This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and did not disappoint. I love mythological retellings and finding one on based on Hindu mythology in mainstream publishing is rare. Growing up in an Indian household, I've watched the serials based on the Mahabharat, and Ramayana and these have always focused on the males as these tend to. I loved how this delves into the Goddess Ganga and her growth as she experiences her penance as a mortal, as well as the depth of emotions that her son experiences trying to balance righteousness against his vow to his stepmother, and his responsibility towards his kingdom. The description of Ganga as a river, flowing and feeling, is a thing of beauty and you feel her plight of being constrained to a mortal body, so much more thereafter. And then the pure joy that emerges after being freed, despite her emotions still being entwined in her mortal life gives rise to the her strife in staying above the matters of mortals.

I love that just this little part of the Mahabharata, makes me want to pick up the larger text and read it, to delve into more details relating to the story. Vaishnavi covers this with such eloquence and beauty, that you can picture Shiva's garden, Krishna's grace and Surya's light. My only complaint is that with the dual time line, I was confused by Bhishma until I covered the explanation later in the story, and I worry that this would throw readers off and disrupt the flow even more for those not familiar with Hindu mythology. I understand completely why it was done the way it was, and loved it in the greater scheme of the plot but perhaps a footnote would add to ease of reading.

I eagerly look forward to any book written by Vaishnavi and recommend this to everyone with an interest in fantasy and mythology. you will absolutely not regret it.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

I absolutely adored this book.
From the first sentence on, I was captivated by the beautiful and poetic writing. This was truly one of the most gorgeously written books I have ever read. I really loved that it was written in first POV because it made it more immersive for me. With mythology retellings, I sometimes struggle to really get invested in the characters, but I didn't feel this way with Goddess of the River.

The plot was great as well, I loved how grand it felt while also never failing to portray the depth of the emotions.
I think this book is really going to hit anyone who's a parent as that is one of the central themes of the story. Do check trigger warnings though because some of the contents of the book might be triggering for parents.

I also loved the character development. As I said earlier, I do have my occasional struggles with mythology retellings as I find myself feeling distanced from the characters, but it wasn't the case here and I was rooting a lot for Ganga.

Overall, this is an absolutely beautiful book that I would certainly recommend to anyone who enjoys mythology retellings, and I think even people who don't might have a good time with this.

Enjoyable mythology retelling with beautiful writing! The book was quite slow to start and the narrative did seem slightly confused at times - think there were maybe too many timeline switches. I did end up fully emerged in the world and felt able to follow these shifts, but feel it may be off putting to some readers. Overall I enjoyed exploring this Hindu mythology retelling and definitely interested in reading more from this author

A beautiful retelling of the story of Ganga, the river goddess.
The author brings this story to life in a very clever way; steeped in mythology and magic.
An intense but enjoyable read!

From the very beginning I was blown away by the prose of this. To write deep in the POV of a Goddess that is also a river that is also at times in human form - AND to make it work so much that you care and ache for this character - that is just extraordinarily good writing.
My feels for her as a mother were overflowing, and going with her to the banks of her own river time and again made me weep inside. I love this whole story arc, along with her struggling with her understanding of humanity and finding her own place in the world.
Overarching is Hindu mythology which I find really fascinating and have not read enough stories about it.
However, the whole arc about the war, including so many characters that left me confused, made it hard at times for me to get through this book. I had to struggle to reconnect at times, trying to understand the pacing and what the core of the narrative is about.

Which overall leaves me with a 4/5 stars rating. The book definitely has a vibe and emotions that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup for the eARC.

#GoddessOfTheRiver #Netgalley #bookstagram

Disclaimer: My knowledge of Hindu myths is limited and I haven’t read the Mahabharata, nor do I know the content of it, so I cannot say how accurate this retelling by Vaishnavi Patel is and if the things I criticise are in accordance to the original myth. As I am not Hindu myself, I also can’t say whether this depiction of religion is respectful, so that’s also not a topic I’m going to touch on and I’m going to treat this novel how I would treat any fantasy book.

The first part of the book was great. I loved the introduction of Ganga and the descriptions of her character. I often struggle with depictions of gods in fantasy novels as they seem too ordinary and humanlike. Ganga on the other hand seemed like a true god. Perhaps cruel and not always easy to understand, but that’s exactly what I liked. She is a god after all, and I don’t expect her to behave like a human. Her relationship with the other gods was well done and her curse immediately created high stakes. Although there are some scenes at the beginning that may be triggering to some people, I really enjoyed the way Ganga tried to solve the curse. It was smart and her actions actually made sense!
There was only one thing at the beginning I was unhappy with, but I won't go into details because of spoilers. Gangas actions seemed quite out of character and didn't make any sense to me. They did get explained in a way, but it wasn't satisfactory at all for me. I would've liked better explanations or at least see her think properly about the different sides of the arguments. In my opinion, the way it was written simply made it seem as if she had randomly changed her mind about something extremely important to her.

While I don’t mind time jumps in books, the way they were written in this one irritated me. For a big part of the book, we get Ganga’s point of view in the past, watching Devavrata grow up, and the POV of someone called Bhishma from the present, just before the war. Two problems with that.
First one, I always had to keep both timelines in my mind and always know exactly where we stopped and what happened during which time. On its own, that wouldn’t be a problem. However, the first time Bhishma appeared, we got no explanations at all. It felt as if I was supposed to know exactly who he was, what he was doing and what had happened, but it hadn’t happened yet, so I had no way to know. Also, what war? The way the chapters were titled, I expected to know what kind of war this was talking about, but nothing. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable of Hindu mythology would’ve known what war this was talking about, and that who Bhishma was, but I didn’t and without an explanation I was very confused. Of course you piece it together somehow, but at the point it got confirmed, I had already lost track of what was going on and wasn't prepared to go back and read all of it again with this in mind.

I’m gonna be honest – Hindu mythology can be confusing. So many gods, different names, avatars. Overall, this book did a great job of keeping it simple. It explained all the characters and it didn’t use more gods than necessary. But all the humans? So many names, so many kind of similar people I couldn’t keep apart. Especially since we didn’t see Devavrata grow up and slowly get introduced to all the people. We did kind of watch him grow up, but at the same time, we were thrown into his life as an adult with so many new faces and names around him that he had obviously met somehow, but we were supposed to suddenly know. I really struggled with identifying all the different characters.

The characterisations of both Ganga and Bhishma were pretty good though. While Ganga was a perfect god, Bhishma was the perfect combination of god and human, struggling with his identity of being Ganga’s son and the crown prince. And I loved the development both of them went through. Very well written.

Overall, the writing style was good, but unfortunately parts of the story were boring. They stretched on way too long and spend too much time with uninteresting things.

Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this mythological retelling with fantasy leanings, despite having a lot of characters and motivations to keep track of it doesn't get confusing and I just loved the growth and evolution of Ganga. This story explores themes of duty vs doing what is right and at times it was so frustrating watching these characters make certain decisions (in a good way!)
I didn't really know much about Hindu mythology beyond being broadly familiar with the more prominent deities, so this was a really good way to find out more and explore a modernised story that draws from a long standing mythology and history.

ARC review for NetGalley.
This is the story of Ganga, a river goddess who is briefly trapped as a mortal, and her relationship with her human son.
This book was absolutely stunning in terms of prose. So beautifully and gently written. The magical realism was mesmerising, reminding me a little of Salman Rushdie. I knew nothing about the original Mahabharata story the novel’s based on but I don’t think that was an issue while reading. There were quite a lot of secondary characters, and I did sometimes get confused between them, but that did stop me understanding the plot on the whole. I found Ganga and Devavrata’s relationship really poignant, how she was torn between wanting to keep him with her and wanting him to be with other humans. They were also both flawed and interesting characters in their own right. The pace of the novel ebbed and flowed, sometimes being quick and gripping but sometimes dragging a little.

Hindu mythology is very close to my heart and each time I see a book inspired by it, I add it automatically to my never ending tbr. This book tells the tale of Goddess Ganga and her son, Devavrata.
I had zero clue about it thus I was super excited to read this book. The language was easy and simple. I loved reading this and definitely had a great time too.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I haven’t read the authors first novel, and only picked this one up because it was rumoured to be in a book box I subscribe to.

I struggled a little in the first half - there are a *lot* of characters. That’s the point; the book starts with a very messy and complicated family tree, one I had to keep referring to while reading this. And honestly, I feel like I didn’t get a true grasp on everyone until about 70% into the book. This mythology was very new to me, so I feel like that contributed to this as well.

But, that was my only problem. The prose itself is lovely, the story is gripping, and while the many characters confused me, the main characters kept me very anchored into the story. A dual time line story can be messy, but this was done very well, and it revealed all the information in perfect beats.

Overall, if you enjoy adult mythology, I would give this a go! I can’t wait to have it on my shelves.

4⭐️

This was good but it could have been great.
I LOVE Ganga. Seeing her go through a journey of understanding what it means to be human but also understanding what godhood means to her was really interesting. I also loved the relationships she has with Shiva and Krishna which are deeply complex and beautiful.
The writing is great and just like Kaikeyi I flew through this (mostly) and it really triggers that "just one more chapter" moment after (nearly) every chapter.
I loved that this book talked about some really heavy topics but definetly check the trigger warnings.

What brings this down to me to a final rating of 3,5-4 stars is that it just felt a little rushed at times and I would have loved to have some more quiet and slow scenes. The pacing definetly gets more balanced in the second half of the book but because the first half covers such a vast amount of time Bhishma as a character fell really flat to me. All his scenes are really short until at the very end and I think his final scenes would have hit so much harder if we had gotten some more scenes of him just being a person and not just Gangas son/that man that does stuff for his empire without free will.

I also struggled a lot with the amount of characters introduced all at once, not even in the beginning of the book but around the 40% mark after beginning a new timeline. It were just way too many names and it really took me until the very end to have an understanding of who is who but that may be just me.

I would still recommend this book but it's not as perfect as Kaikeyi was in my opinion.

A very beautifully written book.
A very beautiful retelling of the story of Ganga the river goddess.
Will definitely read more from this author in the future!

“Goddess of the River” is a reimagining of the story of Ganga, the river goddess, and her mortal son. The plot explored family dynamics as well as the repercussions of war and morality. Patel’s ability to convey these complex ideas and explain a Hindu myth I was not previously familiar with, was satisfyingly engaging.

The plot Is designed to be thought provoking with the introduction of wider characters, which occasionally can be complex, but impressively done for condensing such a vast legend. The logical prose captures the intricate themes in a digestible manner, but as the politics briskly increases mid-way through the book, it can be slightly overwhelming for a reader who is not familiar with the myth.

I rated this book 4/5 stars, as I found its pacing to be slightly swift in places, but was deeply interested in the topics it explores, as well as learning Ganga’s story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!


Overall I have to give Goddess of the River 3.25/5 stars. The story sounded so promising and intriguing, and I was looking forward to learning more about Indian mythology which I have not had much experience yet before. The writing and descriptions themselves were vivid and captivating, with an evocative style and rich world-building. The characters were also multi-faceted and complex, but this book for me was let down by the timeline and broken-up flow of the plot. I have read many books that also feature non-chronological timelines, but this one was jarring and interrupted the flow of the story for me. Whilst less evident in the first quarter, by the end of the first half I had all but disconnected from the characters and plot because of the jumping around, and sudden influx of politics and new characters without building-up to this. The last half of the book I had to push through to be completely honest. In all, whilst this book was promising and the story interesting, the formatting and timeline made it less enjoyable for me.

Thank you again for the ARC!

What can I say about this book! A powerful, thought provoking, enriched retelling of the epic Hindu story, The Mahabharata from the perspective of the River Goddess, Ganga.

You travel through the story with Ganga, from the resplendent joyful goddess to being cursed to human form, to the powers of royalty, the complications of family, the devastation of war and the undulating throws of love. It questions the ideas of justice and injustice, the concepts of freedom and free will and so much more.

What I Ioved about this was the poetic writing. There's is a flow that is so beautiful and rich that you can really visualise the scenes and the feelings of the characters.

If you want heartfelt epic story this is one for you.

This is a stunning retelling of The Mahabharata that is beautiful and brutal just like the original story. If you've not read or know much about The Mahabharata I would definitely recommend reading the disclaimers as there are some strong themes with the story but it shows the heart of the tale being close to the original source being a poignant story to the Hindu religious texts.

This story is a reimagining of the story of Ganga, goddess of the river Ganges, who, after stepping in to protect trickster godlings who have incurred the wrath of powerful sage, is cursed to become mortal. The terms of her curse are to bring the godlings back into the world as their mother, and she is able to free all but one of them from their mortal bodies. Her final son, Prince Devavrata, is forced to grow up a mortal, and navigate complex politics for his family, in spite of much interference from the gods. Ultimately, this is a story of a goddess coming to terms with her feelings towards humankind, and a man faced with the question: is what is honourable always what is right?

I’ll admit to having only the most cursory knowledge of Hindu myth / the Mahabharata before reading this book, but in my eyes that only enhanced the experience, as I had no preconceived notions of the characters or the mythology. Ganga’s voice and emotions are so clear and heart-wrenching, from her initial imprisonment in what she sees as her divine cage, to her responsibility of motherhood to a mortal son subject to a multitude of outside influences. From the very start, the prose is absolutely beautiful, and in the early book the pacing is perfect. Near the end, the heavily signposted war was not unnecessarily drawn out, but driven by character interactions without being bogged down by battle mechanics.

However, as a result of non-chronological chapters, as I got further through the book and the wider cast of characters was revealed, I was forced to check the given family tree every time I read a new name (and sometimes even if I had read said name before). On introduction, I was also momentarily confused by the switch from Devavrata to Bhishma, again using the family tree to confirm they were in fact the same person. I certainly still enjoyed the middle section of this book, but it was a much slower march than the sprint through beginning and end.

I found Goddess of the River to be a really enjoyable read, with characters who have clear motivations, conflicts, and resulting arcs. It was also a great experience to be plunged into mythology I’d only lightly touched in the past. Happily a 4 out of 5 stars for me.

A novelisation of the story of Lady Ganga and Bhishma, from the Mahabharata. Via a multitude of characters, we explore the tension between duty and justice, and how interpretations of this tension can wreak havoc. At its core, it remains a philosophical and moralistic tale, despite some changes the author made.

I liked it a lot. Having heard a lot about the Mahabharata but always afraid of accessing it, this novel is a fantastic introduction into this world, It is well written, the characters are lifelike and realistic, and it's easy to forget that the source material is a 2,000+ myth, vs a modern fantasy novel. I particularly liked how the author retained the philosophical argument on our role in society, and how duty can be interpreted in different ways. The fact that the author retained some of the more objectionable elements that the epic highlighted (especially castes) was also impressive - showing how, at least originally, it was used as a way to retain social stability, and, having mixed up these values with divinity, it gave them credibility that haunts some parts of the Indian subcontinent to this day.

I recommend it to anyone interested in Indian mythology, but, like me, afraid to go to the source material. I also recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining and thought-provoking fantasy novel, set in a non-Western universe of values and concepts.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book is truly beautifully written, with a poetic feel that pulls you right in. The author really knows how to tell a story, and does so beautifully.

However, I found myself a bit misled by the book's description. While I expected a story primarily focused on a mother and her son, it turned out to be about so much more. It's a profound exploration of complex moral dilemmas and the intricacies of human nature, it delves deep into themes of humanity, morality, duty, and honor.

