I was skeptical about this book. Mythology, historical fiction is great when the story is narrated in an easy to follow format especially for readers who are not familiar with the cultural names and traditions. Throughout the novel I found myself enjoying the journey the author took me on. I was familiar with the story and yet I was mesmerized as I read it. That is not an easy feat for any author.

I'll admit, I was skeptical when I got this ARC. I don't know if I would've picked it up if I hadn't gotten a free copy. I didn't know anything about these stories before reading, so I can't attest to historical accuracy or how India was represented. But I loved this so much, and I would've been missing out!
Kaikeyi is my favorite type of female protagonist. She's strong, defiant, and smart. She sees what women have been given and she dares to ask for more, while at the same time never shaming those with feminine traits. She craves power for herself, yes, but also so that she can better the lives of women around her.
Aside from Kaikeyi, I also loved the writing. This author writes beautifully, and I kept highlighting line after line. The pacing was moderate and even; never rushed or dragged out. I don't believe this book requires any significant content warnings, a fact that surprised me given that Kaikeyi is reluctantly put in an arranged marriage. In fact, I think this book may even have some positive ace representation, which was another unexpected surprise!
The one negative I can think of is that I might've liked to know more about our secondary characters in Ayodhya, such as Kaikeyi's sons, Dasharath, and the other wives. But I can't tell if there's a real lack here or if I just loved the story and want more. And with the abundance of stories about these characters, there is certainly opportunity to encounter them again.
I was very impressed by this debut, and I can't wait to see what else this author does! In the meantime, I'm buying myself a physical copy and adding it to my favorites.

Go, Vaishnavi Patel! Wow. I am here for this feminist, more nuanced retelling of Kaikeyi's story. It is so well-written and Kaikeyi's character is so well-developed. I grew up watching the 1992 animated version of Valmiki's Ramayana, which presented a very one-dimensional view of Kaikeyi. Back then, I couldn't imagine sympathizing or empathizing with her because she was presented as one of the worst villains.

I loved getting a deeper glimpse into who Kaikeyi is, what she thinks and feels, and what her motivations are. Loved seeing her challenge the patriarchy, specifically how it showed up in religion and society. Loved how she supports and empowers the women around her. My favourite relationship besides Kaikeyi and Yudhajit (or maybe even more than that!) is Kaikeyi and Kaushalya's.

The binding plane added an interesting layer to the story and it was neat (and stressful) to see Kaikeyi learn how and when to use it. I also really appreciate the depiction of asexuality in a main character!

Thank you so much for the ARC, Redhook Books and NetGalley! Thank you for writing, Vaishnavi <3

Thank you @netgalley, @orbitbooks_us and @redhookbooks for this advance readers copy.
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While most popular retellings focus on Greek myths, Patel brings us a unique story with this retelling centered around a queen from the Ramayana, an ancient Indian Hindu text. Patel’s writing made this nearly 500 page epic an absolute binge read. I could not put it down! The last 1/3 of the book swerved more heavily into fantasy than what I usually enjoy, but in fairness, I believe this book IS classified as fantasy, so that’s not exactly a fair criticism. Patel is an exciting new author is the retelling genre, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I would recommend this one for fans of mythological retellings and readers who enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale.

Patel is an American law student and this is her first novel. Kaikeyi is a retelling of the Hindu myth Ramayana, featuring King Dasharath's third wife "Kaikeyi". She was the only daughter of King Ashwapati and was raised with seven brothers. She became a skilled warrior and horsewoman. This was a woman ahead of her time and she fought continuously for the rights of women in her new kingdom. The story involves Gods and special powers, conspiracies, friendships, and motherhood. In the myth Kaikeyi is considered a villain, but in this retelling the author has provided a backstory to her actions, turning her into a feminist hero. This is a wonderful recommendation for fans of authors such as Madeline Miller or Natalie Haynes and no previous knowledge of Hindu mythology is required. I loved it.

Kaikeyi, the debut novel by Indian-American author Vaishnavi Patel, is a feminist retelling of part of the Ramayana, one of the most famous Indian/Hindu epics. It is not the first such retelling I've read this past year (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's "The Forest of Enchantments" was the other) and is almost certainly one of many such retellings out there - think of how many retellings there are of classic American stories published here. Still, this book is a bit different than Divakaruni's adaptation - in the vein of say a "Circe" by Madeline Miller, this book retells parts of the story, and the myths, from the perspective of Kaikeyi, the jealous/villainous Queen who in the classic story manipulates the King to have the hero Rama exiled and her own biological son crowned in his stead.

