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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
hopeful
reflective
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:
Yes
An imaginative and rich story involving Hindu mythology. It was immerse and had me on the edge of my seat. The characters were so well written.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
Oh man, I enjoyed this one. As a famous non-fan of romantasy, I was surprised at how much I liked this. I knew I would enjoy it, but I didn’t realise just how much I would! I requested the ARC because the premise intrigued me, and I’m always looking for non-Euro-centric mythology inspired books, and this book fit the bill. This book was about an apsara, a Hindu creature of lust and seduction. Her name is Meneka, and this book, while certainly a spicy romantasy, was also a story of self-love, female empowerment, and self-discovery. Meneka was raised and trained to be one thing, but ends up receiving the kind of love that finally pushes her to see if she could be more. The reflections and the inner struggles, as well as the complicated types of love and what they can do to a person, was very deep and thoughtful. This was more nuanced and reflective than I was expecting, which was such a pleasant surprise. The romance scenes were steamy, the betrayals were heart-wrenching, the self-doubt and anguish and feelings of loss were so poignant. This book was what it promised to be, and so much more. I can’t wait for the sequel.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao 4⭐️
⚡️ Enemies to Lovers
⚡️ Slow Burn
⚡️ Hindu Mythology
⚡️ Found Family
⚡️ Self-Discovery
Meneka is an aspara who wants nothing more than to worship her lord and no longer seduce those who would oppose him. She’s sent to seduce one last mark to earn her freedom but multiple of her sisters have failed before her.
Wow this book was so interesting!! I loved that it was different from your typical Romantasy. I really enjoyed watching Meneka discover who she was and come to terms with it. Watching her and Kaushika interact and grow their relationship was really special. The twist at the end was also unexpected for me and I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2. I also love that we got to see Meneka forge relationships with others in the hermitage. It showed her true character and values.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kritika H. Rao for the advanced copy! This is my honest review.
The Legend of Meneka is out 1/21!!
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!
I was completely swept away by this story. I always enjoy any fantasy story based on Hindu Mythology, but this one knocked it out of the park by taking a story that was very unknown to me and exploring it with such lush descriptions and details. The Legend of Meneka is a story that twirls with emotions and tension. I really loved it!
I was completely swept away by this story. I always enjoy any fantasy story based on Hindu Mythology, but this one knocked it out of the park by taking a story that was very unknown to me and exploring it with such lush descriptions and details. The Legend of Meneka is a story that twirls with emotions and tension. I really loved it!
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meneka has finally finished another successful mission for Lord Indra, and for her boon, she’s determined to ask for her freedom.
However, when she returns, there is much concern about a prince called Kaushika who has become a sage and is wreaking havoc on their world. Despite this, Meneka is still determined to ask for her freedom, but when she asks, she is denied unless she could possibly seduce this mortal Kaushika. Desperate, Meneka agrees and says she’ll seduce Kaushika for her freedom.
But when she meets Kaushika, Meneka begins to question everything she believes and has been taught and now has to decide what’s more important, her world or her heart.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn’t dislike it, but I also wasn’t a huge fan.
What I enjoyed was the lush scenery in this book. The description is very beautiful and makes you want to be there and experience it. I also enjoyed the sort of found family that builds in this book, and I really enjoyed a lot of the side characters. I also did like the main characters until about 70% into the book and I feel like everything became so dramatic and no longer as enjoyable.
When I first read the synopsis, I was into it! It sounded exactly like something I would love. However, the mythology in this book seemed to take over most of the story, which is fine, but it felt a bit of an info dump and I admit, I was lost most of the time and had to skim read parts because I was…bored? I wanted more about the characters and their story. Which I got glimpses of here and there, but then they were drowned by the mythology again and again.
Meneka was also an intriguing character and her story about growth and learning about herself I was enjoying until I didn’t. There was unnecessary drama that occurred and I don’t really understand what happened at the end. Meneka was also complaining about her uncertainty and indecision for the entire book that it did get unbearable, even though I still sort of liked her, and then she basically changed as a person and for me the change was a bit sudden and not my favorite.
