2.5 stars.

Before reading and reviewing own voices books, I like to look at own voices reviews to see what they’ve thought of it. This book didn’t seem to go down well with own voices reviewers, so I had that in mind when reading it.

I didn’t enjoy this book that much. The first 30% was quite fun and fast paced, but I got a bit bored with it after this and found it predictable. It was a quick read, so it didn’t take me long to get through it, which is partly why I kept reading it despite not being that invested.

I felt like we didn’t get to know the characters that well, which is always something that puts me off a book when reading it. I also felt that some of the magical / fantasy elements weren’t very well researched, which was disappointing.

However, there were some bits that I did like. Such as the message at the beginning and the idea behind this novel, of finding your magic and your strength. I felt like this did get a little lost in the plot, but it was emphasised in the end and gave nice closure to the plot. I did like the writing style too and the descriptive language.

The Bookweaver's Daughter // by Malavika Kannan

From the NetGalley description: "The Bookweaver’s Daughter is an #OwnVoices YA fantasy—a tale of magic, Indian lore, and radical female friendship, written by debut author, Malavika Kannan, when she was 17 year old. Malavika is an Indian-American novelist, feminist writer, and political activist raised in the suburbs of Central Florida and currently a freshman at Stanford University."

This is a book that I was really looking forward to and was so excited to receive. I rushed through some other books just to make sure I could read and review this one on time for its release. The description of it just sounded SO interesting and I just knew that I would love it. But sadly I was wrong. While the premise itself is absolutely fantastic and I commend her for her creativity, there were just too many issues with the book overall for me to say that I actually liked it.

I've read a few reviews now by people that are more equipped to judge the accuracy of the references to the culture that this book is based on than me. I have no issue admitting that I know next to nothing about that culture and will therefore refrain from passing judgement on that. I did however have thoughts about the writing and plot that I will lay out below.

As I said above, the plot ideas themselves were not terrible. The execution of them though were not very elegant to put it lightly. The entire story felt like it was one climax after another and as a reader I felt like I never got a break. There were hardly any slower scenes to catch your breath and to bring beautiful little details to the story. This rushing through events also made it seem as if things were just too easy for the main characters to really make sense. An untrained girl beats a young but supposedly well-trained commander of the imperial army before she even learns to use her magic? And she keeps getting herself out of situations that grown resistance fighters with years of experience cannot escape from? A lot of the scenes just did not really make sense to me whether it was due to lack of details, unexplained talent or lack of talent of certain characters, or the timing of things just being.... off.

While I generally love first person narrations, I honestly found myself wishing it would switch to somebody else sometimes. I know the narrator was a young girl but her constantly erupting emotions just really threw me off sometimes. This story was supposed to be built on the foundation of a strong relationship between Reya and Nina, yet from the start I struggled to understand what their relationship really was. It seemed to constantly teeter between best friends for years and then not knowing each other all that way after all, even denying the existence of her best friend completely at one point by lamenting the fact that she was so lonely and had nobody in the world that could ground her enough to master her magic. It was confusing to say the least.

But this weird relationship also extends to other parts of the book as well. I struggle to understand how she feels so bonded to people that she hardly knows. Of course, tragedy and struggles like those in the book can bind people together a lot, but there just was not any focus on building relationships with others at all. They were simply assumed each time. On the other hand, a character she had maybe met three times at this point and that was intent on killing her, she all of a sudden knew well enough to notice emotions that those people who knew him his whole life would not notice?

Overall to avoid going into too many details, many of the characters seemed overly emotional and unprofessional to hold the roles they have in this book. There were phrases, such as "rookie" and "what the hell," that just seemed really off-putting and unnatural for the setting, and the Latin-based magical words felt out of place in an Indian-inspired book as well.

