User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
If your thing is “morally grey lesbians who long to set an empire ablaze and are set ablaze by their longing for each other/washing each other’s hair/holding sharp-edged knives to each other’s ribs/kissing beneath a waterfall” you should definitely pre-order this book!
Rating: really liked it
5 gleaming, golden, sapphic stars.
This is my first full 5 star read of the year, and a new favourite. I have found a new epic fantasy series to fill the void left behind by
The City of Brass and
The Poppy War trilogies. It is an examination of how women are seen as monstrous - whether it's due to actual magical abilities, or simply the fact that they're clever. It is also full of sapphic yearning (the waterfall scene!), sprawling and lush worldbuilding on an epic scale, and rich politics. It looks at how nations are pulled into dominant empires, and the way independent cultures and traditions are left to wither and die. It shows how religion can be twisted to drive reasoning of the wrong kind, and how history can be sharpened into a tool.
In short, it is a nuanced book with many developed themes. Suri did such a wonderful job.
Malini and Priya lead the way as POV characters, but they are supported by others such as Ashok, Rao and Bhumika. (Note: I loved how
The Jasmine Throne had 3 such different main female characters - Priya, the lowly handmaiden whose kindness is not a weakness, and who harbours a secret; Malini, sister of the empress with a temperament like a snake in the grass, or a knife cloaked in silk; Bhumika, level-headed and wise, mother-to-be and protector of everyone less fortunate.) All POVs were engaging, and I streamed through the book. Pacing was spot on. Everything was pretty spot on, in my opinion: characterisation, worldbuildng, development. Perhaps some will find the first half slow because it leans more into development and politics, but I
love that so it was not a problem for me.
It was also beautifully written. The dialogue and prose was exceptional, and I have tabbed so many beautiful lines that I know I'll just be liberally sprinkling quotes all across my final review.
[clenches fist] honestly? this book was just fabulous. And the fact that it's dedicated to Suri's partner (I believe?) is really really sweet. Can't wait for book 2 and to see more of Malini, my morally grey
queen empress.
will write/ post a more developed review closer to the release date!
Thank you so much to Orbit Books UK for providing me with a review copy <3 *
Listen up all, this book is SAPPHIC.
- morally grey vicious lesbians? check
- traitor prince? check
- f/f enemies to lovers? check check CHECK
- evocative Indian folklore? check
- am I in love? helllaaa yes check
[x]
edit: this cover is BEAUTIFUL it gives me so much serotonin omg
Rating: really liked it
↠ 5 starsIt begins with a burning and an exile. Malini is a traitor — a vengeful princess banished to the Hirana, a ruined temple, to atone for her crimes. Kept under lock and key, she grows weaker under the watchful eye of her caretaker, facing almost certain death. Priya is a maidservant tasked with taking the treacherous path to the Hirana every night to care for the captive princess. The job is dangerous, accompanied by the risk of revealing her most well-kept secret, and when Priya is attacked one evening, she reveals a power long kept buried to the last person she intends, the princess herself. Having witnessed Priya’s true nature, Malina and Priya are bound together on a journey that will have them uncovering the hidden power behind the ancient temple and setting them on a path to transform an empire.
