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stellar_hunt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Body horror, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
lillulu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m soft for sapphic stories and good world-building - bonus points when religion/spirituality is intertwined with nature.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Gore
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The characters
This book has multiple pov’s but it focuses the most on Malini and Priya. I really enjoyed these characters. They are strong female leads with a bit of a morally gray side to them. One thing I liked less though is that is didn’t really ship them. I shipped Priya more with Sami. But that is just my opinion.
Plot
The story is fun to read but a bit predictable at some points. Not that that is a bad thing persé but I would have liked more plottwists.
Worldbuilding
The worldbuilding is beautifully done. The world is rich with magic, beautiful history and mythology and it is really detailed. We haven’t learned everything this world has to offer so I’m waiting for the next book in this series. The book is slow in the beginning though. It picks up the pace at around 150/170 pages. I have to admit that this is one of those books I almost put down, which would have been a shame.
Storytelling
This book is beautiful written, but to the point. It has some magical quotes but the beginning of the book felt really dry to me.
Recommendations
I would recommend this book to lovers of the unbroken and the deavabad trilogy. Check the triggerwarnings before reading!
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Blood, Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Moderate: Pregnancy and Lesbophobia
starccato's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Murder, Blood, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Terminal illness, Slavery, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Torture, Child abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, War, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Minor: Child death
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
- 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
The relationship in this book is so beautiful!!!! It's a slow burn, quasi-enemies-to-lovers, and also like... these vibes. How do I explain this...This is not the relationship where they put each other above everyone else...nope, they ladies are DEVOTED to their causes and they aren't gonna let something like love stop them. I don't know I just love it.
The magic in this book is so interesting! I seriously love the River magic and the once born and twice born and thrice born! I love the Rot and everything that goes along with it. I love the world building and OMG I cannot wait for the sequel to this book!!!
10/10 highly recommend.
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Drug use, Sexism, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- 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
Rep: sapphic BIPOC female MC, sapphic (lesbian coded) chronically ill female MC, BIPOC supporting cast, queer side characters mentioned in a historical context.
CWs: Abandonment, addiction, blood, past mentions of child abuse, chronic illness, colonisation, confinement, death, drug use (poison), emotional abuse, fire, injury/injury detail, lesbophobia/lesbomisia (general queerphobia/queermisia), medical content (depictions of withdrawal), misogyny, murder, physical abuse, sexism, violence, war.
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, and War
ghulsona's review against another edition
- 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
The writing was so good! The prose wasn't overly flowery, but was still vivid and beautiful. A particular favorite of mine were the descriptions of the yaksas! Emotions were conveyed so well - I teared up many times while reading this in the middle of night. The book never felt like it was moving too slowly or too fastly, and I never felt bored with the plot. Sometimes, I feel like some authors have rely too much on twists and surprising their readers to keep them hooked, but even with knowing how most things would go, I was still very hooked. Every character has a good motivation and purpose, and when POVs were switched, it flowed very naturally.
Speaking of characters!!! Malini was an instant favorite - I love me some scheming and morally gray women, especially when they're princesses. Her rage and thirst for vengeance against her brother, her many masks, her desire to be monstrous and vicious - I loved her so much, truly. Bhumika and Rao were also favorites, and I'm very glad that POVs weren't confined to the two main characters and that we were able to get into the minds of such fantastic characters. And Priya!!! I liked how she can be terrifying and angry and vengeful at times, but in the end, she just has such a good heart. And I know they weren't really characters, but I am dying to read more about Malini's heart sisters, Narina and Alora. The glimpses of them we viewed in Malini's visions absolutely gutted me. I really did appreciate all the characters that were introduced, no matter how big their role - they all felt very tangible and human, and someone that you could empathize with, just a little.
I want to gush more about this book, but I have homework to do, so I will just end this here. Go read "The Jasmine Throne", you won't regret it!!!
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Misogyny
ehmannky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is going to sound like a minor thing, but I really liked Suri's pacing of the book. The first half of the book takes place over what, a month or so, with the latter half taking place over the course of like 2 days. And that switch in time spans never feels abrupt or like Suri didn't give enough time to everything she needed to. It's a very natural transition and that rules. The world of this fantasy is very well established. I feel like usually in epic fantasies/high fantasies you're just supposed to be lost until like 100 pages in (and even that's generous sometimes). But here, the things I was still grappling with were mysteries in-text that you're supposed to be in the dark about. the flow of information feels very organic. It's just a really well structured book in its bones, and that's not even touching on how very good the romance between Malini and Priya is, how great the themes of the cost of revolution/who is a revolution for/what power does and doesn't do/what is power and what does it mean to weild it...
It's just a really good book y'all.
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, Drug use, and Violence
Moderate: War, Body horror, and Torture
Minor: Sexism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
redthistle's review against another edition
- 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
My favorite thing about this book is the exploration of strength in women in multiple facets.
The main three female characters are amazing. Each woman demonstrates incredible strength in the face of a world that is very sexist and misogynistic. Their strength, however, is not all the same. Each one finds a different way to survive in a world which wants to destroy them, whether it be through physical strength to fight, emotional strength to do what is hard, or strength in cunning to manipulate perceptions to protect oneself these women are awesome.
I also found the relationship between
The final thing I loved from this book was the world that Tasha Suri created. I found it really engrossing and fascinating. The magic system is really cool and the richness of the culture which is woven into the high fantasy setting that she creates is beautiful. I am so excited to read further in this world.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Violence