I’m not going to lie, I did struggle with getting into this one, as I found it hard to relate to Meena’s (what felt like) instant love for James at the start. And given the subject matter and time period of the story, this was hard to read in parts - there’s colonisation, murder, mysogyny and abuse of wives.

I really enjoyed with the alternative version of characters in this one - I’m mostly looking at you aunt Kiran (Circe) - particularly her revenge of those sailors. But in some parts I was thoroughly frustrated with Meena staying with James after all they’d gone through - honestly he made my blood boil in parts. But then had to realign my thoughts given the time and setting - divorce was not a done thing.

This was such a good read as it combines myth and history - closely examining the horrors of colonialism. A great debut!

In 1757 Calcutta (Kolkata), Meena, the seventeen-year-old daughter of the Nawab of Bengal, meets and falls in love and James Chilcott, the nephew of one of the most powerful officers of the East India Company with which the whole of India is at war. James claims to not share the ideology of the EIC and offers information to help the Nawab, which is not well received. Meena falls in love with James and hopes to lead a life different from the restrictions and abuse that are a part of her present life. But escaping won’t be easy and Meena, in a moment of desperation, elopes with James after a horrific showdown with her brother that ends in tragedy. We follow James and Meena over the next eight years, as they travel from Calcutta to Ceylon, then to South Africa and finally to England, and as Meena begins to comprehend the reality of her husband, his motives and how his world truly judges outsiders, it is only a matter of time before she is compelled to resort to drastic measures to save herself and her son from those wish to harm them.

I’m a fan of Greek mythology and when I heard of Rani Selvarajah’s Savage Beasts, a retelling of Medea’s story revolving around the theme of colonization and in particular, British occupation of India, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, the execution of this story leaves a lot to be desired.

1757 is a crucial year in the history of India and Bengal, with the East India Company gaining territory and finally defeating the ruling Nawab at the Battle of Plassey, thereby cementing its foothold in Bengal and India as a whole. No matter how young or gullible the seventeen-year-old princess of a royal family might be, it is difficult to believe that Meena would succumb to the charms of an Englishman who is the nephew of one of the most high-ranking officers of the East India Company even though he claims to have disavowed the values (or lack thereof) of the East India Company. Even if I choose to ignore that fact (I know this story is supposed to be fiction!), their initial interaction reads more like a Bridgerton novel than two people from completely different cultural backgrounds interacting for the first time and Meena’s reactions throughout this novel read more like contemporary fiction than a story set in the eighteenth century. Was it absolutely necessary to portray Indian rulers as barbaric to justify Meena eloping with a man she only recently met, betraying her country and her family, fully aware of the ongoing war with the British? The author portrays the Nawab and his son as despicable men who don’t hesitate to torture Meena, even having her beaten by their guards in court. Again, I'm aware this is fiction, but in conservative society and culture dating 1757 India, I believe there would be a difference between how a royal family would conduct itself and a scene that sounds like something from Game of Thrones. (I’m a fan of GoT, no offense intended!) The handling of the characters and the setting is inauthentic in many ways, but I’m stopping myself here. As the story progresses, we can draw parallels to Medea’s story and we know that things will not end well for Meena.

The narrative suffers from minor repetition and the pacing is uneven, but not so much that it would impact the overall reading experience. I’m all for retellings of the myths and creative license and I don’t look for factual accuracy in said reimaginings or retellings. But overall, I felt that the characterizations lacked depth and I wasn’t quite invested in Meena’s story. Medea is a fierce and compelling character in Greek mythology but sadly, Meena is not portrayed with the same intensity.

Please note that there are some disturbingly violent scenes in this novel and much bigotry and abusive language directed toward Indians (as would be expected, given the era and the settings, so no surprises there!)

Many thanks to One More Chapter, HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the digital review copy of Savage Beasts. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A retelling of the Greek Myth Medea set in India against the backdrop of the rising East India Company in Calcutta in 1757. An interesting transposition in time and culture from a debut novelist

This is a retelling of the Greek mythology tale of Medea and you didn’t need to know the mythology tale to read this, I didn’t until after I’d read it. The author does provide some detailed notes at the end of the book. The tale starts in 1757 when the East India company, led by Sir Peter Chilcott, is gradually occupying most of India with its next target the lands of the Nawab of Bengal. Meena is the Nawab’s only daughter, her mother having died in childbirth and her aunt who brought her up is now exiled.

Briefly, we follow the life and loves of Meera as she falls for the nephew of Chilcott and forsakes her family to follow him, first to Ceylon, then South Africa and finally England. Never legally married Meena and James produce a son, Alexander, but by then Meena is no longer seeing James through rose tinted glasses and the happy life she expected soon begins to falter.

If you know the story of Medea then you would probably have guessed some of the storyline as it seems to be a faithfully retelling. Quite a slow burning read, with some graphic violence, unpleasant racism and misogyny. I didn’t like any of the main characters, they were self serving with little concern for others and that’s a shame as there needs to be one person to root for. An enticing read with some interesting historical insights and a shocking ending.

This was a nicely written book. I can’t say it was a favorite of mine but some will enjoy it
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

The threat of East India Company looms over Calcutta and young Meena is desperate to escape her unhappy home. The dashing figure of James Chilcott may be the escape she has been looking for. James and Meena flee without a backward glance, but the ever after Meena imagined for herself is not as happy as she hoped. Far from home and without a friend in the world, Meena must find a way to escape once more.
Savage Beasts is a stunning retelling of Medea re-situated in 18th century India.

A stunning and savage retelling of Medea, darker than I had anticipated but a great read nonetheless.

3.5 stars rounded up.

**TRIGGER WARNING** Abusive father, brother, partner. Slavery. Rape.

Set in 1757, Calcutta is on the brink of war and the East Indian Company, led by the fearsome Sir Peter Chilcott, is quickly advancing. The Nawab's neglected daughter, Meena, is desperate to escape her gilded cage and when she meets the intriguing James Chilcott, nephew of St Peter, she finds herself falling under his spell. James is different to the white men she has been taught to fear, and the lovers find themselves fleeing Calcutta with blood on their hands and gold in their pockets.

Meena falls for the nephew of the enemy. They escape together looking for a new life. This is a descriptively written story, but the dialogue is a bit disjointed. It did take a few chapters for me to get into this story. The is a Medea retelling but I'm not familiar with that Greek myth. I wasn't keen on any of the characters. I found this to be quite an interesting read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter and the author #RaniSelvarajah for my ARC of #SavageBeasts in exchange for an honest review.

Did Not Finish.

Savage Beasts is a retelling of the Greek tragedy Medea, but it’s set in the 1750’s India.

I had a hard time connecting to the story, so many elements didn’t fit for me. Meena is the daughter of the Nawab, essentially royalty, yet she walks around with no chaperone and is able to do as she pleases? She speaks English and walks down to the docks with no risk of harm or consequences.

The romance between her and James is instalove-y and comes out of nowhere. I find it hard to believe Meena would betray her people by leaving and supporting James.

I ended up quitting around the 50% mark. The characters felt more like modern day…just implanted in the past. Thank you to One More Chapter HC for the review copy.

“But you must know, in this world, it is important to ensure your best interests. And not wait for others to secure them for you.”

Having seen mixed early reviews of this one, I was pleasantly surprised by this debut, a retelling of the Greek myth of Medea set in 18th-century India. We follow Meena, princess of Bengal, in close third person - upon meeting James, a white, English coloniser, Meena falls immediately in love. Yes, this is a bit nonsensical but that’s Greek mythology, baby! I don’t mind instalove in such a fantastical novel. The star-crossed lovers flee the city before the invasion of the English and things go awry from there. If you know the story of Medea, you will know just how awry.

Savage Beasts is a little slow to start, but things truly kick off about a quarter of the way in. In the meantime, there’s still a lot to enjoy as the plot meanders - the setting is lush, and I felt instantly transported to India by the author. The threat of the coloniser is ever-present and I thought it was a useful - if dark - trick on the author’s part to trap Meena between a rock and a hard place. Her father, the Nawab of Bengal, is abusive, both physically and emotionally, making it all the more tempting for Meena to escape her family with James.

I did find the character of Meena to be a little confused, and not always in a good way - her motivations and actions are a little muddled, and only so much can be explained away by her being a lovestruck teenager. Perhaps her motivations would have been clearer in the hands of a more experienced writer. And as is often the case with Greek myth retellings, some parts of the story shine more than others.

I loved the inclusion of Kiran, Meena’s witchy aunt who flees to live alone (or with her pigs…iykyk) and there are plenty of small, fun allusions to the original tale of Medea. The ending is one that was unexpected and despite feeling a bit rushed, I was hooked by it and struggled to put it down. I continue to support women’s wrongs!

Overall, Savage Beasts is an ambitious and well-researched novel that takes a lot of big swings so it feels natural enough that it will have a few misses. It’s still well worth reading, if you’re a fan of either historical fiction or Greek mythology.

You don't need to have read Medea before opening this tale of Meena, daughter of the Nawab, and James, nephew of the head of the East India Company. These two meet, fall in love, and leave their families. Regrettably, this isn't what I'd hoped it would be- it's not a bad read but it's also sadly flat where it could be atmospheric. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC,

The plotline follows the myth fairly closely from what I know about Medea’s story, as I know only the basics from the myth. I loved all the allusions to the original story with the names of the ships and other small details. I also liked the setting and historical background of the VOC (Dutch East India Company)

Sadly though I just couldn’t get into it. As much as I love myth retellings, the writing and characters were just okay-nothing to pull me in or making me want to keep reading-just not my cup of tea but others will most likely enjoy it. DNF at 20%

Source: DRC Via NetGalley (HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: May 25, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon (not listed on US Amazon at time of review publication – will update when available)

What to see what else I’m up to?
You can find me at all around the internet via my LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/angryangelbooks

Why did I choose to read this book?

The cover drew me in on the “Most Requested Books” section of NetGalley, but then the description called it “A propulsive retelling inspired by the Greek myth of Medea” and “A perfect read for fans of The Song of Achilles” and look, I am an absolute slut for any kind of mythology so of course I slammed that request button.

What is this book about?

This book is about the conflict between India and the East India Trading Company (British). Meena is the daughter of an Indian king/governor whose family relocated in order to escape the fighting. Meena meets James, the nephew of the head of the EITC, and discovers he’s trying to get information to her father, She helps him, to her detriment, and their story goes from there.

What is notable about this story?

Books set in India are so fantastic. It’s an area of the world that I have not visited yet, and as I’ve mentioned before I love to travel through books. So reading this story helped me to envision what it would be like to be in India.

Was anything not so great?

This book was a “Did Not Finish” for me. I made it to about 30% on the advance copy, but I was so bored with the story that I had to put it down. Meena sneaks out of the palace, meets James, sneaks back into the palace, gets caught, gets punished, rinse and repeat: and it’s literally this for the first third of the book. I am supposed to believe that Meena and James have romantic feelings for each other, but there’s not enough there to support its existence. Meena’s father is extremely abusive to his children, and her brother is an absolute asshole. And none of the characters have enough depth to them to make me care about anything that is going on. All of this woven together created a very monotonous read, which I had to pull the plug on.

What’s the verdict?

One star on Goodreads because I just couldn’t get into it at all. But I didn’t finish it – so I’ll include the caveat here that this book might be for you even though it wasn’t for me! The concept behind it was enough to get me to try it out, so if it sounds like your jam, you should too!

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter UK for prividing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Using a retelling of the myth of Medea to describe the harshness and the atrocities committed by the British during the colonization of India was really clever, and on paper this book sounded right up my alley. Unfortunatey, the under-characterization of everyone other than the protagonist and the erratic pacing made it really hard for me to connect to the story.

I gave to admit that I don’t know the tale of Medea, but I feel after reading this that I should as I think I’ll enjoy it.I

I really enjoyed this book, the author has a way with words that made me feel, really feel, like I was right there amongst the story. I was utterly absorbed in what was happening and although I could see what was coming (mostly…), I found myself anticipating it and wishing it to happen.

Utterly enthralling, but I wish I knew what happens later on…

My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollinsPublishers and One More Chapter for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

“savage beasts” is a medea (greek mythology) retelling set in bengal. meena, a princess, falls for a white english man, the nephew of the enemy, and they run away together. as war grows closer to calcutta, meena and james start their own family.

the instalove between meena and james was really disgusting to me; you mean to tell me the daughter of the nawab would betray her people and her country for a white man? so suddenly? it is clear that james is a racist (sometimes fetishist) from the start. he treats meena poorly at every turn.

the colonial british are somehow glorified as “the good guys” against the people of bengal. meena’s father is abusive and cruel, it’s no wonder she falls into the arms of a stranger. i cannot understand why meena acts the way she does when she knows the british actively seek to slaughter her people. the descriptions of bengal were wonderful, detailed, and brilliant. meena is written to be a woman who is constantly pushed around and has no agency. this novel just didn’t work for me.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written mythical re-telling (which was a genre I didn’t think I liked) that had me hooked from the first page- what an emotional rollercoaster!

“But you must know, in this world, it it important to ensure your best interests. And not wait for others to secure them for you.”

I started this devastatingly beautiful book while soaking up the sunshine, on the warmest and sunniest day of the year, surrounded by the scent of my lilac and jasmine blossoms. *sighs just thinking about it*

“While men had their swords, a woman’s weapon was her words. A woman needed to know how to speak and put her point across, even when they refused to listen.”

Then I was brutally thrown into the heart wrenching premise of this story… following Meena, a Bengalese princess, fighting her way through her abusive family, the beginning of the British occupation and colonization of India (or South Asian), and every heart break that comes after.

“All she saw was weak mean desperate for the flimsiest scrap of power over others.”

I realized I wasn’t as familiar with the original story of Medea as I thought, but I didn’t want to spoil this adventure for myself, and the more I read, the more I remembered. The parallels between Meena’s journey, and Medea’s are noticeable, from little details like the names of ships, to the important plot points.

“Observing the maps of the world, the heaving bookcases full of words written by white men who similarly felt that the world belonged to them.”

I think the voice that Rani Selvarajah gave to this incredibly strong female character, was impressive and impactful. To be a young woman, raised by one of the most pitiful excuses of a “man”, having every moment of your life dictated, then witnessing everything you care for and your culture being ripped away from you by rich old white men, was horrifying and deeply enraging. I can’t lie, I was fantasizing about what sort of long, drawn out, painful ends most of these characters could have… A few even surpassed my expectations.

“I learned that violence was a remarkably useful tool to get what you want.”

Savage Beasts is a deeply moving and evocative, historical fiction, from a beautifully brutal feminist perspective. I highly recommend if you enjoy Historical Fiction, Mythology retellings, and strong female characters.

Thank you to Rani Selvarajah, and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a Medea retelling that has been set in 18th century India. It's a wonderful setting for this story as it uses the brutal rule of the British East India Company to set the stage for Meena and James's fateful tale. The descriptions of Calcutta, the palace and gardens bring so much to this very dark and brutal story. Be aware there are scenes of physical violence so you may need to check the content warnings. If you are familiar with Medea's story you will find the author brings all the hallmarks of it here. Meena survives, fights and refuses to bend to the men and society that works to marginalize her.
My main issue came at the beginning with the instalove between Meena and James, it felt rushed and then with a few times jumps the relationship vascilates so quickly that I didn't feel connected to the characters. This meant that the overall story didn't have a big emotional impact. There is much to like in this story and the groundwork was laid for a captivating story, but it just missed the mark in a couple of areas for me.

I found this book hard to connect with. The characters felt static and flat. The writing was a bit repetitive. I was expecting more than what I got, and maybe that's on me.