You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
fareehareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's funny how many times I picked up this book and put it down now that I've actually finished it, because wow. I've stumbled upon my favorite read of this year thus far. This book is absolutely gorgeous. I love a good mythology retelling especially when told from the female perspective since most myths (from any culture in the world really, take your pick) often use women as ploys, foils, distractions, and of course villains in the man's epic tale.
Kaikeyi of Kekaya is not that simple. This retelling is from the Indian epic: Ramayana which has been told and retold may times over, similar to the Greek retellings we see saturating the publishing world today (I'd especially say to Medusa & Circe fans that you'll love Kaikeyi). This myth gives credit to and fully shapes this strong character who, in most depictions, is described as an evil stepmother figure that callously banishes Rama and causes pain across the land. In Kaikeyi's tale, we see a rounded human being that was often disrespected, belittled for her sex, and forsaken by the gods she fervently prayed to her whole life. We follow her life as she makes one calculated decision after the other to do best by her children, her kingdom, her people, specifically the women of her kingdom. She expands women's rights in a way that is almost seamless and such an incredibly cathartic inclusion for me as a reader, I'd love to see more fantasy novels that acknowledge small changes in kindgoms as well as large ones, it makes for a more well rounded setting (and is just so much more entertaining to read).
The worldbuilding in this story is just incredible and I have to gush about it. As Kaikeyi is growing up in her home land, Patel does such an incredible job solving a problem I see in so many fantasy epic stories make. They often brush past or rush through the growing up part, choosing instead to have a time skip and not really show what a lone kid in a large castle was up to. Instead, Patel embraces the still quiet moments, and shows us just how much Kaikeyi is up to. We watch her learn how to control her abilities, how to bend people to her will and how to practice restraint, we see what her day to day life is like when she starts training with Yudhajit and after her mother leaves we see as she slowly takes up house duties as a yuvrani (young queen), how her brothers defer to her, how her father barely acknowledges her until she needs to marry etc.
Reading this book was like flipping through a very detailed character study, and that's not a criticism, it's what made me enjoy the story even more. By the time she reaches adulthood and motherhood, I know Kaikeyi well. I understand her character motivations and it makes me root for her even more. Which is of course the point of framing a narrative around a character whose perspective is never often spoken about but damn it needs to be reiterated that this book is as clever as it is entertaining.
The finite details, the threads weaved between people binding them to her and to each other, the politics of men and women, the beasts and legends and myths, it was an absolute delight to read. I loved every second of this book. The prose is excellent, the story is engaging throughout, and without knowing the original epic I could see the bones of the story that is obviously in front of me, but Kaikeyi's version breaths such different air into it in such an artful manner, I was absolutely taken by it.
Definitely bump this higher on your TBR, I don't know why more people don't sing praises for this book, it deserves it!
Kaikeyi of Kekaya is not that simple. This retelling is from the Indian epic: Ramayana which has been told and retold may times over, similar to the Greek retellings we see saturating the publishing world today (I'd especially say to Medusa & Circe fans that you'll love Kaikeyi). This myth gives credit to and fully shapes this strong character who, in most depictions, is described as an evil stepmother figure that callously banishes Rama and causes pain across the land. In Kaikeyi's tale, we see a rounded human being that was often disrespected, belittled for her sex, and forsaken by the gods she fervently prayed to her whole life. We follow her life as she makes one calculated decision after the other to do best by her children, her kingdom, her people, specifically the women of her kingdom. She expands women's rights in a way that is almost seamless and such an incredibly cathartic inclusion for me as a reader, I'd love to see more fantasy novels that acknowledge small changes in kindgoms as well as large ones, it makes for a more well rounded setting (and is just so much more entertaining to read).
The worldbuilding in this story is just incredible and I have to gush about it. As Kaikeyi is growing up in her home land, Patel does such an incredible job solving a problem I see in so many fantasy epic stories make. They often brush past or rush through the growing up part, choosing instead to have a time skip and not really show what a lone kid in a large castle was up to.
Reading this book was like flipping through a very detailed character study, and that's not a criticism, it's what made me enjoy the story even more. By the time she reaches adulthood and motherhood, I know Kaikeyi well. I understand her character motivations and it makes me root for her even more. Which is of course the point of framing a narrative around a character whose perspective is never often spoken about but damn it needs to be reiterated that this book is as clever as it is entertaining.
The finite details, the threads weaved between people binding them to her and to each other, the politics of men and women, the beasts and legends and myths, it was an absolute delight to read. I loved every second of this book. The prose is excellent, the story is engaging throughout, and without knowing the original epic I could see the bones of the story that is obviously in front of me, but Kaikeyi's version breaths such different air into it in such an artful manner, I was absolutely taken by it.
Definitely bump this higher on your TBR, I don't know why more people don't sing praises for this book, it deserves it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I love when people retell stories in ways that uproot it from the bigoted views from the time it was written. It was kind of slow but even without having previous contact with the Ramayana, the impending sense of doom compelled me to read on and by the last ~80 pages I couldn't put the book down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Medical content, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
kirstym25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, and War
not_asha01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kayfab's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and War
jasmineathenaeum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I've been anticipating reading this book since before it even came out but I didn't get around reading it until now because I was scared I overhyped it. However, Vaishnavi Patel did not disappoint at all. I absolutely loved everything about this book, from its vivid world building to its complex characters. Patel provided a multidimensionality to every Ramayana character that I have never seen before. The portrayal of Rama and other gods as fallible was thought-provoking and offered a criticism of Hindu orthodoxy that Hindutva fascists often try to squash.
I agree with other reviews that the ending was a bit rushed, but that aside, this is an amazing debut novel and I can't wait to read more of Vaishnavi Patel's writings in the future.
I agree with other reviews that the ending was a bit rushed, but that aside, this is an amazing debut novel and I can't wait to read more of Vaishnavi Patel's writings in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Misogyny
madzie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Epic. Emotional. Poignant. Patel weaves an irresistible story with characters so compelling you will want to follow them everywhere. She retells a classic story with enough innovative twists to blow your mind and make you reconsider the story in a new light. Though rest assured, you don't need to know about the Ramayana to enjoy this novel. Helped along by her vivid, voice-filled, yet easy-to-read writing, Patel approaches relevant topics of what it is really like to be a woman in society and how women have been reclaiming their stories for generations. However, thankfully Patel never stoops to tropes of making women the villains of each others' stories, instead highlighting the power of their relationships and friendships. Her approach to ideas of power and how humans have handled it reaches deep and offers new insights. On top of it all, Patel perfectly entwines queer themes in a way we desperately need them, highlighting ace and aro realities and how fulfilling our lives and how epic stories can be without romance. Circe used to be my favorite retelling, but I have to say this book has blown it out of first place (with love).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent and War
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i really loved this. the characters were so well rounded and i loved the development they had. the plot was so interesting and i really enjoyed reading it!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
zombiezami's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infertility, Physical abuse, Medical content, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, and Xenophobia
_seanna_nicole_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Abandonment