Member Reviews
The Unrelenting Earth is the much anticipated sequel to Rao's debut novel. While I absolutely loved The Surviving Sky, I was left with mixed feelings after finishing this story. It felt somewhat unevenly paced with the first half feeling especially slow and the last third speeding by quickly. A lot of time is spent with Iravan and the magic system in the first half, which was part of my struggle. I didn't feel the magic system was as well explained as I would have liked in the first book. I expected more would be learned as the trilogy progressed; however, in this story, the magic system is used much more and felt like it played an even more prominent role without much further explanation. This left me wanting to skim those parts of the story, which were numerous, in the first half. Part of what I loved in the first book were all the character relationships and especially the complicated relationship between Iravan and Ahilya. I would describe this second book as being more plot focused. We do still see some of Iran and Ahilya's relationship though it turned in directions I wasn't expecting. I really missed the greater character focus. Ultimately, I will be picking up the sequel as there was enough that I liked, especially with how much I loved about the first book.
I listened to the audiobook and the performances of Sharmila Devar and Pranshu Mishra were excellent, as expected. Their performances deserved 5 stars and really elevated the book even during the parts I was struggling to move forward.
Thank you to Recorded Books and NetGalley for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Book 2 of the trilogy, and I loved it. There are high stakes that Ahilya and Iravan have to deal with, regarding themselves and all of the ashrams. Decisions made in this book have deep consequences that I am looking forward to see how they turn out in the conclusion. The audio readers are very good.
Queer normative society
In all honesty, I thought the first book was ok but nothing too amazing... But this book!!!!! Rao found her groove for sure. This book is notably better than the first. Second book syndrome, who?
If you read The Surviving Sky and felt like you just needed more than here is your more. This resolved a lot of the questions I still had and in a very satisfying way.
I am excited to see what the next book has in store with this unique world.
I thought this was supposed to be last book in a duology, but this reads like a 2nd book in a trilogy. There had better be a 3rd book in the works.
While I like the characters, the world building is lacking. I still don't understand the magic system or what everyday life was like on Nuksha.
This book was a lot of talk and not a lot of action. I found the plot difficult to follow.
The narrators both do a great job.
The Unrelenting Earth took the themes of the first book and dialed them up to the extreme. Nature’s involvement, relationship struggles, conflicting feelings and goals, mystery, religion, science, and everything else were pushed to their limits in this much anticipated sequel. And while I enjoyed some of that, I also sometimes really struggled with staying engaged.
The politics and nature’s role in the story got both more interesting as well as convoluted. While I like the intersection between magic and science in this series, I’ve also never had a very good grasp on how it works. That didn’t really bother me in the first book but since it played a much more important role in this one, it was harder to follow along with the details. The politics also got much more intricate and while I like listening to audiobooks, that was maybe not the best decision for me for this specific book. I listen while I clean or drive and sometimes I miss details with that, which hurt my understanding of this book quite a bit.
The relationship between the MCs was one of my favorite parts of the first book and I enjoyed how that continued in this one. Their goals and methods differed but they also learned about each other’s struggles while finding their new places within and without society. While I couldn’t always follow Iravan’s magical adventures, I did like seeing Ahilya’s planning and scheming and all the political ups and downs that come with that.
The way the plot was playing out, the author could’ve easily made this a duology with a happy ending but I liked the conflict that ensued towards the end that set up the third book. I’m really intrigued by the possibilities. Things are more complicated than anticipated and I’m eager to see how it all ends. I do think that, just like with the first book, it’s upon rereading that I will really be able to appreciate the nuances of this book and I fully intend on doing that.
I so wanted to like this. I had mixed feelings about the first book, but the magic system is unique, the world is super intriguing, and the characters were flawed and complex. However, with this second book, I just felt sort of disconnected from the characters. I guess it was just missing the tension between Ahilya and Iravan. Also, so far the plot is less compelling than the first book’s. I think this one is a soft-DNF for me (DNF @41%). I may try and pick this one up again in the future if I’m in the mood, but for now, it just wasn’t hitting.
Thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley!
DNF'd at 24%!
Unfortunately, I am no longer interested in these characters and their problems. I was initially really excited to start this sequel, but I don't think the audiobook is necessary for me anymore. I haven't touched this audiobook in weeks, so I decided to put this down. Not sure if I will return to this book to continue the series or not.
The writing and premise of this series is very interesting and while I found the characters in the first book frustrating I found they were improved in this sequel
Rao's followup to The Survivng Sky builds and expands on what she started by broadening the concept of earthrages, yakshas and the cosmic beings. Using a myth-based foundation, she explores the bond between nature and humans, the damage that can come from a severance of identity.
I love how she positions Iravan and Ahilya at the centre of this story, with the supporting characters adding their own experiences and thought processes to the structure of their existence.
This is a complex and involved plot with intricate world-building and character development, and detailed dialogue explanations that require fixed attention from the reader.
I love this series! The second book was fantastic. It was great being able to dive deeper into this world and be with Ahilya and Iravan a little longer. There were so many unexpected twists in this novel. Looking forward to the third novel!
NetGalley kept crashing 😭. I got to listen to 80% of this and it’s very reminiscent of some of my favorite authors. A little Brandon Sanderson and litttle Alastair reynolds, a little tables of time.
World building 💛💛💛💛💛
Book rating 💛💛💛💛💛
Narrators 💛💛💛💛💛
CW: pregnancy, miscarriage
I’m hedging between a 4 and 4.5 for now.
After really having a great time with The Surviving Sky last year, I was very much looking forward to this sequel and I’m so glad to report that this is a great sophomore book from the author.
