Reviews

I found myself enthralled by the first half of the book. The language was so luscious and evocative. I was fascinated. And even though I disagreed with the idea of this being a love story between two people (that man was her father's age and she was just 15, ew), I still found the story to be very compelling. But, the later half lost nearly all that magic. The pacing was off. We were suddenly speeding through the events of her life, with little regard as to how they made sense. For example her mistakes, we were told how she felt, but we could hardly understand the stark shift in her character that made her behave so foolishly. It just wasn't convincing. Another great issue is that we were told instead of shown. Things were overly explained and there was so much repetition.
However, I had never heard about this story before, and I'm glad I know now. It was also well researched and it handled its subject matter with respect and sincerity. I also acknowledge how incredibly hard historical fiction is to write, since you have to be truthful yet entertaining.
This is the story of a woman who fought tooth and nail against the people who robbed her and her people of everything. Who invaded her land and sought to destroy it She was incredibly brave, smart and flawed, and people should know about her.
Also, fuck the British empire.

lunarcatbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

History has not forgotten the greatest King of Punjab or his son, the maharaja who was forced to give up his title and kingdom to the British at the age of 10. But not much has been written about his mother, the last Queen. This story tells the downfall of Punjab from her perspective and it is a story of love, resilience, and a touch of vengeance.

This was a very engaging story that was softly loving, thrilling, and incredibly sad. Her relationship with Ranjit and how he loved and cared for her was so beautiful. Sometimes these historical fictions can be dull but I was sucked right into the story and finished it in about 5 hours.

thelosthistorian's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring tense medium-paced

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

3.75

reader_m's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

bhavanagurram22's review

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emotional inspiring 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? No

4.25

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