Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

10 reviews

fairyollie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

wow. Tasha Suri is a force to be reckoned with here in fiction: her prose is lyrical and stunning; her worlds rich and robust; her characters complex, and I couldn't get enough. I am a big fan of epic fantasy, of complexity, of chaos, of rebellion and revolution, of political intrigue, and especially of sapphic couples, and all of those loves (and more) bloomed abundantly here. beautiful book, just stunning

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Misogyny, War, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Grief, Death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

secretsoup's review against another edition

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and War

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Violence, War, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racism, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Colonisation, Body horror, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Starvation, homelessness, brothels.

brynalexa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad 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? No

3.5

My main issue with this book was the insistence on using the words “demure” and “gristle” SO often. Otherwise, the  world building, plot, and character choices were a bit clunky at times. Loved the “you can’t stop us” vibes. Did not know it was a trilogy going in. I will definitely be continuing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

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

karcitis's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Murder, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Grief, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Death of parent, Child abuse, Classism, Kidnapping, Vomit, and Alcohol

lolajh'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

5.0

A BEAUTIFUL lesbian slow burn romance

(first kiss isn’t until after page 400)

between a princess and her maidservant, set in India and depicting the varieties of Indian cultures, histories, stories, and morals from different regions. And plant magic! The main characters’ corruption into morally grey characters was perfectly illustrated, creating a lot of tension and pining and unsaid thoughts between them that gave me butterflies a couple times. Their chemistry and love and developing trust for each other leads to the pair discovering and learning to love all parts of each other. They are perfect. Loved seeing some women experiencing rage and revenge and strength, especially Malini, the princess, who proved to not be the “pathetic” person women in royalty is often portrayed to be like and rather someone wanting to overthrow her brother, the emperor, for the good of her empire and people. Both Priya and Malini are such unique and independent people on their own outside of their relationship, which makes their story so special and enjoyable to read. Priya has to learn to control and manipulate her powers well enough in order to fight, (would love to see some training scenes with her and Bhumika in the next book to see her develop her fighting style) and Malini has to stand up for herself after being a doormat walked on for a lot of her life.

That forest scene where they’re surrounded and Priya circles Malini trying to protect her? SO GOOD. And then Malini proving her own power by manipulating the attackers, overcome by rage and wanting to avenge her empire from the rebels so much that she puts both of them in danger and no longer being under Priya’s protection really showed her character that I ended up truly loving. And then every single kiss scene between them is perfect - the imagery and descriptions of what each of them are thinking and doing gave me butterflies! Like the waterfall scene was perfect, as well as the scene in the tent at the end, and when they’re in the woods kissing in front of everyone and not caring about who sees. Even before they confess their feelings when Priya is still her maidservant, her being company to Malini as she gets sicker and holds her hand and washes her and tells her stories FUCK.

And when they are together, boy are they just perfect: the face touches, breathing each other’s name, forehead touches, just everything is so pure and wonderful. And despite Priya’s overwhelming strength that could overpower Malini easily, she NEVER hurts her, even when Malini is hurting Priya. She cannot bring herself to ever harm her. This book BREAKS ME.

And that ending????? Priya becoming a thrice-born elder of Ahiranya and Malini the Prijat empress? These women are powerful as FUCK. Especially Malini just becoming empress when her brother refuses, god I love her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Xenophobia, Body horror, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Blood, Gore, and Torture

andromeda_1998's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

The jasmine throne is one of the books from my Illumicrate book box subscription. And it’s one of those books that I was really hyped for. I expected a great deal since it started to gape on TikTok and well they aren’t wrong. It’s a great book, with a big fantasy setting, a lot of representation and a great story. 

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! 

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Content Warnings

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

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

The Jasmine Throne takes place in a lush fantasy world inspired by India. It tells an utterly feminist story complete with intriguing magic, masterful scheming, unlikely allies, and a sliver of sapphic romance.

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.

With three formidable women stepping up to replace their evil, misguided, inept male counterparts.

Who runs the world? ;)

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Content Warnings

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

challenging dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

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