The result is a pretty good feminist retelling which goes a lot farther than Divakaruni's tale, with the story reframed as one of Kaikeyi struggling against a society ordained by sages and gods to be chauvinist at its core - with women like Kaikeyi supposed to be subservient, silent, and invisible in the backdrop of great and common men. Instead, Kaikeyi uses her privilege, her courage and determination, and a bit of magic to try and fight for women everywhere to have their own freedoms and choices, only to be resisted by those Sages and Gods who are determined to keep up the status quo. The result is a pretty strong story even as it doesn't change the big events of the epic, although at times it can be a bit repetitively bleak as Kaikeyi struggles against fate over and over for something better.

Note: Although this is a retelling of the Ramayana, no prior knowledge is needed to enjoy this book - but you will enjoy it more if you have some familiarity with the story in the end to realize what has and hasn't changed. My familiarity with the source material is solely through Wikipedia and from Divakaruni's retelling, but that was enough to very much enjoy this book.


-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary--------------------------------------------------------
The stories say Kaikeyi was a villain, a greedy woman who attempted to steal the kingdom from its rightful ruler. The stories blame her actions on her father, or her maidservant, and say she killed her husband the King through her actions.

The stories are wrong - or at least, missing context. For Kaikeyi was a girl who grew up forsaken by the gods, despite having done nothing wrong; a girl whose father was absent from her childhood until he decided to take away her choice of destiny and give her away; a woman who wanted freedom for herself and, when she saw other women forced to hide in the shadows, freedom for other women; a woman who wanted to change the world to be better for everyone.

She was not the stuck up warrior queen that people thought she was and she suffered for the actions she had to take for others. And while the Gods may have intended for her to only serve as a starting point on their beloved Rama's destiny, Kaikeyi would make sure that she would make her mark and change the world beyond the lives of heroes and legends.....
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Kaikeyi is a type of story that is very much in vogue these days, as seen in Madeline Miller's Circe, to which the marketing compares this book - except that rather than dealing with Greek Mythology, this story deals with Kaikeyi, a character portrayed villainously in the Ramayana, one of the two most famous Indian/Hindu epics. As with other stories of this type, it attempts to take the same story elements as in the original and add changes to the context, such that the heroes and villains are not the same, and the story takes a bit more of a Feminist bent - as well as taking a bend towards free will vs destiny. The story sometimes feels like it's trying too hard when it's trying to make these twists, particularly in some early chapters, which feature Kaikeyi narrating the story and referencing events to come in the future before returning to the story's present. These moments just feel like the story trying to yell at the reader "Hey you know what's coming next if you know the Ramayana" and it really isn't necessary and is a bit offputting.

Still, this retelling works quite well, and it does so in large part due to the voice of Kaikeyi as she experiences the world and reacts to what she finds. Even in the original Kaikeyi was portrayed as a warrior woman - but here that comes about not due to Kaikeyi being drawn towards battle, but because she wanted to try her hand at the lessons and activities taught to her brothers but were denied to her. In fact here, when Kaikeyi experiences war, and has her moment of martial greatness, she is horrified by the death and destruction and becomes desperate to avoid that outcome ever again. And so when she goes to her new land, her strangeness with her sister Queens/Wives isn't due to being rude, but because she's basically a girl who is out of place and unfamiliar. Similarly, when she sees the Elders and Sages trying to teach that women should be submissive, or sees women in the market who know better forced to remain in the shadows - or hears the Gods declaring that her actions are against the natural order, she becomes more and more determined to fight against it for the better of all.

And so you have a very different kind of epic than the original - and of ancient epics in general. Here is a story where war is not glorified by the narrative, but is instead something that is a horror. Here is a story where the Gods can be wrong and cruel and uncaring towards mortals - and where a protagonist forsaken by them can be right in trying to change their ways which don't actually benefit all - especially not the women and common people - and just promote the gods' own interests. And so in this version of the story, Kaikeyi is a woman who loves her family, even Rama - the son who is a god, who is supposedly righteous, but who Kaikeyi rightfully sees as not ready for rule and corrupted by the teachings of a Sage who is misogynist and cruel into only caring about his own self worth and the self-worth of men above women.

