A review by ghosthermione
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

• 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

 

I received this ebook for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. 

I've a lot of feelings and I'm not sure where to start. What I can say for sure is that all the raving reviews it got are not exaggerating one bit. It's an absolutely brilliant piece of epic fantasy and whenever I picked it up I found it so so hard to stop again, even if it was like 2am and I had work in the morning. 

I wasn't really sure what to expect from it except wlw, an Indian-inspired universe, and something like enemies-to-lovers but not quite? I'm still not sure how I'd describe the plot but it exceeded all my expectations. 

The main characters (the women, I mean) are both relatable and flawed, realistic people, who've been hurt by what they've been put through and have to put the pieces of themselves back together. The men, and especially Chandra and Ashok, the main heroines' brothers, are deeply flawed but in a cruel and unusual way, which makes for great antagonists. Ashok at least has some deep trauma and reasons for acting that way, but he's never given a pass, which I really appreciated. But you also get to see the baseless cruelty of some people, out of fanaticism or just plain hatred, in Chandra, and I thought that was just right too. Yes, some villains have their own story and redeeming qualities, but some really are just horrible people, and that is that. 

This is also a book about patriarchal oppression and colonialism, and in that way it hit all the right notes for me as well. Following the stories of three women who've all been deeply wounded by the empire felt right, and the difficult positions everyone had to take at one point or another, while not necessarily moral, felt just within the circumstances they'd been dealt. 

The prose is amazingly good, and I was 100% invested the whole time, whatever was happening. There's not a boring moment in the whole book! But I think my favourite part was trying to guess at Malini's intentions and what she would do next. 

As the book grows towards its ending, I kept thinking we'd reached the climax, only for the next chapter to hit an even higher note! I'm quite impressed at how tightly plotted the whole thing is, and how all the cards lay just right at the end. True craftwomanship! Makes me super excited for the next one!