First of all, a huge thank you to the publishers for the arc.

I’m a big fan of Kritika’s work and The Legend of Meneka was definitely one of my most anticipated books of 2025. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I wasn’t familiar with Meneka’s story and the myth that inspired this retelling, but I will absolutely be looking for a version to read!

This is one book I was glad I took my time reading. The Legend of Meneka is beautifully written and honestly, it was so nice to lose myself in the world. I’ve always been a fan of Kritika’s world building and this was no exception - I genuinely love the worlds she creates and I loved how different this was to The Surviving Sky. I also loved how the philosophy was woven into the story; it created some interesting dynamics between the characters, especially Kaushika and Meneka.

Speaking of Meneka and Kaushika…I enjoyed seeing how their relationship changed and developed, especially during the quieter moments. I loved the moments where they got to know each other and challenged each other’s beliefs. It wasn’t what I was expecting (that’s my fault and my lack of familiarity with the original story), but I liked the fact that push each other to be their best selves.

If you’re a fan of retellings and romantasy, then give this one a go.

First of all, I just want to say how happy I am that in the past couple of years there have been so many stories inspired by Hinduism and Hindu myths that have been discovered and published - from retellings/reimaginings such as Kaikeyi and Goddess of the River to fantasy such as The Surviving Sky by Kritika - the same author who wrote this book I'm reviewing now. When I saw that she has a new book coming out and that it's a romantasy! - although I'm not the biggest fan of the subgenre but I was instantly interested to read it.

The Legend of Meneka is based on a Hindu myth that I wasn't familiar with - about Meneka, an apsara that was commanded by Deva Indra - the king of heaven - to seduce Sage Kaushika in order to stop him from threatening Deva Indra's realm. But instead, Meneka found herself falling for her mark and questioning everything she was taught and known about her world.

I really enjoyed reading this one - I thought the plot was well developed and executed, and the writing just flows. The romance was great too even though I would've preferred a slower development, but the way the author wrote the push and pull of the characters and the tension between them was well done. I thought Kritika wrote the characters with a lot of heart and thoughtfulness which was why it was easy for me to be able to root for them. Even without the romance, I thought the storyline of Meneka was really good by itself especially the way that she had to encounter conditions and realities that made her question her own beliefs and struggle through her mission.

Also can I give this book an appreciation for giving us a glossary??? I didn't really need it and it made me happy that I was able to recognize a lot of the phrases and characters in the book but I knew that the glossary would really help other readers not familiar with Hinduism.

This was a beautiful, beautiful story and I loved it so much. The Legend of Meneka is a breathtaking romantasy steeped in Hindu mythology and follows Meneka, a celestial dancer (apsara) whose duty is to seduce mortal "marks" at the command of her king Indra. The marks are always those who have posed political challenges for Indra and threatened devotion in him in the mortal realm, which weakens his power.

I really really loved this- it was everything I wanted from a dance-inspired mythology/romantasy. The first 30% was slightly slow and then I really got into it. Will definitely be recommending to my friends!

THE LEGEND OF MENEKA is a steamy romantasy that retells a Hindu myth of a celestial dancer sent to seduce a dangerous sage but falls in love with him.

This is a romantasy that explores the power and complications of love, through the lens of an apsara - a divine creature of lust who is used as a weapon to bring people low. It was a really interesting discussion of what constitutes love and where love sits within faith. The book looks at power within a relationship, using that to differentiate this relationship with Meneka's previous missions. I particularly liked the section where Meneka was challenging perceptions of wisdom coming from abstinence and ascetism.

As with THE SURVIVING SKY, THE LEGEND OF MENEKA uses the tale to explore aspects of Hinduism, particularly its philosophy. As someone who only studied Hinduism at school as a minor part of my Religious Study GCSE, I found the exploration here easier to follow and appreciate because it's wrapped up in the myths (which we were briefly taught) rather than being more abstracted.

