The Oleander Sword

Written by Tasha Suri

Narrated by Shiromi Arserio

The Jasmine Throne has been hailed as a series opener that will "undoubtedly reshape the landscape of epic fantasy for years to come" (Booklist, starred). Now, award-winning author Tasha Suri's provocative and powerful Burning Kingdoms trilogy continues with The Oleander Sword.

The prophecy of the nameless god—the words that declared Malini the rightful empress of Parijatdvipa—has proven a blessing and curse. She is determined to claim the throne that fate offered her. But even with the strength of the rage in her heart and the army of loyal men by her side, deposing her brother is going to be a brutal and bloody fight.
 
The power of the deathless waters flows through Priya’s blood. Thrice born priestess, Elder of Ahiranya, Priya’s dream is to see her country rid of the rot that plagues it: both Parijatdvipa's poisonous rule, and the blooming sickness that is slowly spreading through all living things. But she doesn’t yet understand the truth of the magic she carries.
 
Their chosen paths once pulled them apart. But Malini and Priya's souls remain as entwined as their destinies. And they soon realize that coming together is the only way to save their kingdom from those who would rather see it burn—even if it will cost them.

Praise for the Burning Kingdoms trilogy:

"Lush and stunning...this sapphic fantasy will rip your heart out." —BuzzFeed News 

"A fierce, heart-wrenching exploration of the value and danger of love." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Raises the bar for what epic fantasy should be.” —Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights
 
"This cutthroat and sapphic novel will grip you until the very end." —Vulture (Best of the Year)

"It left me breathless." —Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter
 
"I loved it.” —Alix E. Harrow, Hugo award-winning author of The Once and Future Witches

"Suri's incandescent feminist masterpiece hits like a steel fist inside a velvet glove." —Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun


For more from Tasha Suri, check out:

The Burning Kingdoms
The Jasmine Throne
The Oleander Sword

The Books of Ambha
Empire of Sand
Realm of Ash

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Aug 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781668613559

Tasha Suri

Tasha Suri is the award-winning author of The Isle in the Silver Sea, The Books of Ambha duology, The Burning Kingdoms trilogy, What Souls Are Made Of, and Doctor Who: The Cradle. She has won the Best Newcomer (Sydney J. Bounds) from the British Fantasy Society and the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Once a librarian, she is now a part-time writing tutor and a full-time cat and rabbit wrangler. She lives with her family in a mildly haunted house in London.

Reviews for The Oleander Sword

[seddysaw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

i am so glad i read this after the following book came out...... onward we go!

[black2lilly · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing.
Was the first book a colorful tapestry with lots of things to discover, then I have to say that the second book is dull and predictable.
Most of the characters are having hardly any development and it seems like as if Ms Suri just went through the motions to have them do what they did just to get the book done for the showdown in the final installment.
Let's see if she can surprise me with a non predictable plot twist in the third book or if the whole saga ends with the same old, same old.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Priya and Malini are now rulers in their respective polities, except that they both face challenges getting people to acknowledge that and desperately miss each other. Priya’s small nation is a client of Malini’s empire, but unwillingly on both sides, and old gods are returning in ways that are unexpectedly awful for their worshippers, while Malini’s brother is still trying to kill her or, better, get her to sacrifice herself to a death by burning. This is a middle book, so you can expect things to take some grim turns, but the worldbuilding continues to be interesting and the politics complicated: sometimes the enemy of your enemy is really no friend of yours, either.