Tasha Suri builds brilliant magical worlds.
Each character in this book had a really interesting and definted point of view, but the clear stars of this novel were Priya (an ex-handmaiden of the Hirana) and Malini (the ostracized princess of the ruling land that has set the seeds for a rebellion). I think my favorite theme in this book is the ways women could gain power in a world where women were only respected as idols.

The deathless waters were both fascinating and terrifying. Watching Priya change as she dealt with the waters more often was really interesting.

Just in general, the plot was very focused on war and military, which isn't my favorite genre, but the relationships in this book were so intricately woven, that I was so focused on each scene and the fighting felt immediate.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I didn't even start this book so that's that. I didn't know it's an Adult Fantasy and I prefer YA so that was a let down for me. I don't think I'll ever start it, so sorry for that! Many people liked it but I have a strong feeling I'm not going to.

THIS BOOK!! OMG YOU GUYS.
.
My Rating [4.5/5] 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
.
Read this book, if you want....
🌿Sapphic Goodness with Sass
🌿Slowburn Romance with lots and lots of angst
🌿 Knife to the throat while flirting
🌿 Amazing characters who will kill you in an instant
🌿 Badass females in sarees
🌿 Amazing dialogues and quotes that will break your heart
🌿 Lots of Sass, killing and spying
🌿 Just want a book that will break your mind and heart at the same time.
.
I'll be honest. There were few instances where I felt it didn't live up to the potential of the characters, story and the plot in general. But it was such an amazing book with really solid development, characters and progress. So I definitely recommend you guys pick it up too!!
.
You will thank me. Read this book.
.
Thank you @shutupshealea for having me on the tour & @orbitbooks_uk for the gifted copy !

The world in this novel was so beautiful! From the rot to the flowers to the lattice walls in the Hirana.
On top of that, the characters were so complex and real. The relationships are multilayered in a way that endears you to them. In this novel no villain is above redemption and no hero is above reproach.

There were parts that dragged a little bit and I did think the book was all suspense with not enough action. However, I am still hooked and can't wait for the next one!

I don't entirely know how to write this review because trying to put my feelings into words seems impossible. The jasmine throne was everything that I thought it was going to be anymore. I knew that the story was about two morally gray Desi lesbian women. I knew that the setting was inspired by ancient India, but I still wasn’t prepared for how immersive the world would be. Truly, The Jasmine Throne and Tasha Suri have blown me away with just how incredible this book, these characters, and this world is.

Characters make or break a book for me. I am not the kind of reader who is fully invested in the aesthetic or the plot or the world building of a book if I do not love the characters. And the characters in The Jasmine Throne are some of my favorites. From the moment that I met Malini, I knew that she was a girl after my own heart. Priya also won my heart easily and though she was different from Malini in many ways, I loved that we got to see their strengths in different ways. For me to write about both of these incredible women without giving away spoilers but I would be shocked if readers did not leave this book wanting more from these two powerful women.

But I also appreciated that the other cast of characters in the jasmine thrown were just as well developed as a main characters. I got a really great understanding of the people around both Malini and Priya and it wasn’t hard to see why they were (or weren’t) drawn to each other. There’s nothing I love more than a large cast of characters coming together to create such an interesting atmosphere. Again, I don't know how much I can say without spoiling the story but I promise that you're all going to love (or hate) these characters.

And speaking of atmosphere: the world building in this book is masterful. This is my first book by Suri but it won’t be my last. While this is a long book, which leaves Suri a lot of room for world building, it never feels like too much information. As someone who knows a lot about Mughal Empire and other historical periods in South Asia, I was able to pick up on a lot of the inspirations. Plus, a lot of the names gave me hints as to what inspired their creation. However, I don't think that a reader needs prior knowledge of Indian history or mythology to understand the world. That aspect of The Jasmine Throne, in my opinion, is one of the strongest aspects of Suri's craft.

I want to take a moment and talk about how emotional I got while reading this book. As much as I loved the characters and the plot, I have to say that the little bits and pieces of information Suri gave to create the world really pulled me in. The mentions of the pyre, the saris and the camphor and ghee, the prologue showed me just how much thought Suri put into creating her world. As the story progressed and more information was revealed, the happier I got. South Asia has such a rich history and it's amazing to see it in a book form. Plus, it's even more amazing that a South Asian writer can write this story.

This was absolutely incredible - I went in expecting the best, because I've read the author's other books, but it still managed to blow me away with its unique magic system and fabulous lead characters. I can't wait for book 2!!!

I really wanted to love this book, believe me, I really did. I adored Tasha Suri’s other works and thought they were well developed and beautifully written and was super excited to receive an arc of The Jasmine Throne (so very excited). I couldn’t put her last two books down but this one (which should have hit all the right notes for me being a WLW high fantasy) was a struggle to get through and in the end, I didn’t even want to bother and finish the last 50 pages or so while sitting on a beach on vacation. Arg! What happened?