I liked how the relationship between the two comes from the mind first. Meneka is aware of her power and her physical attraction but that is not what draws them together. It is the way they both challenge each other, forcing the other to think again about their beliefs.

This is the first book in a duology but has a happily ever for now, though with an acknowledgement that the pair have goals of their own that are going to challenge their togetherness. There is a big confrontation at the end, and I liked how the dance magic was used in the midst of the battle, how the victory does not come from who can punch harder.

Beautifully, lyrically written, The Legend of Meneka is a mythology retelling full of romance. Although I loved the writing, I did find it a bit of a struggle to get through because I wasn't feeling the characters. Not my favourite book, but it was mostly ok!

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

Thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

Review: This is my first Hindu mythology retelling, and the way Kritika Rao describes everything is poetic, almost as if even without the spicy scenes it's giving sensual and erotic. Everytime I smell of star anise and camphor I might remember this book. This is very heavy in philosophy and religion which prompted me to reflect on my own beliefs, or lack thereof. What the main characters' tension basically is between asceticism and pleasure-seeking, and as a fan of having discussions between types of disciplines I find it enjoying to read.

The intimate scenes were handled with subtlety, written in demure language. With so much internal monologue and the ongoing tension between the mortal and immortal realms, I often found myself forgetting that this was, at its core, a romantasy. The depth of the characters’ emotional and philosophical struggles gave the story an added complexity.

The ending felt anticlimactic, though I just found out this is going to be a series. I was unexpectedly moved, from both relief and a sense of dread. The resolution left me uncertain about everyone's futures, as forgiveness remained elusive and the path forward seemed unclear.

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

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me and I ended up DNFing about halfway through.
I'm sad because I was really looking forward to this, especially since it is steeped in Hindu mythology.
I did enjoy the world a lot and as someone who is familiar with Hindu mythology, I really loved how the author took a lot of elements from it and weaved them into a fantasy novel.

In my opinion, you can tell that writing this book meant a lot to the author, and that is something I always love to see.
There were also some elements that I did enjoy, but my biggest issue was the writing style.

It's not bad by any means, but it just felt a bit detached from the story. The writing style felt like that of a mythology retelling (which I tend to not enjoy), but for a romantasy book, and I think that's what didn't work for me.

The main character also annoyed me quite a bit, though she got better as the story progressed.

The plot at the core of the book is something that's been done in romantasy many times, which is also part of the reason why I decided not to finish. I don't think you need to reinvent the wheel everytime and you can definitely take a well-loved plot line and make it exciting, but for me personally, this book didn't make it exciting enough to want to keep going and I think if the world wasn't as lush as it was, I would have DNFed sooner.

I'm sure other people will enjoy this book a lot more, especially since there is a lot I thought was done well, but it just wasn't for me.

I have no strong feelings about this book, one way or another. It's a great blend of mythology and fantasy, and the Hindu myth was new to me, so that was certainly interesting.

I found first 30% slightly confusing, the author seemed to rely on the glossary a little too much, and I thought all the unfamiliar terms could have been better explained within the story.

The book is mostly Meneka's thoughts, as it is a first person POV. The constant turmoil and conflict she went through were described in detail, I could really feel the emotions she was grappling with.

But honestly, being in Meneka's head this much became exhausting fairly quickly, it was all just a little too repetitive for my liking.

For a book that focuses so heavily on sex and desire, there was certainly a slow burn, which was a nice contrast to the lust. I do wish the language used during intimate scenes wasn't so flowery and mild though, it could have been described just a little more explicitly to work well within this story.

In terms of enjoyment, I just couldn't get lost in the story or believe the romance, it wasn't quite engaging enough for me.

I really enjoyed the magic system and world building. The atmosphere felt dreamy and light.

I had to Google quite a bit to understand the mythology related to the characters, but this made a nice change from my usual reading.

I struggled though with the relationship and chemistry between Meneka and Kaushika.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I struggled to rate this book because there were many elements I enjoyed but also some elements that fell a bit short of my expectations, which hindered my overall enjoyment of the novel. We follow Meneka, a celestial dancer that resides in the immortal realm, who must seduce Kaushika, a human sage in the mortal realm, as part of a mission by the god Indra. There, she slowly falls for the enemy and the themes of subterfuge and deception are also explored.

I liked Meneka as a character and found it easy to put myself in her shoes. She has the power to seduce, but does not enjoy it, and it was interesting seeing this play out in the novel. She is devoted to Indra, yet yearns for freedom and seducing Kaushika is the only way to warrant this freedom. Meneka has heard stories of Kaushika, how he is ruthless and has killed the other celestial dancers, and I loved the conflict Meneka goes through the more she spends time with Kaushika at the hermitage and has to re-evaluate where her loyalties lie. There is more depth to Kaushika that Meneka finds out about, and I loved how we got to learn more about him through her. I also liked her struggle to seduce Kaushika, someone that is emotionally unavailable but also powerful enough as a sage to ward off her magic.

The themes of seduction and lust were also done very well. I liked that lust has different connotations and isn’t just interpreted literally. Lust could mean lusting for approval or acceptance from someone else rather than sexual desire, which added a layer of depth to the storytelling. I was really astonished by how complex this novel was in terms of the magic system, themes of loyalty, devotion and the gorgeous prose that accompanied the novel. I tolerate spicy books and I think the spice was done appropriately and done with intent and the slow burn leading up to it worked for me.

Kaushika and Meneka were the highest points of the novel and what got me through the story. I loved their chemistry from the get go, the distrust, the cat and mouse between them, and the verbal sparring. Kaushika was such an interesting and mysterious character with undeniable power. He was easily the most developed character in my eyes and he really reminded me of Zen from Song of Silver. I loved Kaushika’s devotion to his practice, but also how it became his flaw and how this affected the people around him. Meneka was a great foil to Kaushika and I loved the slow burn and forbidden romance between them. My heart broke for them several times and the conflict between them was impactful because of how well the slow burn was set up.

The side characters were also nice people. I liked how supportive they were of Meneka and how they each had their own voice. Though devoted to the hermitage and to Kaushika as their mentor, it was interesting seeing where their loyalties lie as well throughout the novel.

Onto critiques, I enjoyed the showcase of magic, but I wish more of it was used on a grander scale, e.g. in battle, rather than just for show. I felt the novel lacked action and I can only recall two significant ones that happened, one of which I enjoyed and felt the stakes and the other towards the end that felt a bit underwhelming and was resolved too easily. Maybe due to reading many xianxias I expected something of a grander scale, so this was quite mellow and tame. There were celestial creatures teased in the glossary that I don’t think showed up in the actual book either. The pacing also dragged out and it was a struggle to read on at times, but I do think the first act was necessary to set up betrayals even if it could have been executed better. I think the main villain was also very undeveloped, which made the war between the realms not as compelling as it could have been.

Overall, I think this was a fine read and sets up more interesting dynamics in the sequel.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An enjoyable retelling. I enjoyed the romantic tension and relationship that was built between Meneka and Kaushika. While I went in to the story knowing the romance would be a large part of the story, I really enjoyed that the majority of the story is actually focused on Meneka and her journey to understand herself. The spicy scenes were spicy and well done. I enjoyed the world building as well, based upon Hindu stories. The ending shows a lot of promise for the story that is still being told and I’d be interested in seeing how Meneka’s story ends.

Am I the biggest fan of romantasy? No, but that didn't stop me from absolutely loving this book. Based on a truly great piece of Indian mythology, this book explores love and the power it holds, as well as asking the question - who can you turn to when everyone you love has turned against you.

I was very surprised, in a good way, by the final twist, and I thought he book did an incredible job of exploring Meneka's journey, as her powers waxed, waned, and ultimately blossomed.

