And Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak - and what legacy she intends to leave behind.Ī stunning debut from a powerful new voice, Kaikeyi is a tale of fate, family, courage, and heartbreak-of an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.īut as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.ĭesperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on tales about the might and benevolence of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise. “I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions - much good it did me.”
Purchasing Info: Author's Website, Publisher's Website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo,, Better World Books Genres: historical fantasy, mythology, retellings It's a good book, but in my opinion, it could've done a lot more.Source: supplied by publisher via NetGalleyįormats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook However, my personal gripes aside, I still found myself really invested in the outcome of Kaikeyi. Which I believe is counterproductive to what this reimagining intends to achieve. It seemed to me that past the halfway mark, things became visibly contrived and underdeveloped, especially in terms of:Īnd due to the combination of these things, Kaikeyi's character arc felt unearned and undeserved. The writing was strongest and most compelling in the beginning, but unfortunately, the momentum wasn't sustained throughout the rest of the book.
So, please take everything I say with a grain of salt. This one is tough to rate and review, given my laughably subpar knowledge on the original text of the Ramayana. For this reason, I can't confidently recommend this book to other people. The more I reflected on my reading experience with Kaikeyi, the more I found aspects that I did not like about it.
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