#theburningkingdoms

[lesbiamlycenterforsocialanalysis]

Record of current primary interests as of 1/12/25

Shows -Yellowjackets -Criminal Minds (on season 2) -The Walking Dead (on season 4) -Severance -Arcane -Never Stop Blowing Up

Podcasts -The Magnus Archives -Two Hot Takes (I am at my core a gossip and yapper)

Books -The Locked Tomb series (rereading Harrow) -The Burning Kingdoms trilogy (current read is The Oleander Sword) -The Poppy War trilogy (currently reading The Burning God)

Games -Stardew Valley -Baldur's Gate 3 -a multitude of home-brew DnD games, one of which I DM

Research Interests -comparative and American politics -development economics -wildfire vulnerability (mid research project, on data analysis stage)

[again-andd-again]

5 stars. What a wonderful conclusion to a fantastic trilogy. I couldn't put it down. I'm sad that the journey is over, but I enjoyed the ride.

[thecatandthekindle]

Review: The Burning Kingdoms (The Smoke Thieves #3) by Sally Green

I received a free ARC of the book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity.

The Smoke Thieves is a fantasy trilogy and you will need to read the first two books to make sense of this, the final book. Written from the perspectives of five characters whose lives intertwine, the point of view rotates from chapter to chapter.

Tash is a thirteen year old and has been raised as a hunter of illegal demon smoke, which can only be obtained by killing a demon. After finding her way into the demon world she feels sympathy for the demons and regrets her actions. Edyon is the illegitimate son of Prince Thelonius, ruler of Calidor. He has been on a journey to meet his father and become a legitimised heir. Edyon has a nasty habit of stealing things that gets him into trouble. March is one of the last surviving Abask people. He blames Edyon’s father for the Abask people being wiped out. He was part of a plot to kidnap Edyon and hand him over to King Aloysius, Edyon’s uncle and cruel ruler of the neighbouring country Brigant, but after developing feelings for the gentle Edyon, he changed course. Catherine is King Aloysius’ daughter, cousin to Edyon. She was sent to another neighbouring country, Pitoria, for an arranged marriage to Prince Tzsayn. This turned out to be a distraction so her father could invade part of the Pitoria that had access to the demon world. Catherine stood with Tzsayn against the Brigantines. Ambrose was Catherine’s personal guard in Brigant, now in exile in Pitoria, he is still deeply in love with Catherine.

It has been discovered that purple demon smoke harvested by killing young demons can, when inhaled, give excessive strength and stamina to young people. King Aloysius has an unit of soldiers in the demon world killing demons to farm the smoke which he plans to use to power an army of boys, in a plot to seize Calidor from his brother, Prince Thelonius.

As you might expect with five strong characters, I found some more likeable than others. Tash is the first character we meet in the first book and remained my firm favourite throughout. She is blunt to the point of obnoxious, and quite foul-mouthed, but her character development through the books is at times painful and emotional. In contrast Catherine, moved from being an oppressed if quietly rebellious young woman, to being a take-charge, do what has to be done character, but never really engendered much affection in me. Ambrose always seemed quite a weak character, but in this final book, his strength finally shone out. March and Edyon had a beautiful love story which won my heart.

In books with multiple points of view, it can sometimes be a problem for me distinguishing the voice of one character from another, but this was never an issue here as each character has very distinct narrative voice. I worried early on that one or more of the characters would become redundant as time went on which would have been frustrating as we get to know them so well. However, the actions of all five are essential to the plot so no character fades out before the end.

I felt by the end of the book that this world still had more tales to tell. I still had questions about the Edyon/March relationship and the minor character Prince Tzsayn remained a favourite of mine who deserved a story of his own.

It seemed to me, quite ambitious at the start to have five full points of view but Green has achieved it admirably. I was invested in the story from first to last and would happily welcome more from this world. The audible versions are also excellent with full cast performance.

If you haven’t read the early books you should grab them now. If you have read them, the final book will keep you on edge almost to the final page.

The Burning Kingdoms is due out 27th August 2020

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[wellreadwyvern]

🐉RATING: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Wow! As the second book in the Burning Kingdoms Trilogy, The Oleander Sword has exceeded my expectations. Tasha Suri maintains a relentless pace, keeping the characters off-balance and the plot unpredictable. The finale is set up to be explosive, and I can’t wait! Power is a main theme running through both The Jasmine Throne and The Oleander Sword. In the first book, the characters acted in pursuit of power. In the second, Malini, Priya, and Bhumika are faced with the sacrifices their new-found power requires. The author also expands on the themes of faith and destiny. Malini struggles to maintain the faith of her general, demands faith from Priya, and risks faith to form a new alliance. She holds the faith of her supporters by proving she, not her brother, is divinely chosen. It is her destiny to rule. But what if your destiny is part of a greater plan? How do you continue to have faith in your gods when you are a pawn in their own war for power? I expect we will see that war play out in the finale. ❓QOTD: What is your favorite trilogy or book series? Thank you to @orbitbooks_us of @hachetteus and @netgalley for access to this eARC. #theoleandersword #thejasminethrone #theburningkingdoms #tashasuri #netgalleyreview #arcreview #fantasyreader #fantasybooks #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookquotes #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/ChkSwFKLcHm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jasminereadsbooks]

