Hunted by the Sky – Book Review

Hey friends! I hope you’re all well and that your reading is going well. I can’t believe it’s almost July. Where has this awful year gone? Existential crisis aside, here’s my Hunted by the Sky Book Review! Enjoy!

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Title: Hunted by the Sky

Author: Tanaz Bhathena

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Format: eARC

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Date Published: June 23rd 2020

Goodreads Description: Gul has spent her life running. She has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in the kingdom of Ambar, girls with such birthmarks have been disappearing for years. Gul’s mark is what caused her parents’ murder at the hand of King Lohar’s ruthless soldiers and forced her into hiding to protect her own life. So when a group of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus rescue her, take her in, and train her in warrior magic, Gul wants only one thing: revenge.

Cavas lives in the tenements, and he’s just about ready to sign his life over to the king’s army. His father is terminally ill, and Cavas will do anything to save him. But sparks fly when he meets a mysterious girl–Gul–in the capital’s bazaar, and as the chemistry between them undeniably grows, he becomes entangled in a mission of vengeance–and discovers magic he never expected to find.

Dangerous circumstances have brought Gul and Cavas together at the king’s domain in Ambar Fort . . . a world with secrets deadlier than their own. Exploring identity, class struggles, and high-stakes romance, Hunted by the Sky is a gripping adventure set in a world inspired by medieval India.

I received a review copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Story

It took some time for me to gather my thoughts for this one. Hunted by the Sky started off really slow, in fact, I felt like the actual story only started around the 50% mark. This book just dragged on for me. It picked up some speed around the end, and I was really intrigued by Cavas’ story.

Writing & Worldbuilding

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding. Hunted by the Sky is inspired by medieval India and I just got completely lost in it. The descriptions were so rich and amazing, especially the food descriptions. I was hungry the whole time while reading it.

The mythology of the world is also amazing, I loved the story of the two moons. I do wish that the magic system was more structured and had some more rules. It was hard to follow along at first and I hope it becomes more developed in the next book.

Characters

To be honest, I didn’t really like Gul. I don’t want to be “that” kind of reviewer, but the characters were just way too young for me. Especially at the start of the book when they’re both 16.

I really did enjoy Cavas’ character, although I will admit that I didn’t feel the romantic connection between him and Gul. Shayla is also a super interesting character. I don’t want to give too much away because spoilers, but I really hope we get more of her story in the next book.

Links

Amazon | Loot | Bookbub

Let me know your thoughts on Hunted by the Sky.

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