A review by gjkennedy
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh this is just the best thing ever. I could go on and on but it really is amazing. I knew from the first chapter that this book would be amazing. This book is full of lush world building that is enhanced by the beautiful language the author writes with. By far my favorite prose this year. The plot had wonderful political intrigue and emotional tension, people with convergent dreams and divergent methods butting heads. I loved it so much. 

Also, I'm often really wary (as a feminist) of stories that are marketed as being such, as my typical experience has been books so caught up in the "feminist" they forget to be "stories" and undermine themselves a little in the process. This story so beautifully captured how being a woman affected the ambitions and the relations of the women characters without it being the centerpiece of the narrative. It was a constant thread of perspective, a factor of everything without being what this story is, which I think it a really good way of going about it, and I found myself underlining many passages that tied to my own experiences. I greatly enjoyed the skillful subtlety of it. 

Absolutely adored this book. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings