Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

58 reviews

daffodilcherry's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

A really interesting book which beautifully sets up the wider world, a conflict and main characters. I liked both Priya and Malini as individual characters, and their relationship together. I can't wait to see how they change in the next books. 
Wheelhouses: rich worldbuilding, fantasy with female main characters, South Asian inspired fantasy, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, plant based magic, dark fantasy with misogyny without sexual assault / sexual violence. 
Favourite quotes:

["Then you're not the person you think you are," Priya said.
"But I'm going to have to be, Priya. I need to be - the part of me I need to be - can't be good. Or soft. Not to do what's needful." Priya said nothing. She simply tilted her head, listening.
"I am going to have to carve out a new face. A face that can pay the price I need to pay. I am going to become monstrous," Malini said, tasting the weight of the words upon her lips, her tongue. "For so long I have only wanted to escape and survive. But now I am free, and for the sake of my purpose... for the sake of power," she admitted, "I am going to become something other than human. Other than simply not good. I must." 
Priya hesitated. Said, finally, "I'm not sure that's what being powerful means. Losing yourself."]

[Priya looked at Malini. At her back, a forbidding line. "I promise you I'll come," Priya said to her. "I know you don't think much of prophecies. Or portents, or fate, or anything of that sort. But one day I am going to come and find you. By then, I expect you will have long forgotten me. Maybe I'll only be able to walk the edges of whatever mahal you live in, but as... as long as you want me to, I'll come. If you want me to find you, I'll come." There were so many things Priya didn't know how to say.
The moment I saw you, I felt a tug. You are the feeling of falling, the tidal waters, the way a living thing will always turn, seeking light. It isn't that I think you are good or kind, or even that I love you. It is only that, the moment I saw you, I knew I would seek you out. Just as I sought the deathless waters. Just as I sought my brother. Just as I seek all things-without thought, with nothing but want.]

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, and War

aklovekorn's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Drug abuse, Death, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Suicide attempt

dewugging's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Drug use, Pregnancy, and Grief

Minor: War and Homophobia

separatedhats's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, and Misogyny

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Lesbophobia

plesiosaurys's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

personally, i found the romance to be mediocre, but the way this book handles culture, religion, and colonialization is fantastic. some of the best ive ever seen. the only thing i found disappointing was [mild spoilers]

the religion revolves around nature and the forest, but actual descriptions of nature and the forest are vague and nondescript. we have no idea what the wildlife here is like, and the main character who practices this religion doesn't seem interested in learning.

it's the one area where the world feels flat. hopefully this will be addressed in the next book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Grief, Misogyny, Death, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, War, Child death, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Death of parent, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Addiction, Drug use, and Violence

minervacerridwen's review

emotional inspiring mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This book drew me in right away. None of the characters are purely "good" or "evil", and their motives become very clear in the story. It was a fast read, considering the length of the book, helped by the fact that almost every chapter ended in a cliffhanger - but near the end, that was also what started to bother me. Some of the emotional moments in the story could have used a little more time to breathe, but didn't get a chance because the writing style demanded you to read on, on, on. But aside from that small annoyance (I mean, it's not the worst thing to have to say about a book :P), I adored the intricate worldbuilding and the magic, and the way even plants brought both beauty and destruction.

The only thing I still don't quite know how to picture (maybe it's a fault of my own imagination or I missed something?) is the climb of the Hirana. It returned several times, but somehow my mind remained undecided on how it would look, and that distracted me a little.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Body horror, Classism, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexism, Violence, and War

leanne_miron's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Child death, Death, Addiction, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Genocide, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

galliardbard's review

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Pregnancy, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, and Grief

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

jessiereads98's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Excellent high fantasy and excellent feminist storytelling. This is how you create a feminist story without monologues that seem out character or long bits of exposition that are discordant with the tone and atmosphere of the story. I loved the world, politics, and magic of this book. The characters are complex and I do find it difficult at times to fully understand some of them. I may not be picking up inferences I’m meant to. I do find the romance between the two main characters to be a bit underdeveloped. I found it difficult to follow the development of chemistry between the characters and progression of the relationship. It seemed as if we were told they were here in the relationship and had these feelings for each other without really seeing that develop. It wasn’t out of the realm of believability though and did not really take away from the overall story for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Murder, Violence, Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Grief, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Terminal illness

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, War, Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Physical abuse

trashboatwinter's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Drug use, War, Confinement, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy