Asian American Literature Fans

Tanaz Bhathena has already authored a number of young adult books, but the first we’ve been able to get to is Hunted by the Sky (FSG for Young Readers, 2020). Let’s let the official marketing blurb give us some background: “Exploring identity, class struggles, and high-stakes romance, Tanaz Bhathena's Hunted by the Sky is a gripping adventure set in a world inspired by medieval India. 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.” The story is told, for the most part, in alternating first person perspectives. Gul’s perspective is certainly the most important. She might be the key to a prophecy that would overturn King Lohar’s rule. The problem is she doesn’t seem to be very powerful in the magical abilities one would expect her to be, especially if she’s supposed to be this revolutionary figure. Readers soon discover she is what is called a “whisperer,” a kind of magi that is able to speak to animals. The other perspective is given to Cavas. From a plotting level, Cavas serves two main purposes. The first is that he obviously brings in the romance plot dynamic which is requisite for such paranormal YA fictions. The second is that he has the potential access to get Gul onto the palace grounds, she can finally initiate her plan for revenge. Of the two perspectives, you wouldn’t be surprised to find out that I was way more invested in Gul’s storyline, as it really propelling us forward. We want to see how her powers develop, and we want to know exactly how this teen, with her limited magical abilities, could topple this evil regime. It turns out that Bhathena is already planning the series to go elsewhere, as the darkest villain ends up being someone else entirely (but I’ll leave that for our readers to be surprised). I really enjoyed this paranormal YA fiction. Some readers might find it derivative but I liked the world building aspects connected to the different classes of magical abilities: there are women who are able to figure out if you are telling the truth, there are others that are able to see the dead (these are called seers), and there are others, like Gul, who are able to speak to animals. I also appreciated the level of complexity that Bhathena weaves into the political dynamics of the fictional world. At first, it seems as though individuals with magical-wielding capabilities are being unfairly targeted. Yet later, it becomes evident that non-magical peoples have also experienced negative relationships with those who wield such awesome powers. In this sense, the line between enemy and ally become more blurred, complicating Gul’s perspective. The ending gamely sets up the next installment, and I’ll be excited to see where the adventures of Gul and Cavas end up going. I will also add that Bhathena cleverly includes a third first person perspective at the conclusion, and I’ll be interested to see if that particular character receives more first-person billing as the series moves onward.

Buy the Book Here:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374313098