Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

40 reviews

lady_valhella's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Terminal illness

dragonwriter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

Priya barely escaped being burned on the pyre with her fellow temple children, escaping to the city with her temple brother to beg for survival. When her brother falls ill, he takes her to Bhumika, another surviving temple child, who takes her in to her household as a servant. Now, Priya has returned to the temple, to serve the imprisoned princess, Malini, who refused to walk into her own sacrificial pyre. Though loyal to Bhumika and trying to protect the people relying on them, Priya finds herself sympathetic toward and falling for the princess, who is being slowly poisoned by her vengeful caretaker. As Malini gets sicker and rebels seek to take the temple and steal the secrets of its magic waters, Priya must decide which of the three sides to give her loyalty: the rebels who want to retake her land, the princess who wants to escape her prison, or Bhumika, the temple sister desperate to keep what few people she can safe.

This book was much longer than the books I usually read, and was targeted for a older audience. That gave it the time to go deeper with the world building and character development, and there were several characters that benefited! I especially loved Rhuk, the little beggar boy Priya saves, and Bhumika. I did like Malini, and how she fought to keep herself through the poisoning and the manipulation and isolation. 
The religious misogyny was absolutely frightening! The emperor’s fetish of burning women alive to purify them was terrifying! Especially at the end, when he’s daydreaming about burning his sister 😱 it’s disturbing. 
I will say there were three different religions mentioned/explored in the book, and I thought that level of variety was pretty cool! My favorites were definitely the tree-spirits of Priya’s religion, though they were quite terrifying in their own way.

CW: blatant misogyny, religious trauma, childhood trauma, family trauma, horrific death, plague

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Misogyny, and Pandemic/Epidemic

saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

4.0

"He'd hurt her because he loved her.
Love. As if love excused anything."

A high fantasy about Desi lesbians challenging the government and burning shit down (as they should!) The Burning Throne kept me on the edge of my seat, set in a crumbling empire dealing with a magical illness that makes people grow plants on them and a brewing rebellion, starring likable and stabby characters with shifting allegiances.

The cast is centered around mainly women, mostly our queer protagonists, and all of them are Desi and it was nice to see that diversity in an adult high fantasy. This was really fun to buddy read because of the characters and how well developed and defined they are. I will say I kind of wish there was a little less jumping around so many perspectives with them as it would occasional hinder the pacing. That's a small critique though as mostly the transitions are consistent with the core cast of characters with Priya as the main protagonist.

It's fun? Would that be the right word? Like, it's not a light read per se since it is about war but it is entertaining because of the fast pacing, prose that goes down easy, and blorbos. It's perfect for fans of 'good for her' stories!

Specific TWs: illness (magical), drug addiction including symptoms of withdrawal (fictional drug). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and War

Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Child abuse, Terminal illness, and Murder

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

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

mostlyvoidpartiallystars's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.75

My biggest complaint about this book is that it isn't longer!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Murder, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Confinement, Child death, and Emotional abuse

jessiereads98's review against another edition

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

sophmcgraw's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, War, Sexism, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia

dummehure's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

(this is literally just me rambling this review is so uncoordinated I'm so sorry) This book is genuinely so enticing and it somehow never fails to entertain you. I don't usually read books this long, I'm just not very good at keeping my interests up for that ling but by god this book is making it so easy to just sit there and spend a little time everyday being wrapped up in this beautiful and brutal world Suri created.

The tension between the two main characters is almost unbearable and it makes me feel like I didn't just spend almost the whole book without even a kiss. Talk about a slow burn this was done so amazingly and I adore Priya and Malini together they are so unbelievably different and fit so naturally, their chemistry is insane.

One of my favorites things about this book is the fact that we are exclusively dealing with morally grey characters and we basically have to choose the lesser evil. Also the way religion is handled in this book feels so respectful and truthful. Depending on the POV that we have atm the character is either atheist or of one or the other religion and none is considered the one correct option, every single one has truth in it and there's something so beautiful about that. 
And the plot had me in a chokehold, absolutely captivating!! 
I cannot wait to read the sequel as soon as possible!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, and Drug abuse

Minor: War and Pregnancy

literarycavy's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Pregnancy

terminal illness is fantasy/magic not real