So to close this out, this is the debut novel of a teenage writer. I did not know that until I did some research after finishing the book. I probably would've judged it a little less harshly during my reading if I had known that ahead of time. She seems to have a lot of creativity and I appreciate how she spoke about the importance of books and reading in the story itself. Hopefully with more practice and experience, she will improve her writing and research skills over the next years.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I first request this book months ago and was happy when I was accepted. But when I went to add it to my good reads I saw how low the ratings were. I read some of the reviews and noticed that many people were saying that the representation was bad and that the book was not very good. As I am not Indian or Muslim I can not accurately say in on that aspect of the book and I was extremely conflicted. I wanted to make up my own mind so I began to read it and I found myself bored and confused. For this reason and the ones listed above I gave it a 2 star rating.

The Bookweaver's Daughter is the action-packed story of Reya Kandhari and the Bookweaver. Reya must take up her father's mantle and save the kingdom, but will she also be able to save those she loves, or will she have to make a choice?

I want to start by saying that it's truly impressive how Kannan wrote this book in her teens. This story has a ton of potential, but you can tell her writing needs to grow.

I enjoyed the concept of the Yogis and their magic; the Bookweaver's power to use and control words reminded me a bit of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy. There's a lovable cast of characters in this book, and there is no shortage of action.

However, almost every aspect of the story felt lacking. There was too much explanation and not enough worldbuilding, and there were small inconsistencies that drew me out of the story. I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief in multiple places, and the plot felt too rushed. I wanted more characterization and more interaction between the characters, especially between Reya and NIna. Their relationship felt forced at times, and it seemed like there was something strong there that never fully manifested.

Overall, this story is good on the surface but could be fleshed out so much more. I'm excited to see more from this author in the future as her writing grows.

There has been a lot of controversy around this book and content. Kannan was young when she wrote this book and it was her debut novel. I don't believe that Kannan's intent was to misrepresent Indian culture and religions, but I do understand that there have been offenses taken and suggestion that Kannan should have researched more about the culture. This is all I wish to address about the lack of historical research Kannan had done and will hopefully use this as a learning experience in future writings.

I am going to write this review assessing Kannan's writing style and plot/character development. 

The book had a similar plot and character tropes as Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. A girl named Reya has been hiding her identity because she is the Bookweaver's daughter, and as such she is privy to possessing magic which has been outlawed and slowly wiped out of Kasmira. The Bookweaver has the ability to write stories that come true. Reya is on the run from the tyrannical king. This plot has been over used recently in YA fantasy books and I have seen it done well in other books, however Kannan does a decent job with maneuvering through this plot trope. I have to commend her on her debut novel attempt. It is clear that Kannan had done some research and pulled ideas from her reading experiences. As an avid reader and book reviewer I really did appreciate the expression of passion towards books and words within the plot, which did make this story standout.

The characters were fairly interesting. I liked Reya's character, a person of survival, but I felt that she did not develop too much throughout the book. Reya had always been a strong survivor; keeping her family's secret, working in the fields to hide her identity, but her strength is tested and I feel that Reya did not grow. She does learn to harness her magic abilities, but she fails to recognize that her strength is her friendships until the end of the book. She is so busy wallowing that she neglects her friendships and is ready to concede to the king. Reya was not as strong as some of the other characters and was carried by the supporting characters such as Nina. Nina came across as somewhat meek in the beginning but held tremendous strength throughout the book and never wavered on her friendship with Reya. She was willing to sacrifice herself whenever was needed to keep Reya safe and continue to fight for a better Kasmira.

I feel like an opportunity was missed with the antagonist, Devendra, the prince. We learn little about him other than his father has essentially cast him out and he is trying to earn his approval. Devendra was shallowly developed and was very one dimensional. There was potential and chances for Kannan to build him up and either help the reader sympathize or dislike the character more by the end, and create more of an impact. I would have liked to see a change or difference from when Devendra was hunting Reya to when he is having to interact with her while she is training. Again he remained rather quiet and brooding the entire book.

I actually think it could be pretty interesting if Kannan wrote a prequel about Reya's father, explaining the war on magic, what happened to her family and Reya's mother specifically. I thought this was a very well written debut novel. Kannan has an appreciation for language which is apparent in her use of descriptive words, multiple languages and content creation. She was young when she wrote this novel and I think with more life experience and adventures in life and books, Kannan will be a force in the writing world, definitely someone to watch out for in the future.