And that's demonstrated the most with the magic that both Kaikeyi and Rama possess in this book - the magical ability to see and manipulate emotional bonds between people. For Kaikeyi she absolutely is willing and does manipulate people with those bonds on a small scale, but she is terrified of breaking those bonds entirely by pushing too strong, and traumatized by incidents when she does it. For Rama, he unknowingly does manipulate those bonds for control and dominance without a care, believing in his justice above all else. And so the book shows how caring for others and not focusing entirely on control, but instead making sure to preserve free will, and to allow everyone to be free to have their own destinies - whether they be man or woman - is the better way.

It's a story that is probably one that would be considered blasphemous in some Indian/Hindu circles for how it shows little regards for the righteousness of Rama and the Gods at times. But it's one that's undoubtedly relevant and one of our time and worth reading.

This book is an absorbing, magical retelling of portions of the Ramayan that is comparable to Circe by Madeline Miller, Wicked by Gregory Maguire, Emily Wilson's Odyssey translation, and Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni. Young adult and crossover readers who grew up with Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson, Roshani Chokshi's Aru Shah, and Sanyantani DasGupta's Kiranmala will enjoy this literary re-envisioning of a character from one of humanity's great epics.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!

This novel!!! It surely did not disappoint! I enjoyed every last minute I spent reading it! The storytelling was absolutely breathtaking along with the characters. I wish I could reread this book over and over, it’s just that good.

Please please please! Purchase this book when it is published!

Thank you to NetGalley and RedHook Books for granting me early access to this book!
In the spirit of mythical retellings such as Ariadne and Circe, Kaikeyi gives voice to this amazing women and her story of this tale and what she sacrifices for her family, the well being of others, and the treatment of equality for women in a very misogynistic society.
This book was so good that I also purchased a physical copy through Book of the Month. If you like myth retellings with female empowerment and independence, read this book.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel is a retelling of the life of the eponymous queen from the Ramayana, an Indian epic poem.

In the kingdom of Kekaya, Kaikeyi is the only daughter among seven brothers. Out of all her brothers, she is the closest to Yudhajit, her twin. Although not particularly close to either of her parents, it still comes as a shock when Kaikeyi’s father announces that her mother has left the kingdom with no explanation.

Seeking comfort in the library's scrolls, Kaikeyi learns she carries a power that will aid her throughout her life, despite her gods forsaken status.

While she is still testing out the boundaries of this power, Kaikeyi’s father informs her that she is to be married in short order. To gain some semblance of control of the situation, Kaikeyi agrees to the marriage on one condition, which her soon-to-be husband swears to uphold.

Upon their marriage, the story follows Kaikeyi as she finds her place in a new kingdom. And as she tries to ease the constraints that dictate women’s lives during these times.

This beautifully written debut is told entirely from Kaikeyi’s perspective. The tone effortlessly shifts from the voice of a young girl to one of a mature adult as Kaikeyi grows older.

At first, I found Kaikeyi to be a bit bland and stubborn, but as she came into her own, she became a much more likeable character. Not that all characters need to be likeable.

I love learning mythology, so learning some Indian mythology was just what I was looking for.

By the end, my heart was pounding, and tears were streaming. I don’t know if this is the last I’ll see of Kaikeyi, but I hope not.

I recommend this to those interested in mythology with a fresh feminist perspective.

Thank you to Redhook Books for providing an arc via Netgalley and a finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

"If the gods had already ordained my evil deeds, then I had nothing to lose by defying them now. So, I would defy them."

Fans of Circe by Madeline Miller need to get their hands on this book ASAP. This glorious, epic, feminist retelling of yet another myth that villainizes a woman reimagines Kaikeyi as a brilliantly complex, richly developed character. Patel's masterful depiction of the vilified radnyi is full of contradictions, and that's what makes her such a compelling, fully-realized woman and character. She's wise yet sometimes naive; proud to the point of arrogance but wonderfully compassionate; a skilled warrior who counsels against war; and staunchly independent while starved for love and affection. I loved watching Kaikeyi grow across the decades.

Kaikeyi is, thanks to its epic scope, is a slow building story. But don't mistake that for boring. Much of the front half of the book is devoted to Kaikeyi's growth - from a lonely princess discovering her powers, determined to snatch any scrap of power she can to a queen who has built herself a loving family, discovered some semblance of happiness for the first time, and realized that her accumulated power can be wielded to build a better world for all women and not just for securing her own independence. I found myself smiling at the well-deserved moments of happiness Kaikeyi found in Ayodhya.

