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venkaism's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Religious bigotry
laurenfro22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War
runpinkyrun's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Religious bigotry
mothie_girlie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny and Lesbophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Pregnancy
annettewolf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
4.75
At one point I was maybe halfway through the book and saw a *new* character name at the front of a chapter and literally said out loud, "How many POV characters are there, really??"
Yes, there are a lot of POV characters. But there's also a lot of chapters that are from the eyes of a very minor (or inconsequential) character, but which serve a very specific narrative focus from being told in that perspective. This is a story of colonizers and the colonized, rebellion and war, magic and religion. And even with all of those big themes, we spend so much time with our primary characters that it's so easy to fall in love with them.
Some of the characters snuck up on me, tugging at my heart in ways I didn't expect. Others I liked from the start, like Priya and Malini. Everyone has such amazing depth. I'm really impressed by how well-rounded they all are, how real their choices and emotions felt.
The disparate cultures, histories, and religions come together to create a truly complex world. We get a healthy taste of the mythology of the Ahiranya, the colonized people, some of whom are bent on rebellion. And in the middle of all of this are Priya and Malini. Priya is the unwilling center upon which everything else turns. And Malini works on stage and behind the scenes, orchestrating as much as she can. I love that they are both so central in such different ways.
The ending felt a little bit anti-climactic, in some ways. It's more about character growth than it is about more life-or-death situations. But there's important plot stuff happening, getting our characters situated for the next stretches of their complicated, often dangerous lives. I am eager for the next book, so I can spend more time with these characters, and find out what happens next.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fully-fleshed out, magical fantasy with themes of rebellion, politics, and warring religions. But also, anyone who loves a strong, complex main character. You've got two excellent choices, in Priya and Malini. And let's face it--the fact that it's all sapphic is just the perfect icing on the cake.
Yes, there are a lot of POV characters. But there's also a lot of chapters that are from the eyes of a very minor (or inconsequential) character, but which serve a very specific narrative focus from being told in that perspective. This is a story of colonizers and the colonized, rebellion and war, magic and religion. And even with all of those big themes, we spend so much time with our primary characters that it's so easy to fall in love with them.
Some of the characters snuck up on me, tugging at my heart in ways I didn't expect. Others I liked from the start, like Priya and Malini. Everyone has such amazing depth. I'm really impressed by how well-rounded they all are, how real their choices and emotions felt.
The disparate cultures, histories, and religions come together to create a truly complex world. We get a healthy taste of the mythology of the Ahiranya, the colonized people, some of whom are bent on rebellion. And in the middle of all of this are Priya and Malini. Priya is the unwilling center upon which everything else turns. And Malini works on stage and behind the scenes, orchestrating as much as she can. I love that they are both so central in such different ways.
The ending felt a little bit anti-climactic, in some ways. It's more about character growth than it is about more life-or-death situations. But there's important plot stuff happening, getting our characters situated for the next stretches of their complicated, often dangerous lives. I am eager for the next book, so I can spend more time with these characters, and find out what happens next.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fully-fleshed out, magical fantasy with themes of rebellion, politics, and warring religions. But also, anyone who loves a strong, complex main character. You've got two excellent choices, in Priya and Malini. And let's face it--the fact that it's all sapphic is just the perfect icing on the cake.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and War
bbillings23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Violence, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and War
soundlysmitten's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
The Jasmine Throne takes place in a lush fantasy world inspired by India. It tells an utterly feminist story complete with intriguing magic, masterful scheming, unlikely allies, and a sliver of sapphic romance.
It took me about a month to get through this book. To be a fair, I’m a hopelessly slow reader. The pace is also admittedly slow to start, but I don’t actually see that as a flaw. There’s a lot to learn about this new world, its intricate culture and magic, its history and politics. As the first installment in a trilogy, The Jasmine Throne lays its framework down thoroughly. But more than that, beautifully. You just have to be patient—take time to absorb it all—in order to fully appreciate the story and the eloquent language used to tell it.
Told in third-person past tense with multiple narrators, The Jasmine Throne is an impressively woven tale. The main POVs belong to our hidden priestess, Priya, and captive princess, Malini. But there are a number of other secondary POVs that contribute to the full scope of the political landscape. I appreciated being given a glimpse into the minds of other players in the conflict/seeing how they interpret the world and their role in it. All of the characters are authentically complex and the author provides interesting insight regarding their motives, revealing their different faces as the story unfolds. As for the romance, it takes a backseat to Priya’s personal development and the action of the overall plot. But I found that realistic considering the circumstances.
The theme that struck me most deeply is the pursuit of liberation for an oppressed people. Parijat’s aim to obliterate Ahiranya—in livelihood and identity—is heavy, and I feel emotionally invested in seeing things made right. Another theme that struck a chord with me is the untangling of the twisted way those in power warp religion to support flawed and wicked agendas. And I absolutely loved the hopeful way the book ends.With three formidable women stepping up to replace their evil, misguided, inept male counterparts.
