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A review by vivaldi
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
5.0
I've read plenty of wonderful new fantasy releases this year. There were several amazing books that almost got a 5 star rating over the past few months, but after 3 months of a drought, I have finally discovered the long sought after 5-star read with Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne!!
The Jasmine Throne is an impeccable and intriguing opening novel for Tasha Suri's new fantasy series. It's diverse - featuring a rich & lush South Asian-inspired worldbuilding, a broad scope of characters, and sapphic romance (to name a few). It also has everything I love in a good fantasy book: morally grey characters, intricate worldbuilding, political intrigue, coherent magic system, and finally a lot of substance from its nuanced perspectives about societal roles & the notion of kindness - in a way that challenged my thinking.
I believe that the best books are the ones that challenge me. This book didn't get a 5-star read just because of the very strong writing and the things I enjoy in fantasy books. It got a 5-star rating because I finished this book having a big revelation about how to understand kindness and how your intentions aren't a simplification between selfish and selfless. That the way you express care and make decisions also depend on many other factors, especially in a highly politicised atmosphere (as in the book). And through the moral ambiguity of the characters and the expansive approach of the book, Suri portrayed a diverse spectrum of belief systems from different characters within the worldbuilding.
The Jasmine Throne could be read in many ways: it's a emotionally devastating story about the ugly interior of an empire, it's also a glorious feminist anthem of the women behind the scenes - of resilience, of self-discovery, and of contributing towards the political revolution. And finally, it's also a surprisingly tender and slowburn sapphic romance between two morally grey female characters: one that looks like opposites attract but as the story slowly unfolds you'd realise their hearts came from a very similar position. It's a book of substance with a lot going on, but fortunately Suri's prose redeems The Jasmine Throne an effortless and emotionally engaging read!
At the time of writing this, I'm still processing and reeling from a book hangover from this book. I hope to discuss more in depth about the characters and the themes in due course, but I'll briefly talk about how impressed I was with Priya and Malini's narratives.
As the premise stated, Malini is a princess seeking for vengeance (due to her brother's dictatorship) and Priya is a maidservant with a big secret she's hiding. What immediately stood out to me is how vividly Suri fleshed out both character's headspace (without overwhelming me). I thought their moral ambiguity and internal struggles between what's good / better for their future despite the societal constraints ,are well explored. It justifies their decision making (in a coherent worldview) and it also enhances the slowburn romance - something I'm rarely invested in but felt was very organically developed & well done in the book.
While I gave this a 5 star rating, I nevertheless think there are several things to be aware of. The first thing that I'll address is the content warning in the book.
The major content warnings in The Jasmine Throne: violence, blood mention, death, grief / loss of loved ones, weapons, vomiting, and poisoning.
Another technical aspect to be aware of is that the writing is quite expansive and dense. With its intricate worldbuilding, there were a lot of details and characters that I had to familiar myself with. So to really get into the subtleties, this is something that's best enjoyed when you take your time to learn the worldbuilding at the start. Because of the political intrigue, there's also a lot of additional character perspectives throughout the book to juggle between. I don't think this is an issue as it enhances the central themes of the book, but this is certainly something to be aware of if you're less used to multi-POV books.
To sum it up, I am delighted to have discovered my fourth 5-star read this year. The Jasmine Throne is an excellent epic fantasy and a diverse read. Not only the technical writing aspects are spot on, it is also a thought-provoking and substantial masterpiece about the women behind a political revolution and their role within an empire. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone who's looking for an expansive epic fantasy or a diverse read. For someone who rarely re-reads, I really can see myself wanting to revisit the glory, glamour, and also its dark side - again.
The Jasmine Throne is an impeccable and intriguing opening novel for Tasha Suri's new fantasy series. It's diverse - featuring a rich & lush South Asian-inspired worldbuilding, a broad scope of characters, and sapphic romance (to name a few). It also has everything I love in a good fantasy book: morally grey characters, intricate worldbuilding, political intrigue, coherent magic system, and finally a lot of substance from its nuanced perspectives about societal roles & the notion of kindness - in a way that challenged my thinking.
I believe that the best books are the ones that challenge me. This book didn't get a 5-star read just because of the very strong writing and the things I enjoy in fantasy books. It got a 5-star rating because I finished this book having a big revelation about how to understand kindness and how your intentions aren't a simplification between selfish and selfless. That the way you express care and make decisions also depend on many other factors, especially in a highly politicised atmosphere (as in the book). And through the moral ambiguity of the characters and the expansive approach of the book, Suri portrayed a diverse spectrum of belief systems from different characters within the worldbuilding.
The Jasmine Throne could be read in many ways: it's a emotionally devastating story about the ugly interior of an empire, it's also a glorious feminist anthem of the women behind the scenes - of resilience, of self-discovery, and of contributing towards the political revolution. And finally, it's also a surprisingly tender and slowburn sapphic romance between two morally grey female characters: one that looks like opposites attract but as the story slowly unfolds you'd realise their hearts came from a very similar position. It's a book of substance with a lot going on, but fortunately Suri's prose redeems The Jasmine Throne an effortless and emotionally engaging read!
At the time of writing this, I'm still processing and reeling from a book hangover from this book. I hope to discuss more in depth about the characters and the themes in due course, but I'll briefly talk about how impressed I was with Priya and Malini's narratives.
As the premise stated, Malini is a princess seeking for vengeance (due to her brother's dictatorship) and Priya is a maidservant with a big secret she's hiding. What immediately stood out to me is how vividly Suri fleshed out both character's headspace (without overwhelming me). I thought their moral ambiguity and internal struggles between what's good / better for their future despite the societal constraints ,are well explored. It justifies their decision making (in a coherent worldview) and it also enhances the slowburn romance - something I'm rarely invested in but felt was very organically developed & well done in the book.
While I gave this a 5 star rating, I nevertheless think there are several things to be aware of. The first thing that I'll address is the content warning in the book.
The major content warnings in The Jasmine Throne: violence, blood mention, death, grief / loss of loved ones, weapons, vomiting, and poisoning.
Another technical aspect to be aware of is that the writing is quite expansive and dense. With its intricate worldbuilding, there were a lot of details and characters that I had to familiar myself with. So to really get into the subtleties, this is something that's best enjoyed when you take your time to learn the worldbuilding at the start. Because of the political intrigue, there's also a lot of additional character perspectives throughout the book to juggle between. I don't think this is an issue as it enhances the central themes of the book, but this is certainly something to be aware of if you're less used to multi-POV books.
To sum it up, I am delighted to have discovered my fourth 5-star read this year. The Jasmine Throne is an excellent epic fantasy and a diverse read. Not only the technical writing aspects are spot on, it is also a thought-provoking and substantial masterpiece about the women behind a political revolution and their role within an empire. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone who's looking for an expansive epic fantasy or a diverse read. For someone who rarely re-reads, I really can see myself wanting to revisit the glory, glamour, and also its dark side - again.