Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc! This book- W H O A! I LOVE it so much.

I finished The Jasmine Throne in the kind of sleep deprived haze you get when it's 4am and you've been in the one spot for hours because you just don't want to stop. It was just that good.

This book has everything I've now come to expect from a Tasha Suri novel. Magic, empire, complex characters and the kind of romance that is just enough. It never overpowers the story and that's the way I like it.

But it's also more than her previous works. There are multiple POVs, and the scope is so big that I genuinely felt like I came away from it with an idea of the different cultures and beliefs in the same way I have vague conceptions of places I've never visited in our world and of religions I'm not a part of.

It's important to note that The Jasmine Throne is part of the golden sapphic trifecta of summer 2021 and having read The Unbroken by C. L Clark with only She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan to go, this is shaping up to be an absolutely excellent reading time.

I'll be buying a physical copy of this book ASAP and recommending it to everyone I know because we all need it in our life.

3.5* rounded down.

If you like gorgeous, lush worldbuilding I couldn't recommend a book more. It's impressive how little info-dumping there is in a book that is so reliant on a detailed political landscape with multiple POV's from different factions across this world. This book primarily follows Priya and Malini, two women forced into close quarters when rebellions start brewing and are in need of them, romance ensues, but they're also dragged further into political strife and violence.

Unfortunately despite a fantastic start, I did find that the middle of this book got muddled. Plot became convenient sometimes and Malini and Priya's developing relationship wasn't grabbing me. But I was a huge fan of Priya and I enjoyed Malini as an almost antihero. Their romance wasn't really doing it for me, but I at least appreciated that it was not simple and the two women were given a lot of depth not only about their sexualities but about how they approached their attraction with each other. I'm interested to see how their relationship develops in the sequel because I think books featuring romance these days are a little too preoccupied with Yearning™ that the set-ups are starting to lose me. There's a lot of emotion in this book that I very much enjoyed; Priya's a deeply empathetic character and I enjoyed her chapters a lot and every time she interacted with Rukh on page I started tearing up (like, actually.). Malini in contrast was a little harder for me to connect to because she is so much colder, though I appreciated the themes she presented and both characters' backstories were fascinating.

Plot was a little weak. Though if you're a big character and worldbuilding person, it's unlikely to bother you. I did find myself occasionally unimpressed by sudden developments but the ending saved it for me and it really came together. The two main POV's are Priya and Malini but they are supported by multiple different limited POV's from side characters that I found very interesting and when these characters and perspectives come together towards the end, it pays off. The themes about culture being diminished and land reclamation were moving and are backed up by wonderful, interesting detail about the culture, religion and physical setting. I cannot stress enough how much beautiful detail is in the worldbuilding and how unique it is.

Definitely having a pattern of being a little disappointed with anticipated reads, but this is still worth reading and I'll be picking up the sequel.

Morally grey lesbians reclaiming an empire? YES PLEASE.

I'm so bored of books with seemingly perfect protagonists, so this book was refreshing to read. Priya and Malini are secretive, driven by their own agendas and ruthless to boot.

The world building is complex and unique, and whilst this is your typical reclaim the throne trope, the religious aspects and world building make it feel unlike anything else I've read. It's a smart, complex high fantasy that we're just scratching the surface of in this book.

The only thing stopping this being a 5 star read is the viewpoint. If the author had stuck to just Priya, Malini and Bhumika for viewpoint chapters it would have been a lot less confusing. Instead this book bounces between lots of characters, some who only get one chapter? There's already a lot to take in with the vast worldbuilding and extensive character list, swapping viewpoints made things unnecessarily confusing for me. Also, by viewpoint swapping so extensively I feel like we missed out on some of Priya and Malini's character motivations, I'd have liked to have seen more of their relationship play out too.

Despite that this is a FANTASTIC read, I'd recommend for fans of complex high fantasy, Samantha Shannon fans particularly I think will like this!

