I'm not sure if the difference between books one and two is as big as it feels right now, or I just was feeling really generous when I read the first one. Everyone felt very stiff, shallow, and flat, nothing was very believable, and I had to resort to skimming large sections. Not sure if I'll pick the third one up at all now. ( )

The second in this series that the author categorizes as "Bollypunk." This book takes Aniri to Samir when she fears for the life of her sister Seledri, married to the First Son of Samir and pregnant with Samir's heir. Upon learning of an attempt on her sister's life, Aniri postpones her wedding to the Jungali Prince and sets off in the airship on a rescue mission. When she arrives she finds there's far more going on within the royal family of Samir than she'd imagined, and she--and Jungali and Dharia--are drawn into what could become a war.

Samir is far different from Jungali and Dharia. Samir is a more technical Queendom, and its streets are filled with tinkers and people with the newest of gadgets. In some ways it seems less vibrant than Jungali--and it is, when it comes to clothing and decor. But in other ways, for example the culture of the tinkers, it's fascinating and rich.

As is typical for the middle book in a trilogy this book leaves a lot of threads dangling at the end. And is as typical for me when I'm really invested in a book I bought the third book within moments of finishing this one.

(Provided by publisher) ( )

3.5/5
I don't know what went wrong with me here, ladies and gents, but I could not get into this book until the last third of the novel. I was a bit taken aback considering how much I enjoyed Third Daughter, the first book in this series. Oh well, as the say: "sh*t happens".



First of all, Aniri coming to Samir and playing hide and seek with all her entourage against the royal guards felt a bit silly. I understood her desire to save her sister, but she went about it in a very half-arsed way, and that's from a girl who was so delightfully sharp in the first book! It also took a very long time, so I was relieved when she returned to Jungali.



Aniri's lack of concern about her dear old dad whom she wanted to find or find out what happened to him in order to avenge his death for so many years turned out to be another anticlimactic moment in this book. What could have been a pretty dramatic twist deserved no more than a shrug and was treated in a way that made me feel like a lot of plot potential got wasted.

However, don't despair or give up on this novel yet. After Aniri arrives back to Jungali, things get more interesting and the novel ends with a shocking bang which makes the reader stomp their feet in frustration because they want to know what would happen right NOW!

Overall, it's a steady second instalment in the series with a lush, wonderful world-building even if I haven't enjoyed Second Daughter as much as I thought I would. Recommended. ( )

Aniri is back in Jungali with Prince Malik. Now that things have settled down a little though the threat of war with Samir looms large, Aniri now has time to wonder if she has rushed into her engagement with the handsome prince. Aniri has good reason to doubt given that her last affair with the courtesan Deevish ended in betrayal. Aniri barely has a change to deal with her jitters before she is notified that an assassination attempt has been made on her sister, the second daughter of Dahria, Selderi. Though Malik desperately wants Aniri to marry him first to cement both their relationship and the treaty between their two nations, Aniri is compelled to rush to her sister's side. Aniri's trip to Samaria will reveal a long standing family mystery but at the same time, push her country closer to war, even as it threatens her marriage to Malik.

The Dharian Affairs Trilogy is rare in that it is a steampunk series based outside of Europe, with a large cast of people of colour. Quinn takes great care to fill her story with a strong sense of culture and India. Her descriptive writing is vivid, thus making it easy to picture the surroundings and get swept away with them. With the potential of war looming in the future it raises the tension in Second Daughter. I must however admit that I am not as enamored with Second Daughter, as I was with Third Daughter. Third Daughter is very slow moving at the beginning and it feels very much like it is treading water. While it is absolutely sensible for Aniri to doubt herself, in terms of her love for Malik, it took up far too much of the story given what was at stake.

Aniri continues to be filled with spunky agency. She never thinks things through, or has a coherent plan; she simply moves from one bad situation to another, justifying her lack of forethought by the fact that those she loves are in danger. Some of this can be justified by Aniri's youth but at the same time, I feel as though she should have grown more, given the events of Third Daughter, beyond the notion that rushing into an unbreakable marriage contract without forethought could have consequences. I do however like the fact that Aniri remains intellectually curious and is unafraid to face danger, even if common sense should at least cause her to pause momentarily.

One of the things I like about the Dharian Affairs Trilogy is the all of the world created by Susan Kaye Quinn are matriarchies. Women are highly prized and men may only lead the country, if there isn't a female heir. There are several strong side characters in the novel like Riva the tinkerer, Nisha, Malik's sister in law, and of course, Queen Amala. Though none of these women had a significant role to play per say, each in their own way helped guide the story and offer the reader insight into the world, political situation and customs. The one character who gave me pause was Selderi whom we are told repeatedly is good, and sweet. Selderi is several months pregnant and she is treated like a near invalid because of it. Yes, Selderi is pregnant and was poisoned but it felt like a trope to make the pregnant woman fragile.

Read More ( )

This book begins where the last one ended. In this second book, the eveing before Aniri’s wedding to Ash she learns her sister Seledri is in trouble. Someone has made an assassination attempt. Aniri leaves to “rescue” her sister because there are rumors that her sister’s new country is planning war against Dharia.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own. ( )