Vaishnavi Patel

In the spirit of Circe, Ariadne, and The Witch's Heart, this stunning debut reimagines the life of Kaikeyi, the extraordinary queen from the famous Indian epic the Ramayana. It is a tale of fate, family, courage, and heartbreak, that centers Indian mythology and gives voice to a woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come. "I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions--much good it did me." So begins Kaikeyi's tale. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on grand stories about the might and benevolence of the gods: how they churned vast oceans to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they offer the devoted and the wise magnificent boons, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land prospers. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, her own worth measured by how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear. Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the ancient texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. She uses it to transform herself from overlooked princess into warrior, diplomat, and most-favored queen, determined to forge a better world for herself than the one that gods and men have granted. But as the demons of stories Kaikeyi grew up hearing threaten the cosmic order, her will clashes with the path that the gods have chosen for her family--and especially that of her beloved son, Rama. And she must decide if her resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak...and what legacy she intends to leave behind.

A Novel

Kaikeyi

Jasper

Before this story was Rama’s, it was mine.

No such feelings for Dasharath, or any person, had ever surfaced in me. I was comfortable with my husband, loved him as a dear friend, but the pull of romance meant nothing to me. I could be happy for those in love, but I could not understand.

It was the sages who had made it so, for an illegitimate daughter was deeply inauspicious and impure—unmarriageable, a terrible curse for a woman. But of course the gods and sages had nothing to say about illegitimate sons, who were still able to quietly inherit both money and power. Suddenly her name took on a much crueler cast.

How could I have been so foolish? I should have known better than to use this power without thought, without knowing its full extent.

Perhaps we were kin, they and I, yearning for something unnameable, a place where we could stretch our wings and belong.

I had so many bonds tying me to others, and seeing them all laid out this way caused tears to prick at my eyes. I often felt lonely, with only my mother’s quiet coolness and brothers who could not fully understand me for company. But here was proof that I was not alone.

'But how could the gods lie when they are good?' I asked my mother, puzzled.

'The gods do what they must,' she said, but she gave me a smile and I felt clever.

The people of Bharat have often blamed my father for my sins, as if a woman cannot own her actions.

If he bears any fault for my actions, it is through his inaction.

I WAS BORN ON the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.

"I could not change the minds of the gods, but I could change the minds of men."

This was a fascinating read, I haven't dipped my toe into Indian myth or history before which is definitely an area I need to improve on so I was really interested to read this book - although I had heard of Rama and the epic Ramayana, I didn't really know the story, especially not the story of Kaikeyi in relation to him. For the most part I enjoyed this book, it reminded me a bit of the other feminist retellings I have read like Circe and Ariadne - but it didn't quite have the same weight and depth to them as I felt with those other two. Kaikeyi is the daughter of the Raja of Kekaya, growing up with seven brothers and her father after her mother was exiled, so she really feels the separation between women and men in her culture and feels the unjustness of this very strongly. She find she has an affinity for a type of magic which allows her to access something called the Binding Plane, here she can manipulate the bonds between herself other people. She is married off to the nearby kingdom of Kosala where she becomes the third wife of their Raja and explores the intricacies of court life, trying to sway her people into accepting women as close to equals as she can and how her life lead to her actions regarding her half son Rama. This book does have some really great parts to it, but I also found this book dragged in places, the narration style felt a bit dry and I think perhaps this book could've been cut back 50-100 pages to really make it hit the spot.

This story is really a good ode to sisterhood. I really enjoy the connection Kaikeyi formed with her fellow wives, her maids and the other women in her kingdom. The ways she was able to support the women around her was really great. Her bonds with the men in her life were just as, maybe even more, fascinating too because these felt a lot more complex, the way she had to navigate traditional religious ideology and come up against men who didn't think women should be so active in society and court was really well handled and I was rooting for her throughout this story. The magical realism used was also amazing - the Binding Plane and how Kaikeyi used it was really well written, plus I loved the feeling of female empowerment especially in a time and culture where women were heavily suppressed by the men in their lives. While I did love the female empowerment in this book, I found myself wishing for a bit more nuance and complexity to the characters.

I know that Kaikeyi is written as the villain in the original epic and that this story was meant to give the other side of the story and act as a redemption for her character, but I found myself a little bit bored at the fact all of the women in this story were written as near perfect, progressive, good people. I think it's a bit of a disservice to women and history to write women in this light because it's just not true, there are women who are devoutly religious who find themselves agreeing with the word of their deities even if those words are misogynistic to us in a 21st century setting, and there are women who act selfishly, who make mistakes and cause division in their families even without always meaning to be for the greater good. I think it just fell a little flat that Kaikeyi always had some righteous justification for all of her actions, and actually preferred how she was written as a younger girl because she had flaws then. Because of some of these criticisms I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I hoped I would.

Overall, this was a good read. It gave some good insights into the myths of Indian/Hindu religion and culture and pushed some of great progressive points while still being quite sensitive to the time period of the setting. I would definitely recommend this book if you love myth retellings and a nice entrance into books about this culture and religion, but I think it also didn't hit me in the feelings or have the depth that I was hoping it would. I own another book by this author, Goddess of the River, and I think I will give this a try as well because I did like Patel's writing and I would love to see how it has progressed over the years too.

Genevieve 

"I could not change the minds of the gods, but I could change the minds of men."

4 ⭐

This was a fascinating read, I haven't dipped my toe into Indian myth or history before which is definitely an area I need to improve on so I was really interested to read this book - although I had heard of Rama and the epic Ramayana, I didn't really know the story, especially not the story of Kaikeyi in relation to him. For the most part I enjoyed this book, it reminded me a bit of the other feminist retellings I have read like Circe and Ariadne - but it didn't quite have the same weight and depth to them as I felt with those other two. Kaikeyi is the daughter of the Raja of Kekaya, growing up with seven brothers and her father after her mother was exiled, so she really feels the separation between women and men in her culture and feels the unjustness of this very strongly. She find she has an affinity for a type of magic which allows her to access something called the Binding Plane, here she can manipulate the bonds between herself other people. She is married off to the nearby kingdom of Kosala where she becomes the third wife of their Raja and explores the intricacies of court life, trying to sway her people into accepting women as close to equals as she can and how her life lead to her actions regarding her half son Rama. This book does have some really great parts to it, but I also found this book dragged in places, the narration style felt a bit dry and I think perhaps this book could've been cut back 50-100 pages to really make it hit the spot.

This story is really a good ode to sisterhood. I really enjoy the connection Kaikeyi formed with her fellow wives, her maids and the other women in her kingdom. The ways she was able to support the women around her was really great. Her bonds with the men in her life were just as, maybe even more, fascinating too because these felt a lot more complex, the way she had to navigate traditional religious ideology and come up against men who didn't think women should be so active in society and court was really well handled and I was rooting for her throughout this story. The magical realism used was also amazing - the Binding Plane and how Kaikeyi used it was really well written, plus I loved the feeling of female empowerment especially in a time and culture where women were heavily suppressed by the men in their lives. While I did love the female empowerment in this book, I found myself wishing for a bit more nuance and complexity to the characters.

I know that Kaikeyi is written as the villain in the original epic and that this story was meant to give the other side of the story and act as a redemption for her character, but I found myself a little bit bored at the fact all of the women in this story were written as near perfect, progressive, good people. I think it's a bit of a disservice to women and history to write women in this light because it's just not true, there are women who are devoutly religious who find themselves agreeing with the word of their deities even if those words are misogynistic to us in a 21st century setting, and there are women who act selfishly, who make mistakes and cause division in their families even without always meaning to be for the greater good. I think it just fell a little flat that Kaikeyi always had some righteous justification for all of her actions, and actually preferred how she was written as a younger girl because she had flaws then. Because of some of these criticisms I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I hoped I would.

Overall, this was a good read. It gave some good insights into the myths of Indian/Hindu religion and culture and pushed some of great progressive points while still being quite sensitive to the time period of the setting. I would definitely recommend this book if you love myth retellings and a nice entrance into books about this culture and religion, but I think it also didn't hit me in the feelings or have the depth that I was hoping it would. I own another book by this author, Goddess of the River, and I think I will give this a try as well because I did like Patel's writing and I would love to see how it has progressed over the years too.

This would be a full 4 stars, if I had read this physically. I didn't care for the narrator's reading. She was very breathy and at times too melodramatic for my taste. 

Beyond the narration, I enjoyed the story. The bonds and Kaikeyi's power over them was fascinating. It was cool to see what she could control and risk by using the binding plane. I felt for Kaikeyi, especially while navigating between the blue bonds and her relationships (best way I could avoid spoilers). As for the other characters, there were too many for me to keep up with in audio format, but I got the idea of the major ones. The book might have been a bit too long for my liking, but I'm not sure if there is really any way to shorten it without losing anything important. And that's pretty impressive, in my opinion, to not have any filler moments in your story.

Ari Rose

This would be a full 4 stars, if I had read this physically. I didn't care for the narrator's reading. She was very breathy and at times too melodramatic for my taste. 

Beyond the narration, I enjoyed the story. The bonds and Kaikeyi's power over them was fascinating. It was cool to see what she could control and risk by using the binding plane. I felt for Kaikeyi, especially while navigating between the blue bonds and her relationships (best way I could avoid spoilers). As for the other characters, there were too many for me to keep up with in audio format, but I got the idea of the major ones. The book might have been a bit too long for my liking, but I'm not sure if there is really any way to shorten it without losing anything important. And that's pretty impressive, in my opinion, to not have any filler moments in your story.

Kiran Aftab

Idk I felt like the pacing was off and I wasn't in the mood to read about a woman suffering for most of the plot. I've been in a reading slump, but this didn't help me get out of it.

Jordan

I knew nothing of the original story going into this novel.

It's very well written and at some points that is all that keeps it afloat.

But my main concern with this novel is that it supports women so whole heartedly then at the end just has Kaikey putting the blame onto herself, even after a God has told her it would have happened anyway.
And the other concerns were with her ridiculous love for her sons that were mentioned so little that I didn't even recognize their names when they actually mattered to the story.
It's hard to care for a characters sons when Kaikey herself has only said a few lines about that son in the entire book. So the lengths she tried to defend their actions don't seem believable at all.

Also I'm quite confused as to why everyone cannot separate this from the original story? It's a retelling of the original isn't it?
Why read this if you just wanted to read the same story told with updated language?

Poorva 

Lara Engle

I don't know much about the Ramayana and I wonder if I would have enjoyed this book more if I did. It was very slow and written in an oddly formal style that I didn't find engaging. The story itself was somewhat interesting, but I found myself dragging through it, turning pages to see how much more I had to read before the chapter was over. I'm giving it an average rating because the characters, their interpersonal dynamics, and the magical elements were enough to keep me from quitting completely. I wanted to like it, but I didn't enjoy it much.

Q&D- once I got into the story I couldn’t put it down. Retelling of Hindu folklore that I didn’t know before reading this book and cannot comment on that aspect. Enjoyed the feminist messages, the theme of power of connection.

Abigail F

Kaikeyi is intended to be a glimpse into the life of a supposed villainous queen from the 

and what might have transpired in her life before the story of her that we know - the kind of redemption story we hope all “villains” have a chance to tell.

The storytelling in this book is phenomenal. I will admit, I am not usually a fan of epics and Greek mythology retellings, so I was hesitant with this book to start. But even just a few chapters in, I was hooked. This was a brilliant debut and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. 

Tace

Kaikeyi is intended to be a glimpse into the life of a supposed villainous queen from the Ramayana and what might have transpired in her life before the story of her that we know - the kind of redemption story we hope all “villains” have a chance to tell.

The storytelling in this book is phenomenal. I will admit, I am not usually a fan of epics and Greek mythology retellings, so I was hesitant with this book to start. But even just a few chapters in, I was hooked. This was a brilliant debut and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. 

What a fascinating book! Would recommend to fans of The Witch’s Heart, Ariadne, or other books that recenter classics around the women often forgotten or vilified in those original works. 

Liz Griffin

Teeeeeesha

As someone who has grown with Ramayana and has been sceptical about Ram, this story was a delight. A bold piece about one of the most underrated characters, Kaikeyi. It's phenomenal & worth the read

C. J. Daley 

From the second I saw this announced I had to have it. That cover! And then the fact that Book of the Month was teasing it long before the month reset…it was a done deal. This is feminist reimagining of the Hindu epic, the Ramayan. Truthfully I 100% knew nothing about it, so I only researched the original after finishing this one. I will try my hardest to compare them little, as it would only be spoilers. 

The author does such an incredible job in this novel with characters and their interactions. Parents, siblings, husbands, in-laws, children, all read as so fresh and real it was a pleasure to read. The way they interact is so real at times and pure that I actually smiled at some of their exchanges, like Kaikeyi with her siblings, or her with her husband and children. When the interactions are negative, or fights, you feel it all too, and that’s impressive to me. 

The novel follows the life and exchanges of Kaikeyi (as you’d imagine), and it is entirely in her perspective. This grounds her choices throughout her life in a way that for the most part makes a lot more sense then I’m guessing the Ramayan does, as she’s the villain or evil person or wrongdoer. She is blamed for everything that happens, and even though she is certainly the pinnacle for it in this one too, her choices are all grounded in what she perceives around her. Whether right or wrong, she is simply reacting and doing what she thinks is right.

I did the audio for this one and the narrator does a great job with all the names, but they did this throaty airy voice that read as really robotic and it was hard to take.

*originally I think the audio was the only thing making this a 4/5* so I changed it to 5.

natalie

i think the audiobook made this a little boring but it was fun nonetheless and talked about important topics

Before she was cast as Indian mythology’s most jealous queen, she had her own story.... The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, Kaikeyi is raised on stories 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 Bharath prospers, and how they offer the devout and the wise powerful boons. 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. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear. Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. 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. But as the demons of her childhood stories threaten the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family—especially that of her beloved son, Rama. Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak…and what legacy she intends to leave behind. In the spirit of Circe, Ariadne, and The Witch's Heart, this stunning debut reimagines the life of Kaikeyi, the vilified queen from the Indian epic the Ramayana. It 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.

This is the story of a woman, Kaikeyi, who tries to improve the position of other women in society; the book recounts events from her childhood all the way to her later years. The author's language is immaculate. The pace of the narrative here is unhurried, but not so much that I got bored. The further I read, the more I feared there would be cliches, mostly about female relationships, because the heroine is "a little different" and all that stuff—but that didn't happen. Yes, the heroine is molded from a slightly different cloth, but that does not prevent her from building good relationships with other women, for which I am very grateful to the author. There was no jealousy between the other two wives of the main character's husband. Nor was there a fight between them over their sons. Her husband really supported her, even if not perfectly and straight up in everything.

All the characters felt really alive. Everyone had good moments and bad moments, made mistakes (including the MC) that cost them dearly (rather than a character making a mistake and it being quickly forgiven and forgotten). I was interested in the fate of each of them (until I found out near the end that it was a retelling of the Ramayana and learned how it ended, but still).

I really enjoyed the book and at many points it made me emotional. The events near the end made me cry a bit. It was hard and sad, but I'm glad the story ended on a favorable note—this ending left me satisfied. It didn't feel like anything was missing, even though it's clear that there will still be important events going on there. But it doesn't matter to MC anymore: her story has reached its peak, and the author has set the end at exactly the right moment.

This is the story of a woman, Kaikeyi, who tries to improve the position of other women in society; the book recounts events from her childhood all the way to her later years. The author's language is immaculate. The pace of the narrative here is unhurried, but not so much that I got bored. The further I read, the more I feared there would be cliches, mostly about female relationships, because the heroine is "a little different" and all that stuff—but that didn't happen. Yes, the heroine is molded from a slightly different cloth, but that does not prevent her from building good relationships with other women, for which I am very grateful to the author. There was no jealousy between the other two wives of the main character's husband. Nor was there a fight between them over their sons. Her husband really supported her, even if not perfectly and straight up in everything.

All the characters felt really alive. Everyone had good moments and bad moments, made mistakes (including the MC) that cost them dearly (rather than a character making a mistake and it being quickly forgiven and forgotten). I was interested in the fate of each of them (until I found out near the end that it was a retelling of the Ramayana and learned how it ended, but still).

I really enjoyed the book and at many points it made me emotional. The events near the end made me cry a bit. It was hard and sad, but I'm glad the story ended on a favorable note—this ending left me satisfied. It didn't feel like anything was missing, even though it's clear that there will still be important events going on there. But it doesn't matter to MC anymore: her story has reached its peak, and the author has set the end at exactly the right moment.

Vishwa

Couldn't stop reading. Like literally, I was reading while crossing streets. I guess this should come with a safety advisory.

Context: (1) I am a huge fan of the Ramayana. It's an entertaining story with detailed histories of the characters and their lineages. (2) I am not Hindu, and these characters or the idea of God(s) do not hold an elevated place in my life. I've also read parts of Ramayana accounts aside from Valmiki's (the default Hindu account), which perhaps makes me less likely to fall into deference with this book in the first place, and instead predisposes me to loving it.

Review: okay, WOW. I have always harboured a preference for Mahabharata to the Ramayana, perhaps because I read it first. But the idea of side characters, or misunderstood characters having ignored perspectives has captured me from early on. I also found a great world in the perspective of Karna, as written by Ranjit Desai. That account, however, maintained harmony and accuracy with traditional accounts. In this book, Patel creates a new dimension for her titular character, and with it, changes the "history" of the Ramayana as she tells Kaikayi's story. I find a lot to be gained from this telling, and it can happily live alongside the traditional accounts in my imagination as a modern twist, with different goals — one I love to imagine happened, despite the sad events that may also have transpired in the course of a war. I loved the character development, the risks Patel took in portraying major characters, and the commitment to the perspective. I find it unlikely that a woman in that time would formulate such strong feminist ideals, just because they were likely a stark departure from the affairs of state at the time. But there's a glimmer of hope that some percentage of that maybe did exist — it's just that her story wasn't ever written the same way. I do kinda wish the sequence of existingly recorded events — particularly those related to the war — bore more similarity to the Valmiki telling for the sake of filling in the gaps vs telling a different story.

I just wanted to note that while Ayodhya did exist historically, there is no recorded account of Ram, Dashratha, Raavan etc as rulers. I hope this entertains, and at most inspires reflective discourse and thought — that is all I'll say.

Sanika Palande

3.75 stars
Doesn’t line up with what I know about Ramayana so there are a bunch of plot points and characterizations that I do not agree with, but as a stand-alone without context, it’s actually pretty well done and I would recommend it in general.

Pooja Mahesh

What a beautifully bold and fresh perspective on an age old tale.
Throughout the book, Kaikeyi unapologetically grows into a powerful woman who is fair, kind, loving and just, someone who learns and owns her place in a world shaped by the whims of man and God. We slowly watch as the tragedy that was always meant to be unfolds and how our queen who was once beloved gets painted as a villain all along. The beauty of this story is that despite being beaten down time and time again, Kaikeyi is driven by love and the will to do what is right. The friendships and relationships in this book filled me with joy and crushed me and I can’t wait to re-read and enjoy this book for many years to come. 
The last line of this epic novel is probably my favourite ending of all time, it really was her story all along.

Possibly one of my favorite books I've ever read. Told the story of the misunderstood, powerful Kaikeyi. Her story and Indian Mythology was a new venture for me and I found myself encapsulated by the way this story was told. This book is a little longer (roughly 400-500 pages, I think) but it was worth every second. I didn't find myself getting bored at all or wishing that there wasn't so much detail. I thought this book was fantastically written. 

Paige Leitner

This story is one of strength. It follows the life of a princess among princes, a yuvradnyi, in a patriarchal world. It not only highlights the issues of traditional Hindi culture, it also highlights the beautiful strengths too. This book is a deeply emotional read, I found myself reading slower than I normally would because there was just so much to soak up, so much to feel. I adored the folktales and myths, I think these side stories were my favorite part. I am kind of sick of Greek/Roman mythology and its awesome to be immersed in another culture through their stories.

A thing I truly loved was that Kaikeyi was never “not like other girls”, she didn’t become the hero of her own story by acting as a man. She recognised that the problem was not being a female, rather the long held traditions, beliefs and superstitions that needed to change for the better - and she went about this using her wit and absolute diplomatic mastery to achieve so much. Its almost like her magic takes a second place, it strengthens attributes that she already has.

Kaykeyi is a story of womanhood, of femininity outside of definitions, of diplomacy across courts and classes. Its a story of gods and monsters, of mothers and magic, of what family truly is and the faults we can make along the way of life. Its a story of defying gods as well as making them.

“Together, we descended into the library cellar filled floor to ceiling with precious texts and dusty scrolls. And this felt like the greatest compliment of all. It was because of her I loved reading, consuming even the dullest treatise in my quest to learn all I could. “

“ I would not show the gods weakness, no matter how they hurt me.”

Alice Hyman

This story is one of strength. It follows the life of a princess among princes, a yuvradnyi, in a patriarchal world. It not only highlights the issues of traditional Hindi culture, it also highlights the beautiful strengths too. This book is a deeply emotional read, I found myself reading slower than I normally would because there was just so much to soak up, so much to feel. I adored the folktales and myths, I think these side stories were my favorite part. I am kind of sick of Greek/Roman mythology and its awesome to be immersed in another culture through their stories.

A thing I truly loved was that Kaikeyi was never “not like other girls”, she didn’t become the hero of her own story by acting as a man. She recognised that the problem was not being a female, rather the long held traditions, beliefs and superstitions that needed to change for the better - and she went about this using her wit and absolute diplomatic mastery to achieve so much. Its almost like her magic takes a second place, it strengthens attributes that she already has.

Kaykeyi is a story of womanhood, of femininity outside of definitions, of diplomacy across courts and classes. Its a story of gods and monsters, of mothers and magic, of what family truly is and the faults we can make along the way of life. Its a story of defying gods as well as making them.

“Together, we descended into the library cellar filled floor to ceiling with precious texts and dusty scrolls. And this felt like the greatest compliment of all. It was because of her I loved reading, consuming even the dullest treatise in my quest to learn all I could. “

“ I would not show the gods weakness, no matter how they hurt me.”

Phew! Was this a long read. I love mythology retellings. I've never read the actual story Ramayana, so I went into this knowing very little. However, the story overall was very enjoyable. Kaikeyi had one of the best character growths I've read in a book in a very long time. She is powerful, complicated, but generous and loving and above SUPER FREAKING INTELLIGENT. Basically what I aspire to be. 

I was on the cusp of 4 stars but I think I needed a little bit more for Kaikeyi at the end. She went through so much and I wanted more for her. Maybe some fore divine intervention or more divinity from her. Maybe that's the villain side of me. But also, there is magic in the mundane and we can all be strong and powerful no matter how ordinary we are. 

Kaikeyi may be a villain to most but to me she is the heroine of my heart.

Gisela Ayala 

Lillian

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

I want to preface this by saying that I read this book only with a surface-level knowledge of the myth, and I am not Hindu. Given my rating, you can absolutely enjoy this book without an in-depth understanding of Kaikeyi, but I’m sure my review is missing some context or nuance that a Hindu reviewer could give.

Wow. That’s basically all I can say after reading the book.

But seriously, I really really enjoyed this! I am a sucker for mythology retellings, and although I don’t know the story of Kaikeyi as well as I knew other myths before reading their retellings, I still adored what Patel did with the character. The magic was woven into the story pretty seamlessly, without any heavy-handed exposition, and it was easy to understand.

This book is an incisive cut on how misogyny has affected the perceptions of Kaikeyi’s actions. It is an attempt to understand this oft-vilified character, and this is where Patel excels. You really get a feel for who Kaikeyi is, her motivations, and why she did what she did. Kaikeyi is strong, but she’s also conflicted. She cares deeply for her people, but she’s not always quite sure what “my people” means. I found it really easy for me to become attached to her, because above being “strong,” she felt so real. 

I loved how Kaikeyi developed the other characters as well. They were all dimensional and felt extremely realistic, which is why when things crumble, and Kaikeyi’s relationships with them waver, you feel so strongly.

The plot was also fascinating. Even knowing how it would eventually end, I was gripped by the twists and turns that the book took. Patel is a really talented storyteller, and it shines through especially in the last quarter of the book or so. She builds up all this tension, and in the happy moments all you want to do is freeze the book there, and never keep reading, because you know this will never end well. But you do keep reading. And she doesn’t disappoint you when you do.

And the end. Oh, the end. I knew what was coming, yet I was still devastated. Still, there is an overwhelming air of hope. You leave feeling not like your heart has been shattered, but rather that it has been squeezed so tightly that when it is finally released, there is more blood to go around the body than before (forgive me for my atrocious anatomy analogies, I’ve never taken biology).

So, yeah, go read this book. My review could never do it justice.

4.5/5

i want vaishnavi patel to compensate for the emotional damages incurred while reading this absolute piece of art.

Aditi

I don’t know why Patel even took up this project of retelling the story of the gods she clearly doesn’t hold to a very high standard. This isn’t a redeeming story for a woman wrongly vilified in mythology, this is a mockery of an entire religion and people’s faith, and I wish I’d never read this. If the only way you can make people sympathise with your main character is by altering or completely reversing the character of every figure from the original tale, I question your understanding of it in the first place. 

Kaikeyi has never been someone who was sidelined. She was the most influential of the queens, being the only one who could have convinced Dashrath to send his son away for fourteen years, not ten as is the case in this book. There are many errors such as this in the book that are inconsequential to the overall story which only leads me to believe there wasn’t enough research done for this book. Kaikeyi was a warrior queen held in high regard amongst her family and her nation. At least that’s what I’ve been taught. But I understand that it might not be the same for everyone and that is why I was willing to go along with the extremely slow start of this book to see her become that person. But that’s definitely not what I got. 

Almost every choice made in this book is questionable to me, to say the least.
The choice to show people worshipping only the male gods when there are a number of goddesses in the Hindu mythology, the choice to include only those stories which show women suffering at the hands of mortal men and gods alike. And while there are plenty of those, there are also stories of women taking charge of their destiny and I’m disheartened to see that Patel chose to ignore all of them. None of the characters in this book are an accurate representation of the original myth. Making Ravana into a sympathetic father who’s being punished by the gods for his inventions is just wrong. While a great scholar and an exceptional devotee of Shiva, Ravana is the original villain of the story. Sita was Lakshmi’s avatar, not some simpering child who couldn’t deal with the fact that she was married to a god. Sita, along with Lakshamana, who was a devoted brother, choose to go into exile with Rama because that was their role in the story. Sita was not Ravana’s daughter and I don’t think many women would take kindly to being kidnapped, which she was. Not taken away by a worried father to a safe home as this book wants me to believe. 

Presenting Rama as arrogant, narcissistic, misogynistic, and power hungry is nothing less than deeply offensive. I don’t think any retelling of the Bible where Jesus is the main villain would be received very well. Rama is a god who came to the Earth with a purpose and that purpose involved getting exiled. I just cannot accept a story that wants me to believe that a mortal woman would have the power to control any god or to alter his plans in any way. It doesn’t work within the book’s own logic. Rama in this book is aware of the fact that he is Shiva’s avatar. The gods didn’t just appear on the Earth for nothing. Why would Rama spend any time trying to convince Kaikeyi of anything. If he wanted to rule the nation he very well could have, being that he is a god. Would Patel have me believe that Kaikeyi as god touched has power over the actual god himself? Making Rama this evil caricature just so Kaikeyi would have a reason to exile him and feel justified and Ravana would have to “rescue” Sita from her abusive husband was entirely unnecessary. 

Along with all this, its also just a poorly written book. For the first half we see Kaikeyi realise over and over again that women are treated unfairly and its the men who have all the power. The message did not need to take over 200 pages of the book. The Binding Plane started out as an interesting concept and the parts where Kaikeyi figures out how to work that magic were probably the only ones I enjoyed. But even that got boring when it was mostly just her stepping into the plane whenever she needed people to go along with whatever she wanted. It isn’t well paced at all and felt like a drag to get through. I don’t see any growth in Kaikeyi until the end of the novel. She’s the same gullible child she was at the start, her opinions and beliefs changing based on her current company. I don’t understand how this can be a retelling redeeming a “villain” when Kaikeyi isn’t a villain at all.

There are other errors in the story but I’m already over this book and don’t particularly wish to go into every little detail that bothered me. There isn’t much to say in terms of the atmosphere of the story. It hardly feels like its set in India. There’s a lot more to India than just grand palaces, which is all Patel felt the need to describe. This story is clearly written to be consumed and appreciated by a Western audience, which I’m sure it will be.

Avery Baumel

NO WORDS JUST THIS BOOK PLEASE READ NOW SONG OF ACHILLES/CIRCE BUT 10X BETTER I DONT EVEN KNOW I WAS SHATTERED BY THIS

Lia Yuliana

Update 25/03/2022

Find my reviews on :  An Ode to Fiction
Official Release Date : April 26th 2022
Buy the book :
Amazon|Book Depository

5/5 ⭐️

ARC provided by the publisher Redhook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


  
    I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.
  


An all-around epic fantasy debut; Kaikeyi has cemented Vaishnavi Patel as the freshest new voice, claiming a spot as the best debut in fantasy this year.

Amidst my packed schedule with wedding planning and life in general, I still make time to work on my TBR mountain. This month is steer my focus mostly towards ARCs of 2022 releases that I want to read and review before their release date. Being a mood reader this is no easy task as I need to be in the right state of mind and mood to pick up a book. Though I didn’t take me long to decide to pick up Kaikeyi as it is one of my most anticipated releases and debut in 2022. During the start of 2022 when all the books set to release was announced none of them caught my eye like Kaikeyi. At first it was the vibes I got from reading the synopsis that compelled me to want to read this debut. Thankfully from my ratings above it is proven that this book is the debut to watch out for. Before I dive in to the review and start rambling on why readers should pre-order Kaikeyi right now, I would like to appreciate the fantastic cover of this book done Orbit designer Lisa Marie Pompilio. This simple cover of the main character’s silhouette emphasizing on the accessories worn by Kaikeyi really caught my eye the first time I saw it. It gives of major queen vibes that is the perfect teaser to the contents of this epic standalone debut.


  
    If the gods had already ordained my evil deeds, then I had nothing to lose by defying them now. So, I would defy them.
  


Kaikeyi is an epic Hindu mythological retelling and standalone debut by fantasy’s brightest new voice Vaishnavi Patel. The story of Kaikeyi is based on the Sanskrit epic from ancient India commonly known by devotees of Hinduism titled Ramayana. The story of Ramayana is one of the most famous epics that has been widely adapted and told in a variety of versions and languages besides Indian, such as Cambodian, Indonesia, Filipino, Thai, Lao, Burmese, and Malay (source). In the well known epic of Ramayana the story focuses on Rama’s story and his many adventures during his exile. For this book the story shifts the perspective to one of the most interesting and villainized character in the epic, Kaikeyi. The story focuses on Kaikeyi rise to power starting from her birth and upbringing with a fantastical twist involving scheming gods with a sprinkle of Hindu legends throughout the book. From the very first line Vaishnavi Patel perfectly introduces the main character and sets the the tone of this epic saga filled with promise of a good story. As reflected on my star rating it fulfilled that promise indeed.

The vast world building will take readers on an adventure across multiple kingdoms from Kekaya to Kosala and many other magical sites. During the first half the story mostly focuses on political machinations to show how Kaikeyi rose to power and how she establishes her legendary status as a radnyi that became an icon for women in the story. The later half of the book there is more variety in the story as it contained a lot of adventuring scenes filled with encounters with gods and magical creatures. The sensory descriptions adds to the immersion and making the story even more vibrant. Kaikeyi is truly an epic fantasy that is immersive in which readers can easily get pulled in the moment they start reading it without it being too overwhelming. Every inch of this world I adore as it is lush, intricate, and interesting. Patel extends this to their characters as well by giving attention to the details that makes their characters stand out. From the colour of their saris, the jewelry decorating every inch of their body, the kohls under their eyes, etc these details adds a lot of the characters persona giving them a flourish to assert their standing and power. I look forward to reading these details while reading as it gives the characters movement and drama in certain scenes. The magic in Kaikeyi is subtle, simple, versatile and well balanced by giving it a consequence if overused. Readers will learn about the magic together with the main character throughout the book. It is a well planted plot tool that is significant without it being an easy exit route for the character and the progression of the story.


  
    In helping another woman, I had in fact helped myself.
  


Vaishnavi Patel’s writing is vivid, descriptive, lyrical and powerful. Patel’s prose is meaningful and carries a resonance that echoes throughout the story. The themes of familial love, self worth, independence, family, and many more that are weaved in Kaikeyi by Patel are executed wonderfully. Though I would like to point out the core theme that becomes the red string of Kaikeyi is the feminist discussions and gender equality. Kaikeyi spearheads the movement for women to fight for their independence to be recognized and respected on equal standing as a man. The scenes where Kaikeyi decides to ignore the out dated values and going against the gods to pave the way for women is inspiring to me. The way Patel weaves these feminist themes isn’t at all one noted and preachy. Patel shows the progression of the society slowly through the acts of their characters to mold the world into the a more modern society that is believable. I’ve encountered in other books that tries to weave feminist themes into their stories would fall flat in execution. Kaikeyi certainly is the standard as it sets a magnificent example on how to execute it well into the story complete with believable narrative that is entertaining and gripping.

The driving force of this novel is the main protagonist Kaikeyi. Readers will follow Kaikeyi from her childhood until adulthood, long story short there will be a lot of time jumps. But no worries Patel writes the transitions of time smoothly and it isn’t at all hard to follow. Kaikeyi’s life is filled with trials and tribulations from the banishment of her mother, the challenges of becoming radnyi of the court at a young age, arranged marriage, and many more. Kaikeyi’s development as a character is believable as she is one of most well fleshed out characters I’ve read so far this year. She truly outshines all the other characters in the story as readers will get a chance to see all facets of her amazing characterization. Patel breathed life into Kaikeyi showing not only the good parts of her character but also the imperfect sides that is vulnerable and dark. The pacing of the plot of the story follows the development of her character making the eventual reveal in the climax of the story even more satisfying. Patel stays true to the myth with the narrative that is widely known but what made it interesting is that Kaikeyi addresses the villainization of her character that is done in most depictions that exist today. Readers will get to read how Kaikeyi gives her perspective into what ‘truly happened’ debunking rumours and other supposed false interpretations of her actions. I find this interesting whenever I read the start of the chapter being opened by Kaikeyi giving her personal take on certain happenings in the story. Though I have a small gripe regarding the scenes nearing the end because even though it was accurate certain things about it needed more time to marinate to give it a more stronger ending.



  
    I am at peace, for I know the truth. Before this story was Rama’s, it was mine.
  


Final thoughts, Kaikeyi is phenomenal debut that will take you on an epic fantastical journey defying gods and prophecies reimagining a well known story in Hindu myth, Ramayana, from the perspective of a well fleshed out strong female character. It is a story that sets an example for a feminist themed stories with wonderful execution, vivid and lush world building, simple and effective magic, and overall amazing story telling. This saga exceeded my expectations and delivered that spark I hoped for when I first read the opener of this book. Personally I am thoroughly excited for this book to be released and for everyone to read it, especially readers that know the story of Ramayana. By far Kaikeyi is one of the strongest debuts this year and cannot wait to read more books written by Vaishnavi Patel. This debut solidifies Patel’s masterful skill in story telling as a fresh new voice in adult SFF. I highly recommend this book for those who like books such as She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan as I see parallels between the characters that tackles their destiny to achieve greatness defying the expectations set upon them. Pre order Kaikeyi if you haven’t! You will not regret it.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

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