The romance wasn’t my favorite either. It was basically just these two people who found each other hot and attractive and…fell in love? It was a sort of slow burn, or I think it was supposed to be, but it really wasn’t. It was insta-lust that turned into “love”. And I kind of just didn’t care what happened to their relationship because it wasn’t very believable for me.
It was definitely about Meneka and her finding herself, I just wish it flowed better than it did. It wasn’t a very exciting book, and it bit long for what I was expecting and apparently it’s not done and I’m not sure why. The ending still confuses me. I think this could have been a standalone. I’m not sure I’ll read the next book, but we’ll see.
This just wasn’t really for me, but I’m sure others would really enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
However, when she returns, there is much concern about a prince called Kaushika who has become a sage and is wreaking havoc on their world. Despite this, Meneka is still determined to ask for her freedom, but when she asks, she is denied unless she could possibly seduce this mortal Kaushika. Desperate, Meneka agrees and says she’ll seduce Kaushika for her freedom.
But when she meets Kaushika, Meneka begins to question everything she believes and has been taught and now has to decide what’s more important, her world or her heart.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn’t dislike it, but I also wasn’t a huge fan.
What I enjoyed was the lush scenery in this book. The description is very beautiful and makes you want to be there and experience it. I also enjoyed the sort of found family that builds in this book, and I really enjoyed a lot of the side characters. I also did like the main characters until about 70% into the book and I feel like everything became so dramatic and no longer as enjoyable.
When I first read the synopsis, I was into it! It sounded exactly like something I would love. However, the mythology in this book seemed to take over most of the story, which is fine, but it felt a bit of an info dump and I admit, I was lost most of the time and had to skim read parts because I was…bored? I wanted more about the characters and their story. Which I got glimpses of here and there, but then they were drowned by the mythology again and again.
Meneka was also an intriguing character and her story about growth and learning about herself I was enjoying until I didn’t. There was unnecessary drama that occurred and I don’t really understand what happened at the end. Meneka was also complaining about her uncertainty and indecision for the entire book that it did get unbearable, even though I still sort of liked her, and then she basically changed as a person and for me the change was a bit sudden and not my favorite.
The romance wasn’t my favorite either. It was basically just these two people who found each other hot and attractive and…fell in love? It was a sort of slow burn, or I think it was supposed to be, but it really wasn’t. It was insta-lust that turned into “love”. And I kind of just didn’t care what happened to their relationship because it wasn’t very believable for me.
It was definitely about Meneka and her finding herself, I just wish it flowed better than it did. It wasn’t a very exciting book, and it bit long for what I was expecting and apparently it’s not done and I’m not sure why. The ending still confuses me. I think this could have been a standalone. I’m not sure I’ll read the next book, but we’ll see.
This just wasn’t really for me, but I’m sure others would really enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the romance, I liked the setting and I liked the way it all unfolded. It was really cool to read.
I read a lot of books inspired by different cultures, but this one really struck me as one that could only come from the Hindu culture. Obviously as a retelling it is part of the Hindu mythology, but also the way the Kaushika interacted her. As a teacher but also constantly learning from her. All of them, seeking enlightenment. All these teachings are so intrinsic to Hinduism and I just really enjoyed seeing that playing out in the book.
With other books with seduction plots, I have found they can be a little lacking in action, but with the threat of war, this one was filled with plenty of action and tension.
This is the second book I’ve read from this author and I’m definitely gonna read more.
I was gifted this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Crossposted to thewhisperingofthepages.co.uk
I was gifted this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Crossposted to thewhisperingofthepages.co.uk
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao is a first person-POV retelling of the Hindu legend of Menaka, an apsara, and Vishvamitra. Meneka was created to seduce those her lord, Indra, deems dangerous. When a sage named Kaushika proves a threat to Indra’s reign, Meneka is sent to seduce him in return for her freedom once her mission is complete. But she soon finds herself falling for her mark and questioning if she is being manipulated by the other celestial beings.