I truly apologise if this post feels more like a brain rot and less like a review because I’m left speechless by Tasha’s writing and power of storytelling yet again. As if I needed a reminder as to why Tasha Suri is one of my favourite authors, still The Jasmine Throne served as one.

The Jasmine Throne, the start of a new trilogy, introduces us to a feminist tale, a revolution waiting to unfold, set in an Indian inspired world with a unique but deadly magic system, layers of politics and morally grey characters. This multi-POV story with our morally grey lesbians Malini and Priya as protagonists, is epic fantasy at its best.

Malini, our Imperial Princess, is imprisoned by her zealot brother in the Hiranya, a temple with secrets. She’s desperate to be released and is willing to do whatever she can to depose him from the throne. I really liked her character, being the strategist that she is. She’s tactful, an iron fist in a velvet glove, knows what cards to play and what politics to apply to achieve her goals which is what draws people to her cause.

Priya, the maidservant with secret powers, who has a tendency to kindness as seen from the beginning itself. Her soft heartedness is not a weakness though, her love for her family and her fading culture and the understanding of her magic is what drives her throughout the book. She’s all sharp edges, her resilience stood out to me.

And like the summary says, together they do change the fate of the empire. Both of them are complex, strong and ruthless with clear goals in sight. They are sharpened by their pain, the abuse they’ve suffered. They stand on opposite ends, ready to use one another but also learn to trust each other. It was an absolute delight to see their relationship develop, the conflicts that passed through them leading to a delicious slow burn. I was left wondering if they would betray each other or make it together to accomplish their goals.

To support our wonderful duo, we have the POVs of a supporting cast — Bhumika, a highborn lady with secret magic who only wants to see her land and people safe; Rao, the nameless prince with a prophecy to fulfill and Ashok, a rebel leader willing to pay any price to set his nation free. Despite the many characters, Tasha manages to keep us hooked to the tenuous plot without confusions. Each character had a distinct motivation and voice and I loved how their stories entangle. (All I ask is to see more of Rao).

Ultimately, the narrative is driven by the three women, Priya, Malini and Bhumika. I’m always all in to see women take the lead, and in an empire like Parijat these three are the real deal. They’ve all made sacrifices, steeled themselves because they know their power. It’s satisfying, to watch these women fight back in their own monstrous ways when they’re often subdued and burned in Parijat.

The world-building is top notch, to simply put it. We get to know of the different faiths to exists across the kingdoms — the nameless gods, mothers of flame, the yaksa; the history of the nations; the power plays and how imperialism cuts off people from their roots and their cultures are left to fade away.

The magic system does not only add to the fantasy element of the book but also demonstrates the terrible effects of Parijat’s imperial rule over Ahiranya. Tasha handles the oppression and how conquering of nations eats away their own culture and reduces the people to pawns of the empire with sensitivity and sharpness. It’s thought-provoking to us readers.

It’s so beautifully written, there are so many highlights in my copy, of quotes that shook me or passages that haunt me, I wish I could include them all. The dialogue and prose is exceptional and immersive. My favourite instances have to be the ones that describe the setting or architecture of the world. Tasha writes a vivid, ingenious tale of taking what’s stolen from you through characters that are flawed but can’t help rooting for. The pacing perfectly builds up the tensions and events through the book.

Reading The Jasmine Throne felt so comforting. A queer fantasy inspired by my own culture is all I’ve ever wanted and Tasha freaking delivered. The world and setting is so familiar to me, identifying the twists and fresh takes on elements of Indian history and folklore made my reading experience all the more thrilling.

All in all, The Jasmine Throne is a phenomenal story of brutal empires, reclaiming power, love and family. If you’re looking for a cleanly woven plot with interesting characters and a wonderful Indian inspired world, I highly recommend The Jasmine Throne! I cannot wait to see what unfolds in the coming books.

*Rated 4.5/5 stars

The Jasmine Throne is the first book in a fantasy series following a disgraced princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic, who become unlikely allies to save the empire from the princess's traitor brother. It is an excellent start to Tasha Suri’s new fantasy series.

