Mel is back with a review of the final installment in Tasha Suri's The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy! If you haven't read The Lotus Empire, beware of spoilers!
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Hi again!! I can’t believe the end of the Burning Kingdoms Trilogy is here. I’m sad it’s over, but at the same time I feel like it was good to see how everyone’s stories concluded. I know my last post was more summary-based and long, so I will try to keep this one more brief and review-focused. Let’s dive in one last time, shall we?
Review
I like that we start essentially right where we left off in book 2. Priya has made it back home to Ahiranya, and Malini has been recovering from her knife wound. Every night since the incident, Malini dreams of Priya standing before her in the throne room, and every night Malini is torn between wanting to kill the woman who stole her heart or kiss her. The thing is Priya experiences the same dream state, so somehow the thorn knife has left a trace of the yaksa, Mani Ara, inside Malini, allowing them to share an energetic link. I had a theory about this kind of link being possible, so yay, I was right!! Malini does attempt to launch an attack at the border of Ahiranya. What’s interesting is that Malini’s scar aches whenever Priya is near, almost like a sixth sense; they can communicate telepathically, and when she uses the last of the false flame against Priya to wound her, they both feel the pain. The Empress’s attack ultimately fails, and they are forced to retreat once more. Now that Malini knows about the connection, she vows to test her theory next time they meet in the astral. Another aspect of their connection is that Malini can now manipulate the green like Priya does, though with some struggle.
It makes the reader wonder if Mani Ara planned to do so all along as a backup vessel or if it was the love bond between them that made it possible. Either way, seeing these two women who still love each other despite it all struggle with their feelings and duties was heart-wrenching to read. At first Malini is all hurt and enraged towards Priya in the dream state and even attacks her, but the more time they meet in that astral space, the more they confide in each other about what’s happening around them. As much as I hated having to see them at odds, I appreciated how strongly each of them voiced how they felt and their determination to do what was necessary for their countries. The other main POVs are split between Bhumika and Prince Rao, who provide a nice break in the tension.
Bhumika’s newfound knowledge guides her to an Aloran temple in the hopes of passing on the way to permanently kill the yaksa. Despite her memory loss, the elder remains a force to be reckoned with. Whether it’s unfriendly villagers or haughty priests, Bhumika faces them head on, determined to pass on her knowledge and save as many people as she can, even at the cost of her life. Throughout her arc we get to see her slowly piece together her old life, and the love between her and Jeevan is able to bloom again.
Rao’s story arc is brief, but his actions serve as the connector of multiple plot points. The author had hinted at his hidden feelings towards Prince Aditya in the previous two novels but never outright stated it. We watch him process his grief through heavy drinking, and one night in a drunken state he kisses Aditya’s memorial statue and breaks down in tears. It’s his responsibility to Sima and a mission to the north that keeps him going. I really enjoyed the platonic friendship between him and Sima, who bond over their shared experience of losing their respective best friends and their queerness. While Sima doesn’t have any romantic partners, she does confide in him that she is attracted to women and that having same-sex attraction is nothing to be ashamed of. She understands that the empire isn’t very queer friendly but tries to comfort him as best she can, which is touching. Rao, for his part, confides that he always kind of knew that he felt more for his friend than he showed, but given his station, it wouldn’t have worked out even if it had been reciprocated. It’s a wound that only time can heal, and so they try to focus on their mission to find an artifact that can help them win the war against the yaksa. If you’ve ever fallen for a friend that you knew could never love you back the way you wanted, Rao’s storyline hits oh so much harder. Malini always knew Rao’s feelings ran deep, and so she sent him on a mission to try and help him move on.
Rao does in fact find a weapon that can be used against the yaksa in an ancient quarry of black stone that negates all magic near it. After ensuring that Malini has access to this stone, he feels called to go to the temple in Alor to fulfill his destiny. It is at this temple that he runs into none other than Bhumika. She finally found the follower of the Nameless god to pass on her knowledge, but it comes with a deadly cost. She tells him and the other priests that to kill a yaksa, they must have absolute faith and willingness to sacrifice themselves; then the Nameless God would set their bodies aflame and burn the yaksa to death along with them. This is how the mothers of flame came to be during the Age of Flowers. Everyone is unnerved by this news, but a few priests step forward, willing to do so. A yaksa does in fact wake and enters the temple searching for Bhumika, and when it gets close enough, one of the priests sacrifices themselves to kill it. I’m glad she had Jeevan there with her through all of this to keep her grounded and love her unconditionally despite how painful her forgetting their bond must have been. Rao still has to take them into custody back to the capital, and they go willingly.
