i feel like i should be on an FBI hit list or wanted list after reading this book...genuinely wtf. don't know if i'd recommend this to anyone?

This book is a historical/fantasy retelling of Abbaka Chowta, the fierce queen of Ullal. It depicts how she led her kingdom through court betrayal, arranged marriage, familial conflict, and the onslaught of the Portuguese - depicted as half snake/half man creatures. The book as a whole tries to flip the narrative of history books and western countries trying to "other" and "marginalise" colonised countries, and attempts to "other" or "demonise" the colonisers as barbaric and savage (words that were previously used to describe people from colonised countries).

Right off the bat, I loved the cultural references (didn't realise there was a glossary until I finished the book which would have been helpful in hindsight as I had to look up a lot of words I didn't know). The writing was beautiful and artfully done, and really made me feel like I was in the jungles and fields of South India. There are very very few (if any) fantasy books featuring South Indian stories, characters, or worlds, so this was refreshing and delightful to see. The ending wrapped up quite well, although there was something that was a bit unexpected. Regardless, I enjoyed this book thoroughly and am excited to read more from this author and read more literature featuring the South Asian diaspora.

I had some critiques, I felt the characters themselves were a bit flat and one-dimensional, but considering many of these people were historical figures I can understand the author might have been trying to represent them in a respectful and honorable manner. The middle of the book really dragged on for me, and I lost and gained interest throughout the middle as I wasn't sure what the goals and motivations of the main character was (maybe she was trying to fight for Ullal while juggling court politics? it just felt like it went on for awhile). The romance felt lacking in chemistry and depth, but I also acknowledge it was probably not a focus of this book. There was a focus on telling rather than showing, and there were times where the author really didn't trust the reader to recall previous information and stated previous scenes over and over again as if we (the reader) were not capable of remembering past events. However, apart from these minor critiques, this was a fantastic novel and I'm really excited to see what the author writes next!

Thank you to Boundless Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC

Natural Beauty will still be my favorite of hers, but her writing is chef's kiss regardless. Had some issues with this one, pacing, and the whole thing about the "buffers" felt confusing, unnecessary, and pointless to me. However, her writing and her ability to make every scene disturbingly unsettling get me every time. Ling Ling Huang you've done it again, this is an excellent exploration into how far into the depths of jealousy and envy one can delve into while still being fanatically obsessed with and in love with someone.

YouTube video review coming out soon.