I ended up listening to the audiobook for this novel. I don't know a whole lot about the Ramayana story so I can't comment on the accuracy of this book. Without knowing that, I enjoyed the overall story. However, I did find that the book dragged on a bit and at times, found that the characters were a little flat.

I love a good Mythology/Retelling, this was so informative and i felt like i was living right along side these people. Wonderful writing style, and it transported me right into the world being created.

I am currently on a journey to explore my cultural roots more and Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel comes at a great time. In the last decade, retellings of Hindu mythology have become quite popular. Kaikeyi is based on one of the two Hindu epics—the Ramayana. I had seen this book marketed as a retelling of the Ramayana and as someone who is familiar with that text and the role Kaikeyi actually played in that epic, it was even more exciting to dive into it, especially if you hadn’t thought much about what happened to Kaikeyi or why she did what she did.

Kaikeyi is the story of a woman who wants to make a difference in her husband’s kingdom and women’s lives when in her own homeland, she was a nobody in spite of being a princess. She is an amazing horse-rider, a fearless warrior, and an aspirational mother who understands that as a woman she has a role to play that is also set in stone by society, but that does not mean that she will not challenge it and forge her own path.

Knowing the Ramayana made this a very enjoyable book as many of these characters were known, even if some only by name, and finally got a glimpse of what their story would have been like! My reading experience of this book is incomplete without my background in the Ramayana, so here’s a brief summary!

The Ramayana is the story of Ram. King Dashrath of Ayodhya had three wives and, at the time of marrying his youngest wife, Kaikeyi, he had promised her that her son would be the king. When Dashrath is ready to abdicate the throne, Kaikeyi reminds him of his promise and Dashrath is forced to send Ram, his eldest born from his first wife, Kaushalya, on an exile. Plenty happens in the long years of exile and when finally Ram returns, taking his place on the throne, he forgives Kaikeyi. This video offers a more detailed summary of the epic. However, there are many versions of the Ramayana and some details may differ. For example, in Kaikeyi and stories I grew up with, Ram was not blue as well as recalling Kaikeyi being a jealous third queen who wanted more influence and was manipulated by her maid.

This is where this novel comes in—allowing people like me who are familiar with this epic and never questioned why she really sent Ram on exile to imagine her and get to know her side of the story. The focus is so much on Ram in the childhood tales that I was curious about who Kaikeyi was a person.

Vaishnavi Patel writes a beautiful version of this queen, imagining her as a young girl whose mother has left her and her brothers with their father. The journey of how she grows to be an amazing person who is sharp and aware of the pain that girls go through in a patriarchal society is depicted. Kaikeyi has discovered magic, but at the same time, she is forsaken by gods. She is not perfect and has learned ways to manipulate people, but she is also not all-bad that the Ramayana summary videos make her to be.

Patel succeeded in redefining what little I knew of Kaikeyi and making her into an unforgettable character that would fight gods to keep her morals and mortal world at peace. Her portrayal is refreshing and immersive. The court of Ayodhya is described vividly and it sounds like a peaceful kingdom that Kaikeyi built with her sister wives. She has some magic and the part of her being god-touched was new to me. The power Kaikeyi had was intriguing and how she grew to understand and use it better—how it caused her so much more pain for her decisions, but she had to undertake those actions anyway to stand by her morals.

The presence of Ravana in Kaikeyi was also quite interesting. Ravana is the antagonist of the Ramayana, the ashura that Lord Vishnu has reincarnated on earth as Ram to destroy. His friendship with Kaikeyi was something unexpected to me. This book plays with a certain version of the Ramayana where Sita is actually Ravana’s daughter. Kaikeyi sets it up as something that can be explored in the future. Through the time it does cover, the story sets up the stage for the Ramayana, and like all hindu epics, there is a semi-frequent reminder by gods that it is all inevitable anyway.

I don’t know much about Ram’s childhood, but in all stories I grew up with, he was portrayed as an amazing person. In some aspects, the version of Ram in Kaikeyi makes perfect sense: as someone who knows he is god incarnate, he would exert certain influences, bordering on manipulation, on the people around him. He would take the teachings of the gods very seriously and would not be open to change, particularly the changing role of women. Where it got a little out of hand for me was when he decided to get a god’s help to teach Kaikeyi, his mother, a lesson. I cannot reconcile this version of Ram with the benevolent prince and king of the original epic. How could he be so disrespectful towards Kaikeyi, especially considering the values he was brought up with? This is one of the few points where I felt that this book differed from the sentiments of the original that I am familiar with.

