Monday, November 22, 2021

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Rising Like a Storm by Tanaz Bhathena

 





Rising by the Storm is the second half of a young adult fantasy duology written by Tanaz Bhathena, after last year's Hunted by the Sky (my Review Here).  The fantasy world in the duology is inspired by Medieval India, both in the language used and some of the mythological creatures who show up.  That said, the first book in the duology also featured a pretty classic fantasy YA setup of two point of view characters - a boy and girl from different backgrounds - who fall in love as they get thrown together by fate....although it did so pretty well, as the two fought to survive/get-revenge.  There's also a fairly common but well done theme of discrimination against people without magic by those with it.  

Still, while I liked Hunted by the Sky, It wasn't particularly memorable (especially given all I read evevry year), so I wasn't really sure how much I'd be able to enjoy the sequel, although I wanted to try it.  So fair warning - this review is one of a reader who read the first book, but didn't refresh his recollection of it beforehand.  

Even with that handicap, Rising Like a Storm is a solid and enjoyable second half to this duology, featuring our protagonists Gul and Cavas dealing with their newfound relationship, the fact that an entire resistance is depending upon them, and an enemy that is far more reckless and ruthless than before.  I know in my review of the predecessor I didn't quite buy the pair's growing relationship, but it works fairly well here, and the antagonist - though despicable - cuts a really interesting contrast as she winds up more and more out of control (and we see events from her point of view).  The story still isn't incredibly memorable, but it works well, features a few interesting twists and ends satisfyingly, so if you're looking for solid YA from a non-Western perspective, this will definitely do.  

Spoilers for book 1 below are inevitable:

Trigger Warning: Torture.  

------------------------------------------------Plot Summary--------------------------------------------------------
All Gul had once wanted was revenge; all Cavas once wanted was to survive.  But now their lives have been turned around after their actions helped cause the cruel King Lohar's death...and the rise of the usurper Queen Shayla, whose ambition and cruel jealousy makes her even dangerous than the former kings.  Now, Gul and Cavas are looked as the leaders of a resistance movement in Tavan, made up of young women whose power was stolen by the former King, and who are prophesied to bring about a better new era for the country of Ambar.  

If only they can get themselves together - for Gul that means becoming willing to wield the Death Magic she now knows could do dangerous damage if she's not careful; for Cavas that means putting aside his father's death and learning to use his half-magi powers to amplify Gul's strength.  The only thing the two can count on for sure is each other, even as Gul fears letting people down and Cavas now secretly wants vengeance.  

But when disaster strikes to split Gul and Cavas apart, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the country, endangered in different ways by a Queen Shayla whose actions are quickly spiraling out of control, and causing massive outcry in the country. The only way Gul and Cavas will be able to stop disaster from destroying the country is if they can learn to both trust themselves and each other, even separated by the great distance, for if either of them falter, the country and its people are doomed to destruction......
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Like its predecessor, Rising Like a Storm tells the majority of its story through the perspectives of Gul and Cavas - with the name of the each chapter's POV character listed at the top of each chapter.  In an interesting twist however, the story also features a number of point of view chapters, especially at the beginning of each of its acts, from the perspective of antagonist Shayla.  These chapters don't reveal Shayla to be well intentioned or non-evil (or not racist towards non-Magi), but remain really interesting as they show her fall further into madness due to her ambition and her treatment growing up, and show how the people around her - the general who loves her (in a mostly unrequited way) most particularly - try to react to her.  I'm not sure saying it "humanizes" her and the other antagonists is correct, but this POV gives her and the antagonists depth that is much appreciated and is a bit unique for this type of story (sort of in a Cersei from Game of Thrones way, to use a well known example).

But other than Shayla's perspectives, what we have here are our two protagonist heroes trying to figure out ways forward given their new responsibilities and their newfound fame as the ones who are supposed to be the saviors of the kingdom.  For Gul, who was once so eager to learn and use her death magic for revenge, the results of that revenge - Shayla in charge, Cavas' father dead, her fellow members of the Sisterhood imprisoned - being looked at as the savior is terrifying in that she fears unleashing her magic will only cause more pain and death to the ones she loves.  The idea that all these women want her to train them and for her to use her magic, is just too much to bear.  For Cavas, his new status as a half-magi and seeing specters doesn't really seem that special, and the idea that he could be a leader of non-magi is utterly unfathomable to him.  And while he can now see his mother as a specter, he still wants revenge for his father on the general who killed her.  The one thing both Cavas and Gul figure out early is that they're connected, not just magically, but in their feelings, but even that love doesn't stop that separation from happening early due to one of them making a stupid mistake.

Cavas and Gul's journeys through this book are generally well done, if a bit predictable - yes Gul will learn to be comfortable with her magic and leadership as she faces more and more difficulties, and yes Cavas will learn to be comfortable both as a leader and as one who uses manipulation to try to stay alive - and the plot hits its big moments reasonably well.  The secondary characters are done decently as well and have their own (often queer) relationships that are rather enjoyable (two have a growing F-F relationship on the side which is adorable) which helps the book move along quite well and establishes the stakes quite clearly.  And the Medieval Indian inspired setting, from its royalty to its Pashu (part-human, part-animal beings who play major parts in the story) works really well.  

Really I only had two complaints for this one - one the book attempts to throw questions about whether Cavas and Gul can still trust each other when separated into play, and at one point hints that it's possible for them to stay magically connected even as love may not be eternal...and it never really comes to anything and is just kind of silly as a result (and one way the book does this, by making them communicate through an unreliable third party, is just REALLY silly).  The other is just that because everything is so predictable, there really isn't too much here that's super memorable to make this book stand out.  

In short, Rising Like a Storm closes off this duology in a very satisfying way, and if you're looking for non-Western inspired Young Adult Fantasy, this book and its predecessor will very likely satisfy you.  It just may not be the first set of books that comes to mind.  
 

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