Picking up the stories of Malini and Priya which began in The Jasmine Throne, The Oleander Sword is that rare thing, a sequel that is not just a continuation but is a compelling book in its own right, taking the story to new places. Yes, we came to love Malini and Priya in the first book and I personally would read anything about them, but even setting that raised, The Oleander sword gives new insights, perspectives and dilemmas.

The situation here is freighted with menace from the beginning. With supernatural aid, Priya's land of Ahiranya has risen against the empire of Parijatdvipa. With supernatural aid, Malini has challenged her deranged brother Chandra for the throne of Parijatdvipa. Malini and Priya remain allies - and would-be lovers - but the political situation is dicey, their nations deeply hostile and any likely outcome bound to put them on opposite sides.

Worse, all is not well either in Ahiranya - where the resurgent deities known as yaksa aren't exactly what their priests and worshippers expected - or in Parijatdvipa, where Chandra works unholy magic against the sister he sees as a usurper, and who he has vowed to burn alive. At the centre of this book is a complex, twisty and roiling mess of politics, religion and warfare that Malini and Priya must master, and quickly, if they are to have any chance of survival. Even further into the centre, if that makes sense, is though a burning, forbidden passion between the two women, one that may destroy both if it discovered. And the dictates of the one pull against the dictates of the other. As Empress - if she is to be Empress - Malini must be cold and haughty, sacrificing anything, anyone in pursuit of victory.

Anything.

Anyone.

Even Priya.

In turn, Priya's power derives from her truck with erratic, inhuman spirits. Call them gods, call them demons, they have their own agenda, and Priya is theirs to command, obliged to sacrifice anything, anyone in pursuit of victory.

Anything.

Anyone...

There is so much more here that I can cram into a review. The book simply drips moral compromise, corrupting as the taint called "rot" that has infected both nations. There are agendas inside agendas, Tasha Suri having transmuted the colonial politics of the first book into something much vaster, a threat that not only casts the attitudes of Parijatdvipa in a new light but which possibly threatens the whole world.

An excellent read, and one that I read both in paperback and listening to the audio. I can strongly recommend the audio experience for this one - Shiromi Arserio's narration bringing life to all, from the couple at the centre of the story to stern generals, slippery priests and otherworldly spirits.

One of my anticipated reads of this year, which I managed to obtain early thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, and a book that absolutely met and exceeded my expectations.

I loved the first book - the way the POVs made for a sprawling, high-stakes epic fantasy novel, with lively characters, clever plots and truly remarkable world-building. Think: A Song of Ice and Fire, but sapphic. The sequel manages to keep up the pace, set new problems and even take the conflict to more intense places, while allowing us glimpses into the minds of complex and utterly enjoyable characters. I confess I don't get terribly invested in the shipping in these books (though I appreciate how they present desire and surely many readers will care about the romantic subplot[s]), but the politics! The war! And, last but not least, the way the supernatural intervenes into the world of humans - it's all so well-rendered, constructed and thought-out. I was completely gripped from the very first page and I cannot wait for the conclusion.

(Love Malini. Adore Bhumika. Want to know more about Priya's powers. Wish Lata and Sima had 10x as much page time.)

A worthy sequel to it’s amazing predecessor. The Oleander Sword was lush and immersive, the world Tasha Suri created is rich and palpable. The characters are complex and engaging. The magic is fascinating. The political intrigue woven through is simply riveting, with a budding sapphic romance sprinkled through. All this came together in a heady combination to create a book I could not put down.

Middle acts in trilogies are viewed with trepidation. For some its simply a tunnel between the start and end of the story so often little happens. There is also the risk we cannot remember what happened last time. So then what does a middle act achieve? I think a good second book in a trilogy should allow the world to be expanded; be prepared to develop characters and storylines and also surprise the reader. I am very pleased to say that The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri is a brilliant example of doing all of this and more and marks a welcome return to the Burning Kingdoms series.

