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A review by sunlit_music
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Prose: Prose is succinct and elegant, and not a single word is wasted. It's easy to understand, with a sense of destiny being unavoidable, which adds to the mythical feel of the story.
Plot: We get to see the main character Kaikeyi, grow from a young and insecure woman, to a brave, confident and mature older woman who strives to bring peace, increase women's rights in her kingdom and prevent war. My favorite part was where she wrote letters to her relative (I think, her brother?) and he tries to reassure her.
I also really like the parts where she forms the women's council, and how the council helps women in her kingdom.
Characters: Characters are all well written, realistic, with insecurities, hopes and dreams. They feel ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. There's humans with magic powers, people who are blessed by gods, and the gods - and yet they feel relatable and human.
I like how Kaikeyi is allowed to be vulnerable and feel moments of self doubt. She questions if she is doing the right thing, as a ruler and as a mother.
There isn't much focus on the protagonist Kaikeyi's flaws (although she does admit that her over protectiveness harmed her children near the end of the novel), but there is focus on the other main characters' flaws - how they're unwilling to believe something bad about someone they care about, and howKaikeyi's son Bharat eventually reconciles with her and admits he was wrong to misjudge her.
What I especially like is how the novel depicts how people are in real life versus how they are portrayed in fiction and myth.
The part near the end where a woman shows Kaikeyi all the women she helped, after Kaikeyi is scorned and hated forexiling her son was incredibly emotional for me (I shed some tears).
I'm also glad for the nuanced characterisation. Most of the characters aren't completely good or evil - they have a mixture of good and bad traits like real people, and even the antagonist Kaikeyi's son Ram is somewhat redeemed near the end where he blooms into a better person and frees someone from an old spell/curse.
Mood: There's happy and sad moments throughout the entire book. I'd say the atmosphere is very tense and sad for chapters 31 to 36. It's not badly written (it's actually well written), just bring some tissues. The mood becomes lighter in chapter 37 onwards.
Ending: the ending and epilogue is hopeful, and makes logical and emotional sense. I get the impression that Kaikeyi is glad that the gods won't focus on her anymore, so she can live her own life. And I'm happy with that, because she's suffered so much grief and pain. She deserves to live her own life, free from what the gods have ordained for her.
Content warning for: Kaikeyi experiencing sexism from her son, her husband, other men and women characters (not sure if I should mention who, since it could get spoilery). Minor characters experience sexism too, but the narrative thankfully calls it out and makes it clear that sexism is not acceptable.
Verdict: I definitely recommend this book, but you do need to pace yourself (it is long, but worth it!). It is ok to take notes to keep track of who is who - there's a lot of characters and events, but they're all there for a good reason, plot or character wise.
Narrator for the audiobook: The narrator has a wonderful, smooth and expressive voice, and does different voices for each character wonderfully. She sounds natural and eloquent, and it's a pleasure listening to her narration.
Plot: We get to see the main character Kaikeyi, grow from a young and insecure woman, to a brave, confident and mature older woman who strives to bring peace, increase women's rights in her kingdom and prevent war. My favorite part was where she wrote letters to her relative (I think, her brother?) and he tries to reassure her.
I also really like the parts where she forms the women's council, and how the council helps women in her kingdom.
Characters: Characters are all well written, realistic, with insecurities, hopes and dreams. They feel ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. There's humans with magic powers, people who are blessed by gods, and the gods - and yet they feel relatable and human.
I like how Kaikeyi is allowed to be vulnerable and feel moments of self doubt. She questions if she is doing the right thing, as a ruler and as a mother.
There isn't much focus on the protagonist Kaikeyi's flaws (although she does admit that her over protectiveness harmed her children near the end of the novel), but there is focus on the other main characters' flaws - how they're unwilling to believe something bad about someone they care about, and how
What I especially like is how the novel depicts how people are in real life versus how they are portrayed in fiction and myth.
The part near the end where a woman shows Kaikeyi all the women she helped, after Kaikeyi is scorned and hated for
I'm also glad for the nuanced characterisation. Most of the characters aren't completely good or evil - they have a mixture of good and bad traits like real people, and even the antagonist
Mood: There's happy and sad moments throughout the entire book. I'd say the atmosphere is very tense and sad for chapters 31 to 36. It's not badly written (it's actually well written), just bring some tissues. The mood becomes lighter in chapter 37 onwards.
Ending: the ending and epilogue is hopeful, and makes logical and emotional sense. I get the impression that Kaikeyi is glad that the gods won't focus on her anymore, so she can live her own life. And I'm happy with that, because she's suffered so much grief and pain. She deserves to live her own life, free from what the gods have ordained for her.
Content warning for: Kaikeyi experiencing sexism from her son, her husband, other men and women characters (not sure if I should mention who, since it could get spoilery). Minor characters experience sexism too, but the narrative thankfully calls it out and makes it clear that sexism is not acceptable.
Verdict: I definitely recommend this book, but you do need to pace yourself (it is long, but worth it!). It is ok to take notes to keep track of who is who - there's a lot of characters and events, but they're all there for a good reason, plot or character wise.
Narrator for the audiobook: The narrator has a wonderful, smooth and expressive voice, and does different voices for each character wonderfully. She sounds natural and eloquent, and it's a pleasure listening to her narration.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexism, and War