It may have taken me a moment to fully immerse myself in the world of The Jasmine Throne, but once I did, it was impossible to put down. Tasha Suri has seamlessly combined everything I adore about fantasy into one novel, full of intricate history backdrops and character-driven storylines. Add to the list that this includes morally grey lesbians set in an Indian-inspired fantasy world, and you'll understand why I went absolutely feral over this. There are almost ten different points of view combined throughout the entire story, which is no easy feat to accomplish, but one that was pulled off beautifully by Suri. While most of the book concentrates on the journey of Priya and Malini, the other points of view added a much-needed interlude, providing a necessary perspective on significant events taking place. Where this really wowed me though, was in the complexity of the plot and the depth of each of the characters. This is a slow-building story, with simmering tensions that wait until the last second to boil over, allowing for the motivations of both characters to be carefully picked apart. Just like the pacing, the romance was the most satisfying slow-burn, developing from reluctant allies to something much stronger. Truly, the best part of the story was watching these two women come together to strive to gain power and get their revenge. The romantic development alongside all of that really outsold this for me. With evocative language, an incredible magic system, and compelling characters, Tasha Suri once again makes her mark on the fantasy genre. The Jasmine Throne is a delicately layered story meant to be savored slowly and devoured with care. A triumphant start to what is sure to be an outright amazing series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest reviewTrigger warnings: blood, gore, violence, murder, poisoning, torture, public execution, homophobia, forced drug use, body horror, suicidal thoughts, self-mutilation, abusive family member
Rating: really liked it
Finally! The epic fantasy book I have been searching all year for. I love fantasy and there is nothing I would rather read then some sapphic fantasy. While I have read some okay and even some good fantasy books this year, there has not been anything I thought was great… well that is until now. I had high expectations for this book and it was exactly the type of fantasy that I want to read. I hope it comes out in audio soon as I would love to go on this adventure again.
I do have to mention that it takes a little bit to get into this book. There are a lot of names and places and the book starts a little slow. This is very common for epic fantasy books and by the 15% mark I was completely hooked anyway. This is a long book, almost three times as long as say an average romance book, but I easily finished it in two nights. I was so immersed into the story that once it had its hooks in me, the pages just flew by.
Suri writes so well and she took her time to really build up the characters, and then really launched the story. The first half is very character driven, where the second half is much more about the plot. This just clicked so well for the type of reader I am and is a big reason why this was such a winner for me. This book has multiple POV’s, although there are two obvious mains, but it was a pleasant surprise about how much I enjoyed all the POV’s. I’m not normally a fan of more than two POV’s but they all worked here for me. Even if I didn’t like a character, I wanted to know what was going on with them. All the characters were really well written and they easily stuck with me. I’m not one to always remember names but in this book I got this whole large cast remembered quickly.
Of course the heart of the book is really about the two main, morally grey, sapphic ladies. I was so happy with these two mains. I hate when characters in fantasy are passive and things just happened to them. Not these ladies who are willing to do, what they think is right, no matter what it takes. I enjoyed both characters so much that I was extra happy when they started to catch feels. There is not a lot of romance in this book, and what is there is very slow burn, but it completely worked for me. At one point, I just knew that they were truly meant to be together. In life or death, we will have to see, but I loved their connection.
I have so much else I would love to talk about but I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything for new readers. This is a book I absolutely recommend. If you are a fantasy fan and a fan of strong, kickass women, get this book. This is adult fantasy at its best and I could not be happier. This is the first book in the series, but the book ends on a good stopping point. It feels like the first part is complete and doesn’t end on a crappy cliffhanger feeling. I still cannot wait to see what happens to the characters next and I hope Suri writes fast.
An ARC was given to me for a review.
Rating: really liked it
I… just… wow. I long ago accepted the fact that no book would ever make me feel precisely the way Empire of Sand or Realm of Ash did, which is fine, so WHY did The Jasmine Throne have to knock me off my chair with the exact same feels magnified by like 10,000? What is that about?????
Reading The Jasmine Throne was like hovering, ghostlike, in another world, feeling the heat of the flames and watching the drip of spilled wine and hearing my own heart pound with rage or fear or love or some unnerving combination of all three. I was utterly transported and fascinated and thrilled to core, god dammit. And to top it all off, I am literally IN LOVE with Priya and Malini. They are my precious monster wives and I just??? They??? Murdered me??? Which is not at all out of character for them but still.
The next book cannot come soon enough.
Rating: really liked it
The Jasmine Throne raises the bar for what epic fantasy should be. Tasha Suri has created a beautiful, ferocious world alongside an intimate study of the characters who will burn it all down.
