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A review by queer_bookwyrm
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, immolation, death, death of children
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri is book one in the Burning Kingdom series. I have now read two thirds of the Sapphic Trifecta books, and I liked this one much better than She Who Became the Sun! This was another slow read, but the pay off seemed better and I enjoyed the characters a lot more.
We follow several povs, but our main character is Priya, a maidservant. Priya was once a temple child on the Hirana, but escaped when all the temple children were burned alive. Now she is back on the Hirana at the behest of the imprisoned princess Malini, the sister of the despot emperor. Priya finds she is still connected to the Hirana, and uses that to her advantage. She begins a growing relationship with Malini.
Priya wants to see her people, the Ahiranyi, free from Parijat and the Emperor, and Malini wants to end her brother's terrible reign and hatred and burning of women. Priya discovers more about herself and her growing powers, and Malini struggles to find which mask is her true face, while fearing it is the monstrous one.
This was a great, sweeping story. Priya and Malini were both compelling and had so much growth throughout the book. They are both fierce in their own ways. Malini turned out to be pretty ruthless, which ended up serving her well. I also liked that her relationship with Priya was a slow burn that was layered and imperfect. Most of the characters were pretty morally gray, no one was really a villain (except Emperor Chandra. Fuck that guy), everyone just wanted a better life for themselves and their respective countries. There was some really interesting stuff about fate, belief, and faith.
Looking forward to book two!
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri is book one in the Burning Kingdom series. I have now read two thirds of the Sapphic Trifecta books, and I liked this one much better than She Who Became the Sun! This was another slow read, but the pay off seemed better and I enjoyed the characters a lot more.
We follow several povs, but our main character is Priya, a maidservant. Priya was once a temple child on the Hirana, but escaped when all the temple children were burned alive. Now she is back on the Hirana at the behest of the imprisoned princess Malini, the sister of the despot emperor. Priya finds she is still connected to the Hirana, and uses that to her advantage. She begins a growing relationship with Malini.
Priya wants to see her people, the Ahiranyi, free from Parijat and the Emperor, and Malini wants to end her brother's terrible reign and hatred and burning of women. Priya discovers more about herself and her growing powers, and Malini struggles to find which mask is her true face, while fearing it is the monstrous one.
This was a great, sweeping story. Priya and Malini were both compelling and had so much growth throughout the book. They are both fierce in their own ways. Malini turned out to be pretty ruthless, which ended up serving her well. I also liked that her relationship with Priya was a slow burn that was layered and imperfect. Most of the characters were pretty morally gray, no one was really a villain (except Emperor Chandra. Fuck that guy), everyone just wanted a better life for themselves and their respective countries. There was some really interesting stuff about fate, belief, and faith.
Looking forward to book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death