Breathtaking, Action Packed and Completely Electric | Blog Tour, Review + Playlist: Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena

6:30 AM

We all know how much I adored Tanaz Bhathena's debut novel A Girl Like That. So, it should come as no shock to anyone that I was absolutely excited for her first dive into fantasy. Boy, oh boy, did Hunted by the Sky live up to every hope I had.


Hunted by the Sky
by Tanaz Bhathena 

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: June 23rd 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
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Gul has spent her life running. She has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in the kingdom of Ambar, girls with such birthmarks have been disappearing for years. Gul's mark is what caused her parents' murder at the hand of King Lohar's ruthless soldiers and forced her into hiding to protect her own life. So when a group of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus rescue her, take her in, and train her in warrior magic, Gul wants only one thing: revenge.
Cavas lives in the tenements, and he's just about ready to sign his life over to the king's army. His father is terminally ill, and Cavas will do anything to save him. But sparks fly when he meets a mysterious girl--Gul--in the capital's bazaar, and as the chemistry between them undeniably grows, he becomes entangled in a mission of vengeance--and discovers a magic he never expected to find.
Dangerous circumstances have brought Gul and Cavas together at the king's domain in Ambar Fort . . . a world with secrets deadlier than their own. Exploring identity, class struggles, and high-stakes romance, Hunted by the Sky is a gripping adventure set in a world inspired by medieval India.

Orders of a hardcover book will receive limited edition swag and be entered to win a $100 gift card. Open to residents of US and Canada.

For some reason, it won't embed the playlists for me anymore, and I can never see if it does or doesn't. Click here if the playlist is not showing up.

My process for these playlist remains the same. I read Hunted by the Sky and thought, "What if this was a show or a film? What would be playing at the most pivotal moments?" In or out of context, this list of tracks felt right for Hunted by the Sky.

Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena 
Rating: ★★★☆  
As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.    

You know those types of novels that hum with electricity? You can almost feel it before you even pick up on the story. Hunted by the Sky is one of those books. Not only does it zap readers with electricity, it engrosses them immediately. Tanaz Bhathena knows how to write poignant stories--she knows, too, how to craft a beautifully unique world that is luxurious with intrigue and culture.

Fantasy is at its best when it borrows real life elements, and the author allows these elements to linger with magic. The stories amplified by excellent world-building, inclusion, and characters who drive the plot onward with their actions and dynamics. Fantasy is at its best when it feels vital to your health to flip one more page, and then another, and then another.

Hunted by the Sky gracefully tackles all of these things. It takes key notes from life, and from real cultures, and keeps their essence intact while blending them seamlessly into a whole other system. It makes the story fresh but still familiar.

If you have any doubts about Bhathena's incredible talent and knack for stories, know that they are without reason. I know she is known for her contemporary novel, A Girl Like That, and some people have a hard time wrapping their heads around genre hopping. But, trust me: Hunted by the Sky is every bit as good as her contemporary. It is a true-blue-fantasy.

Tanaz Bhathena solidified the theory I had after concluding A Girl Like That: she's only just getting started.

And, indeed, Hunted by the Sky is only just getting started.

I'm going to need the next installment of this planned duology immediately. No joke.

Hunted by the Sky is joining the ranks of some of the most imaginative, enthralling, young adult fantasy novels of the year. And believe me when I say this: it's unlike anything I've ever read before. Even in its moments of standard structure, Hunted by the Sky remains utterly unique. This was the kind of story I'd read before bed and, once I was tired enough, it felt not unlike I was jolted from the most vivid of dreams.



Tanaz Bhathena writes books for young adults. Her sophomore novel, The Beauty of the Moment, won the Nautilus Award for Young Adult Fiction and has also been nominated for the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen, and The Times of India. Her latest book, Hunted by the Sky, (releasing June 23 2020) is the first of a YA fantasy duology set in a world inspired by medieval India. Her short stories have appeared in various publications including The Hindu, Blackbird, Witness, and Room.
Born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, Tanaz lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with her family.

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