ARC Review | A House of Rage and Sorrow | A book that lived up to its title

Hey, everyone! Today I am sharing the review fo a book that made me bawl my eyes out because it was all just so beautiful and I didn’t know what else to do.

DISCLAIMER: I received an Advanced Readers Copy from Edelweiss but that does not in any view affect my views on this book.

This is a spoiler-free review.

MY RATING: 5 STARS

A HOUSE OF RAGE AND SORROW (THE CELESTIAL TRILOGY #2)

BLURB:

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.

MY VIEWS:

This is an #OwnVoices review

I did not think that any sequel could live up to A Spark of White Fire but somehow Sangu Mandanna was able to come up with one that did.

We were left at an unsure footing at the end of A Spark of White Fire and there was a lot to deal with and we went into this book.
There were uncertainty and apprehension in my mind and through the first 25% of this book Sangu was able to reassure me and I felt I could believe everything would be okay, even if a little disastrous.

As expected after the ending of A Spark of White Fire, there was quite a turn in Esmae’s personality. She is hurt and raging and she displays those emotions with such intensity that they grip you. The prophecy is finally coming true and as much as she did not want to accept it in the first book, she is coming to term with it now.
Esmae isolated herself and as she continues to wage a war, she has many things to deal with.

Just like in the first book, many new characters and plots are being revealed to us by Sangu at the appropriate times and we are holding our breath to see how it is going to turn out.

Different truths are revealed to us and as they put all the characters into perspective for us, we see how everything has come a full circle from where it started.

We get to see things from Titania’s perspective as well in this book and we see how she loves and protects Esmae, and despite just being a mechanical warship, she is a full-fledged character whose presence in the book makes it feel wholesome.
I also loved the banter between Sybilla and Radha and in particular, Radha’s character development. She is no longer the shy girl who was in the background like we saw in A Spark of White Fire, but now she comes to the forefront and we learn more of her and her backstory, which integrates her into my heart more than I had expected!

The ending of this book was very explosive as well and I can not wait to see how the author deals with everything and wraps it in the next book for there are so many storylines bonded together in this book, just like they are in the Mahabharata, and it could end up going anywhere.

Welp, I think I’m gonna go and cry in a corner while I anticipate the next book in its series. In the meantime, what did you all think of my post? Are you all going to read this book? Have you already read it? Have you read A Spark for White Fire yet? what did you think about it? Tell me in the comments below.

-Jayati