Rating: really liked it
My thanks to Tasha Suri, Orbit books and Netgalley. What can I say? I loved this book so much! I've recently found that I love Sapphic Fantasy. As an extremely boring, hetero white gal? I love the thought of females coming together against a very Patriarchal culture, and messing it all up! Watching Priya and Malini find each other was lovely. I loved watching them slowly build up trust! I've lately read alot of fantasy books, but this story was lush! The plant's, flowers, waters, colors.. I can't wait to read more!
Rating: really liked it
— find this review and others on my blog!
I had a feeling that I would love The Jasmine Throne from the very first time I’d heard about it. Promising a morally grey lesbian romance and a focus on empire and family, I thought this would hit on some of my favorite things to see in fantasy, and though it wasn’t quite the new favorite I was hoping it would be, I was still utterly enchanted by it. If you’re looking for a
fantasy burning with intensity, from its vengeful characters to its feminist themes, you should absolutely pick this up.
The Jasmine Throne follows many perspectives, but mainly those of Priya and Malini, two women who come from vastly different backgrounds but can benefit from working with each other. Malini grows weaker every day in the magical prison her brother forced her into, but when Priya’s forbidden power comes to light, they realize how they can use each other to achieve their own goals of rebellion and freedom.
Some men dream of times long dead, and times that never existed, and they’re willing to tear the present apart entirely to get it.
The Jasmine Throne delves into several themes, influenced by its India-inspired world where imperialism and misogyny thrive. I especially loved its exploration of empire as a tool for oppression and how it stands for an all-consuming force that seeks to stamp out “impurities,” of how extremists can twist religion and faith to justify oppression, and of
what monstrosity truly means in a world that demonizes women who don’t conform. These are all active influences in the characters’ arcs and daily lives, a display of the intricate connections between the characters and their environment.
Priya is a maidservant whose veins sing with both magic and tragedy, one of the few survivors of a fire that stole her temple family. She seeks the power that she was denied, the power that the empire vilifies her for, and the power her brother wants to use and weaponize. Malini is the princess of Parijat, sister to the emperor who exiled and imprisoned her for refusing to die for the sake of “purification.” She is vengeful and cunning, unafraid to manipulate others for her own gains, and I loved her for it. While both characters are morally grey, Malini was more so in my opinion (which is why she’s my favorite).
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t quite invested in Priya and Malini’s relationship in the beginning, but as more time passed, I found myself absolutely obsessed with their dynamic.
It is fierce and tender at once, burning with passion for not only each other but for themselves and their own values: They hold their love for each other gently and carefully, especially because of what it means for two women to love each other in a misogynistic homophobic world, but they are also cautious in the sense that their loyalty to themselves and their motives never wavers in the face of their relationship. (And yes, that waterfall scene is as good as everyone says.)
There was no void in her any longer. Whatever she was—weapon, monster, cursed or gifted—she was whole.
Along with Priya and Malini are other side characters who get their own POVs, most notably Bhumika and Ashok, Priya’s temple siblings, and Rao, a prince allied with Malini. Suri handles these with skill, using their perspectives to provide more intrigue and insight into the plot but keeping them balanced so as not to drown out Priya and Malini’s main storylines. What I loved the most about these added POVs was the glimpse into the
complicated relationship Priya has with her temple siblings. They are united in their trauma of being the only survivors of a disaster that killed the rest of their family, but they are also a source of pain for each other as well, particularly Priya and Ashok. This complex dynamic made my heart ache, for where they found destruction in each other they also found healing, tinging each of their interactions with bittersweetness.
While all of these relationships, romantic and familial, were entrancing, I would argue that The Jasmine Throne is truly
first and foremost a book about women and their strengths. In all of the female characters’ arcs, the idea of monstrosity as it applies to women in a patriarchal society is explored. Priya, Malini, and Bhumika all carve spaces for themselves where their power can thrive, in a world that would rather see such power crushed, and they are deemed monstrous, weak. But what makes them “monstrous,” when their desire for agency is seen as a threat? When they are hated for refusing to bow to the demands of men and instead forging their own paths? When their very existence is demonized?
She could make herself into something monstrous. She could be a creature born of poison and pyre, flame and blood.
Though the book is quite lengthy, I flew through it and was thoroughly engrossed from the first page.
