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anxiousnachos's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Wow, can’t quite believe I read almost 500 pages in just over 24 hours! In this climate! I really enjoyed this, definitely see the Circe comparisons, but I think readers who loved The Witch’s Heart will also love this. I knew none of the mythology of the Ramayana before reading this so I discovered the story for the first time as I read and I was completely enthralled, I couldn’t put this book down. It’s so full of women trying to fight for control of their lives, railing against both men and the gods that seek to subdue them. My only nitpick is that it is so *heavy* on this. My feeling finishing this book is an overwhelming sense of futility and hopelessness and anger for Kaikeyi which is a rather unfulfilling feeling to end a book on. It does end on a slightly more positive note, but after so much pain, Kaikeyi taking hit after hit…it’s kind of hard to come back from. Fuck men, seriously.
Anyway if you read either Circe or The Witch’s Heart, definitely pick this up.
OH and the protagonist is aroace!! And it’s woven in really well.
Content warnings: misogyny, sexism, like so much, men being complete shits, neglect, domestic abuse, war, murder, manipulation/control
Anyway if you read either Circe or The Witch’s Heart, definitely pick this up.
OH and the protagonist is aroace!! And it’s woven in really well.
Content warnings: misogyny, sexism, like so much, men being complete shits, neglect, domestic abuse, war, murder, manipulation/control
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse
random19379's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Misogyny, Abandonment, Abortion, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Murder, Kidnapping, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and War
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
- If you love retellings like CIRCE or THE WITCH'S HEART, you must pick up KAIKEYI, a reimagining of the Ramayana from the point of view of the queen who banished Rama.
- It's not only a beautifully told page-turner, but an indictment of the patriarchy and the story of a woman lifting up marginalized people and holding her head high when punished for it.
- Plus, Kaikeyi is explicitly asexual and aromantic, and it was a joy to watch her grow close to her husband while never feeling a need to try to change herself.
- It's not only a beautifully told page-turner, but an indictment of the patriarchy and the story of a woman lifting up marginalized people and holding her head high when punished for it.
- Plus, Kaikeyi is explicitly asexual and aromantic, and it was a joy to watch her grow close to her husband while never feeling a need to try to change herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Blood, Murder, Violence, War, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Misogyny
Moderate: Infertility and Sexual content
readandfindout's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Worldbuilding: 3.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Worldbuilding: 3.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: War, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Domestic abuse
alexiab's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-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
5.0
GOOD HEAVENS GIVE THIS BOOK ALL THE STARS. ALL OF THEM. I AM OVERWHELMED.
WOW what an incredible book. I absolutely love mythology that expects its reader to know the ending and still manages to pull every dang emotion out of the reader on the way there. I wasn't overly familiar with the Ramayana, but I could see where the story was leading and the narrative voice for Kaikeyi - who tells the story like she is reflecting on her life - was absolutely perfect to tell this kind of story.
The prose is beautiful, the characters were exceptional, I was so emotionally invested that I felt my dang heart breaking every time Kaikeyi suffered. I love a feminist retelling of a blatantly patriarchal story, particularly in such a religious setting, and I can't imagine any myth retellings get better than this.
WOW what an incredible book. I absolutely love mythology that expects its reader to know the ending and still manages to pull every dang emotion out of the reader on the way there. I wasn't overly familiar with the Ramayana, but I could see where the story was leading and the narrative voice for Kaikeyi - who tells the story like she is reflecting on her life - was absolutely perfect to tell this kind of story.
The prose is beautiful, the characters were exceptional, I was so emotionally invested that I felt my dang heart breaking every time Kaikeyi suffered. I love a feminist retelling of a blatantly patriarchal story, particularly in such a religious setting, and I can't imagine any myth retellings get better than this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Death, Murder, and War
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kaikeyi is based on Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic; my review is based solely on the novel — I have not read Ramayana and my familiarity with it is very, very limited. I encourage folks to seek out reviews written by Hindu readers — I am not at all in a place to comment on the relationship of this novel to its source material.
