Book Review: A House of Rage and Sorrow (The Celestial Trilogy #2) by Sangu Mandanna
A-/B+ | A sequel that continues to enchant with its worldbuilding and the characters were much more compelling here and in the previous book. However, the book is bogged down by unnecessary romance.
Like its predecessor, A House of Rage and Sorrow is a solid fantasy/science fiction novel. Sangu Mandanna has a way with worldbuilding and I admire and adore this so much. Her world here is as vibrant, lush, and alive as the ocean. In terms of worldbuilding, this is one of the best I’ve read.
Storywise, I think it’s on par with the previous book – well written and moves through the events at a good and steady pace. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and it has made me interested in perhaps one day reading Mahabharata when I’m not so busy with nursing school. I honestly consumed this book because I needed to know how it would end.
I loved that little twist – well, I thought it was a twist – about Max.
I also adored having Titania as a POV character. I enjoyed reading her chapters and quite frankly, I forgot that she was a warship and not a human/humanoid being. Remember in Star Wars where whenever they communicate there’s this hologram of the person they’re talking to? Yeah, that’s what I imagine with Titania.
And I will say this: the characters this time around were far more compelling. Sybilla, in particular, was the most interesting character aside from Titania.
But Esmae’s POV chapters were far more enjoyable to read because she is far more interesting here than she was before. Oh! And also much more tolerable. Rama’s fate removed the rose-tinted glasses Esmae insisted on wearing as she clung onto the belief that she could be a family with the people who abandoned her/never knew of her existence until recently. I much prefer Esmae who sees that the people around her are her family rather than the Esmae who insisted that her only family was her mother who abandoned her and brothers who used her longing for a family for their own use.
The scene with her mother truly made me scream but in a good way because Esmae needed to see the truth for herself.
And that ending? Wow, that ending. I loved it and I’m so excited for the next book.
So why is this not getting a perfect grade?
Anyone who has read my previous review about the first book knows how I feel about the romance here and unfortunately, this feeling wasn’t changed. The romance tossed here between Max and Esmae was completely unnecessary.
I love romance, okay? I do. I truly adore reading romance and getting all giddy every time characters kiss and profess their adoration for each other.
I didn’t feel that with Max and Esmae’s relationship. Their relationship was already unsteady for me in the first place and it was difficult for me to find any sort of connection or even emotion in general for them as a couple. This book truly could have done without their relationship.
Is it kinda mean that of all things, this is what brings down the book for me?
Sure. However, I believe that if an author includes romance (something that’s put down a lot in novels), it should be well-written romance. I’m sort of tired of seeing romance just tossed around willy nilly as almost a last minute edition which is what I felt like was happening here with Max and Esmae’s relationship. Sure, I have to give props to Sangu for not having the romance overtake the story as a whole, but I feel like this relationship could have been better written.
Of course, people are free to disagree with me because this is just my opinion. But if you’re looking for a great romance in this book, you won’t find it here.
If you’re someone who can ignore something like this and are looking for an otherwise fantastic, stunning, well-written sci-fi/fantasy novel, then A House of Rage and Sorrow is the book for you.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of the eARC via Edelweiss+. All opinions are my own.