Hunted by The Sky is a YA fantasy inspired by medieval India. It explores class struggles, identity and romance. This book has been recently released and its sequel is expected to release in 2021. It is also a highly anticipated read for me. So I was definitely excited to receive an E-arc for review.

Trigger Warnings: implied sexual slavery, death of parents, murder, animal cruelty, a chronically ill parent, and violence

Introduction To Hunted By The Sky

Gul has a star shaped birthmark, but girls with similar ones have been disappearing for years. After the murder of her parents by King Lohar’s soldiers, Gul is forced into hiding but is soon taken in with a group of women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus. Although with grief, Gul is desperate for revenge and so the Sisters train her in warrior magic.

Cavas is struggling, living in tenements with his chronically ill Father. He meets Gul and is roped in an adventure where romance is found and magic is discovered.

The Plot of Hunted By The Sky

Medieval India and the descriptions used in this book is beautiful. I felt at ease reading this and coming across familiar terms in my own culture, being Indian myself. This is probably the first fantasy I have read where I’ve felt represented! However, I’ll admit that I found the pacing off in this book. It was hard to get into, but once I was hooked- all was good! The magic system definitely intrigued me too, with people being either magi or non-magi. Or as Gul is, the chosen one. I just found that it it would have benefited with some rules so that the reader could be clear on what was wrong or right in this world. Although, there is space for growth in the sequel!

The Characters

Gul is a fierce woman, one that I felt represented the chosen one trope well. As much as I admired these qualities, it would have been nice to see some other personality qualities too to separate her from falling into the stereotype of a strong heroine. On the other hand, the Sisterhood represented the name fully and although at times certain characters frustrated me for not having any empathy for Gul, I did like them as a whole. Cavas added humour to this book and his relationship wasn’t exactly insta love or slow burn, but I would have liked to see more chemistry between them.

Conclusion

Overall, I’d rate this 3.5 stars! I wish I could rate this higher because I loved the uniqueness of it and the feeling of being represented, but unfortunately there are some minor issues. I will continue on to reading the sequel and I would recommend this for those of you who are looking to diversify your reading and are into the chosen one trope. My last diverse review was the city of brass, and you can also find me on Instagram and Goodreads where I express more of my bookish opinions!