Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - The Jasmine Throne

I wanted to love this book more than I did, but I think it really needed a more ruthless editor. There are parts that just get too mired in dialogue to be enjoyable, and the

imprisonment on the Hirana

could have benefitted from tighter writing. On the positive side, I adored the world building and the characters were interesting. It's a beautiful world, I hope we get to see more of it in the next book.

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rosemary_for_remembrance's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.0

Series title is apt. Giant fantasy books about kingdom-scale power struggles aren't my favorite genre, but I generally enjoyed this one. It's nice to see a fantasy South Asian setting, and I thought the different religions were a good way to insert magic into the story, although I'm still not sure what the Mothers do for anyone.

There's a lot of "people making ethically problematic decisions for the Greater Good" that I don't especially love, but, hey, it's part of the genre, and most of the characters are reasonably self-aware about it at least. Some good stuff about colonialism, but Chandra is so cartoonishly evil that the book doesn't really feel like it has a lot of nuance.

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barbiereads75's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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maur_damar's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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kermitthefrog3000's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.5

I was fully immersed in the Indian inspired world with such complex characters with even more complex relationships. Bhumika was an unexpected stand out POV character for me and the tension and dynamic between Priya and Malini were a highlight of the book. However, I was hooked on the magic system and the relationship these characters had with power both physically and in the form of their values and ideals. Will be jumping into the next book ASAP.

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micksland's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4 stars

Winner: 2022 World Fantasy Award
Nominee: 2022 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel

___

This is a very intriguing epic fantasy novel inspired by various cultures on the Indian subcontinent. It takes traditional fantasy novel tropes and reinterprets them outside the Eurocentric motifs that many modern fantasy novels use.

I loved the character development throughout the novel. The main characters are Malini, the disgraced sister of the Emperor, and her maid Priya, who is much more than she appears. The author did a great job at exploring the different ethnic backgrounds, class differences, and religious beliefs of these characters as they seek to overthrow the Emperor. I do wish that the emperor had some more character development, because he is presented as simply an evil religious fanatic who needs to be replaced. If he had more page time, I think the narrative would have been stronger. Nevertheless, a very fun read and I’ll pick up the sequel!

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majamatcha's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0

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noramartn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring slow-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

3.75

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