Thank you to S.J. Sindu, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-arc of this book.

From a young age Kalki has not only known he was different (his blue skin is a dead giveaway), but has also known that he is a god reborn. Growing up with his Ayya and Amma teaching him of his godhood, Kalki longs to form bonds with other children but also stays steady on the path of enlightenment that he has been placed upon. As he grows older and events around him make him question the world outside the ashram, can Kalki come to terms with who he is in light of who he was told he is?

A story of self discovery, I enjoyed reading this book and watching an unsure young man fumble his way onto the path of self discovery instead of allowing his path to be dictated to him.

What an atmospheric book! Ever since the first page this book propels you into the lives of the protagonists with a rhythm that sings of promise, lore and intrigue. Very interesting commentary.

This is absolutely brilliant and gorgeous and I look forward to seeing it hit all the major lists. I'll do everything I can to review it for as large a publication as I can. The big accomplishment is tone. There is something very, very compelling and yet easy to read about this book. A triumph.

Very well written novel. Being Indian, could relate to many aspects mentioned in the book. Sindhu has captured bang on, the feelings of an individual compelled to believe himself as God,. It felt like, we are living Kalki’s life. The rural life and the urban life are both well described, though personally, I liked the rural life better written. The whole book is well paced and there was not a moment when you felt like keeping the book down.

A solid 3 star read. This book was fascinating. We follow Kalki, a boy born with blue skin who is believed to be, and is raised as, the 10th and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. I learned so much about Hindu beliefs and culture through this book, and found that the author was able to convey the faith in a very multi-faceted way. The characters were so diverse and not treated in a tokenistic manner whatsoever, but rather woven into the story organically. I would be interested in Own Voices reviewers' take on the treatment of transgender characters in the story, although from my limited perspective, I thought the discussion of their history in India was handled fairly well. I enjoyed the narrative style that the story was told in, with Kalki looking back from the future and telling the story to the reader. With all of the intense abuse that takes place throughout the beginning of the story, this perspective gives some sense of hope that Kalki will make it through. While I did enjoy the latter portion of the story, seeing Kalki interact with his cousin and new friends in America, I didn't particularly like the way things wrapped up, and actually found myself imagining alternate endings. Overall, I think that while this book is very strong for the first 2/3 or so, the ending leaves something to be desired, and could have gone in a number of more satisfying directions.

This book tells the story of Kalki, a boy born with a recessive genetic condition called, methemoglobinemia, which causes his skin to look blue. As such he is raised to believe that he is the 10th incarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu. This is a highly original story, which offers a glimpse into another world and culture. It is also deeply personal as Kalki tries to figure out who and what he is in a confusing world. I hated some characters, loved others, all in all it was a very engaging and emotional story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest review.

This is a wonderfully educational literary novel that took me to places I'll probably never see. 
I give it 4 ⭐

I was initially attracted to this book because of its interesting premise.  Kalki, a blue skinned boy living in Tamil Nadu, India is believed to be the 10th incarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu.  On his 10th birthday,  Kalki must pass three trials that his father says will prove his divinity to the world.  The first half of the story takes us through Kalki's early life living in an ashram, where he is sheltered from the outside world by his father.  The second half sends Kalki to New York and a new world that completely shapes and transforms him.

I am somewhat familiar with Hinduism so the religious theme peeked my interest, but this book is about much more than that. This is a story of loss, love, identity, and sexuality, but mostly it's about how those we love and trust can hurt us the most. This book not only entertains, but also educates. If you are looking for a slow paced original story, this is the book for you.

This was a beautiful story. I did not expect the ending, and I am glad I didn't. Growing up with Kalki and trying to figure out who he was and what he needed to do was truly an experience.

A boy born with blue skin, deep in a rural community in South India - what else could he be but a god? Reading along of course it becomes clear quite quickly that there are limits to even the strongest faith.

I loved this book, it was absolutely infuriating. Reading it from the view point of 10 year old Kalki who KNOWS himself to be a god puts extra emphasis on the cynicism of adults and their ability to exploit anything they see fit. The first half, in which Kalki journeys from being a god to finding his human self and starting to doubt the doctrine his overbearing father had basically bludgeoned Kalki with his entire life, is entirely engaging. The way Sindu describes the temple and its surroundings, the way Kalki's father pulls the strings which the reader can see but Kalki is too innocent to recognize, it's a breeze to read, heartwrenching, touching and maddening at the same time.