This trilogy is set in an Indian-inspired fantasy world, in the colonized nation of Ahiranya, where rebellion is brewing. It has incredible world-building, with so many layers, and I loved learning as many details as I could about this world. Reading about the politics of this world was interesting, and the fantasy elements were excellent. Tasha Suri also managed to show the diversity of the nations that make the empire through the multi-POVs narrative, especially through the different religions, which I appreciated.

The Jasmine Throne is a multi-POVs fantasy novel, and I enjoyed reading from all of these characters’ points of view, they were all so interesting and complex. The summary mainly mentions Malini, a disgraced princess, and Priya, a maidservant with secrets of her own, but there is also Bhumika, the wife of the regent, Ashok, leader of a rebellion, Rao, prince of another nation, as well as some chapters from the points of view of secondary characters. I loved that all characters were morally grey, and that Tasha Suri makes you understand each character’s motivations. I’m really excited to read the next books in the series when they come out, to see how the characters will evolve, because considering the ending, it will be quite promising. I also really liked the romance between Malini and Priya, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out in the rest of the series.

Just like in her Books of Ambha duology, Tasha Suri’s writing was stunning, and I couldn’t get enough of it. This book is a slow-paced fantasy novel, focusing on the politics of Ahiranya, which I loved. It’s the kind of book you want to savour, it’s a slow-burn with amazing pay-off, and there were so many layers to this story.

Overall, it was an excellent start to an adult fantasy series: it’s a queer indian fantasy novel, it has morally grey characters, excellent world-building, and there are many layers to everything. I adored Tasha Suri's Books of Ambha duology when I read it last year (btw it’s still quite underrated, so please read it!), so I was eagerly awaiting for her next book, and it solidified her as one of my favourite fantasy writers.

3.5 stars

I discovered Tasha Suri with her debut novel Empire of Sand, which I loved with all my heart. So, I was pretty excited to read this new book. Alas, I wasn't completely satisfied. What I loved most was her writing style, so captivating and lyrical. She has a way to describe events and moments that you can't help but lose yourself in them. However, the first part of the book was too slow to my liking, but the second part was more fast-paced. We have magic, political intrigue, conspiracy and rebel groups. I liked the characters but I didn't feel completely connected to them. Consequently, I wasn't involved in the romance either. All in all, it was a good book but some aspects penalized the reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher (Orbit) for providing me with an e-arc of this book. My opinions are my own.

<i>"If you think it is too cold for me, or too cruel. . .
If you don’t know me, if you fail to understand what I want to achieve, you alone are responsible for that.”</i>

This book has all the elements of a great saga. It has fierce women, an evil emperor, and religions with prophesies and magic. I was very excited to read this India-inspired fantasy story!

This book is about the Ahiranyi maidservant Priya. When she is appointed to work at the Hirana temple where princess Malini, the sister of the emperor, is held prisoner, she finds out she is more than she still thought possible. Meanwhile, princess Malini is feeling weaker by the day and is in need of rescue. Not one to give up a fight, she tries everything in her power to get Priya to help her. Which won't be easy, seeing as her brother is a malevolent dictator over Priya's country...

This is one of those books I'll still be thinking about, even though I've finished it. It didn't give me those 'omg I can't stop reading and need to know what happens NOW' kind of vibes. It is more of a simmering story, that creeps into you and makes you invested in it in a way you didn't expect. The main characters aren't the 'strong female characters' we're used to. I mean, they certainly are strong, but they are not lovable. They have a past that has damaged them. They fight for their own survival, and they are willing to do whatever they need to, to reach their goals. They are strong in a world where women are not seen as equal.

There are a lot of things going on in this book. I would have loved to read more about the history of the deathless waters, or about how the empire came to be, or about the rot and how that works exactly. A lot remains a mystery - though that is actually fitting to the story.

This is one of those books that just stay with you. I loved the morally grey characters, I loved the magic. I definitely recommend reading this book!