When I applied for this book, I did so without looking at anything else others had said about it and have now realised this was a mistake I will ensure does not happen when I apply for further titles.

I have not read this book nor do I now intend to based on other reviews highlighting some very glaring cultural issues that I in all good faith do not feel comfortable reviewing as I myself do not have the personal experience to be able to comment on this.

I wish the author all the best and sincerely hope she takes the critiques on board to address the issues I have seen mentioned by fellow reviewers.

Oh dear. I was really excited for this book. It's been a while since I've read a YA fantasy, and even longer since I reviewed one, so when this came along I was thrilled. And then I read some of the advanced reviews. In all honesty, both for the preservation of my sanity and also to spare the author another less than stellar review, I probably should have just marked this dnf and moved on. But, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and see what exactly everyone seemed to have a problem with. The first issue isn't really something I can comment on from my own perspective, since I am very white and decidedly not a person of Indian descent or heritage. However, it appears that the cultural references and customs are not exactly up to snuff and are rather all over the place. From what I can tell, I think that perhaps some beta authors with similar heritages would have been helpful. Perhaps then it would be more succinct rather than a mishmash of many different influences that don’t really fit together. But, I digress. That’s my observation from the outside; now, my observation from the inside.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the storyline or the plot. In fact, I think it’s rather exciting. Everything from the influence of India to the concept of the Yogis and the Bookweaver I loved. It’s the execution and the juvenile writing that is the issue here. The most impressive thing about this book is that it was written when the author was 17 years old. I would never have been able to write a fully-fledged fantasy novel when I was 17. Unfortunately, it also reads like the writing of a 17 year old. Descriptions, vocabulary, and dialogue are basic. Important plot points go by incredibly quickly, while the in-between moments are dragged out. One moment everything is peaceful, and the next, the city is up in flames, characters have been killed or kidnapped, and someone new is revealed to be able to use magic (which is banned). Plot details are never fully explained, but before you even have a moment to think about the fact you didn’t get an answer, we move onto the next thing. One of the biggest things is that there is little to no world-building at all, which is crucial when you are creating a fantasy like this. I have so many questions about their world, how it came to be, how the characters came to be where they are and the situations they are in. We are given a brief history of the Yogis and how they are passed through to the next generation, but not enough to really introduce the reader. I just want to know more. It’s rare that I suggest a book be longer, but in this case I insist that it should be. In this case, the more detail, the better. In particular I want to know so much more about the relationship between Reya and Nina, and how they became so important to each other. They spend practically the entire book arguing about who should be able to sacrifice for whom, but I don’t get the impression that they know each other any more than we know about them (which is to say, not a lot). Yet, they are always saying it. This is one of those situations where showing and not telling your readers would be most helpful.

The characters themselves have strong bases, but are poorly fleshed out, leaving the reader unsure if they know anything about them at all or their personalities and feelings, which never seem to be consistent. That being said, I did actually like the characters a lot, which is why I want to know so much more about them. Reya was a strong character who is always trying to save those she loves. She doesn’t struggle with her identity, and knows the value and importance of her role after her father’s death (that being said, if she becomes the bookweaver after her father died, why does she still call herself the bookweaver’s daughter, when she is, in fact, the bookweaver?) She fights for what is right, and isn’t afraid to take down those who stand against her. She is exactly what I want to read in a female fantasy character. However, she often also makes me feel like she has two personalities. One was steadfast and made hard decisions, the other slightly paranoid and indecisive, and both often showed up in the same scene. It felt a bit like whiplash and is part of the reason I feel we couldn’t fully get to know her.She’s also far too trusting and always taking people at their word. I kept waiting for a betrayal to happen but it never did. I liked Nina a lot, and clearly she has a special relationship with Reya (honestly it feels romantic, but I digress). Again though, I just wish we knew more about her, her backstory, her life. We are told that she’s known Reya for seven years and clearly would lay down her life for her, but it feels artificial almost. There are also several points where it feels like we are leading up to a big reveal about Nina, but then nothing. I need flesh and blood and history in my main characters, and these ones feel a bit like paper dolls. More, more, more. You can always cut out things later.

The magic part is really interesting, something that was a fascinating part of the story for me. We learn at the beginning that it’s been banned, but as the story progresses, more and more characters who can use it come out of the woodwork - including (SPOILERS) the prince who is always after Reya (because she can do magic). While I do think it makes a good addition to the story, it comes out of nowhere with no buildup. For something like that, I think even an alternate perspective of the prince himself would be nice, so we could see how he struggles with this ability knowing his father has banned it across the kingdom and he spends his days hunting those who use it. Now that I’ve mentioned the prince though, his relationship with Reya is...interesting. Obviously they are at odds as he spends the first half of the book trying to capture her? Kill her? Unclear. But then when she does end up at the castle as part of the mandatory magic performance bit, they act like bitter bickering siblings, which isn’t exactly love but a hell of a step up from before. I almost felt like we were supposed to believe it was going to turn romantic because they can both do magic (it didn’t, thank goodness). Either way, I could never figure out what the author was trying to do with them. Not to mention that it was also looking like Reya had feelings for Naveen (something else who can use magic, and who I definitely thought was going to betray her at some point).

So I actually do not hate this book. True, it is the lowest rated book on Goodreads I’ve ever read, and the ownvoices reviews are...not good. However. I feel like I can see potential in this story. A lot of work needs to be done (I mean it’s being published in 3 days but one can dream), particularly a lot more writing and editing, and some strong beta readers, but it has enough in it that I am STILL interested in the story. I just wish it was told better. There’s a lot of good stuff that just needs to be fleshed out, and it would be nice if it didn’t wrap up quite so finitely. But for goodness sakes, please stop using the word peasant.

Where do I start with this one? Well, first, I have to thank NetGalley and the publishers over at Tanglewood for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my thoughts and opinions are my own. The Bookweaver’s Daughter comes out on September 8th.

I had high hopes for this one especially since I am known by my friends and family as the biggest bookworm. But I think there are two solid issues with this novel that could not be overcome. The first issue is the pacing. I struggled to deal with the fact that huge events would happen and we would get no time to deal with it. We have the death of the main character’s father and a page later we’re gone and rushing to deal with the next problem. And it happens with almost every stumbling block in the main character’s way. The second major problem for me was the lack of world building. I always want more from books so I normally don’t fault the books too much for not being as in-depth as I would like. But I think even people who enjoy shorter stories would have a problem with this one. It doesn’t give you enough to go on as a reader. I need more world building and more backstory to understand what’s happening even just at the start of the book.

I think this book does a good job with the main character’s friendship with Nina. I feel like there’s a lot of depth and loyalty there that the reader can see straight away so that relationship is done very well. There were also moments in the story where I was finally able to picture the setting in my mind. In the forest while they’re running is a good example of that. Throughout most of the novel the reader had to fill in the blanks for themselves, but in the forest and the library are two moments where the setting is done well.

I think this could be a good, fast paced fantasy novel for younger YA readers. It didn’t take me long to read and the action packed chapters helped propel me through the story.

3.5 ⭐️

The story is about Reya Khandari, the daughter of a Bookweaver, whose power to bring his stories to life has rooted from generations before them.

Disguised as a peasant working in the Fields, Reya Patel solely cares for his father and protects his secret since the Zakirs drove out the Mages seven years ago.

When her father was discovered and died on the fire, the king’s soldiers are looking for her. Reya decided to flee the kingdom with her best friend Nina Nadeer. Reya’s magic was awakened when they were caught on foot by Prince Devendra, Lady Sharati, and the king’s army. Upon discovering she used illegal magic against the prince, they decided to seek refuge in another kingdom. The pursue has never stopped until they reach the city of Bharata.

The story is well written, engaging, and fast-paced but sometimes I find it hard to believe that they were always lucky to escape arrest thrice before they reach another city.

Some questions come to mind like how were they easily accepted by the rebellion just by merely revealing her true identity? Why did Reya’s mother, Kamala, never got in touch with them if she was just staying inside the palace all those seven years? Why was Roshan, Reya’s uncle, unable to find her and his father if he was a part of the rebellion to protect them? What happened to the Spider, the king’s chief mage? How come Lady Sharati easily died during the palace explosion?

Overall, it was a good dystopian themed read for me and some parts made me smile because some of the Ancient Kasmiri spells reminds me of a book about the boy who lived. If you love a story about magic, friendship, hope, and self-empowerment then I recommend this book to you!

I’m thankful to the author, to the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review the eARC of this novel.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters and story that Kannan presented to us with The Bookweaver's Daughter and I was so excited to be given a chance to review this book early. However, there are some major issues in this book. I will start with the bad and then end with the good.

I didn't want to do any research or spoil the book for myself at all so I just jumped right into the story. Unfortunately, upon finishing the book I sought out reviews from book bloggers who were of Indian or South Asian descent and their concerns with the book very valid. These reviews were not favorable of the book because of how the author presented certain conflicts that are still very present in India and South Asia. While I tried to educate myself as much as I could on the matter, I don't feel that it's my place to discuss this topic as there are many people with the appropriate heritage who have written reviews that explain these issues. I will attach a link to an informative review below. I feel that this author would've benefitted from having Beta Readers with heritage similar to her own to critique the book before there was a final draft and before official ARCs were sent out. I am not sure if this was done.

Now the good. I really enjoyed this story. Reya and Nina's friendship was beautiful and I love a good adventure story. While I felt that the pacing was a little speedy, I was never bored while reading this and I was very interested to see what the end of Reya and Nina's story looked like. The lack of romance was also refreshing as I don't want authors to feel as though they have to include romance to be interesting. A beautiful friendship is just as good. I also loved the use of magic in this story and how it came naturally to Reya as she developed as a Yogi.

If the author were ever to revise her story to fix the many issues that readers have with it, I would love to read it again and give it another review as I believe that it really does have a lot of potential. and a good story.

Informative review on issues within the book:
https://veereading.com/review-the-bookweavers-daughter-by-malavika-kannan-a-rant/

I really had high hopes for this book when I requested this book, as it held promise as a strong YA fantasy set in an Indian kingdom.

This is the story of teen Reya, daughter of the Bookweaver, who can make the words that are written come to life. In order to disguise her magical powers, Reya has posed as a peasant her whole life. However when her father dies, her magic is awoken and now it is up to her to help the rebels protect her kingdom's magic - in other words-the orphan becomes the chosen one - very predictable.

Sadly, this book did not reach my expectations. Whilst the start was promising, I found the whole story to be wishy washy and confusing as it jumped through the time line very much.

I also found the writing a bit cringe worthy and although I'm not the best person to comment on the racial commentary, there were some things that really bugged me ( 1. This book is supposed to be set in a magical kingdom equivalent of Kashmir - okay fine, but in light of this then shouldn't it be more conscious of the diversity? One example of this, is that when Reya's friend wants to learn to read, she is immediately shown the first letter A - of the western alphabet? I don't know but shouldn't a peasant girl first learn the actual language of her kingdom - which is most likely not the western alphabet). As I said, I'm not the correct person to comment on the diversity of this book but I am sure that I am not the only one who found this distressing.

Overall, I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book, but I did not which is sad as I was really excited to read this.

Diverse fantasy books are hell yes for me.Because there very few I have gotten a chance to read and much less of India one's

But this book has some problematic issues I came across during read and some were brought to my attention. So I don't know what to say anymore.

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for providing with digital arc of the book. But this in no way affects my review of the book.

The Bookweaver's Daughter boasts a plot centered on Hindu mythology, representation, magic, and strong friendship, but this all falls flat. The plot felt like a rip-off of Avatar: the Last Airbender, down to Devendra(Zuko)'s need to reclaim his honor by finding the Bookweaver. The magic system made no sense and had no continuity. The writing felt childish and simplistic. The plot was ridiculously predictable. Using the name Kasmira and its derivatives seems problematic considering the history of Kashmir, and should have been written with more research and sensitivity.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kannan, at 19, probably doesn't understand the responsibility one bears as an #OwnVoices writer. I respect her opinion, which I believe has been shaped by the people around her and a narrative (probably one-sided) she has come across all her life. Her (not-so-subtle) hints at the exodus of Kashmiri-pandits in this story cannot be ignored.
Fantasy tends to have its cliches and I am willing to overlook a few errors in her craft because this is her debut novel but what's unacceptable, and mostly enraging is her lack of research and the very absence of innovation in her story-telling technique.
The Bookweaver's Daughter misrepresents Kashmir (a very touchy topic in India, mind-you), its inhabitants and the traditional Indian culture and the diversity of it.

