The Archer at Dawn

I was pretty sure it was gonna be a 3.5 but I can't deny that the ending deserves its own rating, so I'm rounding up.

Just like The Tiger at Midnight, I had a lot of fun reading this sequel but I also can't deny that I saw stuff coming a mile away - if not the exact events, atleast the possible twists and who would be involved. For someone like me who never guesses anything and is totally ignorant of how to analyze any foreshadowing, I would have been happy about this except it was all a bit too easy and predictable.

But the characters are as usual the highlight of the story and their banter mixed with court politics this time around was fun to see play out. We also get more action with the competition at the Sun Mela and I throughly enjoyed that. And finally getting to know more details about the myths this world is built on and just generally get a more expansive view of the world was amazing.

Overall, this is a good sequel. Fun and enjoyable, slightly predictable but nonetheless has very good memorable moments. And soooo many mango references to always make me hungry. Also, that explosive ending only makes the wait for the finale excruciating and I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us.

I felt much the same way about The Archer at Dawn as I did The Tiger at Midnight: it's a fun book that shows the strength tropes can have in the hands of an author who really understands what makes them work. It has more plots and drama, and I had a great time reading it???but also like the first book, it didn't have the type of prose or characterization that made it a book I loved, even though I really appreciated that it managed to hold my attention in 2020.

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