This book had everything: lush and intricate worldbuilding, complex female protagonists, sapphic yearning, a unique magic system and all of the threads being interwoven in a way that makes me long for the next book.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

You know how some trilogies spend all of their first book, filling it out with exposition, and introductions, and why the big baddy is so bad, that by the time you reach the end, the plot has barely started? This isn't one of those, thank God.

There is a lot that happens, while giving us a taste of the character backgrounds, and what has happened to the great nation of Ahiranyi. While at the same time, it sets up a chain of events for the future books. Best of all, it answers questions and doesn't leave me hanging on a cliff, instead it gets me excited for what's to come.

This is a phenomenal story about rebelling against the empire, the family you make, and finding love.

There are maybe 5 points of view to follow, but it never feels overwhelming. The main characters being Priya and Malini, while some excellent chapters of Ashok, Bhumika, Rao are interspersed. I loved all the characters, even the mean ones.

So excited for the next book! The only thing to be sad about is that I have to wait so long for it to arrive.

Read it!!

I would say that this is more of a new adult or adult fantasy novel rather than a young adult one but I have heard some people classifying it as young adult. This is going to be the first book in a new trilogy set in a world built with influence from the history and epics of India. I really count myself lucky to have been given the chance to read an advanced copy of this book because I just know that I am not on my way to pre-order it from my nearest book shop. It is an enemies to lovers female x female book with morally grey characters.

This book has a main cast which include captivating and empowering women who are rising up from under the rule of men. The characters are written with such detail, complexity and are made enchanting enough to steal your heart away. I really loved the writing within this book, as well as the world building which is one that I have yet to read about and explore, it was so vivid, I felt like i could have been there. The only downside for me here was that the plot seemed quite slow and it took me a while to get into the book, maybe around 20% in however, once I did, I didn’t look back.

The book has multiple point of views, which I am a fan of because it gives the reader more than one set of eyes as insight to the world. One of the main characters is called Priya, she is a maidservant with many secrets, another main character is Malini who is a princess and the sister to the current ruler who has her locked away in the Hirana. The relationship between these two starts off as you would expect, maidservant and princess and I will leave it at that, you will need to read it to find out more. There is less emphasis drawn to the men within this book which is why I found this quite female empowering, and I enjoyed that.

Highly recommend this book and really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did!

Matched the review written on my blog and goodreads. Thank you again!

I've just finished this book and I can't stop thinking about it. It has everything. The world building is incredible, there is beautiful imagery, morally grey characters and a slow burn romance. This is the first book I've read by Tasha Suri and I'm about to purchase Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash because I need more of the authors beautiful writing! Wow!

Okay, this BOOK. I truly don't know what I expected from it, but it was not this. In all the best ways. I'm stumpted at what to say about it - this was such a great read.
The Jasmine Throne follows the intertwined stories of several characters and manages to encompass so many different forms of love - between friends, between family, between lovers, between the loyal and the ones they are devoted to.
The worldbuilding in this book is wonderful, and the part that most transfixed me was the magic (definitely one of the coolest I've read, and exactly my cup of tea - dirt! plant! water that takes as much as it gives!), what it means to not only the characters but to the people, what it might say about or mean for about a strange disease going around (the disease itself left me with SO many questions that I truly hope to get answers to in the following books).
It's such a good beginning to a series, in my opinion at least, because it sucked me in and, while it _does_ have an end, I need! must! know where things go from here! What do the characters do! What to the developments in the story need for them!!
I've seen this book talked about as a desi f/f story and while yes, it is that, it's so much more. The characters and the relationships between them are complex, and the way things were left off ... oh, I need to know where they go from here. I want to know what happens to them.

Do I envy them their magic? Maybe, a little bit. It is not my magic, but I loved the glimpse I got into the world of it. I really hope this story reaches many people once it is out. It deserves to be read. Both by readers of epic fantasy and those who are not.