At the same time, however, Patel never lets forget that Kaikeyi's story is not a happy one. She deftly builds a sense of foreboding, of dread for the tragedies we know are coming. And those tragedies, when they finally occur, are truly devastating. Kaikeyi is a bittersweet story about a woman, forsaken by the gods, who is determined to build a better world. And she succeeds, at devastating cost.

"I had to build a world where my daughter would not be exiled by her husband on a whim, where her opinion could be valued without first having to save her husband's life in battle."

Kaikeyi is an astounding, beautifully narrated story. I didn't know anything about her, but after some reading, I loved the way the author transformed this into such a fascinating retelling.
Slow paced at first as we get to know about her upbringing living with 7 brothers, and her close relationship with her twin, Yuddhajit, as well as her really distant (non existent) relationship with her father and the exile of her mother. Things get turned when she marries Dasharatha, there her whole life changes and she finally feels like she can do something about her life. Throughout this is where things get fast paced and Kaikeyi goes through... a lot.

Overall, this was stunning, the author put a lot of attention to detail resulting in beautiful scenarios played in your head while you read. I did take one star and that was because I felt like there was big part of the book where we were in a conflict and the "solving" part was waaaay to short, i honestly would have love to get 50 more pages knowing that this is a standalone. But, regardless, I still loved everything as a whole, the idea of her retelling her story was so captivating and I really liked the direction the author went with.
Also !!!! I'm so interested in her now and I will probably read and watch every video I can to know more about her so, thank you to the author for that, I guess.

OH MY GOD THIS BOOK!!!

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel has been one of my most anticipated reads for the year and it was STUNNING.

This story is a retelling of Ramayan and follows Kaikeyi, the villainized queen and step-mother of Rama, the original main character of Ramayan. Growing up, I have heard this story many times and Kaikeyi was always portrayed as a jealous, power-hungry queen who used boons granted by her husband, the King Dasharatha to exile Rama, first in line to the throne, so that her son, Bharata may instead do so. However, this story sheds new light and brings forth Kaikeyi as a complex and deep character who is forsaken by the gods and left to carve her own destiny in a day and age when men rule in accordance with the will of the gods and women are bound to roles based on old traditions. While reading this book, I got to watch Kaikeyi grow from a brash, determined child to a fiercely resolute, strong woman, and I loved it.

This book is feminist, and queer, and does an amazing job of retelling Indian mythology in a new, refreshing way with many twists and turns that keep you hooked, all while keeping the heart of Ramayan.

Overall, to any desi person who grew up with Ramayan or even Mahabarath, or anyone looking to read about feminist queens, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

What an amazing story!! I love Patel's portrayal of Kaikeyi. Once you start reading this one, you will have a difficult time putting it down! If you enjoyed Circe, do yourself a favor and read Kaikeyi. Cannot recommend this one enough!

Comparisons of Kaikeyi to Circe, the Witch’s Heart, and other mythological rewrites are spot on, and I enjoyed this book so much. Admittedly, I do not know the Ramayana at all, so my knowledge of the source material might impact the full understanding of this text, but I still found myself very engaged in the story despite that.

Kaikeyi grows up as the daughter of a powerful Raja. Despite being the oldest child, as a daughter she’s of course given less opportunity than her brothers, but despite this, she learns to ride horses, to fight, and to run a kingdom. She also discovers a mysterious talent for influence, using what she calls the binding plane, a way to see her soul tethers to others. Eventually, Kaikeyi marries the Raja of Kosala and becomes a mother and stepmother to his other wives’ sons, enjoying a close relationship with all, while also trying to make life better for the women in her kingdom.

Readers more familiar with the source material will likely begin to recognize the signs of conflict regarding Kaikeyi and her stepson Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, and in this version of course, it is Kaikeyi whose motives are explained and who we are sympathetic to. What I think is really well done in this story is the intricacies of her relationships with Rama, the other wives, and her other sons. Though Kaikeyi clearly takes sides and makes decisions in the story, she is always trying to balance what she believes to be true with her love for her family.

I love nothing more than a great story, one that feels timeless and carefully detailed, and this book is definitely both. I’m excited to read more from Vaishnavi Patel!

