the first book. I had a major book hangover from the first book, but the book hangover isn't quite as bad this time. I'm more nervous about reading what comes next because it got pretty intense and emotional during this one.
It picks up right where it left off from the ending of the second book, flows well with the transition, but if you haven't read the first book, you might not get what's going on so I would recommend reading the previous book first before this one.
Without getting too spoilery here, the twins are even more at odds here in this book, Esmae, and Alexi, because of fighting over Kali and who gets to be the ruler and especially because of what happened with the duel and Rama. Oh man, that was a hard part of the story, that's part of why this book is so hard because of what happened with Rama. More family info, dynamics, and things develop and come to light throughout this book and the romance develops more between certain characters like Max and Esmae. There's a lot of information and feelings that are covered in this book and it deals with a lot of grief, sadness, anger with the fighting and everything that's happened, is going on and is going to happen.
I didn't like it as much as the first book because it was so heavy and dark from the emotional standpoint, but it kind of had to be that way in this part of the story. There was also a few instances of profanity/language that bothered me because I prefer to read stories without language and such when possible. Other than that, it was a well written good book that I would recommend to others especially if you loved the first one, which if you haven't read the first one, you should. Also if you want to read a Sci-Fi and Fantasy story in space that is a retelling and involves the Mahabarata and Hindu Mythology then you should read it. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for letting me read and review this eARC. ( )

Wow wow wow...!!!! I mean I can just keep repeating this word over and over again and that’ll pretty much be my review, because I really don’t have enough words to talk about the masterpiece that this book is. But let me give it a try.

In A Spark of White Fire, the author gave us power struggles, complicated family dynamics and lots of breathtaking war sequences, cloaking them all in layers of mystery and deception. In this installment however, we get to see what happens when people are pushed to their limits due to grief and sorrow and rage. I thought the raw depiction of grief due to immense personal loss, and the utter helplessness that the characters feel in lieu of it, is written so well that I could feel every bit of it myself and even I just wanted to rage and cry. The writing is equal parts sorrow and melancholy and war strategy, with inconvenient truths being revealed at very very unexpected times completely blowing away my mind. And I just can’t with that ending.... The final 20% took me on a roller coaster of emotions and I still can’t believe it all happened. The author maintains a very steady pace throughout the book, never letting the stakes feel low, keeping us hooked for every page and I found it very difficult to put it down even for a moment. The Mahabharata parallels are still there, especially during some very key scenes, but it feels more like its own story this time around because we already have the characters (and their possible counterparts from the epic) firmly established in our mind.

Esmae is a much changed person after the devastation towards the end of the previous book and we see her struggling to deal with it all. She is consumed by rage and we feel it all right alongside her. While she may still love her brothers and long for acknowledgement from her mother, she also realizes that the family which has accepted her is where her loyalties lie. While she used to have some hope of reconciliation before, she has no such ideas now and just wants justice (or vengeance) for being betrayed. However, the gods and loved ones keep throwing curved balls in her way all the time and every step she takes is a test of her resilience. While I may not agree with some of the things that she did, especially towards the end after some more heartbreaking revelations, I totally understand where she is coming from and I can’t wait to see how much more destruction she is going to wreak in the finale.

This book gives us the POV of much beloved Titania and it’s a delight to read. She may be a sentient spaceship, but she has such a charming personality and I wanted to know more of her thoughts. What I didn’t expect was that she would be so adept at keeping secrets too and I’m very very excited to see how she would behave in a full scale war where she is equally challenged. While there was a bit of a continuation of the romance between Esmae and Max, it never overpowered the story and was left limited to the sidelines. What I enjoyed more was the banter between Radha and Sybilla and I really hope we get to see more of them together. We also see more of the gods and their backstories this time around, and one particular reveal just stupefied me and left me reeling with its implications. And I really enjoyed the way the author managed to change the trajectory of Amba’s story, almost bringing it a full circle. We don’t get to see a lot of Alexi or Bear, but despite them being on the opposite side of the war with Esmae, we can never truly hate them and I adore the author for making us care about all of them. I just don’t know know what I’ll do if anything happens to any of them, but that just feels inevitable at this point and that means I’m doomed.

If you know anything about me, you are already aware that I will always always recommend this series with all my heart because it’s brilliant and I want everyone to read it. It is criminally underrated and I will keep shouting over the rooftops until I get atleast some of my friends to pick up these books. If you have already read the first book, then I’m pretty sure you are already excited for this sequel and I promise that you won’t be disappointed. And if you don’t know anything about this series but are someone who loves genre bending books with amazing world building, elaborated war sequences in space and lots of family dynamics interspersed with political intrigue, then this series is perfect for you. What else are you waiting for ....???? Just go pick it up. ( )

I really liked A Spark of White Fire so I was surprised by my reaction to this one. Halfway through, I was pushing myself to stay focused and just wanted to cross it off the list. So I left it there.

I don’t know if there was something in the pacing or about how the first book’s ending twisted the story which stopped me from caring -- or if I just wasn’t in the mood to read about rage and sorrow and things going to hell in a handbasket.

I might try again one day. I did like the first one.

