Scan barcode
12amiridescence's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
5.0
This book was excellent. At first, I was quite confused due to the different stories, characters, and the logistics of the belief systems and positions. As I continued and things began to make more sense, this book was quite enjoyable.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Bullying, Death, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Forced institutionalization
seabanshee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I had a lot of expectations going into this book, and a good chunk of them weren’t met, and that’s fine. This book wasn’t for me, though I had really wished it was. Every stellar review I read had me determined that this would be one of my top reads for the year only for it to get shelved for a few months at the 50% mark. And that is perfectly okay.
This isn’t a bad book by any means. Many people adore the pacing and characterizations whereas I felt that nothing was happening for 70% of the book. I rated it higher than what I intended because there were some parts that I really enjoyed, and I thought the creative execution was stunning. And subjectively, I don’t think this book deserves a 1 or 2 star rating because it’s a great book for what it is.
Characters
Priya’s a great protagonist. She’s clever, kind-hearted, determined to do what she feels is right despite others telling her she’s wrong, and just fierce. She’s a survivor with a rich yet traumatic pass, and her conflict between past, present, and future is an interesting take. She and Rao were my favorites; I felt they had the best characterizations in the book.
Malini was my least favorite. I found her incredibly unlikable despite her circumstances and unfair position (maybe that’s the point, but it’s still unclear). Every time I read her POV, I was filled with frustration and anger. She was always lying and trying to use people, and I understand that was the only tactic she had. It’s understandable. However, having her POV and witness her true intentions toward Priya, the incredibly likable main protagonist—it’s a tall order to ask me to like her. Not to mention the number of times Malini made mental notes of how Priya wasn’t lovely or pretty appearance wise. Such a turn off. Every time she said “I’ve always been my true self to you” or “I’ve never lied to you,” I rolled my eyes because she, of course, was lying. The only time I really felt any sympathy for her was when she reunited with her brother, and he was a cowardly dick to her due to his chosen ignorance of her pain.
Rao was very likable, like Priya, and I felt his setup was incredibly interesting albeit predictable. I knew from the moment I met Malini that she wouldn’t sit on the sideline; she’d rule. I feel the course of events made that very obvious, so it makes me wish Rao’s prophecy was a bit more…unpredictable or grand? But it served its purpose.
Romance
As I mentioned, I didn’t like Malini or how she constantly wanted to use Priya, so I genuinely could not care about their romance. Their interactions felt incredibly dull after knowing Malini’s perspective. Then when they finally kissed, it felt so rushed and out of place because I felt zero chemistry from them considering their situations and mindsets. It really felt like insta-love despite it happening around the 70-80% mark. I feel like Priya had more of an interesting relationship with the Yaksa.
Lore
Hands down the best part of the book for me. The lore was crafted so well, and my reaction was a mix of awe and horror. From the rot-ridden corpses to their shapeshifting abilities to the sacred wood daggers for hollowing, it was beautifully executed and was singlehandedly the only thing that kept me reading. I don’t know if I’ll continue this series, but I would love to read more on this cosmic creatures shrouded in mystery.
This isn’t a bad book by any means. Many people adore the pacing and characterizations whereas I felt that nothing was happening for 70% of the book. I rated it higher than what I intended because there were some parts that I really enjoyed, and I thought the creative execution was stunning. And subjectively, I don’t think this book deserves a 1 or 2 star rating because it’s a great book for what it is.
Characters
Priya’s a great protagonist. She’s clever, kind-hearted, determined to do what she feels is right despite others telling her she’s wrong, and just fierce. She’s a survivor with a rich yet traumatic pass, and her conflict between past, present, and future is an interesting take. She and Rao were my favorites; I felt they had the best characterizations in the book.
Malini was my least favorite. I found her incredibly unlikable despite her circumstances and unfair position (maybe that’s the point, but it’s still unclear). Every time I read her POV, I was filled with frustration and anger. She was always lying and trying to use people, and I understand that was the only tactic she had. It’s understandable. However, having her POV and witness her true intentions toward Priya, the incredibly likable main protagonist—it’s a tall order to ask me to like her. Not to mention the number of times Malini made mental notes of how Priya wasn’t lovely or pretty appearance wise. Such a turn off. Every time she said “I’ve always been my true self to you” or “I’ve never lied to you,” I rolled my eyes because she, of course, was lying. The only time I really felt any sympathy for her was when she reunited with her brother, and he was a cowardly dick to her due to his chosen ignorance of her pain.
Rao was very likable, like Priya, and I felt his setup was incredibly interesting albeit predictable. I knew from the moment I met Malini that she wouldn’t sit on the sideline; she’d rule. I feel the course of events made that very obvious, so it makes me wish Rao’s prophecy was a bit more…unpredictable or grand? But it served its purpose.
Romance
As I mentioned, I didn’t like Malini or how she constantly wanted to use Priya, so I genuinely could not care about their romance. Their interactions felt incredibly dull after knowing Malini’s perspective. Then when they finally kissed, it felt so rushed and out of place because I felt zero chemistry from them considering their situations and mindsets. It really felt like insta-love despite it happening around the 70-80% mark. I feel like Priya had more of an interesting relationship with the Yaksa.
Lore
Hands down the best part of the book for me. The lore was crafted so well, and my reaction was a mix of awe and horror. From the rot-ridden corpses to their shapeshifting abilities to the sacred wood daggers for hollowing, it was beautifully executed and was singlehandedly the only thing that kept me reading. I don’t know if I’ll continue this series, but I would love to read more on this cosmic creatures shrouded in mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Classism, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Torture, and Sexism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
keyneston's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An excellently written book that steps outside the norm of High Fantasy. Both from a culture prespective and relationship prespective.
The writing is top notch, the characters intreseting, and the trials are fear inducing and sometimes sickening. It is a book that reguarly causes my emotions climb.
The writing is top notch, the characters intreseting, and the trials are fear inducing and sometimes sickening. It is a book that reguarly causes my emotions climb.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Torture
northseawitch's review against another edition
I loved the concept of this, and the writing was great after reading several books beforehand with bad prose, but it felt like a chore to read. Everything was presented so vaguely and honestly boring and I found myself trying to force myself to read a chapter every now and then hoping that it would pick up. If you don't mind the drag and think it sounds interesting, definitely give it a try 3/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Death
hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Biphobia, Body horror, Genocide, Abandonment, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and War
cedence's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was a thrilling experience. It blew past my expectations in so many ways.
Review on my blog.
https://cedence.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-jasmine-throne-by-tasha-suri-book.html?m=1
Review on my blog.
https://cedence.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-jasmine-throne-by-tasha-suri-book.html?m=1
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia and Gore
kilic's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Violence, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, and War
lexisrat's review against another edition
adventurous
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? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Drug abuse, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
I really liked this book and the messages behind it involving feminism and strong lgbtqia+ women which is misrepresented a lot in media. However, I find it hard to conjure up images in my head and this book doesn’t really help aid that and I got lost pretty quickly around what was what in this new world.lore369's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Classism, Violence, and Death