The way this was written gave me the opportunity to understand the pain that Kaikeyi and the mothers felt as they saw Ram’s transformation too late to correct it and had to send him away. It also makes me curious to see how this Ram evolves into the one I grew up knowing, because with retellings, the main events cannot change and one can’t deviate too much from the fundamental teachings and characters.

Kaikeyi and Ayodhya have been the highlights of this book, especially the portrayal of Kaikeyi as a powerful queen who was misunderstood and yet always tried to do what was in the best interest of her family and kingdom. The men in her life sometimes claimed promises made to her as their own and caused meaningless war to defend their pride. There were many times when I felt angry towards the men and the way they treated the women in this book. I loved that she had the support of Dashrath’s other wives and that the three of them held the kingdom together in times of chaos.

Kaikeyi is not just another mythology fantasy to me. It stands by itself, as a unique work inspired by the earlier history that led to the Ramayana, portraying one of the many takes on the events. It made me feel at home. Little things like the use of regional dialects of that time in the writing (this is most obvious with the use of the word ‘radyni’ which means ‘queen’. In Hindi, we use ‘rani’.) added a lot to the book for me. Kaikeyi is complete with powerful women, court intrigue, magic, war with humans, fights with supernatural beings, familial and political tensions of the time when the world was composed of princely states. This will be a cherished addition to the Hindu mythology and retelling section in my home library.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. I think it wasn't quite what I was expecting (which may have been my own fault) as it was more of an epic than a history/cultural read. Carefully read the synopsis/summary before picking up this book because now that I reread it I can tell why it wasn't for me, but that just relates to my tastes as a reader so this might just be a great book for someone else!

The full review of this title appeared on Pages and Pictures.

"What Patel has done is take a character who has been maligned for generations and make her downright human. This god among mortals has her own story to tell, and Patel is the perfect author to bring it to light. Weaving in well-known characters with lesser ones leads to a captivating hero’s journey."

This book is absolutely fantastic on so many counts! As someone who grew up hearing about the Ramayana, I have been so curious about Kaikeyi's perspective. The writing was gripping. I do think the ending moved a little too fast though. I liked the commentary on the patriarchy and also how seamless Kaikeyi's aroace identity was woven into the story. I also liked a lot of Kaikeyi's character, but I wished we saw Manthara more . I didn't particularly love the characterization of Sita and I thought the Rama's criticism sometimes were unwarranted. Ravana's character was super interesting but I wish there was some mention of his faults too, rather than idealizing him.

I definitely will say that if you are Hindu reader and not open to progressive/different interpretations of the Ramayana, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to you.

Powerful retelling, truly took my breath away. Made me be proud to be a woman! Thanks again, Netgalley for allowing me to read this beautiful story.

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 iust 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'II see of Kaikeyi, but I hope not.
I recommend this to those interested in mythology with a fresh feminist POV

I really enjoyed this book! It was super interesting and I learned so much. The writing style is also beautiful.

This might be one of those non gushy reviews.
What I was expecting was that the tale remained the same but the motivations would prove to be different like the Cinderella sister stories.
What I got was a complete rewrite of everyone except Keikeyi. In the myth, she is extremely vilified for her role in Rama's fate but his entire character has been turned around to be something altogether different.
Other than this, I found the pacing very slow and I drifted a lot from the plot. The alternat plane was an altogether interesting concept in a murky story.

From the second I saw this announced I had to have it. That cover! And then the fact that Book of the Month was teasing it long before the month reset…it was a done deal. This is feminist reimagining of the Hindu epic, the Ramayan. Truthfully I 100% knew nothing about it, so I only researched the original after finishing this one. I will try my hardest to compare them little, as it would only be spoilers.

The author does such an incredible job in this novel with characters and their interactions. Parents, siblings, husbands, in-laws, children, all read as so fresh and real it was a pleasure to read. The way they interact is so real at times and pure that I actually smiled at some of their exchanges, like Kaikeyi with her siblings, or her with her husband and children. When the interactions are negative, or fights, you feel it all too, and that’s impressive to me.

The novel follows the life and exchanges of Kaikeyi (as you’d imagine), and it is entirely in her perspective. This grounds her choices throughout her life in a way that for the most part makes a lot more sense then I’m guessing the Ramayan does, as she’s the villain or evil person or wrongdoer. She is blamed for everything that happens, and even though she is certainly the pinnacle for it in this one too, her choices are all grounded in what she perceives around her. Whether right or wrong, she is simply reacting and doing what she thinks is right.

I did the audio for this one and the narrator does a great job with all the names, but they did this throaty airy voice that read as really robotic and it was hard to take.

