The Lotus Empire concludes The Burning Kingdoms trilogy by shifting its focus away from political or military victory and toward the personal costs of power. The novel picks up where its predecessor left the, let’s say, strained relationship between Priya and Malini, and between their respective nations, Ahiranya and Parijatdvipa. One might expect the final The Oleander Sword conflict to culminate in a straightforward war between the two nations, but Suri keeps the outcome uncertain while focusing on the relationships that drive the conflict. Through beautiful prose, she intertwines politics, religion, and desire as forces that continually shape one another.
While the relationship between Malini and Priya remains the core around which everything else revolves, I also enjoyed how the grief-stricken Rao found companionship in an unexpected place, and Bhumika’s determination to march on despite having sacrificed everything for a singular purpose. What didn’t work for me was the pacing: the first two-thirds repeatedly move characters and factions into place without generating enough forward momentum, whereas the final, action-filled stretch unfolds through increasingly short chapters. Its bittersweet ending resolves its many threads a little too neatly to fully stick the landing, but I’m still glad I stayed until the end if only to enjoy more of Suri’s stellar writing.
My first book review!