A House of Rage and Sorrow: Book Two in the Celestial Trilogy (Volume 2)

Book 2 is every bit as great as book 1. The characters are so vivid, so human, so flawed and so exceptional. It’s been a long time since I had a book series that I just can’t stop reading but this one is it.

There will never be a book written by Sangu Mandanna that i don't like. I fell in love with the secret society of witches and so i knew i had to pick up this book series and it is honestly amazing. Esmae is written so beautifully, her emotions and frustration come alive through the pages and i felt frustrated for her and i think that takes a pretty incredible author to make me agitated as i'm sat reading. This book series is a solid 10/10. I have never been a space girly but I loved it anyway, the scene setting and story telling is phenomenal

Someone said that these books are criminally underrated. It's true. It actually angers me that this is nowhere near as well known as other series (ie. Lunar Chronicles, Throne of Glass) that are frankly IMO poorly written. It's hard finding a good YA book, let along a great one. I love YA because it's meant to be written without the complexities that sometimes bog down adult fiction. The characters are sweeter and sometimes more insightful and hopeful despite their angst as young adults in the real world often are.Back to Ms. Mandanna's masterpiece.Please read the first book before you read this one. Both are outstanding, but this one might actually be better than the first. This series has all the pieces of a great YA fiction -- clear, immersive plot line with unexpected, well planned twists that have you re-reading previous sections to relish the small hints and bits of foreshadowing- unique, fantastical setting that allows you to escape into the book- the prose are not run-on overly flowery sentences but the writing is poignant and does not hide important lessons and philosophy under a mountain of drudgery- the characters' relationships and dialogue is consistent, true-to-character, and not cheesy- there is actually character development and all are complex with different trajectories. No simple hero/villain here.- the romance is a slow build that is believable and absolutely adorable without any of the toxic elements that are rampant in YA fiction nowadays- there is diversity in race, beliefs, sexuality, orientation, identity which does not feel forced- strong female characters, again not forced- there's one swear word and some kissing, but overall appropriate for a YA audienceYou know it's a home run when you've already re-read the books several times and tabbed out your favorite pages, underlined favorite sentences.This series will be on my shelf right up there with Megan Whalen Turner's The Queens Thief as a forever favorite. The Acknowledgments section was also one of the more heartfelt, relatable sections I've read in a long time. I can't wait to read the next installment.

What. Just. Happened.I'm mentally kicking myself right now for not reading this sooner. Because oh my goodness! This was so not what I was expecting. I loved, loved, loved every page!This was a fast-paced, brutal and unrelenting world the author created. I cannot tell you exactly what I feel because I honestly don't know myself. I love how gritty and bloody and twisty it is. Flew thru this in one sitting and dammit it was one wild ride. House of Rage and Sorrow was bloody brilliant! Need book three now.

I cannot recommend this book (or A Spark of White Fire) highly enough! Sangu's writing has that incredible quality to be both poetic and sharp, you get drawn into the beautiful vistas and epic universe she paints and the next moment you're riding along on the emotional and internal twists and turns of the characters innermost thoughts. At some points you know more than the gods themselves, and sometimes you're blindsided by a minor deception of one character which has blossomed into the fulcrum that a whole world now pivots around.I cannot wait for the third instalment, I find myself thinking about these stories in the middle of other books and have to check if there's a release date for the next one yet. Truly incredible!