The Heartless Divine by Varsha Ravi

Summary

In this unexpected twist on mythology inspired by Sangam India, reincarnated lovers find themselves bound together, connected to their past by a centuries old tragedy that only one of them remembers.

In the ruthless martial empire of Naja, Suri is the crown’s unfailing blade. But the princess dreams of a life exploring the lands beyond the borders, unshackled by blood. The king and queen offer her freedom, at a price: marriage to a king she’s meant to kill, and the death of Athri, a kingdom her family once nearly destroyed.

Her only obstacle lies in the mountains above the Athrian capital of Marai, where a young prophet sees a world struck by catastrophe—a world where a girl lies dead in the temple of the fire god, and the city lies burning below.

Centuries later, Suri lives with no recollection of her past lives. Haunted by her family’s deaths eighteen years ago, Suri sees the boy bleeding gold on her doormat as an opportunity to unravel the mystery of the car crash that took their lives. But not all gifts are created equal, and the boy soon proves to be more trouble than he’s worth, a dangerous link back to a world of gods and wishes.


My Thoughts

When I first picked up this book I had a hard time getting into it.  I was on vacation and had brought it along to read while we were in the room or at the airport.  The problem may have been that I was too distracted to be able to get into and understand it well enough to really fall into the story.  So, I put it down and decided to read other books for a while.

A few days ago I picked it back up.  This time I was able to connect with the story and really become immersed in it.

It takes place in two timelines.   There is a historical timeline where Suri, the main character, is a princess turned assassin.  Her job is to marry and kill a prince.  Then, there is the present timeline where Suri finds someone bleeding on her doorstep.  This someone happens to be a god...

I absolutely love the main characters in The Heartless Divine.  Suri is such an interesting and relevant character and Kiran... he's great!  You fall in love with him instantly.

I do have to say that the other characters in this book weren't that great.  I didn't care much for any of them.  But that's really the only complaint that I have with this whole book.  The story, the world building, the mythology... all wonderful.

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.