I couldn’t connect with much of anything here – the characters, the relationships, the politics, the magic… it all just fell a bit flat for me. Maybe I read this book at the wrong time? – I’m in a massive reading slump to be honest and have been super busy and stressed. Perhaps this is a me problem and not a book problem – but I’m still heartbroken about it. I just really didn’t enjoy this book at all.

Maybe this series will develop better over time, but this first book did not encourage me to want to go out and read the sequel one day. Maybe in a few years when the series is complete I'll come back to it and give it another shot. In Suri's other works I found I appreciated the books as a whole a lot more once I was done the book - maybe this will work similarly with her series.

Content warnings: Immolation, suicide, drug abuse and recovery, sibling abuse, gaslighting, execution by elephant, homophobia (both internal and external)

Malini’s tyrant of a brother locked her up in the Hirana, a decaying temple, and Priya is one of the many servants employed to take care of her. But when Malini witnesses the secret Priya tries to hide, the two form a tense alliance which can change the structure of an empire forever.

This book has so many things: swoony writing, intricate politics, kind people at the end of their rope, thorough depictions of the different political and social strata. There’s also plant magic, waters with mystical regenerative properties, mythologies that contradict, a magical plague, and then some. It’s a treat for any fantasy lover.

While Malini and Priya are our main characters, we don’t see the world through just their eyes. Suri sprinkles several point of view sections throughout, from estranged siblings to rebels to neutral folk trying to see the next day amid the madness. It’s masterful and paints a full picture of the greater implications of both characters getting what they want. This tension provides such fantastic angst to the romance between Malini and Priya. Is it fate? Is it something else? Those answers are left up to the reader to decide, especially given how much is coming in the rest of the series.

What really makes this book stand out is that the presentation of strength is definitely quieter. There is an epic battle towards the end, but the pace and build-up is careful and much more character-driven. Most of the characters are warriors of different kinds. Priya, especially, has such a big heart for the people in her community and those affected by the burning of temple children several years prior. She butts heads with Bhumika often because of the different paths the two have taken, though they have a common end goal. With so much violence happening in the recent past, the conversations around what “better” might look like are fraught and tense and permeate every aspect of the story. The world-building here is intricate, so the book really needs the space at the beginning to lay that ground work. But once the story gets going, it really grabs you by the wrist and doesn’t let go.

It took me a while because of a darned reading slump but I have finally finished this book and I'm floored. All the hype that this has been getting on social media is worth it - the relationships, the history and folklore, the characters, everything about this book punches you in the feels and creates a story that makes an impact on you. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the books by Tasha Suri ASAP because her prose and storytelling has just hit me on another level.

Love Tasha Suri newest adult fantasy with interesting world building. Fun and interesting POV characters and complicated romance

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that has had my attention since I first read the description for it months back. An Indian-inspired fantasy novel with a sapphic romance sounded extremely unique and like something I would absolutely love. I went into the book not fully realizing it would be such a slow burn, but the slow pace suited this story really well since it allowed more time to explore this world in detail. I personally loved spending so much time with each character and getting to know both them and their backgrounds, as well as the various different cultures each character is a part of, seeing as how they are all tied together while still being distinctly different.

I didn't immediately love every character in this book because I couldn't tell who I was meant to trust for a while, but by the end of the book I was invested in every characters' storyline, and some of those storylines made me feel incredibly emotional. Despite how much certain plotlines hurt, the stakes felt so much more real and I knew that nobody was truly safe in this world, which adds a layer of suspense that I enjoy in fantasy books. Disregarding the painful aspects, I loved how morally gray many of the cast were as a whole. While it can be fun having clear "good guys" and "bad guys", I personally really enjoy seeing characters make morally questionable decisions but for reasons that I can also understand. It's hard to pull that off in a way where I can understand multiple sides of the same conflict, but Tasha Suri handled that really well throughout this book.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent start to a new trilogy! There were so many storylines set up in this book that are inevitably going to be important in future books, and I am beyond excited to see how the next two books handle these.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy books set in a non-traditional fantasy setting, and that have a slow-building plot with a satisfying ending.

An enthrallingly lush story full of shadowy depths and bright sunlight and deep waters. Excellent writing and intriguing characters. Fast paced story of unwilling revolution, shared purposes with conflicting methods, and what family means. I love the setting and the culture being represented as well.
The story stalled a tiny bit around the 75% mark after what turned out to be a false climax, but it picked back up again. I'll be looking out for the next one.

Tasha Suri is one heck of a force to be reckoned with. Starting off with another original and incredibly written first book in a new series, Jasmine Throne follows a priestess searching for her family and a princess imprisoned by her dictator brother who find solace in each other and plan to bring down the empire.
Suri is a master of world-building. Inspired by Ancient India, the belief system was a craft within a craft.
The characters make you root for them every step of the way and it proves worthy right through to the end. This was a fantastic read and definitely a series whose sequel I will wait for impatiently in the future!

Absolutely adored this adult fantasy with interesting characters and world building. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out at some point

I WAS PATIANT ! I WAITED ! When I got the email letting me know I’d gotten a early review copy I was ecstatic, prior to requesting The Jasmine Throne, I’d previously read Tasha Suri’s The books of Ambha Duology and fell in love. It was very much so the same when I’d finally finished the 1st book in the burning kingdoms series and for that, I couldn’t be anymore happier. The characters in the story have my whole heart, the world building left me very impressed and the magic system just has me asking more and more questions. I simply cannot wait for The Oleander Sword to be released ! ! !

Tasha Suri can have all my money if she just continues to write amazing books 💛

An epic sapphic fantasy, The Jasmine Throne transports readers to a captivating and thoroughly fleshed-out world filled with culture and compelling characters. While I had to work to absorb the numerous carefully crafted details and minutiae of this world and story, it was well worth it. The politics and nuances of the story were amazing, and I loved the characters that were guiding the story along — and how can I not love a forbidden, body guard sapphic romance! A sweeping tale of the fight against empire and unexpected love set in a captivating world, this was a great read I’ll be telling my friends about!

Thank you to netgalley and orbit for an advanced release copy of this book. This is a fantasy book that follows multiple different perspectives. Malini is a princess exiled to the remote Hirana, a temple on a inhospitable mountain, because she refused her brother’s command to be immolated for her impurity. There is a young priestess Priya who grew up as a temple child on the Hirana and is hidden away in a household working as a servant who by circumstance ends up serving Malini.

All of this happens amid the political background of the region with different religious factions and princes and magisters with opposing goals. In addition, there is a mysterious rot plaguing the people who are slowly and mysteriously turning into trees.

A great new epic fantasy with vivid characters and an intricately woven political backdrop.

WOW WOW WOW this book was phenomenal. First of we have a princess who gets into some trouble at the beginning of the story. Well mostly her brother but you will have to read the book to find more of that out. But anyways their was another character who was more of a commoner in this society and she had so many layers but was also so strong and kind at the same time. Their was also another layer to the story and that was the rot which added a whole other level and layer of suspense to the story. Last but not least their was a romance that I really enjoyed but I wont talk much about that because of spoilers. I cannot wait to read more by this author. This was the best fantasy I have read. please read this book.

First, I received an earc of this book from Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book! It’s definitely one of my top reads of 2021! I loved the three main women in this book, Priya, Malini, and Bhumika. They were vastly different, but each of them hid their true selves behind meekness and seeming unintelligent. I couldn’t pick a favourite even if I tried.

Everyone should know by now that I’m a sucker for character development, and while there wasn’t a huge “before and after” in terms of development in this book (the characters were pretty much as they always were), the development BETWEEN characters was just perfect. And I’m not just talking about the romance, I’m talking about platonic relationships as well. Everything about this book was just stunning—even the rot. I’ve never encountered a fictional disease that was so PRETTY before.

But yeah, if you’re looking for a sapphic fantasy with morally grey MCs who should hate each other but end up allies, this is for you!!

I only wish that Chandra had more screen time. I love me some unredeemable baddies! We all know he’s a monster, but I always like seeing glimpses firsthand to be like “YES HE IS A MONSTER.”

Released June 8, 2021

The Jasmine Throne
By. Tasha Suri
Orbit Books
P. 480
Format: eArc
Rating: ****1/2
**********************
I received an e-arc from @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
**********************

A lot of fantasy books make you choose between having a detailed and entertaining plot, or having detailed and entertaining characters. There is only so much space in which to write the book, after all. However, The Jasmine Throne has both.

Priya has a secret, one that cannot come out. However, when a princess is sent to her country for her imprisonment, everything starts escalating out of control. She finds herself working in the temple that she once grew up in. It starts to bring back memories of her childhood. Only three children escaped from the temple, the rest went up in flames.

Malini is a princess whose crime was refusing to allow herself to burn. Exiled far away from the throne she has to find allies, and who is better than her maidservant with secrets of her own?

I really enjoyed the world, as well as the plotting. The romance was. . . interesting. I am the least romantic person ever, so maybe I was missing something. However, I do enjoy the complicated relationships between all the characters. That is just how life is - messy and complicated. The ending was pretty predictable. There was foreshadowing long before it happened. That doesn’t make it a bad ending, just not a surprising ending. If it didn’t end that way. . . well, then there would be problems.

I will absolutely be picking up this book in print as well as continuing on in the series.