"My name is Shanti Rutherford Patel Vishravan, and I am a keeper of secrets…"
Too many secrets have been kept by Supriya's mysteriously cold mother over the years. Now, as the clock ticks imminently closer to an epic confrontation, Supriya is forced to admit that still she doesn't know anywhere close to enough about her family's dark past. But, as the game of cat and mouse with the monstrous villain plows forward into the next round, and a new dangerous adversary begins a deadly hunt, will Shanti's dishonesty leave Supriya and her heroic allies ripe for the capture?
As Supriya's surprisingly mundane freshman year in college descends into apocalyptic chaos, her mother's shocking confessional of love, loss, and lies serves as a riveting prequel that will change absolutely everything.
VIOLET SAPPHIRE is the second book of the seven book series, THE SITA CHRONICLES.
Praise for THE SITA CHRONICLES: "This is a FABULOUS read! … The story just flowed so well and the characters were very real and relatable - characters you care about and can't wait to find out what will happen next. I HIGHLY recommend this to those who enjoy great writing as well as a book that spans cultures and time/history." Sherri Smith, GoodReads
"THIS WAS SO GREAT! I absolutely love the world building … The ensemble cast of characters is also fantastic! They all have interesting backstories and distinct personalities. Writing is great, story is awesome, pacing on point." Verona Eekma de Vries, GoodReads
“Once the foundation was built, I thought I was on a ‘skyscraper’ metaphorically speaking. This book is outstanding.” Janet Arroyo, GoodReads
Ashley Mayers graduated with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University. Since then, she has used every opportunity to travel the world, from working on an archaeology dig in Sicily to working for Google as a regional trainer in Asia, based in India and Singapore. Throughout her travels she was inspired by the beautiful diversity of Southeast Asia, and she is happy to be able to combine many years of vivid cultural experiences with her humanities education and her love of fantasy literature to create THE SITA CHRONICLES. She now lives in San Francisco.
Violet Sapphire is an amazing follow up to Red Sapphire and in my opinion I found the second book even better.The story is exciting,packed full of mysteries and looming danger,all created through great writing.I found the characters more intriguing in this book as more aspects of their backgrounds are uncovered but you're still left with lingering questions about parts of their stories and destined paths.
I thought the narrative switch between Shanti and Supriya was an excellent element to add to the book as one was set in the past and the other in the present.Both were interesting but I definitely preferred Shanti as her character really grew on me and I loved witnessing her flourishing relationship with a certain male character.Through Shanti's background,you also learn more about Supriya's lineage and it becomes much easier to sympathise with Supriya's mother, Shanti.
Supriya's development in her scenes is a delight to see especially as more of her strengths are revealed.I loved that the relationship between Rama and Supriya is explored and how the complications of previous attachments or roles impact how Supriya sees their relationship and how Rama treats her.However,I did find bits of her story long-winded and I was just waiting to get back to Shanti.
On a whole, I'm so glad I received this book as the story is enthralling along with the mysteries that are slowly being revealed.This is an amazing follow up to a fantastic first book and I'd recommend for everyone to at least try to start this series.Lastly, I want say a huge thanks to the author,Ashley Mayers who previously sent me out the first book but also sent me out this one in exchange for an honest review,I am hugely grateful as this book was a pleasure to read.
*I got a copy of this book from the author (who totally surprised me and is super awesome xD XD)*
Having fallen in love with this series in the first book I couldn't wait to get into book 2.
And it did not disappoint XD XD
Book 2 explores both current events with the main character Supriya and the past events of her mother Shanti. Once I picked up this book I couldn't put it down. I loved finding out more about the lore the author has included, and seeing a little into why some characters are the way they are. And the twist at the end is super interesting! I can't do this without gushing, and I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but oh boy do you need to read this.
I am still very much in love with the world, the characters and their strengths. I am happy this series stays away from a lot of tropes that are harmful and over used.
I received this book - I believe it came from the Goodreads First Read offer, but am not certain. I was THRILLED when I received it, but had to put it aside due to other responsibilities.
However, when I picked this book up a few days ago, I found it nearly impossible to stop reading!! I cannot recommend it highly enough! This was a WONDERFUL follow-up to the first book and even more enjoyable than the first - which I wouldn't have thought possible!
Seriously. The book is awesome. A little scandalous description though. Can a mother write all those intimacy to her daughter?? Anyways. The story matters. Unrealistic but a good time pass. Imaginative story. Characters spring up from everywhere. Not a must read, neither informative. Its a fairytale, simple language & total fiction.
The most awesome interpretation of the Ramayana that I have read!
This story is the best interpretation of the Ramayana that I have read. The Supernatural, the mystical, the stories intertwined with these elements, the author's depiction of the characters from Ramayana makes it a very interesting read.
The sequel to "Red Sapphire" was even better than the first book.
This story tells us a little more about the background of Supriya's mother, Shanti. I feel like some details did not quite match up with the first book (for instance, how old is Shanti in "Red Sapphire"?), but that's ok. I think some of the events/details of this book had to retroactively make sense in the context of Red Sapphire, and Ms. Mayers did a great job of making things fit - always a difficulty when you are writing a sequel that actually fills in details of the first book.
This book felt a little dramatic for me. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Maybe more good than bad. New characters either kept popping up or were dragged into the conflict. Part of me was like, "Stop being so messy Rama!!!", but in the context of the book it makes (some) sense. Actually, I like how so many "unfortunate" events such as randoms being caught up in the adventures of Rama, Supriya and Hanuman kept occurring. The extra characters were quite interesting, especially Edward and Ellie (!), and by introducing a plethora of new characters there will be better context for the upcoming 5 books (oh my!).
Props to Ms. Mayer for writing so many interesting female characters. Shanti was a little bit of a damsel in distress, especially with her always swooning over , I got a little sick of it. But overall her arc was interesting, a lot of lore was built through her story, and I can't wait to find out more in the following books.
However, Shanti's final act was so dramatic.. I felt like her behaviour was a little , but what can you say I guess. It was like watching a crazy TV show finale. I really enjoyed it but part of me was like, maybe you could make Shanti
I'm so glad there wasn't really a in this book, and that it was more character and story driven.
Overall, really liked this book. Can't wait to read the sequel..