Suri’s writing is laced with a certain loveliness and deadliness that complements the world of the novel, and though it was slow-moving in the beginning, Suri’s masterful way of building up tension kept me engaged. However, there was something that prevented me from fully loving this book—I think as the first book of the series, there was a lot of buildup (and I didn’t get all the exciting payoff I was hoping for) that resulted in a lack of some spark that would’ve allowed me to become wholly obsessed with this.
But while I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped to, it is undeniable that The Jasmine Throne is a gorgeously written book, its characters intense and its writing gripping. The world Suri creates is somewhat terrifying, especially in how it mirrors our own world at times, and it is thus thrilling to see the characters at the heart of it react and move through it. I suspect the rest of the series will be even more of a delight to read, and I can’t wait to see what Suri manages to weave together in the next book.
—★—
:: representation :: Indian-coded cast, lesbian MCs
:: content warnings :: murder, death, violence, homophobia (including internalized), suicidal ideation, immolation, self-mutilation, familial abuse, body horror, drug use, fire [more details]Thank you to Orbit for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.
All quotes are taken from an advance copy and may differ in final publication.
// buddy read with kate and krisha!
Rating: really liked it
Love how this
adult fantasy book, which isn't even out yet, has already been shelved as YA by several people on Goodreads.
What exactly does a female author have to do in order for her books to be considered adult fantasy, apart from writing under a male or gender-neutral pseudonym?
If you find out, let me know.
Rating: really liked it
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Orbit Books). All thoughts and opinions are my own. ✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Indian-inspired
✅ World-building
✅ Writing
✅🆗 Characters
✅🆗 Plot
✅🆗 Multiple POVs
🆗 Pace
🆗 Romance
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: abusive dynamics, forced drug use, immolation, violence, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm
There is no meaning in the universe: no fate, no high blood, no rights of kings over land. Everything is emptiness. The world only had meaning when we give it meaning.
This story starts with a religious sacrificial burning. Three young women have been destined to burn alive in honor of the Mothers of flame, except that one of them, the Emperor’s sister refuses to willingly climb onto the pyre to burn. The Jasmine Throne tells the story of Priya, a servant girl who ends up taking care of Malini, the princess who refused to sacrifice herself on the pyre. The storyline is filled with politics, violence (nothing too explicit), rebellious groups, magic and religious beliefs. There are also other POVs from rebel leaders and ruling lords of Ahiranyi.
Malini is full of conflicting emotions and internal turmoils, which was interesting to read, but the rest of her felt ordinary and I did not connect with her that much. Priya has mysterious magical abilities, and she was definitely more intriguing than Malani. I enjoyed getting to know her and her dark past. Priya and Malini’s chapters were interesting to read, but the other characters had minimal development, and I think I would have preferred this book to have only two POVs because I have to say that I was not particularly interested in the other characters.
It’s hard to further explain the plot of The Jasmine Throne because it honestly feels more like a long prequel. The majority of the book revolves around Malini escaping her prison, Priya’s brother trying to get her to work for him because he needs her magic abilities, and growing discontent and revolutionary ideas among the population. The author is very skilled and writes beautifully, but even so, I have to say that I am overall underwhelmed by this book. There are many great ideas, but I feel that there is still something missing and it prevented me from really getting into this story. Part of it is probably because I had trouble connecting with many characters who had their own chapters, but I think it’s also because of the slow pace and the whole plot that feels more like a setup for the second book than an adventure in itself. The point of this book is to get you ready for the main conflict that is to come in the second book.
The world-building is great and steady. There is a strong Indian influence, and the author does a great job of weaving the Indian culture into her fantasy world. There is no info-dump, but I have to say that since my electronic ARC didn’t have a map yet, it was hard to get a clear picture of the geography and to understand well the politics and tensions at first, but once you’re immersed in the story it all starts to make sense eventually.
