The Archer at Dawn

Tiger at Midnight, Book 2

By: Swati Teerdhala

Narrated by: Sneha Mathan

Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Romantic intrigue and electric action fill the gripping sequel to The Tiger at Midnight, a world inspired by ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology. Perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Victoria Aveyard.

A stolen throne. A lost princess. A rescue mission to take back what’s theirs.

For Kunal and Esha, finally working together as rebels, the upcoming Sun Mela provides the perfect guise for infiltrating King Vardaan’s vicious court. Kunal returns to his role as dedicated soldier, while Esha uses her new role as adviser to Prince Harun to seek allies for their rebel cause. A radical plan is underfoot to rescue Jansa’s long-lost Princess Reha - the key to the throne.

But amid the Mela games and glittering festivities, much more dangerous forces lie in wait. With the rebel’s entry into Vardaan’s court, a match has been lit, and long-held secrets will force Kunal and Esha to reconsider their loyalties - to their countries and to each other.

Getting into the palace was the easy task; coming out together will be a battle for their lives. In audiobook two of Swati Teerdhala’s epic fantasy trilogy, a kingdom will fall, a new ruler will rise, and all will burn.

©2020 Swati Teerdhala (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

love

you know I thought this book might be the stereotypical second book I thought it was going to turn in that direction but holy crap it wasn't I'm shook I'm screaming it was great

Great book

I was hanging on every word and wanted to continue listening even after it finished. I can’t wait for the third book to come out on audible.
I would highly recommend it is a great book for young adults and high school students.

Quite a step down from book 1

The best thing I can say is that at least both books 1 and 2 were offered for sale this month,
so I’m ultimately only out the equivalent of a credit.

I loved book 1, with the action filled, cat and mouse first half between the Viper and the Soldier.
I was captivated by the emerging story of a magic bond of land and people, revealed through shapeshifting lineages. Even though the middle bogged down and the magic was meager, the twists and reveals at the end had me excited for book 2.

Unfortunately, this book got rid of the things I liked from book 1 and leaned into things I disliked. Book 2 was an even duller slog through 11.5 hrs of palace politics to get to a final .5 hour info dump of reveals and twists. Perhaps because the slow burn to the quick reveal followed the exact same playbook as the previous book, I felt like the reveals were obvious.

I was aggravated by all of the factions, lack of communication, and clever characters from the prior book becoming impulsive idiots, each carrying out their own agendas at the expense of the greater good or acting completely against type and letting themselves get played. Not one of them executed a well-planned mission at any point.

This book also suffered from a lack of energy. A traditional competition suddenly calls for fighting to the death and the spectators and participants just roll with it. Shoulder yanked out of one’s socket? Not so much as a whimper as she mentions matter of factly, several scenes latter, that someone needs to set her shoulder. Even the romantic chemistry from book 1 falls flat here.

There’s slightly more shapeshifting and explanation for magical scarcity, but not enough to make up for the drop in banter, action, or likable characters, Frankly, I’m not sure I’ll get book 3, even if offered for sale and with my OCD need to finish out the trilogy.