Who runs the world? ;)
It took me about a month to get through this book. To be a fair, I’m a hopelessly slow reader. The pace is also admittedly slow to start, but I don’t actually see that as a flaw. There’s a lot to learn about this new world, its intricate culture and magic, its history and politics. As the first installment in a trilogy, The Jasmine Throne lays its framework down thoroughly. But more than that, beautifully. You just have to be patient—take time to absorb it all—in order to fully appreciate the story and the eloquent language used to tell it.
Told in third-person past tense with multiple narrators, The Jasmine Throne is an impressively woven tale. The main POVs belong to our hidden priestess, Priya, and captive princess, Malini. But there are a number of other secondary POVs that contribute to the full scope of the political landscape. I appreciated being given a glimpse into the minds of other players in the conflict/seeing how they interpret the world and their role in it. All of the characters are authentically complex and the author provides interesting insight regarding their motives, revealing their different faces as the story unfolds. As for the romance, it takes a backseat to Priya’s personal development and the action of the overall plot. But I found that realistic considering the circumstances.
The theme that struck me most deeply is the pursuit of liberation for an oppressed people. Parijat’s aim to obliterate Ahiranya—in livelihood and identity—is heavy, and I feel emotionally invested in seeing things made right. Another theme that struck a chord with me is the untangling of the twisted way those in power warp religion to support flawed and wicked agendas. And I absolutely loved the hopeful way the book ends.
Who runs the world? ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Suicide attempt
achingallover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Colonisation
kaecho's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
This book is seriously so good. Yes, it’s long, but the characters are all interesting in their own right and even the ones who play smaller roles in the story get good development arcs throughout the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
The content warnings that are tagged don’t happen out of nowhere, the world building of the story builds up to these things and they aren’t used for shock value or just for the sake of having bad things happen.anovelbeauty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Book TW: child abuse, assault, child murder, homophobia, sexism, body horror, human sacrifice, religious extremism
Note: I received an eARC of this book to provide an honest review.
The Jasmine Throne is a really solid intro to a fantasy series. The worldbuilding is /really/ well done and had me fascinated (and sometimes horrified) the entire time. Now, I will say that as a person who doesn’t tolerate body horror well, yikes! Please prepare yourself because hooo boy is there some freaky ish at various points of this book. Did I ever think I’d be afraid of flowers and petals? Nah. But here we are.
The character work was also really good, especially considering how many characters there are to balance in this multiPOV work. Bhumika is by FAR my favorite character. I love her quiet type of strength throughout the story and how she always patiently awaits the right moments to make her move. The characters you are supposed to hate are A+ hateable. The one part of the story I wasn’t as keen on was unfortunately the romance. While I liked Priya and Malini as characters and I usually love slow burn romance… it just felt like there was something lacking when they finally did get together. I think perhaps there was just so much other stuff going on that it really just felt like a side note but you could tell it was /supposed/ to feel really pivotal. And given how the arcs progress, I’m not sure how it will develop in the coming books.
That being said, everything else was really enjoyable and I thought there were quite a few clever and interesting plot moments. I am absolutely happy I read it and I am definitely interested in picking up the sequel to see what happens next! I would say this story rides the line between YA and Adult Fantasy fairly well and the worlds based off Indian cultures and mythos are really well developed. If all of this sounds interesting to you, give it a go! It’s well written and paced to keep you engaged from beginning to end.
Note: I received an eARC of this book to provide an honest review.
The Jasmine Throne is a really solid intro to a fantasy series. The worldbuilding is /really/ well done and had me fascinated (and sometimes horrified) the entire time. Now, I will say that as a person who doesn’t tolerate body horror well, yikes! Please prepare yourself because hooo boy is there some freaky ish at various points of this book. Did I ever think I’d be afraid of flowers and petals? Nah. But here we are.
The character work was also really good, especially considering how many characters there are to balance in this multiPOV work. Bhumika is by FAR my favorite character. I love her quiet type of strength throughout the story and how she always patiently awaits the right moments to make her move. The characters you are supposed to hate are A+ hateable. The one part of the story I wasn’t as keen on was unfortunately the romance. While I liked Priya and Malini as characters and I usually love slow burn romance… it just felt like there was something lacking when they finally did get together. I think perhaps there was just so much other stuff going on that it really just felt like a side note but you could tell it was /supposed/ to feel really pivotal. And given how the arcs progress, I’m not sure how it will develop in the coming books.
That being said, everything else was really enjoyable and I thought there were quite a few clever and interesting plot moments. I am absolutely happy I read it and I am definitely interested in picking up the sequel to see what happens next! I would say this story rides the line between YA and Adult Fantasy fairly well and the worlds based off Indian cultures and mythos are really well developed. If all of this sounds interesting to you, give it a go! It’s well written and paced to keep you engaged from beginning to end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Grief