A brief recap – the Empire of Parajatdvipa is now ruled by the cruel and merciless Chandra who imprisoned his sister Malini when she refused to sacrifice herself for him and the Empire. Malini was sent as a prisoner to the conquered land of Ahiranya and was to die alone and forgotten. There though she met Priya who was disguised as a servant but actually was an Elder for the powers trying to rebel against the Empire. Working together and realising that they both are in love with the other gave each a form of freedom to go up against their respective oppressors. Malini is freed and now heads an army to take on her brother. Priya has accepted the powers of the Temple and has removed the Empire but there is a lot of work to do to repair the damage and keep it safe from invaders. The two women are separated again but both will find their tasks are far from over.

I was hugely impressed by the Oleander Sword as I think this really cements the story as an epic complex tale but with an absolutely compelling cast of characters you care for at it’s heart. For the initial chapters we have Malini and Priya separated by distance and also their roles. Malini is now a challenging Empress and now has a court and an army to navigate. Suri has given her an arc from being a powerless prisoner just with er brain to now someone with power and influence. Malini is all about strategy – the next moves and the countermoves and here she is in her element but also rather than a prion to face now has to overcome her countrymen’s inherent sexism as well as various groups all vying for power. I like Malini but you do worry she is so ruthless she could do anything…

With Priya it’s a different challenge – being front and centre in power. The country is still under attack and also there is a strange magical condition called the Rot attacking not just the land but also her people – bodies being slowly turned into plants. Priya is having to deal with being recognised and now a leader but now she is an intriguing mix of warrior and healer. Suri shows us the immense magical power that Priya can call upon to make someone’s body better or stop an army in their tracks and we sense she is only on the early arc of that power. When Malini asks for her help it’s a little too tempting for her to go not just to meet her lover but also to escape some responsibility. But compare Priya now to when we first met a book ago and she too is now more confident and exploring how powerful she can be.

This dup really empower the story not just through their skills of magic and strategy but also the emotional bond between them. After seeing them realise how much they care for each other they get separated again but they talk initially through the form of letters and knowing all letters are being read there is double meanings in everything. This suppressed love expressed purely as words on a page to each other builds the tension and when they are reunited this time Priya has to serve the Empress in public. Suri excels at then making a shared glance or touch of the skin say a thousand things and this gentle torture (for us Gentle Reader ok me) builds and builds. It’s a rather brilliant emotional set-up and the long wait until these two finally kiss will be a hard wait but very worth it. Often Epic fantasy struggles with creating a genuine sense of romance between characters but Suri makes it feel very organic and its also key to the plot as well. Love though will not run smooth and indeed the final acts of this book will bring even more heartache for us readers – all making me desperate for the next one.

Malini and Priya are still a central focus of the series, but Suri also has a lot more being developed in this story and all of it is excellently handled. The battle with Chandra I think many fantasy writers would leave until the final book, but this tale pleasingly gives one of the epic storylines a suitably epic conclusion. We get mass army battles, skulduggery, betrayals, and Priya unleashing her magic plus at the heart the truly horrible and misogynistic Chandra himself. At no point does Malini’s battle look easy and indeed she has to put everything including herself on the line to win. In these chapters we extend the cast from Malini’s loyal group of women who easily match up with any male characters even at fighting to Malini’s very enigmatic soldier-priest brother Aditya and the tortured soul that is Prince Rao who is torn between duty and friendship. There are a host of developments where characters sacrifice what they believe in or themselves for the higher goals they believe in. It all comes together brilliantly and there is a cost that reminds people taking on an empire was never going to be easy.

The other more magical storyline being developed is in Ahiranya and involves the return of the mysterious and very very powerful Yaksa – the enigmatic source of the power that Priya and others wield. This time they return themselves to the land and they are incredibly eerier – humanlike (often wearing faces of other characters) and yet also they are unbelievably alien. Every scene they are in is disquieting and builds a horrible sense that the people of Ahiranya are going to be prisoners again. The standout in these sections is Priya’s sister and leader of people Bhumika who initially finds she can finally come out of hiding as Governor’s wife and not a secret rebel and yet soon finds herself again in that role but this time to immense powerful beings who are not above threatening her young baby. There is a mirroring of fates as with Aditya of two people doing things for their sister and people. I loved the complexity and stoicism of this character to do the right thing and I am very very eager to see how this storyline plays out.

The Oleander Sword never feels like a bridging novel. It delivers immense character development; it changes the world and has huge ramifications for what is to come. It moves and changes the dynamics between key characters and sets up a new and powerful foe to be faced down. Everything is different from where we first encountered it and I am now desperately in need for the conclusion. Strongly recommended for all epic fantasy fans.