*originally I think the audio was the only thing making this a 4/5* so I changed it to 5.

this was truly brilliant. one of my favourite reads of the year. kaikeyi is a fantastic protagonist with a strong narrative voice that really absorbs you into her story. the feminist twist was amazing. i highly recommend this.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

First of all, can we just talk about the fact that Kaikeyi is a debut novel? This thing is almost 500 pages long and just over 17 hours on audio, and WOW. I was instantly transported into the world Vaishnavi Patel created, and since I had never heard of Kaikeyi before, I loved that Patel included not only an author's note at the front but a list of the major characters as well. Both were incredibly helpful, especially since I have also not read the Ramayana and didn't know the major players in her tale. I love mythology and it was nice to get a taste of something I have never read about before. Kaikeyi truly comes alive in this book, and I loved every single minute of this epic story.

I also thought that for as long as it was, the audiobook felt like it was over absurdly fast, and I really think that is thanks to Soneela Nankani being such an incredible narrator. I can't imagine anyone else I would enjoy as much to be the voice of Kaikeyi as Nankani, and if you love audiobooks, you will for sure love this one. She made the book fly by, and I finished it in 2 days whereas if I had read it, I'm sure it would have taken me much longer. It is really hard for me to describe exactly what Kaikeyi is like, and it is one of those rare times when I loved a book so much that I have a really hard time figuring out how to get that greatness across with my limited vocabulary. I will just say that if you love mythology and epic tales, you need to add this to your must-read list. I am adding a copy to my shelf, and I can fully see myself doing another listen of this book in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

*I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*
this was a little stale for me in all honesty. I couldnt find it in myself to connect with the characters.

This is a well-imagined retelling of the legendary (evil) Queen Kaikeyi in the Hindu saga Ramayana in which she is traditionally depicted as the villain who demands Rama’s banishment from the kingdom in an effort to deny his birthright as the primary heir to the throne – the goal being her son’s ascent to King instead. In this rendering, the author allows Kaikeyi to narrate her own story from childhood through adulthood. The reader witnesses her transformation from an spirited girl into a determined young woman who navigates complicated relationships with men in her life (father, brothers, husband, sons) via her talents and interactions with the gods.

In this world dominated by patriarchial standards and mores, there was a surprising feminist undertone with themes of sisterhood (exhibited with her co-wives) which provided a nice balance. Kaikeyi proffered unity, respect, and support toward and among women who would be considered rivals and bucked the expected bouts of jealousy, envy, and competitiveness that one would expect in such situations. At times, I thought it was a stretch, however, I went along with it for the sake of the story and felt it worked well within the context of the sub-plots.

Overall, this is a solid debut with great writing. It is a fresh, modernized spin on an ancient mythological tale and gives the reader an empowered, game-changing heroine with a defined agency instead of the traditional jaded villainess.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review.

Wow! What a sweeping, expansive adventure. Rich characters that elicited such affection and interest. This is such an immersive world that I'm so excited to recommend to many of the readers in my classroom.

I loved this retelling. Even though I was not aware of the original tale/folklore, it still felt very much like a retelling/reimagining of an old story. I loved Kaikeyi as a character, and all of her internal struggles mixed with the the Gods and the political intrigue kept me turning the pages. The only critique I would have is that it did drag through the middle somewhat.

* Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 44%

Note: Prior to reading this, I had close to zero knowledge of the story of Ramayana (also apologies if I did not reference that correctly).

Before finally DNFing this at 44%, I had gone searching in low rating reviews to see if anyone else felt that the writing was both stiff and clunky here. Which I did find several other reviewers agreeing on that. What I also found, was those who are practicing Hindu or Indian bringing detailed issues to light regarding this retelling of the story of Ramayana.

While the writing here is what made me want to put this down, I also could not ignore what own voice readers were bringing up. Please take a look at those reviews.

The writing and tone just did not work for me here as well as the pacing. It moved so slow and somehow moved even slower after Kaikeyi moved to her husband's kingdom. Plus, while I realize that this retelling is from the perspective of Kaikeyi, I would have liked to see development and backstory of the other side characters here for more dimension.

In the end, this felt like a chore to try continue on with, even with the audiobook which I did end up picking up from the library. Glad to mark off a book of the month pick as well.

TL;DR: Don't recommend. This felt like a slog to get through and I'm unsure why it's nominated for Book of the Month's book of the year for 2022. I recommend finding reviews of own voice reviewers.

After an initial attempt, I was unable to connect with this book on a level that would allow me to finish it and leave a fair review. Others will surely enjoy this more than I did.