Thank you to the author for sharing this with us, and thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

I'm instantly biased towards any fantasy that has Indian elements. And I could sing praises upon praises for Tasha Suri's writing. The Jasmine Throne is no exception; it has fantastic world building and Priya and Malini are both wonderfully complex characters. The magic system is so unique and so well-done and the plot line, with all the different point of views, coming together to intertwine at the end was soo freaking amazing. I'm so excited for this book to officially release so that I can hold an actual physical copy of this!

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri is the first instalment in an adult fantasy series inspired by Indian folklore, located in a South-Asian setting featuring sapphic yearning, explosive politics and an engrossing world that captivates the reader from the very beginning of the novel.

The worldbuilding in this book is simply beautiful. You follow three brave, strong and yet very different female main characters, which I absolutely loved. This book does not villainise femininity as many other fantasy novels do, but embraces it, portraying the various strengths each of these three women possess. You have Priya, a lowly handmaiden harbouring a dangerous secret who happens to have a tendency for kindness, Malini, the sister of an emperor with a vile and wicked temperament, seemingly willing to sacrifice everything for the power he longs for, and Bhumika, the level-headed wife of the regent of Ahiranya, pregnant and determined to protect her people, and those less-fortunate than herself. I believe this book could very easily and justifiably be referred to as feminist, and it exams the demonification of women, whether that be due to the powers they possess, or their cleverness and resistance to male authority.

I was completely hooked throughout the novel, and it is safe to say it has immediately become a new favourite of mine. Suri writes with a lyrical and precise wit, and I found the writing entirely beautiful. At no points did it feel juvenile, but instead it had a specific level of detail that allows the reader to imagine and understand this fantastical world in a vivid and clear way. The plot itself was equally intriguing, drawing the reader close and sprinkling in unpredictable plot-twists that leave the reader reeling for more. I adored the way in which Suri added layers to the plot through the use of varying narratives, providing the reader with more understanding and detail through the use of side characters such as Rao and Ashok. The politics and religions within The Jasmine Throne are so intricately woven that they felt entirely real and believable, and I thought that the way that they were explored was wonderfully done.

The relationships similarly added an extra layer to this world, and I loved them. A particular favourite of mine was the dynamic between Ashok and Priya, torn between a sibling love and acknowledgement of their shared past and a disconnection because of their very different methods of survival. Similarly, the relationship between Bhumika and Priya was beautiful to read about. It was very evident they cared about each other, but maintained a certain distance that is addressed as the novel progresses. And, of course, the romance. Oh my, the romance. Suri gave me the sapphic relationship of my dreams. Morally grey lesbians. Morally grey lesbians!! Forbidden love, slow burn, mutual yearning, an unlikely friendship. All of my favourite tropes combined into one incredible relationship. The romance provides complicated motivations and emotions for the characters without taking attention away from the plot. Each character acknowledges that their different situations make it impossible for them to ever work out, and yet they cannot help the way they feel about each other.

I simply cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this fantastic novel, and I feel so privileged to have been chosen to read it as an arc. It is safe to say that I will be recommending this to absolutely everyone, and I cannot wait to read more of Suri's spectacular work. This gets a very glowing five stars, how I love morally grey lesbians set apart by their different motivations and destinies. I'm the type of person that usually has a range of critiques and things they would change about the books they read, but I cannot think of anything I would change about The Jasmine Throne, it was just that good. Possibly the best book I've read in 2021.

Thank you to The Jasmine Throne for once again showing me that I'm starting to love adult fantasy. Oh, and for ripping my heart out.

This has everything I could ask of an epic fantasy - a slowburn, sapphic romance between two morally gray lesbians that don't quite know if they'd like to stab each other or kiss each other senseless, intricate world-building with complex religions, history and culture, deeply complex and flawed characters that are all relatable but also somehow all dumbasses for their different values.

Suri did an unbelievable job at somehow capturing the complexity of following one's moral compass, of family dynamics, love, and of the things we are willing to sacrifice to reach our goals; all without ever showing bias that one approach is better or more valid than the other. I loved it.