My excitement from The Jasmine Throne ramped up another few notches reading The Oleander Sword.

As well as Malini, Priya and Bhumika’s narrations, important characters have voices that lead us forward by giving us information.

Malini is on her way to Dwarali to confront Chandra on her quest as Emperor. The politics in her camp that undermine her aren’t so subtle. I enjoyed how prejudices were blown apart leaving a chink for understanding to grow and flourish.

Aditya’s purpose becomes clear in this story (maybe I should have seen that coming but I didn’t because I was so involved with everything!).

Chandra’s driving force becomes obvious. I thought the confrontation, when it came, would be powerful. But I didn’t figure on the help/betrayal or how that would change things …

Priya is downhearted and feels as if she isn’t making a difference. When she receives the invite to fight by Malini’s side, she’s conflicted. She doesn’t want to leave Bhumika struggling on her own, but she wants to go. There are some sad goodbyes.

Then the story gets more interesting …

As much as I loved the ‘quest’ for Malini and her relationship with Priya touched my heart (as well as the sadness at what had to come to pass), I was much more fascinated by what was happening in Ahiranya. The deathless waters and the Yaksa! OMG! And how that ties in with Priya. And the sacrifice Bhumika makes. And the war to come …

I have questions. Sima and Rao. Rukh and Padma. Ashok/not Ashok and Priya. Malini and Priya. Malini and the priesthood. Aditya’s purpose. How it will all play out. What energies they’ll bring to the war. More betrayals. More fighting. Ancient energies determined to win. Humanity’s desire to live. Both fierce and all consuming. Book three can’t come soon enough!

In case you’re in any doubt, I highly recommend The Burning Kingdoms series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4

I received this as a complimentary arc from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The second instalment in a sapphic, high fantasy series.
The women once oppressed and burnt in the first book have risen up. Now, they’re the rulers. They’re the chosen ones. And they will do anything to stay alive and set the world right.

I have to admit, there was a lot more politics and military strategising compared to the first book. Sometimes this could feel slightly long-winded but it was intermixed with action and achingly real prose and relationships, so that your attention never wavered for long.

This book develops the lore surrounding the rot and the gods and the beliefs of all. It was an interesting delve into how such dynamics interact and spark conflicts, but may also cause alliances and courage.

As always, the presentation of relationships, love, friendships and sacrifice was beautiful.

“Is that what love is? Because if it is, then I love you, the way that roots love the deep and leaves love the light. It's the way I am.”

"Ah, but I'll burn for my own glory, not yours,"

A stellar sequel to a richly atmospheric start of a series. This builds the tensions and continues to be a well written immersive read.

That ending! Really enjoyed being back in Priya and Malini's world, though would have appreciated a recap of The Jasmine Throne/the character list at the beginning of the book, as I'd forgotten quite a lot about the previous instalment. I'm a huge fan of morally grey characterisation, and protagonists with split loyalties, so TOS made for a very enthralling read.

If I could give more than 5 stars, I probably would. What an absolute masterpiece of storytelling. I already was very fond of The Jasmine Throne, but The Oleander Sword surpassed all of my expectations for the sequel. No second book syndrome to see here, this book manages to take all the great aspects of its sequel and build upon them beautifully.

Without getting too much into spoilers, I was simply obsessed with every character arc in this book. Bhumika will probably forever hold my heart as my favorite character in this series, but Priya, Malini and even Ashok had such compelling stories in this book that I can confidently say that I never minded the POV switches. I was utterly engrossed in everything that was going on, and the way all the plot lines played into each other was just such a feat of writing.

I simultaneously cannot wait for this series to be completed and never want it to end. For sure one of my favorite pieces of fantasy literature, and a series I would recommend over and over again.

A great sequel! Looking forward to reading the final conclusion to this amazing storytelling.

I really how in time, fantasy is changed throughout storytelling and gets out of the normal flow of fantasy. I loved how women are portrayed as powerful, strong, and capable of leading than using them just for the mere concept of the companion to our so-called "savior" complex of men.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2022 and I’m pleased to say that The Oleander Sword didn’t disappoint!

When I re-read The Jasmine Throne a couple of months ago, one of my critiques was the pacing. The Jasmine Throne is a slow burn of a book and really takes its time to build up the characters and world. In my opinion, this really pays off in The Oleander Sword - it much faster paced and as the characters are already well established, the story is allowed to focus on other things. New characters are still introduced, but it felt like they were there to provide insight into other characters.

One tiny issue I did have with the pacing was actually how quickly things moved (I know how that sounds!). Without going into spoiler territory, there were events towards the end of the book that I wasn’t expecting until at least book 3. It does make me wonder what is going to actually happen in book 3 and how the overall story is going to be wrapped up.

Tiny issue aside, I did enjoy The Oleander Sword a bit more than The Jasmine Throne and I do put it down to the fact that as everything had been established, the story could really start to take precedence. I also really liked the character development in this, particularly Bhumika’s and Malini’s (although I am terrified for Bhumika going into book 3). I also enjoyed seeing Malini come into her own and again, I’m intrigued to see what’s in store for her next.

Other things I liked:
1. The Oleander Sword really expanded on the world building, much to my delight, and I really hope it continues into the next book

2. The new characters that were introduced - there aren’t that many new viewpoints in The Oleander Sword, but the ones that are introduced were interesting figures and added some political intrigue to the proceedings

3. I say this about every Tasha Suri novel, but I love the writing - I am on constant awe of her prose.

Overall, The Oleander Sword is a solid entry into The Burning Kingdoms trilogy and one I really enjoyed.

Thank you to the publisher Orbit and to NetGalley for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

"The Jasmine Throne" was one of my top books of 2021 so I was delighted to be accepted for an ARC of it's sequel, "The Oleander Sword". In this book, Malini is now free from her prison and seeking to remove her destructive brother, Emperor Chandra, from her rightful throne through a violent war campaign. At the same time, Priya, now an elder in her community, has to deal with the ongoing "rot" that is invading the bodies and minds of her people while also proving to the rest of the world that magic isn't a danger. At the middle of this is the beautifully written relationship blossoming between Malini and Priya that started in book 1. The yearning is so powerful in this book, I especially loved the letters that they send each other, and their scenes are the brightest even amidst the war and political conflict they're going through.

Tasha Suri has such an incredible way with words and it's at it's strongest here, meaning that "The Oleander Sword" doesn't suffer from second book slump at all. This is an incredible sequel and stands just as strongly beside the first book as I hoped. Another highlight for me has always been the character of Bhumika, who really gets the chance to shine as she navigates motherhood and the return of the gods she worshipped as a child.
The third book can't come soon enough!

I liked the first book in this series and loved this one which starts just after the previous ended.
Tasha Suri is great weaver of worlds and characters and this is a complex world and the characters are fleshed out.
The romance is developing and it's a nice have even if sometimes I felt like it was interrupting the flow of the more complex story.
There's a lot of intrigue and i thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

While Priya is saving her countrymen from the rot and driving away enemies from the borders, Empress Malini is on the road meeting allies and conquering lands. Priya’s power is growing with each moment now that she’s a thrice-born priestess. Her abilities would aid Malini greatly in her campaign against Chandra. Leaving home was hard but Malini needs her. In the romance aspect, things are hard for Priya and Malini. However, both of them are trying their best in making sure that the war is won and that victory is Malini’s.

Emperor Chandra wants Malini to burn. Believing that he is the chosen one, Chandra makes alliances and plans that will deter Malini from conquering all lands. His belief is cemented by his faith. Faith that he, not his sister, is the god chosen.

With Bhumika, she’s trying to solve the issues of their land one by one. However, tensions run high when people think that she isn’t doing as much as she can. Her council wants more people to be twice or thrice born, but Bhumika and Priya who have been through are worried about how many would survive the waters. Another issue is arising for Bhumika: the yaksa is back in Ahiranya, wearing the faces of friends and family they know. What are these immortal beings plotting? Why is the rot worsening?

The romances within The Oleander Sword were tender yet brutal whether it’s required or not. Nobody is saved from harm, especially in battles and wars. Each person has their duty and their faith will propel their actions. Even amid war, there were really sweet moments but it never lasts.

