2.5 rounded up to 3 stars

After reading Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri I was incredibly excited to pick this up hoping it was going to be the slow burn epic romance that her debut novel was. Unfortunately, this might be one of my most disappointing reads of this year.

Let’s start off with the positives. I found the world incredibly intriguing, and there’s a lot of potential for growth and expansion. Even though Suri doesn’t spend a lot of time developing it, I felt myself drawn to the mystery of magic within this world. It's a soft magic system, so it’s relatively easy to follow along and it’s something I could easily recommend to a beginner within the fantasy genre, but veterans of the genre can enjoy the world as well.

In terms of political machinations, I thought that was also well done. Seeing how religion factors into the politics of this world, and how the politics, in turn, influence the characters was fascinating. Suri explores the dynamics of religious zealots who are politically powerful and how that impacts regular people, like Priya, within this society. Since this is the first in a series, it doesn’t go in depth but there is potential for expansion in later books.

My biggest gripe was the lack of attachment I felt towards the characters. Both of the main characters felt somewhat flat and I wish there was a bit more development. Priya and Malini had one major defining trait that wasn’t developed into anything substantial. Priya is a kindhearted character who’s dealing with the trauma from her past but outside of that, we don’t get the chance to really know her. Malini is a bit more complex, as a princess she is forced to show one particular side of herself. She is also shaped by her trauma. Malini is a character who will use whoever she needs to in order to get what she wants. There are moments where Malini opens up and we get to see a vulnerable side to her, but these moments didn’t feel genuine. It felt as though that aspect of her development was rushed. Both characters had the potential to be incredibly complex morally grey characters, but their development fell flat. As a result, I couldn’t root for their romance.

In terms of their romance, it fell flat for me because I wasn’t attached to the characters. It also felt as though the romance was moving too fast, which isn’t something I expected from the queen of slow-burn herself. From the moment the two characters meet there is an immediate infatuation on Priya’s side which didn’t seem wholly believable for her character. Malini opened up to Priya about her own trauma fairly quickly which didn’t feel genuine. Which was incredibly disappointing to me because the reason I picked this up was because of the romance.

Overall I do think Tasha Suri is a talented writer and there is potential for future books in the series.

This was a fantastic start to a series. The characters were very fleshed out, and I loved the intricacies of their relationships. This was more of a slow burn book, but that did not detract from my enjoyment. I loved the time I got to spend with these characters. The world building was phenomenal, and I loved the blend of religion and magic. I cannot wait for the next book!

An awesome feminist fantasy that is a fantastic read. I loved the main characters and storyline. This is one of the best fantasies of 2021.

This was a such an amazing start to new fantasy series! With amazing world building and strong, complex female MCs, I can't wait for more in this world!

Tasha Suri is a master at world building. This world is lush and vivid but at no point did I feel bogged down by details or overwhelmed by the politics. There are a LOT of characters and while it was intimidating at first, the story never became difficult to follow and everyone was wholly distinguishable and unique. Also can we talk about how all of the main characters were women - this author is after my heart.

I thought the pacing slowed during the middle when we were learning about the history and characters - but that's to be expected in a world this expansive and complex. But once we hit the turning point, it is all action! I absolutely flew through the last 3rd of this book.

I really enjoyed the romance in here! Another thing Suri did exceptionally is making her characters grey and flawed. The chemistry between the heroines was fantastic but they clearly weren't necessarily "perfect for each other". They were a little manipulative and out to protect themselves first. And I LOVED that exploration.

Rao was easily my favorite side character. I loved the history and exploration of the nameless god and prophecies. In fact the entire religious system was fascinating! (which is even more impressive considering that's something I actively avoid in fantasy) While the reveal wasn't necessarily shocking the scene itself was fantastic and gave me chills.

Overall I'm kind of in love with this world and author. And I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this series!!

