A review by jaylene
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

5.0

Similar to Madeline Miller's Song of Achillies, you need zero knowledge of Hindu mythology to fall in love with Kaikeyi's story! But I will admit, once the second chapter sucked me in, I looked into Kaikeyi's story and found it fascinating how Vaishnavi Patel twisted a well-known villain into a story of a young woman who is complex, intelligent, and strong - mentally and physically! The boon or "divine blessing" Kaikeyi is granted while attempting to bring her banished mother back to her, is so unique in explaining how strong her bonds are with those around her. This power is written as though the author wanted to introduce a new character and she succeeded! Kaikeyi's journey, growth, personal relationships, and magic system are written so well, it's simply incredible. Even the parallels between her as a pre-teen to her as a wife, ugh *chef's kiss.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook for the arc, I already preordered a physical copy!