A review by yomireads
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

A surprising 5 star read for me. I read it afraid of heavy-handed "fight the patriarchy" themes in place of strong plotting, and was steadfastly rebuked. Kaikeyi is wonderfully paced, unafraid to point out the disparity in a woman's power and voice, but absolutely not in place of beautifully crafted characters. The magic in this book is wonderfully unique and ignites the story with possibility. With so little basis of the mythos this story is based on I half expected to be lost, and instead felt invited to the table of vivid new flavors. 

Vibrant writing that builds suspense with expert foreshadowing. I was constantly torn between shoving the book away in fear of the payoff, and the ravenous need to get to said payoff.