I really enjoyed this one and I think this will be a favorite for the 2025 fantasy category. This has Six of Crows energy but with its own plot and mishaps. The pacing felt a little off at times, but I found myself rooting for the characters and their success. I'll definitely the second installment.

Thank you to Bindery Books, NetGalley and Skies Press for this e-are in exchange for an honest review!

This book covered a lot of heavy topics and I loved how R.A. Basu showed us multiple sides of these issues and how nothing is black or white. Though the issues this story highlighted and the message was profound, the plot fell flat. It was just another story of a girl coming into power for me.

I loved the immersive world building and the magic concept was unique, I’m really excited for book 2!

This book is very political heavy, so it did take me longer to finish this since I had to find myself in the right mindset to read something so politic heavy.

Rebellion simmers in every line of To Bargain with Mortals—a bold, thought-provoking fantasy that speaks to both the past and the present. Set in the colonized nation of Viryana, R.A. Basu’s debut blends divine magic, revolution, and political complexity in a story rich with tension and cultural nuance.

Poppy Sutherland is an immediately compelling protagonist. Raised as the brown-skinned adopted daughter of the white Viceroy, she has spent her life walking the tightrope between two worlds—never fully accepted by the ruling elite, yet distant from the struggles of her own people. What makes Poppy’s arc so powerful is how deeply it wrestles with identity and internalized bias. As the story unfolds, she slowly transforms from a reluctant bystander into a woman with the potential to ignite systemic change.

Her journey collides with that of Hasan Devar—infamous gang leader, magic wielder, and revolutionary icon. Their alliance is uneasy but magnetic: Poppy’s political cunning and Hasan’s raw power create sparks on the page, even when their dynamic borders on transactional. Their relationship, and its potential, is a core strength of the novel.

Basu’s prose is lyrical and incisive, layering every scene with cultural texture and emotional stakes. Themes of colonialism, inherited history, and the cost of resistance are handled with both subtlety and fire. I especially appreciated how the novel critiques power not only as a force wielded externally, but as something internal to be reckoned with.

To Bargain with Mortals left a strong impression. It’s a beautifully imagined, emotionally charged fantasy debut with sharp teeth and a revolutionary heart. Readers who love historical fantasy with political bite, complex identity themes, and reluctant heroes will find much to admire here—and plenty to ponder.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books/Skies Press for sharing this ARC!

To Bargain with Mortals is a strong first addition from writer R.A. Basu. This book has incredible world building and I appreciated the political focus, especially in today's world. However, I felt that most of the worldbuilding in this book was setting up for the sequel, and it left the plot lacking in many areas. I think this will make a fine entry into the remainder of the series but as a stand alone I think it needed more.

I was initially drawn to this book because I was excited to read a fantasy novel by an Indian-Canadian author, especially one set in colonial India—a setting not often explored in mainstream fantasy. The novel’s commentary on colonialism, racism, casteism, gender, and privilege is genuinely intriguing and thought-provoking.

That said, while the plot held a lot of potential, I struggled to connect with the characters. There were moments where the story felt like it could’ve used tighter editing and some rearrangement of plot points to make the character motivations more believable. For instance, Hasan, also known as the Jackal, was portrayed as a figure feared by many, yet his actions rarely justified that reputation. His plans often failed, and his judgment didn’t seem particularly sound. Poppy, too, fell a bit flat for me as a protagonist.

Despite these issues, I’m glad to have read a fantasy novel rooted in the rich and complex backdrop of colonial India. Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC.

I wanted to like this it seemed interesting but Poppy was frustrating to follow she spent so much of the book pushing to be ignorant and it was hard to believe at some point, it wasn't subtle and quickly turned tired to me, it was pretty surface level reading of class struggle and she kept blaming everyone blaming everyone but herself it was very tiring and the magic system was weak but it could have potential

To Bargain With Mortals by R.A. Basu is an intriguing debut that blends mythology, romance, and the supernatural in a modern setting. The premise is undeniably compelling—mortals striking bargains with ancient beings always has high-stakes potential—and Basu builds a unique world filled with haunting deals and morally gray choices.

