A Spark of White Fire

Something you should know about me - I absolutely love and adore the Mahabharata since childhood. I've read so many versions of the epic by different authors in multiple languages and I keep continuing to do so even now. So, when I got to know about this book, I knew I was going to read it, despite the fact that I don't enjoy science fiction and never read books set in space. I just couldn't imagine not reading a YA novel based on the Mahabharata and I had very high expectations right from the beginning and I'm so so glad to say that this one didn't disappoint. I'm very happy to have read this amazing novel and upset that I have to wait a long time for the sequel. And thank you so much Nandini for reading this along with me, it's always fun discussing with you.

The first thing to keep in mind is that this book doesn't really read like traditional science fiction. You have your spaceships, space travel among stars, different planets and advanced technology - but you also have immortal gods and goddesses who enjoy interacting with mortals and meddling in their lives (albeit indirectly), boons and curses and destinies and prophecies, traditional warfare with bows and arrows and swords and celestial weapons, and kingdoms rife with political intrigue in a power struggle for the throne of Kali. The author does a wonderful job of combining science fiction with epic fantasy and that's what impressed me the most. The world building is lush and vibrant and very easy to understand and I loved the descriptions of the various kingdoms, the differences between the planets vs kingdoms on spaceships and how traditional warfare works in such a technologically advanced world.

The characters are definitely the main strength of this story. Esmae is what we would expect from a YA protagonist - strong, compassionate, loyal to her cause and family. What's surprising is that despite being abandoned by her family after her birth, she loves them a lot and wants to do everything in her power to restore her brother to his rightful throne. She has always hated her evil uncle, the usurper king and his son and makes plans and counterplans to gain their trust and to destroy them from within. But as she spends more time at home and gets to know them better, she realizes that no one is black and white and everyone has wronged or been wronged. Despite being a trained warrior, she is not a warmonger and wants her brother as King but not at the cost of thousands of innocent lives. All the side characters are well fleshed out and play important roles in the progression of the plot. Every single action has very unintended consequences and despite Esmae's meticulous planning and Max's efforts to stop the war, things don't always work out the way they want them to. 

The writing is very easy to follow and probably even simple, but I really loved that. I got through this very quickly and in a single sitting, didn't want to put it down at all because it was very fast paced and action packed and I couldn't wait to read what happened next. The themes of importance of family - both blood and found, about destiny vs free will and how much control can anyone exert over their future when there are gods who have their own agendas, the justification of war and collateral damage in the grand scheme of things - all form the crux of this book and give us a lot of food for thought, while making us empathize with all the characters, whether we initially thought them as good or evil. The story is also full of twists and turns and just when you think you have figured out where the story is going, the author takes it in a very different direction and it shook me with all the emotional upheaval. The ending broke me because I just did not see that coming and it just raises the stakes in staggering ways for the sequel. A good thing is that this book doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but the story is nicely setup for a much explosive second book.

Obviously I couldn't stop myself from comparing every single action and character in the book to the Mahabharata and I had hell of a lot of fun doing it. There are lots of similarities but differences too and the best part is figuring out who is who. Resemblances to characters like Bhishma, Shakuni, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari are uncanny, but the fun is when I can't decide who Esmae and Max and Alexi or even my favorite sassy spaceship Titania represent - they are a mix of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas and I think it will be more fun to see where they go next in the upcoming books. The way the author blended Indian mythology with fantasy and science fiction is brilliant and I am so thankful to Sangu for writing this book. It just gave me so much joy that I can't describe and that's why this review of mine is pretty incoherent.

If you love space operas or fantasies with royalty and political intrigue, then this book is for you. If you enjoy stories of love, loss, family and betrayal, then this is for you. If you like reading about complex characters whose intentions are not always clear and not everything is as it seems, then this is for you. If you love the Mahabharata like me, then I promise you will love this book. What can I say - I recommend this gem of a book to anyone who loves a great story with awesome characters.

This book ripped my heart out and stomped on it. I started crying during one of the last scenes, and thought that was bad enough - then the next chapter just DESTROYED ME. It is the first book in a trilogy inspired by the Mahabharata (which I totally want to read now!) - the second book, A House of Rage and Sorrow, isn't due out until September. September! What am I supposed to do until then?!

So. Wow. This is the first book I've read by Mandanna, though The Lost Girl sounds interesting. Given how good this one was, that one has moved higher on my list.

In A Spark of White Fire, we follow Esmae, a girl who was sent away at birth because her mother was told she'd destroy her family. Trying to subvert those kinds of curses never works out well. She's grown up an orphan in a different kingdom, albeit one educated by royal tutors with the local princes, as requested by a goddess. (When the goddess of war asks you to educate an orphan girl with your sons, you do it.) All Esmae really wants is to return to her family; she believes the only way to do that, to claim her place with them, is to help her brother regain his throne. And she thinks she can best do that by winning this contest, earning the unbeatable space ship, and pretending to go join her uncle's family so she has an inside channel to her brother's enemies. It's a little convoluted, but it is something that her brother desperately needs, so it kind of makes sense.

Things unfortunately don't go as planned, and every attempt to escape fate only winds the net tighter.

I loved every character in this book, from the sentient warship Titania (who I wish we'd spent more time with!) to Esmae, her best friend Rama, her cousin Max, her brothers, even her uncle, the usurper king. And the gods. Everyone has such personality. They just leap off the page. Granted, some of them are trying to stab arrows into your heart, but they come to life regardless!

The family dynamics are really what the book is about - no one's truly in the wrong, here, and no one really wants to kill each other, but pride, miscommunication, and bad advice rips them apart. Esmae and Max are doing their best to reconcile the two halves of the family, but the family resists them at every turn.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

A Spark of White Fire, a Mahabharata-inspired young adult space opera novel, is one of the most engaging, exciting, fun novels I've read this year. The story unfolds from the perspective of Esmae Rey, a princess who lived in obscurity for seventeen years before stepping out of the shadows into the light to reveal the truth of who she is???despite being warned against this path by a goddess. Esmae's narrative voice hooked me immediately and the pacing is amazingly well done.

I had some minor quibbles with it that kept it from being a 5 star read???primarily that I would have liked a bit more depth and subtlety???but I thoroughly enjoyed it and have pre-ordered the sequel.

Full Review on My Website

A Spark of White Fire was apparently inspired by the Mahabharata, which I've not read (aside from a single section of the Gita contained within it). While I can't comment on how faithful it is to that tale, Mandanna has done a great job of evoking the feel of myth – not only because this is a story with gods running around in it, but in every aspect, from rhythm and diction to character motivation and interaction. Despite the futuristic trappings, it feels wholly like an ancient story being sung into existence, and the contrast between those two aspects was delightful. Rarely is the title of “space opera” so well deserved.

One of the most enjoyable elements of the story is how well Mandanna blends the tightly personal family drama of royalty with the larger political stakes that that drama affects. These are people, ultimately, who are playing games and settling family squabbles in a way that will affect the lives of entire civilizations; however, they never appear capricious or uncaring to how their decisions affect others.

Overall, A Spark of White Fire does a fantastic job of melding its science-fiction and fantasy selves, and is an engaging start of a new epic.