Book Review: Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Asiana
Publisher: Harper Voyager (January 23, 2018)
Length: 371 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
There’s really not much more to say about Markswoman beyond the fact it was a thoroughly engaging and straight-up good read. I blew through this book in a little over a day, and I loved how what started off as a typical YA-ish premise eventually developed and grew into a more enigmatic, mature and interesting story.
Our protagonist is Kyra, a Markswoman in the Order of Kali, a sisterhood of elite warriors trained to protector and enforce the laws of this unforgiving, post-apocalyptic-like world. Because of the nature of their work, Markswomen also occasionally take on the role of assassin, and although Kyra recently passed all her tests to become a full-fledged sister, the order’s leader Shirin Mam still has concerns about her readiness to take on these types of missions on her own. Due to her tragic past, Kyra was one of the youngest girls to ever join the sisterhood, and much unresolved anger still simmers within her for the bandits that killed her entire family. Secretly, she dreams of one day hunting them all down and exacting her revenge.
But then Shirin Mam dies mysteriously, and for Kyra it is like losing her mother for the second time. Worse, the order’s Mistress of Mental Arts named Tamsyn, whom Kyra has never gotten along with, becomes the new leader of the Order of Kali. Tamsyn’s veiled threats as well as her hunger for power makes Kyra believe she has something to do with Shirin Mam’s death. And so, before the order’s new mistress can claim her predecessor’s magical sword, our protagonist makes off with it and escapes through a Transport Hub, one of the strange portals left over from the world’s ancient past. Emerging in a desert, Kyra finds herself in the home of the Order of Khur, shunned from all the others because they are the only one composed of men. One of their Marksmen, Rustan, helps bring Kyra’s news of Shirin Mam’s death to his elders and heeds her when she expresses her suspicions about Tamsyn’s treachery.
The world of Markswoman, Asiana, is a very cool place. Its past is slowly revealed as we discover that many centuries ago, a Great War devastated the land and changed it forever. But because there is also magic and hints at the remnants of advanced technology, the result is a fascinating kind of fantasy and sci-fi dystopian mix. Harsh conditions have forged a very different kind of civilization, as merciless as the landscape. Thus, the Orders of Peace was born, giving rise to a new system to reign in the chaos and maintain harmony. The worst crimes were punishable by execution, carried out by Markswomen.
Kyra herself was an archetypal kind of protagonist, but that didn’t make her any less interesting to follow. She has the quintessential backstory of tragedy involving a murdered family, fueling her bloodthirsty desire for vengeance even though Markswomen are supposed to leave their pasts behind when they commit to their order. That said, her first mission ended in near disaster when she almost failed to kill her mark—a man who was part of the clan who massacred her loved ones—because of a momentary lapse of resolve. The experience forces her to recognize that there is still much for her to learn, as well as make her rethink her path in life.
For all that Markswoman was an enjoyable read though, plot and character development was still lighter than I would have preferred. Magical sentient weapons and the suggestion of alien tech aside, the world building was also sparse and lacked a quality to bring it all together despite all the wonderful ideas and imagination poured into its creation. As a reading experience, this was not a very deep one, nor do I think the story will end up being too memorable, as most of the plot (especially early on) relies heavily on prophecy tropes and other familiar elements. Still, to the novel’s credit, the second half contained a lot more surprises, and overall this was a quick and easy read, undeniably fun while it lasted.
A warning though, before I wrap this up: this book ends with an abrupt cliffhanger. Since I received Markswoman and its sequel Mahimata at the same time for review, I was already prepared to read both books as a whole, but readers who prefer their book endings with actual resolutions may want a heads up. Personally, I’m looking forward to diving into the next one, not only to see what happens next but because I’m also confident that Mahimata will bring much more on the characters, story, and world. I’ll be picking it up soon.
The BiblioSanctum 
Great review!
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome!
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I never really heard about this one, but it sounds quite good!
Thanks for the review!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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This actually came out last year, but since the sequel just came out the publisher sent me both books to review. Thanks for checking it out!
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Great review. I get your point. Sometimes, a book can be a quick read, but the world-building may not be adequate leaving us wanting for more.
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Yeah, I’m hoping the next book will fill in some of those gaps 🙂
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Lex Luthor told me that his Bookinator 800 will definitely get rid of cliffhangers.
I’m all for that!
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Seriously, it’s one thing to end on “to be continued” with the greater story arc still to conclude, but ending things in the middle of a scene – that should be made illegal 😛
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Preach it!
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I remember when this came out, everyone seemed to love it. Have fun binge reading!
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Thank you! I hope to get to the second one soon!
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Excellent and honest review. But I would have hoped more with such stunning cover!
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The cover really is beautiful! You should see the cover to the sequel too, it’s just as gorgeous! 😀
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A book that begs to be “consumed” in one day is one to keep an eye out for, indeed!
And even though the worldbuilding sounds on the thin side, if the story kept you reading on at such a pace, it might be very well worth a try – if nothing else for that amazing cover… 😉
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Yeah, it’s just one of those fun, enjoyable books you know you can pick up whenever you want and in whatever mood you’re in and still have a good time!
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Oh yes I heard that book 2 was going to be released!
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Yes, I think it’s out now so I best get to it!
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I love the sound of this, especially the premise with the mix of fantasy and post apoc/ dystopian. Very cool! And a group named the Order of Kali gets my approval too haha! Just sounds awesome. 🙂
Hopefully as the series progresses it’ll get a little deeper and more involving.
Great review Mogsy!
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Yeah, I’m noticing a lot more books like this, where a high fantasy setting is revealed to actually contain sci-fi/post-apocalyptic/dystopian elements. I like it 😀
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I think I would like this – okay, it’s not maybe as deep and meaningful as it could have been, but you had fun and blasted through it – and sometimes that’s just what’s needed.
Lynn 😀
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I definitely think you would enjoy this – and exactly! It’s not exactly deep, but it’s super enjoyable. Not everything has to be a literary masterpiece to be good 😀
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I did glance at it on NG, but decided not to 😉
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Well, maybe when the second book comes out in audio, you can blast through both 😀
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Hearing this ends on a cliffhanger I’m sort of glad it’s lingered in my TBR pile haha. Great review, I’ll be sure to pick up the sequel so I can read them both together. 🙂
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