𝑆𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠, 𝑠𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. ⁣ So we are in January 2021, now is the time we make a list of books we want to read this month and these four books are on that list: ⁣ 🌻The Burning Kingdom 🌻The Amber Spyglass 🌻Loveless 🌻A Deal with the Elf King ⁣ Reading two of these mean I finish two trilogies I want to complete this year. I am hoping to start the year of right but who knows, I rarely stick to a tbr I am more of a mood reader. ⁣ Are you a mood reader or do you create tbr’s you can stick too? ⁣ #bookstagram #becauseofreading #bibliophile #bookaddict #booklover #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #epicreads #goodreads #igreads #prettybooks #readersofinstagram #readingismagic #theburningkingdom #thesmokethieves #theamberspyglass #hisdarkmaterials #loveless #adealwiththeelfking https://www.instagram.com/p/CJioTEmA_wr/?igshid=1u2du2nqznr49

[tinuwel]

Hoy vengo más temprano a ver si me organizo mejor a esta hora… 😂 Es que últimamente estoy que no tengo tiempo para nada y llego tarde a todas partes…. 🙄 Los reinos en ruinas es el final de la trilogía Los ladrones de humo donde hemos seguido las aventuras de cinco adolescentes y cinco países a punto de entrar en guerra. Es una historia muy coral en la que vamos cambiando de perspectiva según el personaje que esté narrando y en el que se entrecruzarán temas como la magia, el deber, el amor y la traición. Y me hace mucha ilusión terminar una trilogía más este año. 🤗 ¿Conocíais esta saga? ¿Y a la autora? #booksarelife #bookcommunity #booknerdigan #bookpassion #bookrecommendation #bookreview #greatreads #bookquotes #bookobsessed #totalbooknerd #bookgram #readmorebooks #alwaysreading #bookphoto #booksofinsta #bookart #TW #lecturadirecta #booknookstagram #bookcollection #bookoftheday #thesmokethieves #losladronesdehumo #losreinosenllamas #theburningkingdoms https://www.instagram.com/p/CPYowy7l1Bd/?utm_medium=tumblr

[again-andd-again]

4.75 stars. This series is so good. Tasha Suri weaves a wonderful story with flawed characters. There's sacrifice, betrayal, heartbreak, love, and so much more. Highly recommend.

[again-andd-again]

4.75 stars. I really enjoyed this book. I love the worldbuilding and the character development. It's just so well written.

[wellreadwyvern]

🐉RATING: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5 Kind of kicking myself for waiting so long to read The Jasmine Throne, by Tasha Suri. But my delay worked out well, allowing me to read the first and second volumes of The Burning Kingdom Trilogy almost back-to-back. I love the arc of fantasy trilogies. Book one typically focuses on world building and character development with lots of rising action creating suspense for book two. The Jasmine Throne has all of that, but doesn’t hold back on the action. Suri keeps the plot moving at a swift pace, and carries the characters through personal journeys that leave them significantly changed at the end. The dominant theme throughout the book is power and the sacrifices necessary to achieve it. Each character pursues power through different means. Princess Malini is a strategist, acting as the mastermind behind the scenes to put her brother Aditya on the throne. Priya, a servant, sees power as a means of survival, and takes on an elevated role as a path to greater independence. Ashok, the rebel, claims power through targeted action and risk. Bhumika, the governor’s wife, stealthily builds her power through kindness and generosity, gaining loyalty from those in her service, while she quietly waits for opportunity. I loved the world created in this story and the complicated relationships between the characters. At the end, I felt incredibly lucky to have access to the sequel via @orbitbooks_us and @netgalley. Stay tuned for my review of The Oleander Sword tomorrow! ❓QOTD: Do you enjoy duologies and trilogies? Or prefer stand-alone novels? #thejasminethrone #theburningkingdoms #tashasuri #fantasyreader #fantasybooks #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookquotes #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Chh8Tp7r-Li/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[tinuwel]

Os actualizo mi lectura que es Los reinos en llamas, final de trilogía de fantasía que está siendo una carrera hacia la conclusión, llena de accion y que me tiene con el corazón en un puño. Me quedan unas 150 páginas para terminar que espero sea mañana para empezar nueva lectura el fin de semana 🤗 Lo que se ve en la fotografía son las guardas y hacen referencia al humo púrpura tan importante en la trama 😍 ¿Qué tal vuestras lecturas? ¿Estáis terminando alguna? #librosjuveniles #librosgram #instalibros #librosylibros #librosenespañol #TW #lecturadirecta #bookblogger #bookstagram #booklove #instabooks #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookcommunity #readingtime #leer #fotografiadelibros #literatura #literature #yalit #thesmokethieves #theburningkingdoms #losreinosenllamas #losladronesdehumo https://www.instagram.com/p/CP80P-YlLCR/?utm_medium=tumblr