Reviews with content warning for War - Kaikeyi

Reviews tagging 'War'

charlereads's review

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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anxiousnachos's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

4.5 stars.

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

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random19379's review against another edition

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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

ending is rushed

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miak2's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-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

I could not change the minds of gods, but I could change the minds of men. p.180

This book was everything. I think I've struggled with some other feminist mythology retellings because they don't actually seem to give that much agency to their female leads. Kaikeyi, however. God, what a badass. I especially appreciated that her strength came from her fierce determination and ability to navigate social and political situations. She could also absolutely dominate with a spear too, but her strength came from so much more than that.

I applaud Patel's ability to write a feminist story set in a patriarchal time, but with complex and interesting male characters as well. It would have been easy to make them all loud examples of sexism, but instead she skillfully demonstrated how systems that are designed to oppress women continue to work even within the most well-intentioned individuals. Yudhajit, Dasharath, and even Rama were all good people. Flawed and complex, but good. And yet they all, in some way or another, believed and perpetuated narratives about what women should do and are capable of doing. It was heartbreaking to read this from Kaikeyi's perspective, to see how much she loved her family while also feeling so hurt by their beliefs and their actions.

Patel did such a good job ramping up the tension throughout the book. She dropped hints and warnings about what was to come, and by the time I got to the fourth (and final) section, I was practically cowering behind my hands, afraid to read any further. Even though I was unfamiliar with the Ramayana going in, I had this pit in my stomach about how the climax would go, and my god it was so much worse than I thought.

But! It was all done really beautifully. Everything tied up so well, and there were some touching callbacks to earlier moments in the book. And, above it all, I am just so proud of Kaikeyi. She was so unbelievably strong and tenacious and honest and raw throughout the book, and I feel honored that I got to experience her side of the story.

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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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.

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maya_reads_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.75

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caidyn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective 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

4.5

Most books that are compared to Circe don't deserve that comparison. This book does completely. I loved that Kaikeyi was flawed and people told her so. I love that the story focused on aspects of the Ramayana that I'd never heard of. Basically, a fantastic book to add to the growing retellings that feature characters never explored before.

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