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12amiridescence's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
It begins with a princess named Malini, required to sacrifice herself at a pyre with her two attendants in respect to the "Mothers of Flame", and when she refuses, she is outcast by her brother, Emperor Chandra, and sentenced to life in prison. Then, there is also a servant girl named Priya who, in her down time, wishes to help village children that have become sick with "the rot" which is a disease that caused a lot of the body to be changed into nature--roots, bark, leaves, buds--and it is believed to be a curse given to this part of the empire by the temple children, who burned along with their elders. As the story advances Priya becomes Malini's maidservant and they try to devise a plan to save themselves--Malini wishing to overthrow her brother, and Priya wishing to understand herself, her past, and her meaning. We eventually learn many things about the temple children, the corrupt empire, the rot, and why so many wish to stick to their beliefs.
The story does a great job combining elements of fate, self-discovery, and family all while providing us with powerful, feminist main characters that happen to fall in love and strive to take down patriarchal roles in society.
I completely loved the wlw representation in the story and was mesmerized by the way the author described many scenes. The hair washing and the waterfall moments were beautifully written and will forever be some of my favorite book-tension moments.
"'I am your loyal servant, my lady," she said hurriedly, filling the silence. 'You can tell me whatever you wish.'
Malini was silent for a time, as Priya untangled her hair, as the water dripped to the floor." (Page 151).
My favorite thing about this book, though, is the strong female leads and how they overturn the patriarchal systems and misogyny they face. Most important to note is Bhumika. Besides feeling so connected to her, and relating to many characteristics, her journey in the story is amazing. She always knew who she was and stayed true to herself, even when many things around her allowed her to be the opposite. She was able to harness this understanding of herself, and eventually step into her power. Slay queen. Feminism was such a major role in this book and I think the author portrayed it perfectly.
"In her years of marriage, Bhumika had made sure of one thing, at least: Vikram was the master of his mahal, but the first loyalty of the majority of maids and children, the soldiers and serving men, those who cooked the food and set the fires, and held arrows and swords against the dark, was to her.
She--the regent's kindly wife, his vapid dove--had saved them. She had given them work and a home. And she demanded nothing in return." (Page 171).
Besides those two things which set the book to be amazing for me was simply the plot and the storyline. The way the romance began and the two main characters developed their trust. The crossover of characters and their journeys. The morally grey elements and how characters discovered themselves. The way the story eventually all fit together. The way certain scenes were detailed and described. The medium pace and the perfect amount of information given. All of it came together to create a great story.
"Pramila snorted. 'And what tales can she tell you, princess? She's likely not even literate. Are you, girl?'
'I am an Ahirani maid,' Priya said, which was not exactly an agreement. 'And no more.'
Malini smiled at her, the barest lift of the corners of her lips, and saw the maidservant's eyes widen a little.
Surely, they both knew that was a lie." (Page 140).
The only thing, though, is that although I rated this 4.5 stars and loved the book, I will probably not read the second due to the fact that I don't feel completely emotionally attached to the characters or plot to continue reading and wanting to know what happens. The book ended in a way where many questions and loose ends were answered and there is not an immediate need to read the second.
Regardless, I LOVED this story and I would 10/10 recommend.
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Misogyny
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Blood, Child abuse, and Drug abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, and Physical abuse
raneyak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Colonisation, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Violence
Minor: Vomit and Domestic abuse
mistyfoot19's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Abandonment, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Blood, War, Sexism, Pregnancy, Medical content, Homophobia, Grief, Classism, and Colonisation
reinedespres's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Body horror
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, War, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Abandonment
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Xenophobia, Classism, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Sexual content, Homophobia, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts
for_esme_with_love's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Drug use
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, War, Blood, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual content
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
- 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
The characters
This book has multiple pov’s but it focuses the most on Malini and Priya. I really enjoyed these characters. They are strong female leads with a bit of a morally gray side to them. One thing I liked less though is that is didn’t really ship them. I shipped Priya more with Sami. But that is just my opinion.
Plot
The story is fun to read but a bit predictable at some points. Not that that is a bad thing persé but I would have liked more plottwists.
Worldbuilding
The worldbuilding is beautifully done. The world is rich with magic, beautiful history and mythology and it is really detailed. We haven’t learned everything this world has to offer so I’m waiting for the next book in this series. The book is slow in the beginning though. It picks up the pace at around 150/170 pages. I have to admit that this is one of those books I almost put down, which would have been a shame.
Storytelling
This book is beautiful written, but to the point. It has some magical quotes but the beginning of the book felt really dry to me.
Recommendations
I would recommend this book to lovers of the unbroken and the deavabad trilogy. Check the triggerwarnings before reading!
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Blood, Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Moderate: Pregnancy and Lesbophobia
soundlysmitten's review
- 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
5.0
It took me about a month to get through this book. To be a fair, I’m a hopelessly slow reader. The pace is also admittedly slow to start, but I don’t actually see that as a flaw. There’s a lot to learn about this new world, its intricate culture and magic, its history and politics. As the first installment in a trilogy, The Jasmine Throne lays its framework down thoroughly. But more than that, beautifully. You just have to be patient—take time to absorb it all—in order to fully appreciate the story and the eloquent language used to tell it.
Told in third-person past tense with multiple narrators, The Jasmine Throne is an impressively woven tale. The main POVs belong to our hidden priestess, Priya, and captive princess, Malini. But there are a number of other secondary POVs that contribute to the full scope of the political landscape. I appreciated being given a glimpse into the minds of other players in the conflict/seeing how they interpret the world and their role in it. All of the characters are authentically complex and the author provides interesting insight regarding their motives, revealing their different faces as the story unfolds. As for the romance, it takes a backseat to Priya’s personal development and the action of the overall plot. But I found that realistic considering the circumstances.
The theme that struck me most deeply is the pursuit of liberation for an oppressed people. Parijat’s aim to obliterate Ahiranya—in livelihood and identity—is heavy, and I feel emotionally invested in seeing things made right. Another theme that struck a chord with me is the untangling of the twisted way those in power warp religion to support flawed and wicked agendas. And I absolutely loved the hopeful way the book ends.
Who runs the world? ;)
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia
kkulhannie's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Addiction, and Vomit
aardwyrm's review
- 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
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Grief, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, and Colonisation
Moderate: Homophobia and Pregnancy