Scan barcode
A review by fadingapple
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Vaishnavi Patel does it again with a stunning retelling of a story that I was not familiar with prior to reading, but am now absolutely in love with. Her writing is lyrical and wonderful and captures the attention and imagination with every word. My only complaint is not really one of quality, but simply that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who throughout the plot, but I think the large cast was handled as well as it could have been given the source material and my lack of knowledge.
If you love fantasy, especially historical fantasy, you'll love this. It is a triumph of fantastical meets reality and blends seamlessly the power of gods with the power of humans, especially those with born privilege. No choice is easy or clear and the consequences are always brutal, with some characters trying (and often failing) to live the best way they can while others accept their plot as a villain in others' story and lean into it. The conflict is painful and the results bloody but my god is the story beautiful and amazing along the way.
Highly recommend this and Kaikeyi by the same author.
Vaishnavi Patel does it again with a stunning retelling of a story that I was not familiar with prior to reading, but am now absolutely in love with. Her writing is lyrical and wonderful and captures the attention and imagination with every word. My only complaint is not really one of quality, but simply that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who throughout the plot, but I think the large cast was handled as well as it could have been given the source material and my lack of knowledge.
If you love fantasy, especially historical fantasy, you'll love this. It is a triumph of fantastical meets reality and blends seamlessly the power of gods with the power of humans, especially those with born privilege. No choice is easy or clear and the consequences are always brutal, with some characters trying (and often failing) to live the best way they can while others accept their plot as a villain in others' story and lean into it. The conflict is painful and the results bloody but my god is the story beautiful and amazing along the way.
Highly recommend this and Kaikeyi by the same author.