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A review by laurareads87
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kaikeyi is based on Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic; my review is based solely on the novel — I have not read Ramayana and my familiarity with it is very, very limited. I encourage folks to seek out reviews written by Hindu readers — I am not at all in a place to comment on the relationship of this novel to its source material.
As an epic spanning quite a few decades which seamlessly incorporates political maneuvering, complex familiar & interpersonal relationships, and an interesting form of magic unlike anything I’ve ever read before, I enjoyed Kaikeyi. The first-person POV of Kaikeyi felt well established, changing as Kaikeyi aged and grew but remaining cohesive; her relationships with other characters were also well written. I felt like the author’s representation of Kaikeyi as asexual was nuanced and respectful (though, here, I encourage folks to read reviews by ace readers). I do feel like the feminist angle could’ve been much more subtle and nuanced than it was, and that many of the characters could’ve been more morally complex (rather than straightforwardly ‘all good’ or ‘all bad’) than they were. A solid debut novel — I look forward to seeing what Patel writes next.
Content warnings: violence, murder, injury, death, grief, war, sexism, brief mentions of domestic abuse
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.
As an epic spanning quite a few decades which seamlessly incorporates political maneuvering, complex familiar & interpersonal relationships, and an interesting form of magic unlike anything I’ve ever read before, I enjoyed Kaikeyi. The first-person POV of Kaikeyi felt well established, changing as Kaikeyi aged and grew but remaining cohesive; her relationships with other characters were also well written. I felt like the author’s representation of Kaikeyi as asexual was nuanced and respectful (though, here, I encourage folks to read reviews by ace readers). I do feel like the feminist angle could’ve been much more subtle and nuanced than it was, and that many of the characters could’ve been more morally complex (rather than straightforwardly ‘all good’ or ‘all bad’) than they were. A solid debut novel — I look forward to seeing what Patel writes next.
Content warnings: violence, murder, injury, death, grief, war, sexism, brief mentions of domestic abuse
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse