Book Review – The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (Burning Kingdoms #1)
Fantasy | Adult | 480 pages
Published on 8th June 2021 by Orbit
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.
My rating:
Review
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Never have I been more in love with a slow burn. And I mean SLOOOOOOOW. It’s glorious.
Priya and Malini may feature as the main characters in the blurb, but Bhumika is definitely also a lead, and all three are supported by a host of other POV characters – from those who get a page or two, to those that reoccur. It’s so well done – multiple POVs are hard to manage at the best of times, and Tasha does it superbly. Every change brings us closer to the resolution, gives us background or clarity on the situation. We even get throwaway ones from people about to die, just to see new things, and it is EXCELLENT. I could rave about this for actual hours.
Looking at the plot, I really loved how we see three very different women cope with their realities. Despite very similar backgrounds Bhumika and Priya are still so individual, and we get to see several incarnations of their relationship – from lady and maidservant to temple sisters. I really loved every scene with them. The way they interact and sometimes rub each other the wrong way, but still respect each other is so lovely.
And obviously, we also have the glory that is the developing relationship between Priya and Malini. While we get the initial attraction, this is the exact opposite of instalove – letting mistrust and necessity guide them. It’s gloriously slow (I’m sorry, did I already mention this?!) While some may struggle with waiting for them to act, I really enjoyed getting to see everything grow.
Plus the backstories are just wonderful. I adored Malini and her struggle against her brother. The politics and worldbuilding in particular were something I really enjoyed and found incredibly well put together. It is also stunningly written and very evocative. I also like that not everything is fully explained just yet, we have more backstory to come!
I can’t wait for book 2, because I am dying to find out what happens next. 4.5 stars.
Buy The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri from Waterstones or Blackwells.
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One Comment
Louise
Oh my god I want to read this one so badly! Great review! x