Synopsis:

Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess’s traitor brother.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

Review:

Another book to add to the list of ‘why did I wait so long to pick this up?!’ because it was spectacular!

I had a vague idea of what to expect from this one basic plot-wise, but I had no idea of the scope of it all! The world Suri has built is gorgeously rich – it feels like a real place captured on a page. The politics are wide-reaching, the religion is embedded in the culture and the society as a whole has such depth.

The story takes a little time to build up because of this worldbuilding, but I didn’t find it boring. I think it was completely necessary in order to really set up the characters and the complexities of the plot, and if you know me, you know I love some detailed worldbuilding! The pace picks up as you read though, and I found it so absorbing.

The stars are of course Priya and Malini, our morally grey, sapphic female leads. Malini is a princess, imprisoned in a decaying temple for disobeying her brother, the Emperor. Priya is a maidservant with a secret past who is tasked with looking after the princess. Both are such layered characters, and we get to know them as they get to know each other. Their relationship is slow but so satisfying, and I enjoyed how they came to accept each other for exactly who they were and not just how they appeared on the surface.

We have other POVs throughout the book too, and all the supporting characters were equally as great as the FMCs. Bhumika was a particular favourite, an incredibly smart protector of those less fortunate than herself.

We explored themes of imperialism, and misogyny and took a good look at the power of women in a world that wants to control them completely. All of these things influenced every facet of the story, and I just loved the complexity of it. A new favourite for sure, and a series I will quickly be reading more from.