I know that this book isn't even out yet, but I already can't wait for the second installment in this trilogy. Please... go read this as soon as it's out.

The Jasmine Throne is so beautifully and lyrically written, it wraps around you like a blanket. Telling the story of two morally grey women who come together to save an Empire, it is a stunning book!

The romance is painfully good, and the world building completely masterful. I can't wait for the next book!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I seriously cannot believe my reading luck this year. Believe it or not, I tore through The Jasmine Throne in a day (after deciding to hit the hard reset button and starting my read from scratch). With such kinetic charge and blistering narrative, how on earth could I help myself?

The Jasmine Throne is first in Tasha Suri’s new The Burning Kingdoms trilogy, an Indian-inspired epic fantasy series entrenched with political turmoil, an enthralling cast of morally ambiguous characters, sapphic yearning, lush worldbuilding, and an appropriately gripping turn of events sure to keep readers on edge of their seat (or bed, depending on where one chooses to read).

Suri transports us to a lush, evocative Indian-inspired world pulled into empires, shaped by religions and tales, and the independent cultures left to wither under their fist. The Jasmine Throne is set in Ahiranya, a nation conquered by Parijatdvipa ruled by a psychotic, women-burning emperor violently obsessed with his twisted vision of religion. Between Parijatdvipa’s tyrannical rule and a mysterious plague known as the rot, Ahiranya is a nation on the verge of both collapse and bloodshed as its rebels make their move before they are out of time.

After refusing to burn in a pyre to be “purified,” Princess Malini is exiled by her brother (who shall not be named for the rest of this review) to Hirana, a temple left abandoned after an unspeakable massacre occurred on its grounds. There, she is left to be drugged and broken so that she would beg for “purification.” Cunning, charming, and ruthless Malini, however, has other plans.

Priya, a maidservant at a regent’s household with a terrible past, is happy to keep her head down to keep what good lot she has in her station. She soon finds herself appointed as Malini’s handmaiden after a turn of events expose a glimpse of her true self and power to Malini.

The two leading women find themselves drawn to each other, but at the face of impossible situations, their desires do not always align and this makes way for a rich, nuanced dynamic between the two. They have plenty reason to not trust each other, they even end up using one another at one point or another. There’s even slivers of hate amongst the yearning and the understanding. Their relationship is entirely captivating, a prime example of the excellent character work Suri does in The Jasmine Throne.

The Jasmine Throne mainly pushes Priya and Malini as the main leads, but it is also supported by a diverse, equally engaging array of other main characters from Bhumika (the regent’s wife), Rao (an Aloran prince), and Ashok (an Ahiranyi rebel) that further layer the politics and grander scope of the trilogy. The tension between each and every one of the characters were delirious, and each betrayal and revelation along the way serve to ensnare readers in the pages. At times these people do terrible things, monstrous things driven by their own purpose and circumstances. Suri’s cast is multifaceted, flawed, tantalising in their tenacity, and deliciously twisted.

The narrative ultimately champions the three women driving its story each harbouring a secret of their own: Malini, a princess with a steel knife cloaked in silk; Priya, a handmaiden whose kindness is not a weakness at the cusp of discovering an unspeakably dangerous power she’d tasted before; Bhumika, level-headed and wise protector of the unfortunate with another life growing inside her to protect. In a world where women are beaten down, crushed, burnt, and erased in service to men with superfluous ego and dangerous zealotry, these women refuse their fate and sharpen themselves to fight for survival. I know the whole “they who fight monsters must prepare to be monsters” spiel, but screw that — it is gloriously satisfying to see the three women strike back with a force equally as monstrous as the men believed them to be in order to justify their own actions. I cannot wait to see these women, emboldened by the events of this book, their purpose and their resolve, to come face to face with what may come next.