Terribly disappointed, but hope that the author will make the necessary changes in her forthcoming books. Not boycotting the author, just not supporting the existence of this book.

After a few discussions and contemplation, I decided that I didn't really like this book that much. And I somehow feel it's a little offensive and trying to portray a very hindu propaganda. The fact that the kingdoms, even though fictional, we named Kasmira (which is so similar to Kashmir) and Indira/Bharata (which ultimately denotes India where also the main uprising forms oops), is a direct understanding of the supposed divide forged. Said to be an indian inspired fantasy but damn if I ever felt any sort of representation (and I'm an ownvoices reviewer)! It read like a very haphazardly put wattpad fiction, written at the age of 12. The plot was all over the place, the characters were insufferable, the magic was okayish and I was bored.

Although I enjoyed this story at certain points, I did find a few qualms along the way. I felt like the story had a haphazard timeline in between, where time elapses and it still feels like only a day had passed. The time jumps were so quickly placed and executed. At some points, it got a bit cringy and I didn't enjoy the dialogues much. I also felt like the MC, Reya, was a very typical heroine oops. She's one of the typical YA heroine you'll read about, thinking that she'll save the world, and doing the exact opposite of what everyone tells her to. Ugh.

That said, I really have to commend the author for having written this when she was 17. That has to account for something, really. But still, it doesn't overlook the fact that the representation was so poor, and literally zero research has gone into building the world. And again, I just wish we could've known more about how the bookweaving works, you know. I felt like it really got very less screen time. I mean, wtf was BOOKWEAVING?? Wtf happens!? We are literally given no information about the only reason why Reya is hunted and wanted which should've had so much more importance and focus on the story. How does the bookweaving work? Wtf happens? Did her father just sit and write stories? If stories indeed came true, why didn't it for him? Wtf did Reya not already use it to change the fate? Ugh 🙄🙄🙄

I'm just a little salty about this book tbh. I had high expectations, considering it was supposed to have Indian rep, I found no relation. It was all over the place and weird and the story was also very cliche and an overly use plotline.
It's head fast paced and predictable so if you want to spend some time on an easy fantasy, this might be it 🤷

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the e-arc. All views expressed are mine.

I don't plan to review this book. This "own voice" book contains problematic themes and blatant lack of research that may harm some minorities.
For detailed info, please read Meha's review on https://chaipters.design.blog/2020/08/18/bookweavers-daughter-malavika-kannan-review/

My Review: A Problematic OwnVoice Novel

When I received an ARC for this, I was over the moon! I’m always looking for more Indian representation in books. And when I read the first chapter, I thought this novel was it. I loved the prose and was so excited to continue reading. Unfortunately, my excitement didn’t last long.

Here is my biggest issue with this novel: it is not a good OwnVoice representation. Apart from the mention of some clothing and food items, there was barely any incorporation of Indian culture. This was such a huge disappointment to me because it would have made the worldbuilding and story itself stand out. Also, and this may sound petty, the main character says NAAN BREAD multiple times during the story. Naan actually means bread … so essentially, we have an MC of Indian origin who continually says “bread bread” and this is NOT OKAY. I have spent a good portion of my life patiently correcting non-Indians over this so to see an Indian character repeatedly make this mistake just really irked me.

But this isn’t the biggest problem in terms of representation. I was deeply uncomfortable to see the author pitting two different religious factions against each other. Kasmira, which sounds a lot like Kashmir, is a kingdom under control of the evil Zakirs (which is a pretty Muslim sounding name) and they have hunted down/killed many mages and Yogis (which is a Hindu term). Perhaps, the author was trying to allude to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus back in 1989 – but there was no sensitivity given to this topic. If you are going to speak about a contentious historical event, it needs to be handled with care and respect. And considering the current political situation in India, there is an even greater call for responsible writing – and that was not shown at all in this book. WE DO NOT NEED TO VILLAINIZE ANY RELIGIOUS FACTION OR GROUP! This was not something I was expecting to read in an Indian-inspired novel and it is not something I as an OwnVoice reviewer feels best represents Indian culture.

