A review by thewordsdevourer
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

i rly wanted to like this book, but ultimately we just didnt click. one thing i highly value in my reading experience is a book's ability to make me feel things, and unfortunately the jasmine throne lacks in this department.

while this book is suffused w/ much needed and appreciated diversity, whether it be in terms of south asian-influenced worldbuilding, characters, AND sapphic characters (desi sapphics, cmon!!!), i didnt feel connected to the characters: even when they were in peril, i didnt feel too affected, knowing that they would be fine eventually (idk if this is bc of the third person pov, but other similar books worked fine for me??). this might also be borne from a lack of urgency and any sense of danger--i just felt disconnected from it all, like i was being bouyed by the ocean wave that was the book, but didnt rly care where it took me. 

and while the worldbuilding is lush and at times unique (esp the hirana-related magic, sangram, the rot, etc.), it feels incomplete, and esp small for a supposed epic fantasy, and the maps certainly dont help. my issue is the scale of  parijadtvipa isnt clear; we dont know how far each city-state is from parijat and one another, and rn it feels like the empire is composed of 5 cities, which idek whether is the case bc everything feels incongruent and unexplained. although the history and lore of the world are strong, i wouldve liked a clearer picture of the empire's scale itself. 

nevertheless, i do like the feminist take on this, and its exploration of issues, like how religion is wielded to  further ppl's own ends; the patriarchal and misogynistic view of the montrosity and mediocrity of women; fate vs independent action; means vs ends, etc. the desi sapphic rep is also much appreciated. i truly wish i liked this more.
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