Other than the main characters’ perspectives, Tasha Suri sprinkled in short chapters written from the viewpoints of other characters working in different camps. All these chapters provided a clearer understanding of what others are thinking, who they’re supporting, and what’s the general outlook in Bhumika’s temple, Priya’s mindset, Malini’s journey, and Chandra’s delusion.

Faith is important in the world of the trilogy, and it showed in The Oleander Sword. The plans that were made were highly dependent on people’s belief in faith. It might be about the undying flame of the mothers or the nameless gods. Everything is linked to that.

Tasha Suri created a compelling story that definitely didn’t take my feelings into account. I couldn’t stop reading despite the book being pretty heavy on war and politics. I actually enjoyed watching the story unfold while not having any inkling of what was to come. Each person has their own purpose and were unflinching in accomplishing their end goal.

Magic demands sacrifice. To what length will the characters go to achieve their end goal? Will love be enough or will love ask for more? A greater war is brewing and the characters need to ready themselves.

The second book syndrome was strong in this one.

If you’ve read my review for The Jasmine Throne you know how much I loved that book (i think i described it as one of the best fantasy novels out there)...sadly I cannot say the same for The Oleander Sword. If you are hyped (like i was) for this release, I must beseech you to check out more positive reviews as my one will have no positives (besides praise for that cover). It seems I have a notoriously bad relationship with sequels & follows up. I often lose interest in a series and don’t even bother reading them, or I put them to the side after reading a few chapters (either because i remember too little from the previous books or because i just can’t get into them), or will myself to push through them and in addition to finding them disappointing they also end up changing my perception of the previous instalment(s)...which is what happened here. I was enthused by the writing and characters that I started questioning my appreciation for The Jasmine Throne. I knew that this being a sh*tty reading year for me (most of my most anticipated releases were disappointments) there was the potential of my not liking this…so I made sure to be prepared: i re-read The Jasmine Throne a couple of weeks before reading The Oleander Sword (once again i was really into it, even if i did lower my rating from a 5 to 4 stars) just so I had the characters, the world-building, the various plot-lines all fresh in my mind…and I am sorry to report that it did not make a difference.
Where to start...in The Oleander Sword I found the characters, Malini especially, annoying and one-dimensional. The narrative doesn’t allow for ambiguity, or if it does it has to make a big deal about it. Rather than having the characters be things like clever, artful, and conniving, we are told time and again that they are those things or that what they are saying or doing falls under those things. Interactions that should have been tense and charged with a sense of unease or potential danger, simply lack that oomph, as more often than not the characters’ motivations and intentions are explained to us in a very exposition-heavy kind of way. Malini is presented to us as the classic morally gray heroine who just has to do bad stuff to stop the Big Bad (aka her brother). Yet, she had this girlbossing energy that was really off-putting here. Time and again we are reminded of what’s at stake, why she has to prove herself to her newfound allies, why she has to go all ‘Elsa’ (conceal don’t feel)...and yet I found her far from an intimidating or potentially ambivalent character. It frustrated me that a lot of the time when she is being assertive she speaks ‘sharply’ and ‘tightly’...as if a woman in power cannot modulate her voice and she has to be made to appear ‘strident’. She was not a fascinating character, nor was I really rooting for her which is exactly the opposite of how I felt about her in The Jasmine Throne. In The Jasmine Throne, we see her at her worst and having to find a way to escape her confinement. Here she is meant to be a leader, the rightful empress, the girlboss par excellence…but when it comes to it, she has a weak personality that very much hinges on her position. Her allies were bland, and I often forgot who they were, so I did not feel intrigued by all the in-fighting. While Malini gets to become this (annoying) girlboss, Priya regresses in many ways. The story seemed to sideline her, and for much of the narrative, her pining after and subservience towards Malini were rather out-of-character.
I could go on listing things I didn’t like about The Oleander Sword: the plot is meandering, a lot of stuff is related to us (as opposed to having that scene be included in the narrative), and the characters are far more one-note and uninteresting than they were in The Oleander Sword, and consequently, the romance between Malini and Priya, that had me feeling all of the feels in The Jasmine Throne, was very much a dud in my books. The writing too felt flowery and trying hard to go for that "girls are like daggers" type of style that is ubiquitous in the young adult fantasy genre.
As much as it pains me, I fell out of love with the story, the world-building, and the characters that I had grown to care for in the first book. Suffice to say that I will no longer continue reading this series…however, this does not mean you should follow my lead. Chances are most fans of The Jasmine Throne will actually love The Oleander Sword, it just happens that I am a contrarian so this sequel and I did not hit it off.

Thank you to Netgalley & Orbit for this arc in exchange for a review. I think sapphic epic fantasy is my favourite genre. I really enjoyed this sequel to the Jasmine Throne and following along with some of my favourite morally grey lesbians & co on their ongoing quest. I did think this book suffered a little bit from second book syndrome as it dragged a bit in the middle but overall a really good sequel. Looking forward to the last book!

The stunning sequel to The Jasmine Throne. It picks up shortly after book one ends and we watch as Malibu, Priya and Bhumika learn to use their new found power.

This is the middle book in a trilogy so can suffer hints of ‘middle book syndrome’ however for the most part this book is pure character development.

I love the sapphic romance storyline but wish it was a little more based in feeling and not just ‘I wanna jump her bones’ in parts. I also think there may be a gay storyline that is a real slowburn but I could be wrong.. just an unusual amount of longing?

The world building continues to be great and in this book there is travel so we see more of it. I particularly like the Yaksa portion of the story and if I’m honest I’m more interested in the magic side of the story than the political side.

Overall, I think it was a solid book and I look forward to reading the final book to see how this all plays out.

THE OLEANDER SWORD is a tale of sacrifice and danger and betrayal. If they want to win the war, the characters are going to have to make a lot of hard choices that will demand everything from them - and the war they're fighting may not be the only one they have to win...

This is the sort of book that makes you gasp and constantly fear for the characters and what new awfulness they'll go through. The story is brutal and full of sharp edges, refusing to pull a single punch - but instead follows that punch up with another. Every decision has consequences, and those consequences always have to be paid. I really liked that, seeing the cost of the war and the decisions - plus it fits into the world so well to demand that most of the time it's two bad decisions and then the characters have to make the best of whatever that choice unleashes.

There is a mix of human and supernatural evils in this book. On the one hand, there is the human evil of Chandra and his armies and conviction that the acts hisof violence and brutality (mostly aimed at women) he is raining down on the country and Malini is divinely ordained. On the other, there is the unsettling power of the magic of Ahiranya, where things may not be as it seems and their gods less than benevolent. It's a god balance of dangers, knowing that even if they succeed at defeating one enemy, it may be at the cost of letting another strengthen their position so they are harder to defeat.

Once again, the world is so lush. It has expanded in THE OLEANDER SWORD, covering a lot more of the empire than THE JASMINE THRONE (which was pretty much entirely set in Ahiranya.) not only do we get to see new places and new characters, but there's also a chance to look deeper at the politics of the empire and how it's held together (which is always a win for me!)

There are a lot of POVs in this book, even more than the last. I mostly kept up, but I found it a tad hard to remember who the small-part narrators were, the ones who had one or two chapters and were minor side characters seeing this one thing no one else had. Admittedly, I was reading this book in a fair bit of a reading/creative slump so this book took longer and had less focus than the average book.

The ending is !!!! And I really need to know how that all works out because Tasha Suri has not left the characters in good places...

The sequel to the Jasmine Throne offers the same combination of things: a lush setting with a non-Western mythology giving it an eye-catching quality, sloooow development, and characters who continue each their own path but do not significantly change how I feel about them. Bhoumika remains the most interesting of the leaders, and Malini least. Priya seems to waffle same way she used to before. My guess would be, your feelings about this book would be similar to your feelings about the first installment, as was the case for me.

I struggled with this book. The author isn't very kind to the reader who, like me, struggles to recall the events of the previous novel. There is no recap at the start of the book and, more significantly, no reminders in the text itself as to who the characters are or where we left them at the close of book 1. Given the large cast and the number of new characters introduced in this second novel, the result was a confusing read for me. There is a character list at the end of the book, but it is brief in it's detail.

A glance at other reviews of The Oleander Sword reveals it to be a popular read for the majority. That's good to see; this just wasn't a read that resonated with me personally.

If you enjoyed The Jasmine Throne there's every chance you will like The Olleander Sword. Just make sure that book 1 is fresh in your mind first!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.