That said, the pacing felt uneven at times. The beginning drew me in quickly, but the middle lagged, with some repetitive internal monologues and exposition that slowed the momentum. I also found myself wanting more development from a few side characters whose motivations felt a bit thin.

I absolutely adored this book. Although the main character, Poppy, drove me crazy at times, you could tell that she was more than willing to see things from other perspectives. Growing up with a royal family, full of white people, she never got to know where she came from. Adopted at the age of 2, all she ever knew was the culture of her 'parents'. Then there is Hasan, who grew up in the slums and became a part of his family's gang. Both he and Poppy believe they are doing what is right. Now they have to work together to lead the island into a new and better world. I cannot wait for book 2. 4.5 stars!

I absolutely loved this book!!! It was such an amazing well developed novel from a debut author from the world-building to the discussions of race, colonialism, factionalism and gender. The unique aspects within the plot made the story so twisty, turny and interesting gripping me throughout despite its length. I absolutely loved the presentation of the characters who were left flawed and the character development that subsequently followed - and the magic of the book not being a main plot but being interwoven throughout and being far from overpowered (as can usually be the case). I'm so relieved to know this will eventually be a trilogy and I'm left waiting for so much more and to truly see the development (and the inevitable probably violent challenges) the kingdom will face. The politics of the book were so interesting and the exploration of culture was brilliant I cant wait to see where the other books go and absolutely adored the writing style and clear effort that went into such a well written novel!!

The first half of this book read mostly like a 4 star to me--I was intrigued by the world and mythology, the characters' individual situations and how they intertwined.

The second half fell a little flat, unfortunately, leading to the lower rating. I've seen other reviewers say that the ending was rushed and I have to agree. The resolution felt a little too simplistic and idealistic to me, deflating all of the tension that had been crafted throughout. It felt like the intention was to create a foundation for the rest of the series, which is understandable because I can see the series going in a very interesting direction, But this renders the ending of *this* book lackluster. Something a little more minor that i struggled with is the time-period: the characters wear corsets and gowns, seemingly period-accurate... but they also drive cars and use modern lingo. Of course there's a way that elements from different time periods can be intertwined, but in this instance it felt haphazard.

All in all, I will definitely be continuing the series but I hope the next book goes through more rounds of edits.

I already cannot wait for the second book! This was a 4.5 out of 5 stars for me!

I loved this book, and I’m not typically a historical fantasy reader. This first book was not as complex on the work building which made it easier to read and follow, and I think it (hopefully) sets up the second book to be a little bit more complex on that end.

I love the concept of the magic system and the gods, I wish there was a little bit more to it, but again, hopefully more to come in the second book.

The setting threw me off a little bit, I don’t know what the time frame is supposed to be, but it is historical, but with cars and technology? It didn’t make the most sense, but I vibe with it overall.

I love when people underestimate a character, and that’s Poppy. I very much enjoyed following along with her while she was relearning her culture that tried to be “white” washed away from her.

The Jackal, or Hasan, the criminal, has similar views as Poppy when it comes to fighting the regime, but he is I would say, a little bit more naive and doesn’t understand the complexity of it. But Poppy puts him in his place and its great!

I can’t wait for this book to be published so I can read the final works and then I’ll be not so patiently waiting for book 2! I will be rereading the ARC prior to the final published version just to see how far it’s come from this and I am ready!

Thank you Netgalley, Bindery, and Skiespress for the eARC of this absolutely wonderful book!

I received an early copy of this and I’m so thankful, it was amazing! Poppy and Hasan are wonderful main characters who you route for even when they make you cringe or shake your head with some of their decisions. This story deals with so many difficult larger topics (racism, adoption trauma, classism, sexism, etc) in a great way, both knowledgeable and still intriguing. I also loved the way the book ended. This was a fabulous debut - thank you for the opportunity to read it so soon!

Wow this story was absolutely captivating! The world building made it so I was easily able to immerse myself in the world. I loved the political intrigue and gang wars. There were so many big that were touched on that added to the story such as mental health and bias’. I loved Poppy’s journey and can’t wait to see where she goes in book 2.