The second half, in which Kalki and his father embark on a world tour to show the Blue God to worshippers outside of their small community is still engaging, but doesn't hold up as well. Kalki is exposed to Western life, punk music and alcohol. While his desire to leave his old life behind is made clear in the first half, the way it happens seems very jarring and abrupt - perhaps because it happens in the span of a short period of time where the first half played out over Kalki's entire adolescence.

The whole book ends very abruptly, and I would have loved a more in depth exploration of the characters in the second half of the book, aka the New York bit. Their motivations seem a bit flat or stereotypical. However! Having said that, it is still a wonderful story of self discovery. It's impossible not to feel for Kalki, and I desperately wanted for him to be a real god, I kept wanting to ignore the obvious signs that he is, in fact, just a boy with blue skin. And some characters are very hateable, which I enjoy in a book.

Overall it's an excellent story, very engaging and despite the weaker second half, a satisfying read.

This is the story of a boy named Kalki, who was born with a recessive genetic condition called, methemoglobinemia, which causes his skin to look blue. He is raised to believe that he is the 10th incarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu and has the power to heal people. This story was fascinating. Not only does it provide you with a glimpse into another culture, but it tells the story of a boy trying to figure out who he truly is. I was immediately drawn into Kalki's story. S.J. Sindu creates a highly engaging story and expertly weaves a tale a boy trying to find his true place in the world despite the fact that everyone he's ever loved has been taken from him in some way. I think this book would also appeal to many YA readers out there.

I enjoyed the originality of this story as well as the excellent description that made it all the more enjoyable to read. The names were all ones I haven't seen before, which probably means my inner-head pronunciation was off but that always makes the story more interesting. The chapter art is beautiful and the chapters are short and manageable, which I always enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced review copy of this book.

It took awhile for me to get into this story of Kalki, age 10 when we enter the novel, whom we see grow into young adulthood. But once I was sucked in, I was turning (digital!) pages quickly, eager to hear the rest of his story.

Kalki knows a few things. 1. His skin is blue. 2. He is the tenth incarnation of the god Vishnu. At age 10, he is set up to perform three miracles, proving his godhood. And yet, everything doesn't seem right, especially when his family situation changes and new faces enter the ashram where he lives.

A coming-of-age novel with a fascinating set-up, I liked growing alongside Kalki as he discovers what's really going on with his family. I'm rating it about a 3-star because I felt like it took awhile to get into the story and I found the ending to feel a little bit rushed and not entirely satisfying.

(Trigger warnings abound for abuse, death, suicide, sex, but these are all tread on lightly. I am a major highly sensitive person - HSP - and I didn't think anything was gratuitous or too much for me.)

The premise of this book was unique, and not something I had come across before: it was equally heartwarming and heartbreaking. The first half drew me in, and I was looking forward to seeing the story unfold.

Sadly though, the second half didn't maintain the pacing of the first. It felt oddly rushed and the actions of the main character felt strange and out of character. I realise that was partly the point, with how the realisations and experiences would change Kalki Sami, but some of it just felt out of place and unfounded. I still felt pulled into the story, but it was less of a confident and solid walk and more of a frantic dashing between people on a busy street. I can't think of how else to explain it! I also found the ending to be sudden and a little bit unsatisfying - unanswered questions are not always a good thing in a standalone novel like this (for me at least!).

What I did love was the way Hindu mythology and beliefs were included, and I felt that I actually learned quite a lot in reading this. I also appreciated the writing, it was warm and enticing, and endeared me to the characters (although there is one specific person I wanted to punch in the face for most of the book!). Overall this was a wonderfully written and interesting fictional memoir of a boy who was raised to believe he was a God, and I'm glad to have read it.

As someone who was born and raised in the Midwest and now lives in the Deep South of the U.S., I cannot say that I have deep knowledge or understanding of Indian culture - but it has always interested me. In what was perhaps unwise and definitely a huge gamble, I took a 4000-level Indian Religion course in college with no knowledge whatsoever in the subject, and though that thankfully worked out well for me, that's about my extent of my experience here. And it actually helped a lot with understanding Kalki's talk of various gods.