Trigger warnings: blood, gore, violence, murder, poisoning, torture, public execution, homophobia, forced drug use, body horror, suicidal thoughts, self-mutilation, abusive family member

It all starts with a fire and an exile. Malini is a traitor, a furious princess sentenced to atone for her misdeeds at the Hirana, a destroyed temple. She is kept under lock and key, becoming weaker under the cautious eye of her carer, and she is on the verge of dying. Priya is a maid who is responsible for walking the perilous trek to the Hirana every night to look after the captive princess. The job is risky, and Priya runs the risk of disclosing her most closely guarded secret when she is attacked one evening, and she exposes a power long-buried to the last person she expects to reveal it to the princess herself. Malina and Priya are bonded together on a voyage that would have them witnessing Priya’s true character.

It took me a few moments to really immerse myself in The Jasmine Throne’s world, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Tasha Suri has woven everything I love about fantasy into one book, complete with detailed historical backdrops and character-driven plots. When you add in the fact that this features ethically ambiguous lesbians set in an Indian-inspired fantasy setting, you can see why I went berserk.

Suri masterfully blended approximately 10 various points of view throughout the plot, which is no simple accomplishment to execute. While the majority of the book focuses on Priya and Malini’s trip, the other points of view provided a much-needed intermission, providing a necessary perspective on major events. But it was the plot’s complexity and the depth of each of the characters that really wowed me. This is a slow-burning drama with simmering tensions that don’t explode until the very final second, allowing the motivations of both characters to be dissected.

The relationship, like the plot, was a slow burn, evolving from reluctant allies to something far more powerful. The nicest aspect of the narrative was seeing these two ladies unite in their quest for power and vengeance. Along with all of that, the romantic growth was what sold me on this. Tasha Suri makes her mark on the fantasy genre once again, with evocative language, an amazing magic system, and engaging characters. The Jasmine Throne is a wonderfully woven story that should be savored slowly and carefully eaten. A triumphant start to what will undoubtedly be an incredible series.

I should have liked this book more than I did. I can't quite put my finger on what is missing for me. I think a key part of it was the amount of time spent developing backstory characters without the depth of their identities. We learn about several different lands around Ashranyi but no details. Who are the Alori people? Who are the Dwarali? The book was a bit long winded to be lacking that richness.

Things I loved about the book, the portrayal of women as authentic whole beings capable of murder, intrigue, and ruthlessness when it's called for. Women kicking ass and burying the men who seek to bury them. Overall, I enjoyed the book but I am not sure if I will be returning for book two. I always love sapphic representation however and we do get that.

Read this book for:

Sapphic reluctant allies to lovers

Princess and handmaiden trope

All the yearning

Creepy plant magic

Wet sari scene !

Morally grey characters with knives 👀

When Priya volunteers to be one of the maid servants for the newly arrived Princess Malini, she has no idea her quiet unassuming life is going to be shattered. Malini, arrested for attempting to depose her brother the emperor, has been sentenced to be imprisoned in a temple whose followers were brutally murdered years prior when they were deemed too much of a threat to the empire. Priya attempts to simply do her chores every night and leave, but her past ties make such a quiet existence impossible. Priya is one of a handful of children who escaped that deadly night at the temple, and other survivors are hoping Priya’s connection to the magic of building will gain them access to a holy site they’ve been cut off from ever since. When Malini discovers Priya’s powers, the two end up charting a path forward that will forever affect the empire.

THE JASMINE THRONE is an absolutely gripping tale of empire, rebellion, and tearing down the patriarchy one subversive act a time. Malini, Priya, and Bhumika (more on her in a moment) all wield power in different ways. Sometimes they try to work within the system, as Malini does when she uses court politics and etiquette to manipulate a situation; other times these women decide that if the men aren’t going to step up and solve the problems, they’re going to do it themselves, propriety and tradition be damned. Watching the different ways each character uses their spheres of influence to accomplish their goals or guide a situation is utterly fascinating, and is a study in the many ways women can wield power in a society that officially tells them they have none.

That’s particularly true for Bhumika, one of several POV characters in THE JASMINE THRONE. The (pregant) wife of the regent who rules the region on behalf of the emperor and a native citizen of the region (married for her connections to a prominent family), Bhumika does what she can to try and protect her people by influencing her husband and his policies with her unofficial advice. But when Bhumika sees a crisis ahead and her advice is dismissed, she takes matters into her own hands to make sure that those who are loyal to her survive. Bhumika is shrewd, ruthless, and navigates all kinds of turbulent waters while nine-months pregnant, and is one of my favorite characters I’ve read in recent times.

But of course, the main event in THE JASMINE THRONE is the evolving relationship between Priya and Malini. These are two women who are strong in their own ways, a complementary pairing who are an absolute threat when united in their plans. The scene where the two first officially meet had me absolutely pinned; the tension could have been cut with one of the many daggers lying around the pages. It’s a slow-burn romance, but one that is absolutely fraught with divided loyalties and differing goals. At one point, I found myself borderline uncomfortable with the power dynamics at play, and literally the next page that power dynamic was called out for the problem it was by the character it affected the most. The author fully reassured me in that moment she understood the dynamics at play and wasn’t glossing over the uncomfortable truths.

THE JASMINE THRONE is mostly (mostly) a fantasy of subtle magic. I particularly liked the religion of the nameless god, whose followers receive a prophecy name at birth. Those followers hide their names until they instinctually know when they must be shared, and let me tell you, the sharing of one of those names is one of the most powerful moments in the book. Priya’s own abilities grow and evolve over the course of the tale, mostly coming from the ability to control plant life, but also from the ability to converse with other temple survivors in a spiritual realm known as the sangram. Priya’s powers slowly unfold throughout the story, but it’s clear that there are still more secrets to be unraveled in the books ahead.

THE JASMINE THRONE is one of the most cut-throat books I’ve read in a while, whose characters accept that wielding power means making decisions that will come at a cost to someone. There rarely, if ever, are solutions where everyone emerges unharmed. Priya, Malini, and Bhmuika are practical about the fact that they can’t afford to be “nice,” they have to seize whatever opportunities they can because those opportunities will almost never simply be offered to them. THE JASMINE THRONE is only the first step in a story of empire and rebellion that has already had deadly consequences, and the journey ahead promises to be just as bloody.

Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

This book was very dense in the beginning and in such I waited for the release of the book that way I could listen to the audiobook to dive into such a rich world full of love, family, magic, and betrayal.

I typically go into books without much knowledge on the plot and I was sold on the Sapphic-Desi vibes and they did not disappoint. We have a princess - sister to the current Emperor, who doesn't have much the people's favor- who has been turned into a shell of herself as a punishment for her actions. We have a warrior maid servant who had learned to keep her head down and her wits about her. When the princess and maidservant gain each other's trust for a means to an end we can see why fire and water are polar opposites.

I remind myself that Orbit books take time to develop and in my experience you have a lot thrown at you but once you get into the grove of things you are in for a wild ride and this book did that.

The Jasmine Throne surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect as I had never read Tasha Suri before, but hot damn, that was an amazing book. It was such a satisfying read. Its usually difficult to have a cast of characters and multiple points of view, and make people actually care about all of them. The more I think about it the more I realize just how good of a book it is. I can't wait for the next book!

It's sapphic South Asian high fantasy so obviously I just had to request it and I'm telling you I will not know peace until I have a physical copy in my hands. The fact that it's sold out on Amazon and in my local bookstore is a crime that I need rectified. But seriously, oh my god this was so beautiful. I can't even put into words how much this would've meant to me if it was published like 5 years earlier because I'm 18 years old and crying over the fact that these fictional characters look like me and are just unabashedly gay. This is on my Big Three list so I'm making this required reading for every person ever.

one of my absolute favourite fantasies this year!!! the world building was fantastic, i love the mc so much

Oh my GOD I loved this book!! Thank you so much for letting my read this early.
I started a little closer to the publishing date so I finished it with the audio book and wow it only made it all better.
I the world building in this is exceptional. Tasha Suri has a wonderful way of creating her own world and mythology that just sucks you right in. I'm not even lying when I say the ending of this book gave me goosebumps and I know all my girls are gonna kick some serious imperial ASS in the next book.

Pls read The Jasmine Throne

Tasha Suri's writing is incredibly beautiful, and I adored the sapphic yearning, lush world-building, and complex politics in this book. While the start was slow and purposeful, I did get a bit impatient and in that vein, I almost gave up on the book. But oh, what a mistake that would have been! Morally grey lesbians longing for each other and longing to incinerate a stifling empire is such a vibe and I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy to be out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I did not care for this book. It was too slow for my taste; the pacing went from intense to sluggish insanely quick. There were also too many POVs. I couldn’t barely keep track of them all.

DNF @ 31%

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review!

I don't think there was anything that struck me as BAD about this book, I think it might have just been the wrong person/wrong time. I have read Suri's other book Empire of Sand which I felt similarly lukewarm about (but I trudged through to the end), but I wanted to give this one a chance because it's sapphic and people were raving about it. I think if you love adult fantasy you will love this, so please don't let me discourage you! I need lots of action and excitement to enjoy adult fantasy (which I seldom read), and I think this book/Suri's writing just isn't for me in that way. I loved the world/world-building but I didn't find myself invested in the characters like I need to be to get through somewhat dense fantasy. I wish I could finish this book, but especially considering how I felt after making myself finish her other book I felt like it wasn't worth it, and honestly, I have no idea when I would have done it. In general, I would say that this would probably be great for big fans of adult fantasy (as you can see from their reviews!) but if you are like me and prefer YA fantasy, this might not be for you.

Great! I really enjoyed a story that isn't a re-telling of western fairytales. It was delightful to get swept up into a world I knew nothing about, and feeling as if you're discovering a brand new story. The heroine is very active which makes for an engaging read.

3 stars.
ARC received from NetGalley.

I FINALLY finished this book. Not going to lie, this was a slog for me. Which makes me so sad because I was expecting to devour this.
I can objectively see that this is a well crafted political fantasy about nations at war and women trying to find the space they wish to occupy in this new emerging world. However, that doesn't mean I found it to be a gripping story.
I couldn't have cared less about our main romance. There was absolutely no spark between them for me...not even an ember. I couldn't connect to any of the characters really. Suri did a good job of making me hate the antagonists, but not the best job making me care for those who opposed them. I do like where we leave Malini, Bhumika, and Priya though. I feel like their stories have the potential to get interesting from now on.

The politics were intriguing all the way thorough, however, and I loved the nuanced way Suri handled the discussion of colonialism. I also loved the descriptions of the magical setting and the magic system itself. The imagery was vivid and grotesquely beautiful.

Basically, I loved the setting of this story, I just didn't love the characters in the setting, and that made this a very slow read for me. I still gave it three stars because this wasn't a bad book by any means, it just wasn't for me.

I was a big fan of Suri’s previous duology, and The Jasmine Throne was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. While I think I prefer Empire of Sand to The Jasmine Throne, I still really enjoyed this book. The world was so rich with detail, although I did feel a little confused at the beginning and would’ve liked a little more insight into the world. I also would’ve liked a little more background into Malini’s character, such as some more flashbacks of her time before being exiled. That being said, I absolutely loved Priya, and I really enjoyed seeing the two women go from enemies to cautious allies. I’m very excited for the next book!

I'm not normally a reader of fantasy, but I had read so many positive reviews that I had to see what all the fuss was about. And there's a LOT to love here. It took me awhile to be able to remember character names, but the worldbuilding here is phenomenal. I'll definitely watch for whatever's next from Tasha Suri.