Changes

The gorgeous world building and magic system were undoubtedly my favourite aspects of this novel. Everything about the World was lush and vivid. And as an Indian inspired fantasy, it was refreshing to experience another place that didn't feel like a murky European town set in the middle ages. Instead, we got a vibrant culture with new and interesting takes on tired fantasy tropes. I also enjoyed the exploration of a sickness called the "rot", and how it had a sort of cruel beauty in the way it was presented: It's an incurable illness caught from diseased plants—so it is most common amongst farming families who work in agriculture—and it develops in people as patterns of vines and flowers beneath the skin. I found this imagery to be quite beautiful, but it was also quite upsetting to see how destructive it was in one of the younger characters we follow.

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