That's one of the reasons I requested an ARC copy of this book, along with recently randomly reading a story about those people in Kentucky who had blue skin as a result of a genetic condition. I had no idea if this would play into this story at all, or if Kalki was actually going to be a god in the book. One of my favorite things about reading ARCs is it's harder to spoil it for yourself ahead of time, so I went into this knowing almost nothing! And I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed this glimpse into a completely different world, and it came at an especially welcome time since we can't travel right now.

Viewed through a modern lens in my own culture, Kalki seems from the get-go to be raised in an emotionally
(and occasionally physically) abusive environment. I tried to suspend judgements here in the beginning, because it's not my culture, but wow was it difficult to read sometimes and made me so angry for him (and every woman in this story). The plot is well-paced because we don't realize the extent of the Stockholm Syndrome situation until it's almost over.

Bonus: I was not expecting the excellent, well educated and sensitive treatment of transgender and nonbinary people in this book. I loved both the backstory on the kathoey in Thailand and hijras in India, and how simply the characters are attracted to other people for who they are, and not what genders they identify as and this didn't require a ton of handwringing or explanation.

I am rating this 4 stars, because I felt the timing was great but then it just ended and I didn't love the sudden, sort of vengeful ending. I felt there were some ends that I would have liked to see tied up still.

Kalki was born with blue ski, and based on what his father tells him, he is an avatar of a Hindu god. At a young age, his family moved to an Indian village where he spends his childhood healing visitors who come to witness his godliness. As Kalki grows up, he begins to question his powers and his relationship with the outside world. He deals with love, loss, and family struggles while he challenges his belief in himself and his sheltered life. At the center of this novel, Kalki and his father have a strained relationship. As a child, he would do anything to please his father but as he matures, he must confront the complicated relationship while growing into his own person. When Kalki experiences life outside India, he must decide the life he wishes to live. Filled with themes of gender, sexuality, and faith, Blue Skinned Gods is a fascinating novel that is beautifully written.

This book was interesting to read. As a Tamil, I understood how these "spiritual masters" are regarded in the Hindu community. To see Kalki go through so much, especially because of his father, is more common than it should be. Because I am familiar with this world, I understood the nuances, myths, and Tamil words well, however, it would be beneficial if there was a glossary for readers that don't understand the meaning behind certain events, words, etc. The writing style was great. Sindu has done a fantastic job building Kalki's character, especially as the events unfold. The first half of the book was well-paced, but I felt the second half was rushed. It felt like Kalki was just thrown into a whirlwind of events in America.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters are written well, the prose is beautiful. The story covers a lot of important topics such as religion and sexuality. This was a very thought-provoking story.

This book was thought provoking and I loved getting to know the characters. The topic and idea for this book blew me away.

I was really excited to read Sindu's new book as I loved her previous novel and I really enjoyed the cameo of the protagonist of Marriage of a Thousand Lies in this book. I thought it was a fun and subtle nod. This book in general I felt was a mixed bag. The way Sindu incorporated and used Hindu mythology was brilliant but it was so good that the depiction of modern New York felt shallow and simplistic in comparison.

The story follows a blue-skinned boy in India whose father has convinced him that he is the tenth avatar of the god Vishnu. The boy is groomed from an early age to be the star of his father's ashram, 'healing' people and leading prayer sessions for the visitors. The boy believes in his divinity wholeheartedly until tragedy and conflict cause him to question what he knows and whether those around him are really acting in his best interest.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but as I said I found the second half wanting. Instead of the slow conscientious way she told the first part of the story, the sections in America just felt disjointed and jarringly rushed. While I understand that she was trying to demonstrate how he can be exploited in the West too, the character was made to deal with things far too quickly with a lot less of the introspection he had shown before. It just felt out of character compared to the story I had been enjoying.

I really like the way Sindu writes, just this was a very uneven book.

I loved this book! We follow the life of a young boy named Kalki as he grows up, believing that he is the final iteration of Krishna. He lives in a remote ashram in Tamil Nadu and 'heals' people with all sorts of ailments, knowing that one day he will save the world. Each portion of the book is devoted to a separate person in his life, such as his Ayya, his Amma, and himself.

As the story progressed, it was hard not to like Kalki and I became fully invested in his journey. The plot flowed seamlessly and although the twists were not wholly unexpected, I only realised they were coming a moment before Kalki himself realised, and I really enjoyed that. This is the first book I've read by S.J. Sindu and I'm now going to find more to read!