Book Title: The Chariot at Dusk (The Tiger at Midnight #3)
Author: Swati Teerdhala
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Description from Goodreads:

Esha is reeling from Kunal’s betrayal, but she has a kingdom to rule from behind a thin smokescreen—pretending to be Princess Reha while she sends her most trusted soldiers to collect Reha and Kunal by any means necessary. Traitors, after all, must be punished.

But the Yavar are attacking from every front—tracking down Kunal and Reha in the remote mountains, kidnapping Harun—in search of legendary artifacts that will give them the power to break the precarious janma bond and release the destructive magic back into the lands.

Now that the race is on to find the missing artifacts, Esha must put aside her rage and work with Kunal again—but can she find the strength to forgive him, or will the Viper have her revenge at any cost?

In the final book of Swati Teerdhala’s epic fantasy trilogy, the lands’ fate, their people’s livelihoods, and the bond that sustains their world all depend on what Kunal and Esha can offer—to the gods and to each other.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 

While I absolutely adore this series, I found The Chariot at Dusk to be the weakest of the trilogy. Not bad by any means, but a letdown nonetheless. The pacing is so fast and the plot so bloated that the quiet moments from the first two books that helped establish the world and realize the characters are nonexistent. The plot could have easily spanned two entire books which would’ve created breathing room for the more character-driven scenes I’ve come to love.

First thing’s first: while I held out hope, the love triangle between Esha, Kunal, and Harun does not pay off. Instead, it actually seems to cheapen Esha’s relationships with both men. Harun is such a stand-up guy with so much respect for Esha and the two have a ton of history. Their romantic tension always made sense to me, but it’s resolved so quickly that I’m left wondering why it was included at all. For such a deep connection, I want a little more messiness. Some feeling. Some oomph.

Meanwhile, Esha and Kunal have tons of chemistry. Since the first book, they’ve seemed to just get each other like kindred spirits. Which is why I understand Esha’s feelings at the start of this book. What I’m surprised by is where Esha and Kunal land after never working through their issues. They have a series of repetitive conversations where both stubbornly refuse to see the other’s point of view, which seems out of character for both. When they go off on a solo mission toward the book’s end, I thought we’d finally get a chance to see them come to an understanding. But no, instead they barely talk—what a wasted opportunity!

Conflict is a weak point in Chariot at Dusk. Yamini is an underdeveloped villain who shows up briefly at pivotal moments out of nowhere to say some mysterious lines, before disappearing again. She feels more like a caricature to me—similar to the Team Rocket villains of Pokemon—which makes it hard for me to believe she’s the toughest adversary Esha has ever faced, especially given Teerdhala has established Esha as the unbeatable Viper throughout the trilogy. 

And after so much build up to the lost princess, I also find Reha’s characterization disappointing. I’m left wondering, who is Reha and why is she the best choice for a leader? Why should this teenager literally no one knows be made Queen? Because she can fight well? I might’ve cared more if we really got to know Reha. There was certainly ample opportunity to explore her character more on her initial adventure with Kunal. 

I hate feeling this way because these characters are truly amazing and I still highly recommend this series. In The Tiger at Midnight, I loved the cat-and-mouse game played between Esha and Kunal, as well as the feelings the two explored—both romantic feelings, but also their own inner reflections. The Archer at Dawn captivated me with the political intrigue and the excitement of the competition. I loved seeing Kunal reckon with his decisions, especially once faced with his former comrade Laksh. Similarly, the Scales versus the Blades was an exciting battle of wills and strategy.

Unfortunately, The Chariot at Dusk is repetitive, the plot bogged down by boring tropes. Don’t get me wrong, I generally don’t have a problem with tropes—a lot of times I even specifically look for them. And to be clear, this book isn’t bad. But there aren’t any stunning takes and the supreme level of characterization we’ve come to know is sacrificed for plot. While I’ll always love these characters and this world, I wish we’d gotten more emotion and growth in the final installment.