The relationship between Priya and Malini is well written and developed enough to be realistic, but still, I did not like their dynamic or romance that much. I thought the whole romance part was lacking and even felt forced sometimes... Honestly, I wish they had just been friends instead. It is a medium burn, so at least there is no insta-love or insta-lust.
I would still recommend this book if you are a fan of Indian-inspired high fantasy with great world-building, a mix of politics and religion, and a medium burn sapphic romance.
Fanart by Kim Ekdahl
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Rating: really liked it
rep: Indian inspired characters and setting, lesbian mcs
tw: homophobia, gore, violence, execution by burning, forced drug use, torture, death, body horror
Review also on Reads Rainbow. ARC provided by the publisher.The Jasmine Throne is one of those books where even weeks and months after you’ve read it, you don’t stop thinking about it. But all that time also doesn’t make it easier to put into words all the reasons why the book leaves such an impression, why you’re so full of wonder over it. I can try, but alas.
Despite me recommending this book to everyone as lesbian fantasy, the best part about it is probably the worldbuilding. It’s inspired by Indian cultures, and you can clearly feel all the love the author put into creating the world, into research. It’s in the main plot arcs and it’s in the tiniest details; it’s in how one part of the empire is made to be homophobic after an invasion and in every description of the food the characters eat.
Most importantly, though, none of it is a crude info-dumping. Suri is a very talented author, knows where and when, and how to let the reader glimpse the world she created, so that the reader is fascinated and hungry for more, but never, ever bored. All the bits she puts forth create a rich world, a real world, with power dynamics that make sense, with problems but also miracles, with layers upon layers of details which add up to create something great, something monumental.
And the characters move through that world effortlessly, which is to say all of them seem an integral part of it but they also fight for their place in it. Especially the women. It’s not a black-and-white scenario where women are good and men are bad, but something is to be said about the men being power-hungry for the sake of wielding said power, and about women trying to find a path to more than the men allow them to have. It’s a very real situation, even with all the magic and the plants growing out of people’s bodies.
Yes, it’s a lesbian fantasy romance, but before that it’s a novel about women. All of them beautiful, all of them starving for what the world denies them, be it power, choices, independence. And they fight for it. Openly or in secret, physically or with words - the exact way they think will work best to achieve their goals, not how someone else advises them to do it. They know better. And they’re willing to reshape the empire to get what they want.
Then finally, there’s the romance. The intensity of it is unlike anything else. It’s central to the story in a way that at times it pushes the plot forward, without ever making it seem as if either Priya or Malini make decisions solely based on their love for the other. That love is undeniable and it shines through everything that happens, but it’s not the only propelling force of those women. It’s treated as something precious, both by Priya & Malini, and by the novel itself.
The Jasmine Throne is the kind of book that grips you from the start and doesn’t let go until the very last page. And even then, when you’re left alone with no more words, you’re still thinking about it all, about the pain, the hunger, the love. It’s the kind of book that carves out a piece of your heart it can live in forever, just like its characters strive to carve out a piece of the world for themselves.
Rating: really liked it
4/5/2022: Finished! 3.5 stars maybe? I still need to think a bit over it. I loved the book and enjoyed it a lot, and while the characters were well-written and likable, I couldn't quite connect with them on an emotional level, which was a bit disappointing. RTC! And currently making a spotify playlist.
*#3 Read for Asian Readathon 2022.
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2/5/2022: Currently reading!
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28/4/2022: So excited to read this in May!
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6/6/2021: THIS IS RELEASING IN 2 DAYS. 🥳
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8/5/2021: I NEED this book now.
Rating: really liked it
my loan returned before i could get very far :/
on pause
Rating: really liked it
This book was so good! The world that the author created is magical and unique. Tasha Suri is a great storyteller and her writing is amazing! The pacing was slow in the beginning and it took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did I felt completely immersed in the story. I loved all the characters, they are complex and have so many layers. I loved Priya and Malini, they are so strong and fierce! I really liked that the author made the characters feel so real and relatable. I also appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation.
Rating: really liked it
An extraordinary achievement – every sentence took my breath away with its artistry, and Malini and Priya have my heart.
