Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

90 reviews

mj1588's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, War, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Blood, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Pregnancy

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

eidiya's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Addiction, Body horror, Death, Child death, Colonisation, War, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Xenophobia

secretsoup's review against another edition

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and War

barbiereads75'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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Child death, Violence, and Drug use

bessjoyce's review against another edition

adventurous tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

Enjoyable story though writing is a big overly descriptive 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Child death and Death

befnie's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Child death

barefootamy's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

ienbdri's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Misogyny, Child abuse, Genocide, Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Drug use, Confinement, Body horror, and Addiction

Moderate: Pregnancy, Violence, and War

sashahc's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

5.0

"The Jasmine Throne" by Tasha Suri is described by the author as "a big, chonky multi-pov epic Indian-inspired fantasy about morally grey lesbians setting an empire ablaze."  Priya, a chambermaid, is secretly one of the last scions of a religion destroyed by a neighboring colonial power.  Malini, an imperial princess, has been exiled to Priya's town for trying to depose her brother, the emperor.  Thrown together, they have to navigate the politics and passions of the different erupting factions and choose a path forward for Priya's country, the empire itself, and the ancient magic that is bubbling up from the very ground.  There is class and race, queer love, destiny, family, trauma, colonization, and all sorts of messy intrigue.  The cast of characters are complex and earnest, tied to each other in difficult ways.  It is a hugely readable and enjoyable #book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Abandonment

Moderate: Death