The Jasmine Throne is also a book about how a colonised nation is stripped of its art, history, culture, and most importantly, hope. The rapid rate of this systemic erasure on top of the cruel nature of their oppressors truly communicates the desperation of the rebels, shown by their horrific and borderline self-destructive decisions — adding to the novel’s overarching moral ambiguity. We may not always agree with their choices, but we come to understand, even sympathise with them (more so if the decisions are made with characters we’ve been invested with).

Make no mistake, Suri will spoil you rotten with just how much she’d beautifully written this book. The prose searing with so much fury, yearning, and tenderness at the same time; the dialogues, rich with dynamic chemistry; and there’s just too many beautiful lines to count. I promise you, o lovely reader, that when you nab a physical copy, you will be liberally sprinkling annotations and/or tabs across this book. The scenery Suri describes are also captivating to read, its cinematic thrall infused in every inch of magic, action, and horror. Of course, this also means chillingly vivid moments of terror in the face of threats both human and cosmic (specifically plant-based).

The Jasmine Throne is a truly enrapturing tale of survival, reclaiming power, identity, and agency lost, and making the best out of one’s options; filled with flawed characters one cannot help but be enthralled with. Between the blistering fury that burns through the pages, exceptional characterization and rich politics, the kinetic pacing in which the story moves, beautiful and haunting lines, and cinematic wonder, I’d found no reason to put down this novel during my run at all. In short, this gutsy, imaginative novel is a complete package and a testament to high fantasy at its finest.

Tasha Suri’s trailblazing The Jasmine Throne—first in a new epic, nuanced, and wonderfully complex story—is a perfectly-timed breakout moment sure to make her presence in the SFF genre a memorable one.

It’s blistering, it’s gutsy, and it’s kinetic. I’ve no doubt at all: The Jasmine Throne is definitely one of the best SFF books I’ve read in 2021. Reading this book has been an amazing experience for me, and I look forward to the rest of The Burning Kingdoms trilogy!

My many thanks to Orbit for giving me a galley of The Jasmine Throne to read! I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

So what’s the book about?

Ahiranya is a nation ruled by a fanatical emperor while dealing with a disease called rot. In the process, this nation stands on the precipice. The citizens feel increasingly dissatisfied towards the Paraijatdvipan rule. Malini now spends her days imprisoned by the fanatic emperor who is her brother. But the place that is her prison is actually an ancient temple that was a source of powerful magic. The maid Priya, through complicated circumstances, becomes the maid of the imprisoned Malini to keep her company as well. At first Priya appears to be a kind-hearted person who wants to help the rotten children, but in reality her identity hides a person who holds a lot of power. And so Malini and Priya’s fates become directly intertwined.

Why I wanted to read this series?

I love exploring different cultures, so I thought The Jasmine Throne would be just right for me. I haven’t found an Indian setting in a book before, so I wanted to read this one even more. And since it is published by my favourite publisher Orbit, I knew in advance that it would be a very good book. That’s why I’m very happy that NetGalley confirmed my request and that I was allowed to read the book even before it was published. Nevertheless, I have already pre-ordered the paperback.

These aspects attracted me the most while reading.