I was not familiar with the story of Menaka and had never heard of Vishvamitra before reading this. I have some knowledge of the more popular Hindu figures, but most here were fairly new to mean. Kritika H. Rao does provide a glossary at the beginning of the book to explain the terms used throughout the novel and they are helpful if this is a reader’s first time encountering them as many of the terms are not explained in the text. Rao takes the path of immersing the reader in the world by letting them learn unfamiliar terms via the glossary or from context rather than an aside unless Meneka herself needs an explanation.
Meneka and Kaushika’s romantic arc is one full of push-and-pull, as Meneka stays at his ashram and gets to know him and the other people there, as well as their beliefs, but he initially keeps his distance. Initially, Meneka tries to see what he lusts after and cannot find anything, surprising her. It isn’t until later that she finally sees Kaushika is attracted to her as well, but that he has a good handle on controlling himself. By that point, she is attracted to him as well despite her mission and her relationship back in the heavens with another apsara, Rambha.
As noted in the author’s note, there is a layer of eroticism that never goes away even if there are only a handful of sexual scenes on the page. The original story of Menaka involves her seducing a man and this aspect is never brushed aside or minimized. Meneka has had other lovers and so have many of the other characters, including Rambha, and members of the ashram where Meneka stays. I really appreciated this because Rao makes it clear that sex is not dirty or shameful and that female sexuality is powerful. In a time where it feels like more and more people want to hide that sex even exists, we need works that are not erotica that celebrate the freedom to choose our partners no matter the gender.
I would recommend this to fans of romantic fantasy and Hindu mythology tellings and readers looking for a fantasy that celebrates human sexuality
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5 stars rounded up
For about the first 30% of this book, it felt as though the story was trying to find its stride. Meneka was a very shaky MC at the start too.
But once I passed that 30% mark, I really started to enjoy this book. I started to understand the characters and their complexities more and the story really grabbed my attention.
I really liked Meneka’s arc as she starts to learn about herself and what she wants. I liked the friendships Meneka made and the platonic love between the friends. I had a great time learning the folklore and mythology in this book.
That being said, I’m not totally sure on how happened at the end of this book and it does not feel like a complete arc. For example, Meneka is back in the exact same spot as she was at the beginning of the book, which is frustrating as it feels like any progress we made was just wiped out.
And speaking of feeling incomplete, I have no idea what Meneka and Kaushika’s relationship is. They didn’t fully trust each other, but they’re in love, but they betrayed each other, but it’s fine? And now Meneka will be lying to him again back in the same spot as at the beginning of the book? Not to mention I don’t really trust Kaushika after some of the decisions he made. Just a very messy relationship overall, not sure how I feel about it.
To conclude, there are some parts of this book that were very enjoyable and some parts I didn’t really care for. But if you enjoy a complex MC with wonderful character growth, read this book for Meneka!
3.5/5 stars rounded up
For about the first 30% of this book, it felt as though the story was trying to find its stride. Meneka was a very shaky MC at the start too.
But once I passed that 30% mark, I really started to enjoy this book. I started to understand the characters and their complexities more and the story really grabbed my attention.
I really liked Meneka’s arc as she starts to learn about herself and what she wants. I liked the friendships Meneka made and the platonic love between the friends. I had a great time learning the folklore and mythology in this book.
That being said, I’m not totally sure on how happened at the end of this book and it does not feel like a complete arc. For example, Meneka is back in the exact same spot as she was at the beginning of the book, which is frustrating as it feels like any progress we made was just wiped out.
And speaking of feeling incomplete, I have no idea what Meneka and Kaushika’s relationship is. They didn’t fully trust each other, but they’re in love, but they betrayed each other, but it’s fine? And now Meneka will be lying to him again back in the same spot as at the beginning of the book? Not to mention I don’t really trust Kaushika after some of the decisions he made. Just a very messy relationship overall, not sure how I feel about it.
To conclude, there are some parts of this book that were very enjoyable and some parts I didn’t really care for. But if you enjoy a complex MC with wonderful character growth, read this book for Meneka!