I'd say this was probably about a 4 star read for me. I have been looking forward to this book after reading A Spark of White Fire, the previous book, which was an amazing 5 stars for me. This book is more or less a retelling of the Mahabarata in Space and it's different because it's written based from Hindu Mythology, which I don't read a lot of, but have always wanted to read and know more about it.
This book was harder to read for me than the first because it was more emotional than the first, maybe a bit more dark and heavy, but it had to be for where the story's going and with where the story was in the first book. I had a major book hangover from the first book, but the book hangover isn't quite as bad this time. I'm more nervous about reading what comes next because it got pretty intense and emotional during this one.
It picks up right where it left off from the ending of the second book, flows well with the transition, but if you haven't read the first book, you might not get what's going on so I would recommend reading the previous book first before this one.
Without getting too spoilery here, the twins are even more at odds here in this book, Esmae, and Alexi, because of fighting over Kali and who gets to be the ruler and especially because of what happened with the duel and Rama. Oh man, that was a hard part of the story, that's part of why this book is so hard because of what happened with Rama. More family info, dynamics, and things develop and come to light throughout this book and the romance develops more between certain characters like Max and Esmae. There's a lot of information and feelings that are covered in this book and it deals with a lot of grief, sadness, anger with the fighting and everything that's happened, is going on and is going to happen.
I didn't like it as much as the first book because it was so heavy and dark from the emotional standpoint, but it kind of had to be that way in this part of the story. There was also a few instances of profanity/language that bothered me because I prefer to read stories without language and such when possible. Other than that, it was a well written good book that I would recommend to others especially if you loved the first one, which if you haven't read the first one, you should. Also if you want to read a Sci-Fi and Fantasy story in space that is a retelling and involves the Mahabarata and Hindu Mythology then you should read it. ( )

Oh my galactic Godstuff!! My heart can't take this...it shattered. It mended. It disintegrated. It reformed and was promptly pulverized again. Over and over it went until I slammed, nose first, into the very last page. I was only able to guess one or two reveals and MAN OH MAN there were enough juicy ones to keep even the most placid of people on the edge of their seat. I'm still in shock. I'm meticulously going back and picking through the story, searching for clues, for things I might have missed and possible clauses to make the hurting bits less sharp.

The House of Rage and Sorrow is FANTASTIC!! Even now, as I wipe away a stream of tears with the hem of my Dr. Who jammies that I've worn for 2 days straight thanks to this book, I fear I can't find the right words to convey just what my heart and mind and psyche have endured.

I waited what feels like a lifetime for this sequel to come out and when I got my hands on it, I devoured it....gracelessly consumed it, like a starved woman at a verbal pie eating contest. In hindsight, I probably should have parsed it out, coaxed and teased a bit more time out of it but I couldn't. I just couldn't pace myself. I sat down to read a chapter or two.... yes yes, I know, I was only fooling myself...and as the layers and plots within subplots within machinations unfurled, I was mesmerized. I was enraptured to the point that Time lost all meaning and pages flew by in the blink of a tired (probably dehydrated) eye. I was left, a sniffling lump, puffy eyed and pleading "NOOOOOOOO, no no no, it can't be!!!" Well I'm here to tell you that it can...and it did... and I'm undone.

House of Rage and Sorrow is a multifaceted Space Opera that also incorporates Scifi and Fantasy and boy, what a marvelous union it is! It has incredible writing that is rich and textured and I love love LOVE it!! It features two POVs that complement each other nicely. I adore the chapters that allow us to peek into Titania's beautiful, calculating, loyal, God-touched mind. Her voice is unique, her perspective is fun and her varying "emotions" for each character are heartwarming.

The World construction is another surreal facet. It is a thing of beauty! Even when the characters are thrown from hazardous situations into even more danger than one might think traversable, Sangu Mandanna never takes the easy way out. There are scenarios where I thought, "Here is the place they are easily going to get to point B from". Instead, Mrs. Mandanna piles on the tragedy and places them in even greater peril. BUT watching Esmae (et al) navigate each impossible predicament, coming out a whole galaxy away from point B, is an absolute joy to behold. What is even more amazing are the characters!!! The characters are beautific, atrocious, deep, dastardly, robust, complex and many MANY other stellar adjectives. I loved them. I still love them. I need to have more of them...ALL of them... maybe not momma, but I digress.

This book is great at never letting you stew too long in a pure emotion for any one character, no matter how repugnant or irreproachable they appear to be at any given moment. You'll be given their backstories, what led to their disgraceful/brave decisions and all the other tidbits that will have you understanding, in time, each person and how they got to their current state of vileness, dishonor or Glory.

I was given a copy of this book for review and not only do I feel very fortunate for every millisecond I got to spend in this world with these incredible characters but I also cherish the opportunity to whisper sweet sentiments about this blessing of a book into some receptive person's ear so that they too might immerse themselves and enjoy every word as much as I have.

Overall: I want to scream from snowcapped hill tops, Ricola style...dueting with an Alphorn, proclaiming "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THIS WORLD AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME"!! Not for food, nor for drink and definitely not for sleep. If it weren't for my prodigious TBR pile and my need to tend to my lacerated emotions, I'd be EXTREMELY tempted to pick this book back up and read it anew. If I, who unfortunately suffers from a severe allergic aversion to rereading books, feel the need to give it a second go 'round then I say, with the utmost reverence (and humility), that you NEED THIS BOOK!!

What does Book #1 vs Book #2 look like you might be wondering? Well, for my 2 cents, you first need to know that I absolutley venerated book #1 and I am ecstatic to report that this book has no problem standing toe to toe with... nay, surpassing its predecessor. No dreaded curse of the 2nd book here. If you liked A Spark of White Fire then you'll blissfully inhale A House of Rage and Sorrow. It's straight to my Favorites folder for this gem. Do yourself a favor and check this one out, you're Favorites folder needs a new friend and you won't be disappointed... I pinky swear.... with a thumb stamp.

Bottom line:
Get it! You'll love it! End transmission.

~ Enjoy

*** I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*** ( )