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A review by cognitivebats
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
hmmm...
on one hand, I loved the way Patel wrote relationships. literally all the dynamics were good and i honestly think that the relationships between all the characters is what motivated me to finish reading this book.
on the other hand, i will admit that there is a lack of proper worldbuilding and the pacing is quite disjointed...i had to use my background of the Ramayana, the indian epic this novel is a retelling of, in order to really be able to get into this story but for people who this is their first time even looking at this story, it would be really hard to get involved.
i also thought that the feminist take on the Ramayana, while super refreshing, was too black and white at certain places. I think that simply just flipping the Ramayana's assignments of heroes and villains around was kind of a cop out tbh, and would have preferred a more nuanced take than the one given in this novel.
overall, the concepts really cool but i personally think that the execution of its themes could have been a lot better.
on one hand, I loved the way Patel wrote relationships. literally all the dynamics were good and i honestly think that the relationships between all the characters is what motivated me to finish reading this book.
on the other hand, i will admit that there is a lack of proper worldbuilding and the pacing is quite disjointed...i had to use my background of the Ramayana, the indian epic this novel is a retelling of, in order to really be able to get into this story but for people who this is their first time even looking at this story, it would be really hard to get involved.
i also thought that the feminist take on the Ramayana, while super refreshing, was too black and white at certain places. I think that simply just flipping the Ramayana's assignments of heroes and villains around was kind of a cop out tbh, and would have preferred a more nuanced take than the one given in this novel.
overall, the concepts really cool but i personally think that the execution of its themes could have been a lot better.