Based on the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, from the perspective of Ganga, the river Goddess, the story introduces a multitude of characters and intertwining narratives. As someone unfamiliar with the text, I occasionally struggled to keep track of them all. I think a character page or tree would have helped navigate the story more easily.

At times, the narrative feels like a series of moral tales, unified by Ganga's presence. While this structure adds depth to the storytelling, it also contributes to a somewhat disjointed feeling.

The writing in the first half is exquisite, almost poetic, making it a joy to read. However, the second half took a significant shift in tone and style, which caught me off guard and required some adjustment. Once I grasped the connections between past and present and understood the characters' roles, everything fell into place.

Despite these challenges, I found the story deeply engaging and thought-provoking. It's clear that the author put a tremendous amount of effort into condensing such a vast epic into a coherent narrative, and the result is commendable.

This book offers a unique exploration of mythic themes through the lens of Ganga, the goddess turned mortal, and her son, Devavrata/Bhishma. This novel stands out for its ambitious reimagining of their stories, deeply rooted in the cultural and spiritual fabric of ancient India.

The narrative structure of the book works well, alternating between the perspectives of Ganga and Bhishma, which provides a dual viewpoint on the unfolding events and their broader implications. Ganga's transition from divinity to mortality is portrayed with a keen emotional depth, exploring themes of loss, motherhood, and adaptation to the human world. Her character development is one of the strengths of the book, showing her growth from a celestial entity to a mortal with all its challenges and pains.

Bhishma's chapters, while central to the narrative progression, sometimes lack the emotional resonance of Ganga's. His unwavering commitment to his vows, despite the clear foreseeing of their disastrous consequences, creates a tension that is both frustrating and essential to the story. These chapters are crucial in depicting the rigid structures of duty and honour that define much of classical Indian narratives.

The book's writing style is clear and accessible, maintaining a professional tone that matches the gravity of the epic tale it recounts. Patel’s ability to convey complex ideas like dharma and karma in a straightforward manner makes the novel particularly engaging. Her prose effectively captures the essence of the characters’ struggles and their environments, making ancient myths relatable to a contemporary audience.

However, the novel does face challenges with pacing and clarity, particularly in the middle sections where the political intrigue intensifies. New characters are introduced at a rapid pace, and without a detailed background or a guide to understand their relationships, it can be overwhelming for readers. This complexity sometimes detracts from the narrative flow, making it difficult to keep track of the unfolding events.

Despite these issues, Goddess of the River does well in its thematic ambitions. It delves deeply into the consequences of personal choices and the ripple effects they have across generations. The themes of maternal bond and duty are explored in depth, providing a poignant look at the personal sacrifices entailed in adhering to one’s role in society.

Overall an enjoyable and illuminating read for fans of myth reimaginings.

3.75⭐ rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.

This is my first exposure to Vaishnavi Patel's work and her writing is emotive, gripping and lush, perfect in capturing the perspective of an immortal. The first third of the story deals with the river goddess Ganga's POV, before the rest is balanced with alternating chapters of her and her son, Devavrata. The only reason this would not have been a full 4 or 5-star for me is because I highly enjoyed Ganga's chapters much more over Devavrata's. The latter's POV is frustrating to read, given the character's flawed choices throughout his life.

I struggled with the politics of the story at times given the multitude of characters being introduced that would impact the overall narrative, especially with the nobility. A dramatis personae and/or family tree for reference would've been extremely helpful. Regardless, GotR evoked so much emotion out of me—outrage over the abuse the women faced & all the prejudice rampant in the society, frustration over Devavrata's binary view of what is right and wrong, and empathy for Ganga's development from distant goddess to pained, steadfast mother. Ordinarily, I balk over a female character's narrative as simply being a mother tied to the fate of her son. Patel manages to sidestep this by portraying Ganga's maternal instincts for Devavrata and her other children as one that develops into greater compassion for various humans, and eventually encompassing humanity as whole. I would absolutely not hesitate to pick up another of Patel's retellings.