Priya and Malini meet in the astral a couple more times and argue back and forth only to end up making out because who are they kidding? Love to see it! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Tasha Suri is a master at building sexual tension between these two, for which we are forever grateful! When Malini wakes, her chest aches, and she sees a black flower has bloomed over her heart. It’s unnerving, but she cuts it out and bandages it quickly. It’s another way we see that she and Priya are becoming more entwined emotionally, physically, spiritually, and now magically. Priya knows time is running out, so she essentially lets Malini capture her, and they have another round of debate. It’s only after a couple of guards try to kill Priya and injure her (she still kicked their asses) that Malini lets her true emotions for her show. She makes it very clear that no one gets to lay a hand on Priya but her. She has Priya moved to a private room, and while cleaning her wounds, they discuss how Priya wants to help Malini kill the yaksa. The empress still tries to maintain that she hates Priya for her betrayal, and this scene has one of my favorite lines of inner monologue. Priya tells her she used to be a better liar, and Malini replies in her head, “I am a good liar. It is not my fault you see through me, as if every mask I wear is nothing but gauze, and my love for you a lamp.” For Malini, to be truly seen at her core is terrifying because it makes her feel open to betrayal, but it is also something she deeply craves. Priya is the only one to ever truly love her the way she needs, and so no matter how much she wants to hate her, she can’t let her go. I was so relieved when they finally made up not long after and decided to work together again to end the yaksa threat.
Priya is able to reunite with Bhumika, which is another relief, but due to her temple sister’s memory loss, it is still a bit painful for both of them. It’s even more so when Bhumika divulges one last piece of knowledge. The only way to truly kill Mani Ara is to destroy the source of the eternal waters, a.k.a. the Hirana, as well as the parts of her that reside within Priya. Priya’s heart sinks as she accepts that she must die after all if she wants to save her people, but it is a sacrifice that she is willing to make. I was really hoping the plot wouldn’t demand her or Malini’s deaths (we just want the lesbians to get a happy ending for once!) but then where would the stakes be? After making Malini draw up a contract ensuring Ahiranya’s safety, she tells her about destroying the waters using the remaining willing priests fire but nothing more. They and Malini’s army head out soon after for Ahiranya. While sharing a tent, Priya finds the stack of letters Malini had written her back in book 2 and reads them all. It’s a callback I, for one, had been hoping for and sets up a very touching conversation between them about all they’ve been through and how they still feel about each other. The two of them then spend the rest of the night entwined once more. Later that night, Malini asks her where she’ll go after the war, and Priya replies, “Nowhere,” before falling asleep. The empress realizes a while later what she means and sets off in a panic to speak with Bhumika and confirm that Priya intends to die. Malini can’t take losing anyone else she loves and so vows to go with Priya and ensure she survives. Bhumika and Jeevan make their own way into Ahiranya to save her daughter and whoever may be left at the estate. Priya opens a path into Ahiranya, and they are met with a handful of worshipers and a lone yaksa blocking their way.
My feelings about the yaksa are conflicting. They are clearly a tight-knit group who just want to walk the world again and be together, but the way they go about it is unforgivable. At this point they’ve become more human than ever and so are unaccustomed to human needs and pain. Many of them find living in this way unbearable but refuse to give up their dominance over their human worshipers. As if that weren’t bad enough, Hemanthe makes one last ploy to force Malini’s hand and place Chandra’s infant son on the throne controlled by the priesthood. By “inspiring” his priests to go to the border and self-emulate into the trees, he threatens to burn everything unless she takes her place among the Mothers. The flames quickly overtake the path, and even the yaksa can’t withstand it. Priya is badly wounded by the flames as well, and Malini is forced to carry her forward. Hemanthe also sent a traitor guardswoman in her retinue to convince her to burn willingly one last time. Malini uses her magic to trap her in soil up to her waist so the flames can do the rest, and with Priya in her arms, yaksa magic giving her strength, she somehow makes it to the base of the Hirana and opens the way to the waters and lowers her into their depths. Priya wakes in the sangam and faces Mani Ara, who weeps at the loss of her kin. Priya tries to convince the yaksa that now that her kin are gone, there’s no reason to walk the human world. Mani Ara’s grief turns to bitter anger, and she declares she will walk the world alone for them and merges with Priya.
