Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

7 reviews

rnbhargava's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing 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

4.25

I loved so much about this Ramayana expansion and partial retelling. The highs and lows are dramatic and I love this book for it. I also love that the title character’s mind is where we exclusively reside in for this retelling given she’s usually depicted as a wicked stepmother type in many Ramayana variations. Seeing her extended family, early days of her marriage, her bonds with her fellow wives and the community of her adopted home Ayodhya. Seeing her build bonds and falter in others. Seeing her reconnect with others across time. I liked the recontextualizinv of Ravana too. The depiction of Rama is done for a specific reason and I kind of loved that surprising shift. I’m sure it ruffled some but I think fine, it’s merely one retelling so if you dislike it, disregard it. The family bonds really define the narrative here and it’s so good to read through. The characterizations of Kaikeyi’s fellow wives could have been expanded but then I guess it would take away from being solely Kaikeyi’s point of view. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Bullying, Classism, Grief, Racism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, and War

The question of free will/manipulation is central to the abilities used by the title character and an few other individuals. The title character is asexual so depending on how you see it, the few sex scenes in the plot could be understood in a few ways. There is definite misogyny throughout the book, even from males that are mostly supportive of progressing rights for women. There’s a specific point in showing it that way. Going against the patriarchy and redefining society happens in time.

not_asha01's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore

lanid's review

adventurous emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Grief, Gore, Misogyny, and Fire/Fire injury

thatswhatmegread's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this mythical retelling. I think there is a lot here that folks would like, but for me (will I ever be able to type or hear “for me” without singing the corn song - probably not) it was the badass FMC, and the focus on equality and improving the lives of others. 

Really enjoyed the depiction of relationships in this, the main FMC, and the themes already mentioned. My only complaint about this book was that it just felt unnecessarily long. I really enjoyed it, but was also ready to finish it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Death

Moderate: Gore

bluejayreads's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I have to start out by saying that I have not read the Ramayana, although it is on my list of things to read eventually. So I had zero context going into this. But I do know I love reading books in interesting settings (ancient India certainly fits that bill) and usually enjoy vilified characters getting to tell their side of the story, especially when said character is a warrior queen fighting against society and the gods themselves to make her mark. I didn’t know if I was going to get an anti-hero or a heroine whose story got told only by her enemies, but I was excited to find out. 

Kaikeyi herself was a fantastic character. As a woman, her purpose in life was to be married off; as a princess, she learned a lot about politics and diplomacy; as a stubborn sister, she convinced her brother to teach her to fight and drive a war chariot. She is also on-page aro-ace, making the eventual marriage an even worse prospect. And she also has a magic that lets her influence others’ thoughts and feelings, which adds an extra dimension to the politics. She wants equality for herself and other women, and she will use all the tools available to fight for it. 

There is a lot of politics and diplomacy in this book. Normally that’s something I don’t enjoy, but Kaikeyi’s magic and its uses in getting her way made it tolerable and sometimes even enjoyable. I also love reading about characters who are good at what they do, and Kaikeyi is very, very good at what she does. I’m sure some of it is the magic, but she’s also had a lot of practice and is determined to make life better and more equal for women. Somehow even the fully political parts never crossed the line into dull. 

I very nearly did not finish this book, and that is not at all the book’s fault. I’ve been under a lot of stress related to an unnecessarily complicated and frustrating move, and apparently my emotions are a little raw. As the book moved towards the end and things kept getting worse and worse as the climax approached, I nearly stopped – not because I didn’t want to see how it ended, but because I couldn’t handle the emotional intensity. I assumed it would have a sad, tragic, likely violent ending (again, have not read the Ramayana, but “vilified queens” rarely have happy endings in any mythology) and I liked Kaikeyi too much to want to watch that happen. 

But I pushed through and I survived (and the ending wasn’t nearly as tragic as I expected). And I am very glad I stuck it out. Even without the context of knowing the Ramayana, Kaikeyi is a great book. I suspect that it would be even more interesting and engaging to someone who knows the original myths of the queen who is reimagined in these pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Abandonment, and Death

Moderate: Blood, Gore, Death of parent, War, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Animal death, Infertility, and Religious bigotry

Forced marriage, sexual content with dubious consent (mentions)

caseythereader's review

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.5

 - If you love retellings like CIRCE or THE WITCH'S HEART, you must pick up KAIKEYI, a reimagining of the Ramayana from the point of view of the queen who banished Rama.
- It's not only a beautifully told page-turner, but an indictment of the patriarchy and the story of a woman lifting up marginalized people and holding her head high when punished for it.
- Plus, Kaikeyi is explicitly asexual and aromantic, and it was a joy to watch her grow close to her husband while never feeling a need to try to change herself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Blood, Murder, Violence, War, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Misogyny

Moderate: Infertility and Sexual content

ekmook's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny