I really wanted to love this, but I've come to the conclusion this genre just isn't for me. Kaikeyi read super fast to me for the first 1/2 or so but then I found myself having a tough time getting through it from there.

To be clear I don't think that there is anything objectively wrong here; the writing is fine, the characters are dimensional and make logical decisions and have voice. I think the world building took me out of it and as it started dragging I realized I still had 250 pages left. Unfortunately this was a DNF for me, but I don't think its a fair distinction in the sense that I should have known better than to pick this one.

4.5 stars

I did not know much about Hindu mythology going into this, but now I need to learn it all!

That was just fanatic. I loved the feminist twist of this originally villainous character. This is a beautiful saga of a classic tale and I ate it up.

This was one of my favorite books of 2022!! I didn’t know much about Ramayana before reading this. Just so good, all around!

Thanks to NetGalley & Redhook for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer, I never read the Ramayana prior to reading this book so everything came as a surprise to me. I was able to follow along with the story and its characters despite having no background to the world.

I loved Kaikeyi as a character! She was flawed and fascinating, and her bit of magic made it even more interesting to see her navigate the world with that power under her belt. Her life was certainly a tragedy--but a pretty damn fascinating one to see. Highly recommend.

Kaikeyi is a retelling of the Indian epic of Ramayana. Known as the most jealous queen in all of India, Kaikeyi finally gets to tell her version of history in this story by Vaishnavi Patel.


Born as an unwanted princess by a father who only wanted sons, Kaikeyi spent all her free time learning the stories of her land. She learns that the gods are mighty, yet they never seem to hear her. When her mother is savagely banished, Kaikeyi finds her own form of magic that gives her more power than any god. But this magic is also her downfall. While trying to save the kingdom of Bharath, she inadvertently loses everything she worked so hard for in her lifetime.


I’ve heard of the Ramayana but never knew its story until now. I knew that it was an important part of Indian culture. However, I didn’t understand the greater importance. With Kaikeyi’s story, I learned so much more about this epic that transforms lives.


I loved Kaikeyi. My awareness of her vilification doesn’t make me like her any less. It may help that I didn’t know anything about her until this book. She did so much good for the kingdom, far beyond saving the king. She uplifted an entire gender and those of the lower class. Her strength made me adore her.


Now that I have a new story in my head, I want to know more. Patel did an excellent job in the execution of this book. I’m happy to award Kaikeyi a full 5 out of 5 stars.

I think the author was too scared to make the main character anything less than a "good" person which limited a lot of potential for character depth.

my indian acearo heart is so happy for the acearo rep! also, this was a great read., while there were pacing issues, I really liked the emotional arcs after kaikeyi became a mother, it was really interesting. i was worried i wouldnt like the way Rama's character is different in the retelling, but I think it is a really interesting interpretation that looks at what would happen if a young kid knows they are god and are convinced of their righteousness.

This book was amazing. I don’t want to spoil anything but the main character is someone we all are deep within. I would recommend this book to anyone. Hands down a wonderful story!

Vaishnavi Patel’s debut novel, Kaikeyi is a compelling and brilliantly woven rendition about the vilified queen most famous for Rama’s exile in the Ramayana. (might be a spoiler for those unfamiliar with the Ramayana).

Patel’s take on the epic poem that has served as inspiration for many stories, is creative and feminist and retold in a manner I highly recommend for fans of mythology and retellings. As the title would suggest, the book is about Kaikeyi from Kekaya and follows her life from childhood to adulthood and explores her roles as a daughter, sister, wife and mother. Above all, the novel depicts Kaikeyi’s legacy as seen through Patel’s feminist lens.

From beginning to end, readers are exposed to Kaikeyi’s righteousness and goal of empowering women and ensuring that we have a seat at the table.

I loved how creative the story is with the addition of the binding plane and the precise moments Patel chose to include. I could do without the thickly detailed, sometimes tedious explanations of nature and war.

Perhaps my favourite part about this book is how we follow Kaikeyi’s path to making pivotal decisions in the history of Ayodhya that also determine the fate of her sons. Patel has not changed what happened in the original story as far as I know but instead given us a different reasoning, one more analyzed and sensitive and compassionate in relation to the famously villainous queen, Kaikeyi. And is that not the point of retellings? To see things in a different light?

Amazingly written for a debut that draws you into the epic of Ramayana which I'd known little of. It made me go read up more about it. So good to see South Asian representation in the space of mythological retellings. Looking forward to seeing what else Patel does!

This reimagining of the epic of Ramayana gives us the perspective of Rama's vilified mother, Kaikeyi. I regret my lack of broad knowledge on the source material, but I found this story riveting and fully self-sufficient. I intend to go research further now, but at a certain point, I decided to wait until I had finished so I could hear everything from Kaikeyi first. I found her an easy character to support. Kaikeyi is fierce and prideful but also cautious and thoughtful. She's a born leader, a crafty politician, and a compassionate listener. We get to see her journey from a young girl to a radnyi and soldier to a mother and chief advisor. She has many rises and falls as she finds her way. We see her discover her magic and navigate its consequences while also growing into her royal duties. Not satisfied to stop there, she takes on tasks viewed as not befitting a woman and then seeks to use her influence to expand opportunities for all of her gender.

There is a great focus in the novel on the many ways women are silenced and/or ignored. However, this is a hopeful tale despite the catastrophes fate has set on Kaikeyi's path. I was heartbroken at the tragedies in her life (tears were definitely shed on my part), but I appreciated the way the story draws attention to her legacy and to how she will move forward despite many burdens. Through community action and leveraging her position to make repressed voices heard, she ushers in great change and small, even more meaningful reforms. While the gods meddle on a broad scale, Kaikeyi finds power in the mundane moments, in the things that make most lives worthwhile for those who don't star in epic poems.

I also loved the relationships in this book. Of particular importance to this reader is Kaikeyi's position as an aroace person *throws a parade in sparkly enthusiasm.* She experiences deep companionship of many stripes in her life as well as strong family bonds. Never once did I question as I read that she was living an unfulfilled life or a lonely one, which is what I long to see in aroace representation. In moments both innocent and fraught, we see the impact she has on others and the respect and love she shares with those closest to her. I also appreciated the positive poly representation, and it was inspiring to see Kaikeyi work in concert with her husband and his first two wives to build a kingdom they can be proud to leave to their sons.

I highly recommend this fantasy standalone debut. I will be thinking about it for a long time, and I look forward to what the author does next. Thanks to Redhook for my copy to read and review!

i love mythology retelling's of fierce women and this story just resparked that. i didn't know anything about Ramayana before this but now i want to know more!

After finishing this book, I went to the Wikipedia page for the epic poem this book is based off of to learn more about Kaikeyi, the queen who sends the hero Rama into exile. To my dismay, all the Wikipedia page has on her is just that! The poem then covers Rama's journey. I know the author wrote this book to tell her story, but truly after reading all this I wanted more! I loved Kaikeyi's character here, and by the end of it I could not see her as the villain that the epic sets her to be. She had so many things thrown at her, and as far as she can get, she ends up getting stuck due to the fact that she is a woman in a patriarchal society. I was very emotionally invested in Kaikeyi's tale.

The book is told in first person POV, so you really get to experience Kaikeyi's thoughts and emotions. The relationships between all of the characters are very well developed. There's a mix of healthy, strong relationships that she has with her husband and her sister wives, and then she has some antagonistic relationships with others. Kaikeyi has an ability that allows her to manipulate her relationships with people, but she learns early on of its dangers, so the book has a nice balance of her deciding best when to use it. A lot of the time it still came down to her character to get through any challenges.

As a feminist retelling of a myth, it's definitely a book that's normally up my alley, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley, Redhook, and Vaishnavi Patel for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is an excellent retelling of the story of Kaikeyi and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has great writing that kept me engaged the entire time and puts an interesting spin on the original story. I think fans of Circe will love this one!

This book was amazing. I coudn't put it down. It was magical. Higly recommended! The characters, the plots, the writting: wonderful and perfect.

3.5

I have such conflicting thoughts about this book, which is a shame because I really wanted to love it but ultimately I think it fell flat. That being said, I think a lot of my issues come from this being the author's debut so I look forward to seeing what she writes next!

I should preface this by saying that I have no knowledge of the Ramayana, though from what I've gathered Patel changed significant portions of the plot something the author freely admits. I also admire her intentions in writing this book. In her review on Goodreads she said that she wrote this book as a critique of fundamentalism and patriarchy within her faith and I think that to be able to not only reckon with that and come out more devout but to do something that might help others do the same is a remarkable thing.

That being said, I did have some issues with this book, mostly in the pacing. While I thought the beginning was incredibly strong, it sort of fell off in the middle and I was never able to gain that momentum back. After Part 2, I found that when I put the book down I had little desire to pick it back up again. Maybe that is because I knew that in the end Kaikeyi would be vilified but there have been other stories that continued to grip me despite knowing the end result. I also found myself questioning the logistics of the "fight the patriarchy" narrative at times, despite loving the concept.

While I did have my gripes, I ultimately enjoyed this book. I thought there were moments where the writing was outstanding and I really liked some of the concepts introduced. Specifically, I thought the Binding Plane and watching Kaikeyi use that to help her aims was really fascinating. I also loved that we got to see such casual asexual representation.

Kaikeyi is an interesting retelling of the Ramayana, to say the least. I adore how Patel brought Kaikeyi to life, characterizing her as a woman seeking to empower herself and other women rather than a simple villainess. I loved the asexual representation! This novel did an excellent job at unraveling patriarchy and historical misogyny. However, the pacing seemed a bit inconsistent and at times the narrative became more preachy than anything else. I'm always a bit wary of villain-centric retellings because it becomes very easy to fall into the trap of demonizing the original heroes of the story to redeem the "villain." Unfortunately, Kaikeyi did not avoid this pitfall, and I didn't much enjoy the new characterization of Rama and Sita. Kaikeyi does have a very strong voice and characterization, which is what ultimately added a star to what would have otherwise been a three-star review.

In Ramayana, Kaikeyi is portrayed as the wicked stepmother who forced Rama, the worthy heir-apparent of Ayodhya, into exile for fourteen years in order to make her own son king. This novel retells the epic from Kaikeyi’s perspective. Kaikeyi is a princess of Kekeya. She had an arranged marriage to King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. This novel tells the tale of how Keikeyi was an excellent queen who loved her people and why she exiled her step-son.

When Kaikeyi was released, I was ecstatic to read it. I have been familiar with the Ramayana, and I wanted to see how the author would make Kaikeyi sympathetic. I have already read Shadows of the Sun Dynasty which is a retelling of the epic also from Kaikeyi’s view so I wanted to see another author’s take on it. In this novel, Kaikeyi is a lovable, relatable, and strong heroine. Kaikeyi shows different aspects of the infamous queen. She is a sister, a dutiful princess, a wife, a fierce warrior, a wise queen, and, above all, a mother. She relentlessly fights for women’s rights. She wants what’s best for her children. She feels that exiling Rama is what is with him even though she risks losing all those she loves. Even though Kaikeyi is beloved and respected, she is willing to lose everything to fight for what she believes to be right. Thus, Kaikeyi is strong throughout the novel because she never stopped being true to herself and her beliefs. Therefore, Kaikeyi was a very fascinating and complex character.

Overall, this novel is about justice, family, and decisions. Many of the characters are one-dimensional. The characters fall into two categories. Those that love the heroine are good, and those that hate the heroine are bad. Another disappointment is that the novel portrays Rama as the villain to justify Kaikeyi’s actions. I did not think this was necessary to change Rama’s character. Therefore, Shadows of the Sun Dynasty did not change Rama’s personality to make Kaikeyi sympathetic. In that novel, Kaikeyi was portrayed as insecure and afraid for her future. I thought Shadows of the Sun Dynasty was a superior version from Kaikeyi’s perspective because they kept the characters true to the epic and both were sympathetic. Therefore, I suggest if you do not want to read this book where Rama is portrayed in a negative light, then read Shadows of the Sun Dynasty instead. Despite these drawbacks, Kaikeyi is still a very engrossing read. The writing is very lush and lyrical that made ancient India come alive. Kaikeyi moves at a fast pace and is a feminist take on the epic! I recommend this for fans of The Forests of Enchantments, Sita’s Sister, and Ahalya!

Growing up Indian-American, The Ramayana was the most common mythological stories I'd heard. I've read children's books about it, watched a TV show, and learned about in Sunday school. Kaikeyi is always portrayed as one of the villains in the story, so when I first heard about this book, I knew immediately that I needed a to get my hands on a copy! I knew I needed to read about Kaikeyi's story from her own perspective. Parts of the book are changed from the original retellings I've seen/heard, but I expected that to be the case as the focus is on Kaikeyi. I really liked how Patel has written Kaikeyi's character. She is morally-grey but there are times when you can sympathize with her and understand her decisions. Kaikeyi's drive to do more for herself from what was expected and create some independence for herself and other women was so interesting to read about! I liked how Patel took the time to dive into Kaikeyi's past and explain the events that shaped her. I also liked how Kaikeyi's rationales surrounding her decisions (especially the use of her two boons) were explained well.

The concept of the binding plane was so cool and added a unique twist to the story! I really liked how Kaikeyi was able to use the binding plane to her advantage but also knew (after some trial and error) when to not rely on the plane and speak freely with the people around her. I loved how in this retelling, Kaikeyi's hard work and ambition paved the way for advancements for other women in her court. I also thought her relationships with the various members of her family were very interesting to read about. I especially thought it was interesting to read about how many of these relationships changed over time, especially with the exile of Ram, and how Kaikeyi was able to use the binding plane to understand the strength of her bonds. This ended up being one big rambling review, but I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a fresh perspective on a character who is only ever described in one way. I liked this feminist retelling and I definitely think fans of Circe would enjoy it as well!

I was expecting to like this book, but I ended up loving it! I was not familiar with The Ramayana, so this was so fun and fascinating. I loved the exploration of motherhood, misogyny, and patriarchy. Kaikeyi was such a strong character, and I loved following her on this epic journey. She was so resilient, complex, empathetic, and so well written. The novel was very well paced and will stay with me for a long time!