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A review by ellenisntcool
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
The Jasmine Throne is a story about a princess who became an exile and a maidservant struggling to find her past.
I was unsure what I would be getting into when first picking this book up as the only thing ever mentioned in reviews or maybe even in a haul is that this is a sapphic fantasy set in Ancient Inida, which definitely intrigued me as someone who is queer and loves fantasy. I brought myself a copy second hand (I did this twice, as the first got lost then showed up a month later) then devoured this story about these two very gay women fighting together for their freedom.
The Plot
The book is set in Ancient India in a state called Ahrianya, who's culture, language and religion were supressed by the Emperor thus creating rebellions within the state and ploys to remove him from his throne.
When we first meet Malini, she is introduced within the prologue where she and her ladies-in-waiting are being sent to burn alive at a pyre so they can become mothers of flame, but Malini refused and fought back so her brother sends her into exile banishing her to Ahrianya where she is to life out her exile until death.
Priya on the other hand is introduced navigating the Old Bazaar with a blade under her sari and trying to get to the stalls to collect goods for the young children living on the streets but when they all suddenly closed she is forced to go to them empty handed, but finds a young boy who is becoming consumed by Rot.
What brings these two women together is the Hirana, a Ahiryani temple once bustling with temple children and Elders only to be burned down long ago, was once a home to Priya but is now a prison for Malini.
The Actual Review before I give away all of the plot
AH. This is within my list for top ten fantasy books I have ever read. The pacing, the characters, the story!! All of it was tied together with the finest ribbon and blessed with magic that kept me invested yet I took my time savouring the story as I didn't want this to end, (holy shit nearly lost my entire review thanks computer xx)
The characters themselves were truly amazing as we have five main POVs throughout the book who all brought an element of intrigue and richness to the story that I think works so well. We even had a couple extra POV's from secondary characters that added extra context for certain scenes and added more to the previous characters we met and how quickly they change when the tension and the plot truly begin.
Overall, this is one of the easiest 5 stars I can give and I'm grateful to have read this book and I am very excited to get stuck into the sequel once I find a copy.
I was unsure what I would be getting into when first picking this book up as the only thing ever mentioned in reviews or maybe even in a haul is that this is a sapphic fantasy set in Ancient Inida, which definitely intrigued me as someone who is queer and loves fantasy. I brought myself a copy second hand (I did this twice, as the first got lost then showed up a month later) then devoured this story about these two very gay women fighting together for their freedom.
The Plot
The book is set in Ancient India in a state called Ahrianya, who's culture, language and religion were supressed by the Emperor thus creating rebellions within the state and ploys to remove him from his throne.
When we first meet Malini, she is introduced within the prologue where she and her ladies-in-waiting are being sent to burn alive at a pyre so they can become mothers of flame, but Malini refused and fought back so her brother sends her into exile banishing her to Ahrianya where she is to life out her exile until death.
Priya on the other hand is introduced navigating the Old Bazaar with a blade under her sari and trying to get to the stalls to collect goods for the young children living on the streets but when they all suddenly closed she is forced to go to them empty handed, but finds a young boy who is becoming consumed by Rot.
What brings these two women together is the Hirana, a Ahiryani temple once bustling with temple children and Elders only to be burned down long ago, was once a home to Priya but is now a prison for Malini.
The Actual Review before I give away all of the plot
AH. This is within my list for top ten fantasy books I have ever read. The pacing, the characters, the story!! All of it was tied together with the finest ribbon and blessed with magic that kept me invested yet I took my time savouring the story as I didn't want this to end, (holy shit nearly lost my entire review thanks computer xx)
The characters themselves were truly amazing as we have five main POVs throughout the book who all brought an element of intrigue and richness to the story that I think works so well. We even had a couple extra POV's from secondary characters that added extra context for certain scenes and added more to the previous characters we met and how quickly they change when the tension and the plot truly begin.
Overall, this is one of the easiest 5 stars I can give and I'm grateful to have read this book and I am very excited to get stuck into the sequel once I find a copy.