Bhumika and Jeevan make it back home, and as the flames get closer, Ashok has everyone climb the Hirana to try and escape the flames. It’s on the climb that she is reunited with her daughter Padma. Bhumika knows the flames won’t stop until the yaksa burn, so she implores Ashok and the other yaksa to let her people go and face the fact that they were never meant to remain in this world. Ashok accepts this fate and returns Bhumika’s memories before leading the remaining yaksa back down the mountain to meet their end together. The magic of the Hirana starts to break, and Bhumika leads everyone down the mountain to safety. Mani Ara can’t bear the feeling of being a mortal, and the weight of her loss wants to let the world burn. The part of her that is Priya tells her to go to sleep until the end of the world then. Mani Ara does so, and Priya’s consciousness takes over once more. She breaks the eternal waters down to a small stream so that she, Malini, and those left from the temple may live. Malini, in her fear of losing Priya, had dived in after her, and the magic within her glows golden in the water like a beacon calling Priya home. Priya lifts unconscious Malini in her arms and carries her safely outside the walls of the Hirana before letting the mountain fall down over herself. This was an emotional roller coaster ride to read, but I’ve seen enough MCU films to know... No body? Not dead!! Prince Rao finds Malini, and she is taken back to her camp to recover. She’s adamant that Priya is alive, though she keeps it to herself. There’s still a lingering fear that she will live a long life as Empress alone, but eventually she dreams of Priya once more telling her yes, the yaksa are gone, but she is so much more than a yaksa now and wakes with a fresh black flower growing from her chest, her hope reassured.
I’m glad Bhumika was able to continue to rule over Ahiranya with Malini’s blessing and have her family back, though she misses Priya. Prince Rao gives Sima some time to mourn her best friend before she joins him on a journey north to explore the world like they always wanted to. Malini gets to rule her empire for fifteen years and watch her nephew Vijay grow up into a promising young man and heir. Malini’s reunion with Priya was a perfect way to end their story. Malini travels to Srunga and, following a magical tug toward a waterfall, wades in. It’s there that Priya walks up behind her and apologizes for taking so long to remember how to return to human form. They have a really cute moment and vow to garland each other and be together for the rest of their days. Malini finally turns around and looks into Priya’s eyes. My only nitpick with this scene is they don’t kiss one more time, but I digress. Haha. The epilogue shows us Bhumika with her daughter, who tells her about a new river appearing in the forest, and a woman walks out of it asking her to fetch her mother. Bhumika is intrigued and goes to investigate. Priya appears out of the water, and they have a touching reunion. Priya tells her sister that it’s taken a long time to remove the rot and regain her human form, but she has Malini now, and Bhumika has her family. They vow to see each other again soon and say goodbye. Jeevan finds her kneeling on the ground, smiling through happy tears.
Final Thoughts
My final thoughts on The Lotus Empire are that though it was a shorter installment, it perfectly wraps up one of the best adult fantasy stories that I’ve ever read. You can tell how much love for her Punjabi heritage has influenced the world-building. The plot was fast-paced, action-packed, and had amazing character development. I loved Priya and Malini’s storyline and how deep and complicated their love is. I would welcome any short stories about their later travels if Tasha Suri should ever decide to do so. Five out of five stars for me!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Want more fantasy with epic battles, high stakes, and unique worlds? You'll love what we have at Emergent Realms! Try our stories for FREE today!
Mel Katcharian is an illustrator and avid reader. She loves YA, fantasy, and comics. Most of her time is spent making art (often interrupted by her cat, Zuko), rewatching her favorite shows over and over, and daydreaming about living in the woods surrounded by nature, books, and her cat.
Instagram: @Mel_Katcharian
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