3.5 stars I really like this concept and this world. There's definitely a heavy focus on the political dynamics of this world- reflective of our current world. I will probably read book 2. This took me longer to get through because I feel like I had to be in the right mindset. No hard cliffhanger-which I appreciate. I hope the final book copy has a pronunciation guide. Has a very vivid world that was well written. I definitely have passionate feelings toward all of the characters, not all good- Zeyar I'm talking about you. Excited for this to release! Special thanks to Netgalley and Bindery Books for this digital ARC.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books/Skies Press for gifting me access to this E-ARC.

I was so excited for this one but think it just missed for me. The premise was interesting and had a very important underlying message, but the story did just feel like it dragged for a number of reasons.

The time jumps were quite clunky, suddenly weeks into the future with no idea what had been happening between chapters. The dialogue felt stilted and didn’t flow to me, and word repetition did prevent me from being fully immersed. I felt the reader wasn’t allowed to infer meaning or make links in the text and instead they were spoon fed a little which was a shame. The Virian class war between the vasudhakt and daivyakt, whilst such an important narrative and so relevant today, was revisited in what felt like an almost word for word repeat and I wished this felt more fresh when it was.

I absolutely adored the magic system. It felt fresh and I was so invested in the gods and their stories, so hope this is touched on more in the second and final book in this series. The characters were flawed and believable, and whilst some fell a little into pantomime villain territory, the majority felt like real people.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would pick the second once released and would encourage people to read this book for the positives mentioned above!

This was so much fun to read, and I loved the Indian references. I really hope to see more of this author!!

Me waiting this long to read To Bargain with Mortals when I've had it on TBR and readily available is a tragedy because it was phenomenal!

I read this in two days, responsibilities be damned. I loved the premise (magical chosen one, yes please.) I enjoyed the magic system and that it utilized deities to power up the users.

The action was gripping and the prose was well done. Dialogue I felt was a strong plus on this as well. Some of the themes were a bit heavy handed (someone else mentioned "white=bad!" And I can say that that felt true) but this did not deter me personally. One thing that felt off was the presence of vehicles in the world. What time period are we in? I ended up shrugging this off but the rest of the world building seemed to put the cars in a really weird juxtaposition that didn't feel quite right.

Poppy's journey was interesting, however some of the beats of her journey were a bit....expected? Definitely a set of actions that Ive read before. The side characters really helped with making this feel well rounded and made up for her shortcomings. I really loved Hasan and his brothers! I thought the relationships within the gang were well built and believable. That is something I felt a bit conflicted about: I cared far more for these side characters than our FMC which is probably not the goal.

I loved that the hinted at romance between our two leads was just that: hinted at. Hopefully it will bloom into something really exciting next installment along with a new antagonist. I'll definitely be completing the series!

Thanks to bindery, Skiepress, and netgalley for the Arc!

This was such an addictive read, I was immediately immersed and had the hardest time putting it down. The prose is excellent and the story flows very naturally. I love the complexities involved with this very real world issue of colonialism and its impact on all people. I love when characters have specific biases and prejudices based on the world they live in, and it was so interesting to read Poppy's perspective as a strong lead with deep personal issues to work through. It's easy to see how much work was put in to make all of the characters more than just a typical archetype, and they have a lot of deeply human layers.

I do think some aspects of the story felt a little too simple and easy to predict, but I don't think that's a major deterrent from my enjoyment of the story. The creativity of the world building and characters made for a story I was desperate to consume, and I'm so excited to see where the story goes in the sequel.

Despite the formatting issues, I could not put this book down.
The world building is rich, the culture is both compelling and explained in a very easy to digest way, and the character work is immaculate. I appreciate not ending on a huge cliffhanger, but still setting up the second book beautifully.

This story kept me engaged. It was so well written, i found myself not getting lost with all the events unfolding but getting lost in the world of it. It was entertaining and i love a strong female character. Overall, an amazingly done story.