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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a stunning diverse romantasy that retells a story within Hindu mythology. Rao is an exceptional storyteller, and she brings the world of apsaras, sages, and divine machinations to life with breathtaking detail. This story is beautifully written and a fascinating exploration of duty, love, and self-discovery.
One of Rao’s greatest strengths is her ability to make complex topics—like Hindu philosophy—more accessible without diminishing their depth. The mythos and cultural elements woven throughout the story feel genuine and nuanced. Meneka is a compelling protagonist, torn between the life she’s always known and the freedom she desperately craves. Her dynamic with Kaushika is incredible, and their evolving relationship is layered with yearning, mutual respect, and emotional depth. The romance is beautifully developed, striking a balance between passion and introspection, making every moment between them feel earned. They often disagree and I love that he wants to empower instead of control her. SO different than most in the genre.
Beyond the romance, this shines in its intricate world-building and politics. The power struggles among the gods, the role of apsaras beyond their traditional portrayal, and Meneka’s inner turmoil add so many layers. Rao doesn’t just retell a myth—she breathes new life into it, offering a fresh perspective.
This is a must-read for fans of mythological retellings and romantasy. If you loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Kaikeyi, or Circe, you’ll absolutely adore this. I couldn’t put it down and am already eagerly awaiting the next book in the Divine Dancers duology.
Thanks so much to Storygram and the publisher for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
One of Rao’s greatest strengths is her ability to make complex topics—like Hindu philosophy—more accessible without diminishing their depth. The mythos and cultural elements woven throughout the story feel genuine and nuanced. Meneka is a compelling protagonist, torn between the life she’s always known and the freedom she desperately craves. Her dynamic with Kaushika is incredible, and their evolving relationship is layered with yearning, mutual respect, and emotional depth. The romance is beautifully developed, striking a balance between passion and introspection, making every moment between them feel earned. They often disagree and I love that he wants to empower instead of control her. SO different than most in the genre.
Beyond the romance, this shines in its intricate world-building and politics. The power struggles among the gods, the role of apsaras beyond their traditional portrayal, and Meneka’s inner turmoil add so many layers. Rao doesn’t just retell a myth—she breathes new life into it, offering a fresh perspective.
This is a must-read for fans of mythological retellings and romantasy. If you loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Kaikeyi, or Circe, you’ll absolutely adore this. I couldn’t put it down and am already eagerly awaiting the next book in the Divine Dancers duology.
Thanks so much to Storygram and the publisher for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Meneka is an apsara, a celestial dancer sent by Indra, lord of heaven, to stop a sage from speaking out against him. What follows is NOT the romantasy advertised on the cover -- instead it's a beautifully-written retelling of a Hindu legend, which inspired me to look into the culture and folklore for myself. It's a story of self-determination, of discovering your personal power, of SO many different types of love.
The prose is gorgeous and full of lush imagery. I loved it.
The prose is gorgeous and full of lush imagery. I loved it.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Beautifully written, but ultimately not my favourite. The philosophical discussions got a bit too dense and took me out of the story. The Sue Lynn Tan comp is accurate though. If you like purple prose and intense yearning, this is for you.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
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
This book was so good OMG! I loved how it built up and showed the character Meneka as she grew. This story really was great at showing how differing perspectives, The love story and bi rep was also great. I have delved much into Hindu mythology, but I can tell this story does a great job combining mythology and a new tale. I can't wait for book 2.
Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.
Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Legend of Meneka is a fun retelling of Hindu mythology. I am not as familiar with that topic and there is a lot of information to take in, but they also give you a glossary, which was incredibly helpful. It’s a great story about finding the magic within yourself and I think it made a lot of great statements. The found family aspect with the friends Meneka makes at the hermitage was really nice and I enjoyed those charactets a lot. Meneka herself was a very good FMC for the story. She was stubborn and self assured, but also open minded enough to realize she should be questioning certain things she has been taught to believe. Kaushika was an odd character for me. He was a little stiff and I wish we could have gotten to delve into his character and growth more. I also don’t feel like we quite got the romance I would expect from a book listed as Romantasy, but that might just be a personal opinion.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but it ultimately fell a little short for me. It wasn’t bad, and I would absolutely recommend people read it; it just wasn’t quite my thing. The prose was a little too flowery and descriptive for me. It felt like it took a long time for the plot to actually pick up. I will say, it got much more interesting about halfway through, which is why I bumped this up to a 3.5 rating. I have high hopes that the sequel will have more action and romance.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but it ultimately fell a little short for me. It wasn’t bad, and I would absolutely recommend people read it; it just wasn’t quite my thing. The prose was a little too flowery and descriptive for me. It felt like it took a long time for the plot to actually pick up. I will say, it got much more interesting about halfway through, which is why I bumped this up to a 3.5 rating. I have high hopes that the sequel will have more action and romance.
adventurous
challenging
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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