jgnoelle 's review for:

The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao

4.0

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This is my second read by this author, having previously read The Surviving Sky (see my review). Meneka is an apsara, a celestial seductress and weapon who uses magical illusions and dance to brainwash her human targets at the behest of the self-indulgent Hindu sky god Indra, whose heavenly court is her home, from whom her power derives, and whose own power is threatened by powerful and irreverent humans who refuse to worship him. When Meneka requests to be freed from her divine obligation to perform any more of these missions for Indra, she is sent on one last impossible campaign to seduce the extremely powerful—and himself very seductive—sage and spiritual leader Kaushika, who represents the biggest threat to Indra and the heavenly realm itself. 

 

I really enjoyed this book! I predicted the general direction of the plot from the start

of course Kaushika would be proven just in his rebellion against avaricious Indra, even amidst Kaushika’s own uncompromising nature and a personal vow of vengeance against Indra that he refuses to put aside, and of course he and Meneka falling in love would prove the catalyst for her recognizing the various ways Indra has been disempowering her

but like The Surviving Sky, the story was so rich with Hindu lore, here including philosophy, gods, the magic of the universe, yogic meditation, and varying spiritual paths to enlightenment. 

 

It was also quite sexy, not only with the ongoing flirtation and multiple on-page sex scenes between Meneka and Kaushika, but also in then way Meneka, an apsara, which is a creature of sex and seduction by nature, viewed and interpreted the world around her. It was great watching Meneka come into her own, liberating herself from Indra's control yet never fully abandoning her belief in Indra's essential importance to the order of the universe and her love of her home and her fellow celestial beings in his heavenly court. So too did Meneka and Kaushika go through convincing and meaningful trials in their relationship before arriving in a place where they can be together, at least for now, while remaining true to themselves and individual goals. 

 

I was particularly excited by the ending, which introduced a new threat to Meneka, Kaushika, and Indra all at once and to whom Meneka is also bound to obey to the foreseeable detriment to her and Kaushika's lasting happiness. I'll definitely be reading the second book of this duology and was very happy to have received this book recommendation from a video by Booktuber Jananie of This Story Ain't Over.