Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - The Jasmine Throne

Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

64 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.

Content Warnings

eidiya's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Content Warnings

ferlefur's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous inspiring mysterious 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? No

4.5

Content Warnings

remescient's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious tense slow-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

3.75

I wanted to love this book more than I did, but I think it really needed a more ruthless editor. There are parts that just get too mired in dialogue to be enjoyable, and the

imprisonment on the Hirana

could have benefitted from tighter writing. On the positive side, I adored the world building and the characters were interesting. It's a beautiful world, I hope we get to see more of it in the next book.

Content Warnings

kermitthefrog3000's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark sad 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

4.5

I was fully immersed in the Indian inspired world with such complex characters with even more complex relationships. Bhumika was an unexpected stand out POV character for me and the tension and dynamic between Priya and Malini were a highlight of the book. However, I was hooked on the magic system and the relationship these characters had with power both physically and in the form of their values and ideals. Will be jumping into the next book ASAP.

Content Warnings

micksland's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark medium-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

4.0

4 stars

Winner: 2022 World Fantasy Award
Nominee: 2022 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel

___

This is a very intriguing epic fantasy novel inspired by various cultures on the Indian subcontinent. It takes traditional fantasy novel tropes and reinterprets them outside the Eurocentric motifs that many modern fantasy novels use.

I loved the character development throughout the novel. The main characters are Malini, the disgraced sister of the Emperor, and her maid Priya, who is much more than she appears. The author did a great job at exploring the different ethnic backgrounds, class differences, and religious beliefs of these characters as they seek to overthrow the Emperor. I do wish that the emperor had some more character development, because he is presented as simply an evil religious fanatic who needs to be replaced. If he had more page time, I think the narrative would have been stronger. Nevertheless, a very fun read and I’ll pick up the sequel!

Content Warnings