Kritika does a wonderful job expanding on the already very interesting world and magic system that she created in the first book - taking us through the highs and lows and all the possibilities of ecstatic trajection through Iravan’s pov; the history of the various ashrams, their relationships and interdependencies with each other, the power structures and hierarchy within the conclave and how non architects lives get out on the line again and again, all of it through Ahilya’s pov. I like the idea of us readers learning more through the eyes of our characters, though it meant that this book can feel both thrilling and slow paced alternately.
Both our main characters felt much more fleshed out this time, with each focusing on their duties and trying to protect those they care for. While their own relationship takes a backseat and Ahilya is struggling with her pregnancy, they both try their best to change the course of their world, but their lofty and idealistic ambitions get waylaid both by politics and cosmic creatures hellbent on destruction. It felt like an interesting change of pace in their interactions, because they were bickering less than book 1, but their individual purposes which don’t always align are also taking a toll on their relationship, which was all fascinating to read about.
However, it’s the final few chapters that have me completely shocked. While now it seems quite plausible, I didn’t see the ending coming and I feel like the finale will be more explosive - not due to the earthrages and cosmic creatures, but due to Iravan and Ahilya. I can’t wait…!!!
I did want to mention that I listened to the audiobook again and while I still felt the narrators did a wonderful job, there were many instances where the dialogues of the supporting characters were almost like whispers, making it very difficult to hear and understand. No issues when narrating the dialogues of the main characters.
I really enjoyed this one, but did find it hard to get back into as it had been some time since I read the first book.
Mind-bendingly original, THE UNRELENTING EARTH picks up the thread from the first installment in the Rages trilogy, continuing the saga of two remarkable individuals tasked with saving a society built on eons of tradition, class separation, and reliance on powers assigned to some, controlling the future of them all. At turns, heartbreaking and heart-pounding, with twists that keep coming, I can't wait to see how the trilogy wraps!
Despite a slightly slow start, this was an even stronger book than the Surviving Sky. I love the intricate magic system. The plot was gripping and the characters continue to evolve. Original new fantasy.
Still in awe of the world-building, but found this installment on the bloated side narratively. There's a lot of non-stop action, and politicking that over the length of time got exhausting. That said, the narrators did a brilliant job of making everything about this world very vivid and engaging. However, some accent choices for some characters were the stereotypical "Indian accent" which I found jarring, immediately losing the thread of whatever plot explanations those characters were imparting. This installment doesn't rely much on the Hindu mythology as much or beyond what was already set up in the first book, so at this point, this narrative is very much its own thing.
Me he reconciliado un poco con la obra de Kritika H. Rao tras leer la continuación de The Surviving Sky. Probablemente sea una combinación de factores, como que ya conocemos el mundo y que también he aceptado totalmente que estamos ante una fantasía cuyo sistema mágico se amolda a las necesidades de la narración de la autora. Partiendo de estas premisas se puede disfrutar algo más de The Unrelenting Earth que de la primera entrega.
Lo primero que me gustaría comentar es que el audiolibro tiene dos narradores que cada un presenta un problema diferente, al menos para mí. Mientras Sharmila Devar hace un buen trabajo que estropea algo la producción porque hay algunas interpretaciones que directamente no se oyen a pesar de tener el volumen al máximo y con auriculares con cancelación de ruido, la labor de Pranshu Mishra es menos redonda por el tono cansado que imprime a toda la narración. Estás interpretando a un poderoso mago (vale que es un arquitecto, pero para el caso es lo mismo) que va alcanzando cada vez mayores cuotas de poder y sin embargo le pones una voz que parece que lo que necesita es echarse una siesta con urgencia o un cañonazo de calamares para reponerse.
La autora hace menos hincapié en la relación entre Ahilya e Iravan (que ya iba cansando) y más en las tensiones políticas en que los nuevos descubrimientos que hicieron en la primera entrega han hecho surgir. Al libro le viene bien ese constante sentimiento de amenaza que pende sobre ellos y sobre toda la humanidad, cuál espada de Damocles que puede atisbar pero no saben cómo esquivar.
Aunque el comienzo del libro es demasiado sosegado, es cierto también que cuando Rao le toma el pulso a la historia y empieza a disfrutar con lo que escribe la novela va mejorando. A veces me da la sensación de que en realidad estamos hablando de un solo volumen partido en dos, pero es una impresión mía que no he constatado en ningún sitio. Reconozco que mi desconocimiento de la filosofía hindú también puede haber sido un impedimento para la lectura.
Este libro ha conseguido que me interesa algo más conocer el final de la trilogía, de próxima publicación. Supongo que tendremos que esperar a este último libro para decidir si el viaje ha merecido la pena o no.
Thank you netgalley for the audiobook ARC! This was both a fantastic and devastating sequel in the series. I am so upset by the ending but I'm hoping for the best for the third book. This one seemed to engage me more than even the first book which is odd as it was much more political but still had a lot of action packed moments. I loved the scientific air of this and it's just such a unique book it's hard to describe other than to just shove it in people's hands and make them read it. The only thing about the audiobook I struggled with was sometimes there are more softspoken characters and the audio mixing made them SO QUIET that I had to really press my headphone into my ear to understand what they were saying.
i'm giving this a mid rating because this is a book you 100% have to read the 1st book before this one. There is no explanations of words, worlds, people, characters. You are dumped into the deep end of the book. I don't know if i would have liked it if i had read the 1st book, but I know that I didn't like it as is. I DNF'd it because I was so very confused.
This was boring and over complicated for no reason. I would not recommend this book unless you are fascinated by the premise and loved the first book. I would not continue if there is more in this series.