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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about the Indian, Hindu, and some Muslim cultures and this period in history that I was not as familiar with. I liked that the book was told from Sati POV instead of the Rani herself. Great book and highly recommend if you like historical fiction.
My first Moran book was [b:Nefertiti|481446|Nefertiti|Michelle Moran|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320449831s/481446.jpg|2897082] and I liked it so much that I told myself I'd read more of her works. I learned so much from this book, which is what I usually expect after reading a historical fiction book but may not always happen. This novel introduced me to something called the Durga Dal, which is the name for the queen of India's (rani) elite all-female personal guard. I was absolutely floored by this. I hope to learn more about it through other books and articles. As for the actual plot, the narrator is Sita, a woman who is part of the Durga Dal, and she serves as the reader's eyes and ears and, what's more, heart. Through her my own frustration and even intense dislike of the British as they unfairly took over India and used the ranito suit their own purposes when it was convenient for them grew. I doubt anyone who reads this book will come to the end and still maintain an intense fondness for the British monarchy. What I most enjoyed, however, was how the book is full of multidimensional characters, multidimensional women in a place of high position, not saying, "Look at me, I am a strong female figure," but rather simply saying, "I am."
The book is well-written and compulsively readable, with a likeable heroine and an admirable focus on female characters and the relationships between them. However, that heroine is not the title Rebel Queen, who ends up a supporting character in her own story. Moreover, said titular rebellion is little more than an endnote in a novel that largely deals with courtly intrigue and catfighting. I had hoped to read a novel about one of my favorite historical figures and the major historical events she was involved in, but, frankly, felt cheated out of this.
Additionally, while I trust that Moran did a great deal of research for this novel, I became rather leery about accuracy when multiple events in the novel seemed to run contrary to research and accounts I had read earlier. This was compounded by Moran referring to the god Indra as a goddess, a rather amateurish mistake. (Perhaps due to the “-a” name ending?)
Overall, this is an interesting book that I would recommend to readers of historical fiction who know nothing about Jhansi ki Rani and the time period in which she lived, as they will not have the issues with the book that I did.
