Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

31 reviews

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri builds a dark and almost claustrophobic fantasy world, set in an alt-India with central conflicts that are largely inspired by South Asian history and a deeply spiritual and elemental magic system. We have all the usual forces at work - an evil emperor, a slow-boiling revolution, and a colonized nation fighting for survival. While the action in this story is confined almost entirely to the shifting walls of an ancient and mysterious temple as our political coup takes shape, this tight focus is counterbalanced with rapidly rotating POVs through a large cast of characters. 

At the center of our story, we have three primary female characters - Malini, Priya, and Bhumika - each navigating trauma and their own fight for agency and freedom. Suri develops complex, morally gray women, and Malini, the exiled sister of the emperor, and Priya and Bhumika, former temple children, each challenge the traditional roles often cast for women in fantasy. Malini is openly manipulative and ruthlessly seeks power and agency, while Priya explores the potentially monstrous aspects of her own power and the paths available to her people in their fight for liberation. And while Malini and Priya circle each other for the majority of the story, Bhumika, a side character with main character energy, observes from the shadows, building an army of loyal followers while she works around and against her husband and the empire he serves. At each turn, our female main characters outmaneuver the power-wielding men in their lives, at times in partnership and at times in opposition, but always to advance their own goals. 

This is epic fantasy perfect for readers who love She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan, and not only for its strong sapphic romance arc (which is, of course, excellent). This, like She Who Became the Sun, explores the moral sacrifices people make for power, the bloody history of empire and the magic inherent to our world and its ghosts. I loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, Classism, Misogyny, Child death, Colonisation, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, and Child abuse

Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and War

fairyollie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

wow. Tasha Suri is a force to be reckoned with here in fiction: her prose is lyrical and stunning; her worlds rich and robust; her characters complex, and I couldn't get enough. I am a big fan of epic fantasy, of complexity, of chaos, of rebellion and revolution, of political intrigue, and especially of sapphic couples, and all of those loves (and more) bloomed abundantly here. beautiful book, just stunning

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Misogyny, War, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Grief, Death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

jodes003's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Murder, Blood, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Pregnancy and Grief

Minor: Animal death

micaelacccc's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: War, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Minor: Homophobia

o_mcg318's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Death, Genocide, Classism, Homophobia, Murder, and Violence

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Violence, War, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racism, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Colonisation, Body horror, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Starvation, homelessness, brothels.

kelseeraine's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

wlw, clean, fantasy, magic

Tasha Suri writes a story quite unlike any book I've ever read before. Her prose and the inventive use of multiple POVs truly create a multi-layered world the encaptures the reader. I can honestly say I've never read a book quite like it, in the absolute best of ways. The world building was so in-depth, so meticulously thought out, that I felt I completely understood the world Suri created. Reading this was like solving a puzzle without meaning to. Suri's writing guides the reader along a truly incredible path that allows the reader deepen their understanding of the world without having to consciously try to decipher it. This book is what I would consider the very best of the high fantasy genre. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Hate crime, Confinement, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Lesbophobia, Murder, Homophobia, and Terminal illness

mossylibra's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Misogyny, War, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

thebankofbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, War, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Death, Grief, Body horror, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Child death

aklovekorn's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Drug abuse, Death, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Suicide attempt