In terms of the actual story, this novel was not executed well at all. When you have a very generic plot, you should at least try and ensure that the rest of the story is good enough to make up for it. But that didn’t happen here. The pacing of the story was far too quick for my liking. It felt like it was taking place over a few days rather than months, and so many details were missing throughout. There also wasn’t enough of an opportunity to get to know any of the other characters and feel anything towards them.

And that brings me to the main character of the story: Reya. She is the most incoherent character I have come across. For the life of me, I have no idea who she is or what is going through her mind. Her moments of self-pity and guilt quickly give way to unwarranted anger. The author never actually allows the reader to experience things alongside Reya. In fact, there is so much telling vs showing that the book got boring.

Reya also constantly blames herself for everything. But the thing is … it would only make sense if she actually did something. Throughout the novel, all she does is follow the instructions of others. There is not a single moment where she makes any decision herself, without the aid of others. And the fact that she says she is being mistreated and tortured by the King, when she is literally treated as his guest, was baffling.

I also found Devendra, one of the main villains of the story, to be a mashup of Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Inan from Children of Blood and Bone. While both of these characters were my favourites in their respective stories, Devendra lacked their depth and complexity. The same can be said for his father’s character, who is supposed to be this absolutely evil tyrant – but he only really makes an appearance near the end of the book.

The only character I liked (from the few moments where her personality came through) was Nina and I personally had no idea why their bond was as strong as it was. Nina is always supporting Reya and apart from Reya telling the reader that she cares for Nina, there is no evidence of reciprocity. In fact, in one scene, Reya states that she is all alone, completely forgetting about poor Nina languishing somewhere in the castle dungeons. And let me just say that the relationship between Nina and Reya does not give off platonic vibes. There were so many moments where it felt like the author was hinting at a sapphic romance – but nothing came of it. It just frustrated me and I wish the author had just made things clearer on this front.

There is also a lack of attention to detail that left me feeling so frustrated. Something would be introduced and then quickly forgotten about, leaving tons of loose ends. For example, what happened to the book Reya was carrying from her father? How did she forget she had an UNCLE?! What did the actual training to unlock her abilities consist of? What does Ancient Kasmiri look like? Why was Reya teaching Nina to read English of all languages? These were just some of the questions that came to mind and I never got the answer to any of them.

This post has turned out to be a huge rant. Part of me feels bad. I want to uplift OwnVoice authors and novels. But I also need to stay true to myself. This novel was extremely problematic and needs to go back to the drawing board. I commend the author for writing a book at such a young age and making it this far in her publishing journey. However, this novel, while having a ton of potential, is not ready for publication in its current state.

This author has been proven to be very problematic, and the story is clearly not well researched. The publication was evidently rushed.

This book was under researched and superficial. A lot of the cultural hallmarks of being South Asian were obfuscated or thrown in willynilly with no regard for how culture creates richness and distinction. Additionally, I was deeply offended by the hindu supremacist and mildly islamophobic undertones of how the land of Kasmira (most certainly based on the war torn and mistreated land of Kashmir) was originally belonging to people who practiced a faith that resembles hinduism and therefore they were wronged. This reflects the modern day propaganda of anti Muslim rhetoric in India and shows that the author either has these biases or did no research past the propaganda that Modi’s administration is putting out.

I don't know how to explain that this is an extremely problematic book especially in regards to the obvious nods to Kashmir. I quickly put this book down which is a shame because with the proper research this could have been a solid fantasy. But instead, it paints the oppressed party as the oppressors (please read up on the Kashmir conflict!!!!) and is clearly Islamophobic.

Politics and problematic rep aside I barely got through one chapter because the writing was very patchy and while I could see a younger version of myself enjoying the writing it is not enough to excuse the extremely problematic representation.