Priya is fantastically integrated into the story at the beginning of the book, because in the very first pages, you realise that she is a woman of pure heart. She helps the poor who are struggling with a disease – the rot. So you notice right away what kind of personality Priya has. Her strength should not be overlooked, along with her good-heartedness. She is not characterised as strong in a masculine way, but has a strength that only a woman can possess. She is a rebel and fighter of her very own kind and therefore does not have to resort to masculine characteristics, as is often the case. It is nice to see that, in a certain way, a completely natural and normal woman can also be a fighter and that you don’t have to come across as arrogant and overly intelligent, but that you can also have heart as a strong main character. In many ways she reminded me of myself, which is why I was even more enthusiastic about her. She simply has a heart of gold.
Malini is also a very interesting woman, in her own unique way. In some situations, you can see that she is a princess and can also exercise a certain power. But I was particularly interested in Malini’s flashbacks and hallucinations. Through them you learn more about her history, the place where she grew up and also about her brother Chandra – the dictator brother. These flashbacks also show some other characters, who are of course not discussed in detail, but who show what life is like for the Paraijatdvipa. Also, through Malini, the feeling can be given that women have little to say in this world and especially through her cruel brother it comes out even more clearly. This of course reminds us of the stories of our times about the oppression of women, which of course can be established very appropriately in a fantasy setting.
Bhumika a woman of very different strength. I have to say that she was my favourite character, even though she may not be the most likeable character. She is tough, but fair. She sacrifices herself to achieve something greater and save her people. Through Bhumika, one can also experience the oppression of women, as she is the only one married to a man in this book. Even though her husband seems nice, he has different values than she does and thus she has no right to express anything “intelligent”. The author describes each of the three main female characters differently, so each has her own kind of strength and on its own very interesting personality.
The author has created a very mysterious but effective and authentic world here. It doesn’t seem to drift too much into typical fantasy world building, but it feels very real. All aspects of good world building are also used. Firstly, the religion dealing with the nameless god, the yaksa and the mothers of flame. And you also learn a little bit about the history and the political intrigues. Also, of course, the magic that has to do with the temple children, but I don’t want to give too much away here. These, however, somehow gave me a feeling as if it had something to do with Buddhism or Hinduism. The culture is what also shapes this world, of course through history and also through religion. But also the fact that the women here wear saris was something that gave the whole thing something realistic.
Readers of my blog know that I love political stories. And even though that is not the single focus of this book, I was not disappointed. On the one hand, the ruler who has undermined an entire population group who now have to fight for their continued existence. On the other hand, the oppressed women, who have hardly any rights in this world, are not taken seriously and in some respects are not even noticed. And lastly, the story also features the rebels. I always like stories that have to do with revolutions, because I can always empathise there. The hot blood that burns in the rebels always awakens a fire in me.
So what are my final thoughts about it?

I would love to spoil this book as there are so many exciting things happening, but of course I will NOT. So you will have to read the book yourself if you want to find out. There are so many secrets in this book that are revealed or just want to be revealed and so the book got more and more exciting towards the end. It has to be said that the characters are especially prominent here and they go through a great development. That’s why I’m eager to read more about each of them, because none of them seemed boring. Only in the first third of the book there are a few long stretches that bothered me at first, but towards the end of the book, it got more and more exciting and you couldn’t put the book down. A great start to this series and I am eagerly awaiting the next book!

“There was no void in her any longer. Whatever she was- weapon, monster, cursed or gifted- she was whole.”

Oh boy, anti-heroines AND enemies to lovers are my kryptonite so this book didn't disappoint in the slightest. If this upcoming fantasy novel isn't already on your pre-order list then I insist that you add this book to it immediately!

Set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, The Jasmine Throne transports readers to Ahiranya, a colonized nation plagued by a deadly disease known as rot and on the verge of war. Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne has filled the high fantasy shaped hole that has been left behind since the conclusion of some of the adult fantasy series I hold dear to me. Suri combines a cast of compelling and morally ambiguous characters with an intriguing storyline and rich world-building in an Indian folklore-inspired settling to create an utterly captivating and vivid setting, filled with a fascinating magic system and lore. The concepts presented in this story were just so... *chef kiss*. Everything was so multi-layered and rich.

A highlight for me was the female characters in this book. Whilst there are multiple point of views The Jasmine Throne, which work well in creating a vivid picture of the alternating perspectives and moral standpoints in this book, the three main female characters - Malini, Priya and Bhumika - really shone. Their arcs and relationships with each other were captivating and I loved how they each represented something different. The presentation of each of these characters and fit into a much larger commentary about how women are underestimated and minimised, and I just feel really glad that we have author's like Suri writing books with strong female characters. They were all complex and messy in a way that female characters are so often not allowed to be, and it felt so refreshing to read a story with such dynamic and individually different types of females represented.

*exhales* Honestly, this was just so beautifully written, exceptional and of course full of glorious sapphic yearning. I will definitely be picking up the sequel.