The budding romance with Kaushika provided a great backdrop for the rest of the story to take place, and it was so refreshing to see a romance where she isn't the only one who changes and is affected by what is happening. He changes to, and in fact he changes first.

This book ended well, in a way that would be satisfactory by itself, but also leaves a small glimmer open if there was a desire for a sequel. Generally, I'm not a fan of sequels, but Kritika wrote this book so beautifully that I would love to continue reading this story!

"I see a vision of beauty, sacred and deep. I see a woman who is strong, because she has fought terrible battles with herself. Who has won them and lost them and understand the futility of fighting but does it anyway because to not do so would be harder."

A Day of Fallen Night meets The Phoenix King in an Indian inspired fantasy novel filled with deities vs mortals.

The premise and the story was interesting but unfortunately the writing style just didn't work for me. The pace was incredibly slow and I found myself confused on what we were working towards for a majority of the book.
I can see the appeal in the book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

I'm always desperate for a good fantasy book diving into Hindu mythology. I want to both educate myself and immerse myself into this world.

The Legend of Meneka has this worldbuilding and mythology to perfection. And the writing style is truly mesmerizing - as I am used to with the author.
It's a story of empowerment and identity, and it bleeds through every page.

However, as with Rao's previous books I read, the weak point for me are the characters. Though they are fleshed out, I still always found myself detached from them. Despite the look into their thoughts and emotions, I just could not connect. Their character arc and the romance is good on paper, but does not transport onto the page.

As I am drawn into books by characters mostly, sadly this story overall wasn't for me.

3,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the eARC!

#LegendOfMeneka #Netgalley #Bookstagram

The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao was so so good. This was such a lovely experience. I enjoyed every single second of it. So so good.

A stunning Romantasy adventure hugely inspired by Indian Mythology that is both enchanting and impactful in so many ways.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟.5 (3.5/5)

Kritika H. Rao’s The Legend of Meneka presents a lush and imaginative tale, blending mythology with intricate world-building and themes of destiny and resilience. The story follows Meneka, whose journey challenges her to unravel secrets of her lineage while navigating a landscape fraught with danger and divine influence.

The prose is vivid, and the mythology is immersive, but the pacing occasionally falters, with dense exposition slowing the narrative. Despite this, the rich cultural elements and compelling character arcs make it a worthwhile read for fantasy enthusiasts.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC. DNF @ 55%.

TLoM's strength lies in the interesting and lush Hindu mythological influences of deities and apsaras (celestials). That and titular protagonist Meneka is queer, having started out establishing that she's presently smitten with a fellow senior female apsara.

But aside from those, I ultimately struggled to hold on to my interest in Meneka's story. A seductress who feels remorse over the emotional manipulation that comes with her honey trapping role makes for an intriguing premise. I liked that her journey began with wanting to break free from that, which she'll be rewarded with after One Last Mission. But from very early on, Meneka—who was stated to have successfully seduced and manipulated many marks of prominent positions like royals, mind you—proved that she lacked any cunning or a calculative bone in her body. It was like reading a novice spy who had lucked her way through missions because her prior marks were so absurdly gullible, including this latest one.

And then, she goes on to rapidly develop a deep attraction for the aforementioned mark, Kaushika. Even though at that time, she still believed he had murdered her sister apsaras and had no reason to trust him. Kaushika had also been disdainful and condescending towards her, but that takes a backseat because he's hot, I guess. He reciprocates Meneka's attraction just as quickly, because she's oh so beautiful and shows she's capable of the bare minimum of compassion for other humans. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at every exchanged romantic dialogue because it feels so forced. Basically, if insta-lust makes for a swoonworthy romance for you, this is right up your alley.

I loved the premise of this story, I think it is really unique. The sense of setting was evocative and the prose was beautiful. I found it could have benefitted from slightly tighter pacing, but overall an interesting story.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review