As an epic spanning quite a few decades which seamlessly incorporates political maneuvering, complex familiar & interpersonal relationships, and an interesting form of magic unlike anything I’ve ever read before, I enjoyed Kaikeyi. The first-person POV of Kaikeyi felt well established, changing as Kaikeyi aged and grew but remaining cohesive; her relationships with other characters were also well written. I felt like the author’s representation of Kaikeyi as asexual was nuanced and respectful (though, here, I encourage folks to read reviews by ace readers). I do feel like the feminist angle could’ve been much more subtle and nuanced than it was, and that many of the characters could’ve been more morally complex (rather than straightforwardly ‘all good’ or ‘all bad’) than they were. A solid debut novel — I look forward to seeing what Patel writes next.
Content warnings: violence, murder, injury, death, grief, war, sexism, brief mentions of domestic abuse
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.
As an epic spanning quite a few decades which seamlessly incorporates political maneuvering, complex familiar & interpersonal relationships, and an interesting form of magic unlike anything I’ve ever read before, I enjoyed Kaikeyi. The first-person POV of Kaikeyi felt well established, changing as Kaikeyi aged and grew but remaining cohesive; her relationships with other characters were also well written. I felt like the author’s representation of Kaikeyi as asexual was nuanced and respectful (though, here, I encourage folks to read reviews by ace readers). I do feel like the feminist angle could’ve been much more subtle and nuanced than it was, and that many of the characters could’ve been more morally complex (rather than straightforwardly ‘all good’ or ‘all bad’) than they were. A solid debut novel — I look forward to seeing what Patel writes next.
Content warnings: violence, murder, injury, death, grief, war, sexism, brief mentions of domestic abuse
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse
kathleencoughlin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'm less familiar with the Ramayana than with the origins of other retellings of mythology that I've read, and I decided not to review beforehand so I could discover the story as it unfolded. Regardless, Patel was able to invoke the same sort of sinking dread of dramatic irony as the story draws closer and closer to the ending set out in the source material. What I think was particularly successful about Kaikeyi was the clear parallel between that feeling in the reader and Kaikeyi's warring feelings of hope and futility at altering the narrative that the gods had preordained for her and her children.
Women's perspectives are often left out of the stories of "great men" or are used to propel them towards their destinies. However, as stated in the author's note, the goal of this book was to "give voice not just to its titular character but to the many women who populate the world of the Ramayana and have rich and worthy lives if their own." I think the book overall, but particularly the ending, achieved this goal. The story did not end with Kaikeyi "fulfilling her purpose" in Rama's story and losing most of the life she built. Instead we return back to the market with Manthara. Since her first visit all those years ago and throughout her time as radnyi, Kaikeyi worked hard to build opportunity and dignity for women. It seems really fitting then in the closing of the narrative that we would return back to them so she/we could see her lasting impact on the women of Kosala and ultimately conclude on a fairly positive note. While Kaikeyi seemed to take loss after loss in the latter half of the book, many of the changes she pushed for did win out despite the narrative that had been spun about her and was solidified into legend.
Women's perspectives are often left out of the stories of "great men" or are used to propel them towards their destinies. However, as stated in the author's note, the goal of this book was to "give voice not just to its titular character but to the many women who populate the world of the Ramayana and have rich and worthy lives if their own." I think the book overall, but particularly the ending, achieved this goal. The story did not end with Kaikeyi "fulfilling her purpose" in Rama's story and losing most of the life she built. Instead we return back to the market with Manthara. Since her first visit all those years ago and throughout her time as radnyi, Kaikeyi worked hard to build opportunity and dignity for women. It seems really fitting then in the closing of the narrative that we would return back to them so she/we could see her lasting impact on the women of Kosala and ultimately conclude on a fairly positive note. While Kaikeyi seemed to take loss after loss in the latter half of the book, many of the changes she pushed for did win out despite the narrative that had been spun about her and was solidified into legend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment, War, and Murder
Minor: Blood, Infertility, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse
ekmook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
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