Before I start my review, I want to say that I am not at all familiar with the source material, Ramayana. However, I absolutely loved this retelling. What I thought I knew going into this book was that it was intended to give a voice to Kaikeyi, the antagonist in Ramayana.

Again, I can’t compare it to the original, but I adored the character of Kaikeyi. Every decision she made came from a place of well meaning and love. She fought against the patriarchy and worked her entire life to help the women of her kingdom. It wasn’t just her political work that made her so endearing though. We follow her as a child growing up with seven brothers, then as a queen/wife/friend, and as a mother not only to her blood son, but to the other three sons of her husband. Her relationships with all of them helped her to be a sympathetic character.

I loved this book and would like to read more more books inspired by Hindu mythology (possibly the original Ramayana).

Thank you, NetGalley, Vaishnavi Patel, and RedHook Books for an arc of this novel!

Kaikeyi is a retelling of the classic Indian epic titled Ramayana. Though Kaikeyi is traditionally known for her cruelty and villainous nature, Patel offers an alternative narration of her character by weaving together a beautiful exploration of Kaikeyi’s transition from a simple daughter’s king to a wise queen who has forged her own path to power. Kaikeyi’s character was by far my favourite aspect of the novel, in addition to the asexual representation which was subtly constructed, I found her the most relatable. Through this novel, Patel explores feminist elements in relation to the dangers of unchecked misogyny in a patriarchal society.
Though I am not familiar with this Indian mythology, I found the novel written in such an approachable way that I never felt confused at the unfolding of the events. However, because I am unfamiliar with the original story, my opinions on this matter should be taken in a specific light, as my ignorance of the original tale contributed to my feelings on the book and its characters. In addition to the beautiful writing, I enjoyed the relationships between the characters which was especially evident in the first quarter of the novel (which was additionally my favourite). Additionally, the shift in Kaikeyi’s status in the eyes of the people was well done in such a subtle manner.

For fans who enjoyed Circe, I definitely recommend reaching for this novel as an introduction to other mythologies of the world.

After hearing about this book on Twitter, it became an instant want.
If you are a fan of Circe you would love this book. This is a standalone book inspired by Indian mythology. We focus on the vilified queen, Kaikeyi. The storytelling was interesting and we see Kaikeyis character depth. I love how we got to see her grow over her lifetime in this book. The magic system was pretty easy to understand and the magical imagery was fantastics.

Vaishnavi Patel did a great job bringing this story to life. Can't wait to see what other works this author puts out.
Thank you NetGalley for the E-Arc. I have already pre-ordered the book and can't wait to re-read.

Kaikeyi is a retelling of mythology involving Rama, from the perspective of one of his mothers. Kaikeyi is a woman who is not sure of her place in the world, but knows one thing. The gods do not listen to her prayers. Growing up, she finds joy in training in secret with her twin brother, and studying the scroll in her father's library. However, she feels lonely with the abonnement of her mother, and being cast aside for being a girl. Once she is sent away as a wife to another ruler, she begins to better understand her desire to make the world a better place for women in her kingdom. She uses both her intelligence, but also her magical power for being able to see the bonds that connect her to other people to work towards having actually power. Her work appears to be making a difference, but will all that be undone by her son Rama, who is himself a god? Read to find out!

I found this story entertaining, and enjoyed getting to read about a part of the world and mythology that I am less familiar with. I particularly liked the viewpoint of a woman, struggling to find her place, and how one's small actions while not immediately seen might still make big changes. I definitely recommend for readers who enjoy mythological retellings along the line of Circe and Ariadne.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Vaishnavi Patel, and Redhook publishing for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kaikeyi is a retelling of an Indian epic (Ramayana), of which I had no previous knowledge. This retelling centres around the villain of the epic, Kaikeyi, depicting her as a strong woman set on improving the lives of women around her, as opposed to the evil stepmother (this is 100% an oversimplification based on my own ignorance of the source material). I enjoyed the way Kaikeyi finds her own strength (through physical training, her wits, and her magic) and uses it to help people in the kingdom she is married into. She is not infallible though, and I found several moments frustrating (her refusal to talk to the people she trusted was particularly frustrating). The magic introduced is interesting, and plays a big part in who Kaikeyi is portrayed to be, it is part of her strength and her weakness, and is integral to the plot. While I generally enjoyed this, I did find parts slow and it took me a lot longer to finish than expected, however, the last 30% was heart wrenching and I was compelled to keep reading.

Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.