I savored this novel. The imagery was insane. At times there was almost too much detail and it took away from the moment. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded. Immediately after being introduced to the village of Irumi, BAM, heads hanging on pikes! It was a great beginning. What follows are the events that lead to the heads. The story is told through friendship, adventure, exile, resistance, and love. As I previously mentioned, at times there was too much detail. I found this to be especially true in part 2 and I actually skipped entire paragraphs because of the overwhelming amount of detail. I will be reading this novel again and have already recommended it to other bibliophiles.

Wow. An absolutely phenomenal debut novel by Ruthvika Rao that is so beautifully written. I can clearly picture the orchards and the gadi, taste the sweet mangoes, feel the immense loss, pain and moments of joy these characters experienced. What an exceptional story and so worth a read. Thank you, NetGalley!

I loved the author’s take on this Romeo and Juliet kind of romance. This book explores a forbidden love that crosses so many lines including political and socioeconomic. The genre this is under is quite broad. I feel like this is more than just literary fiction as there’s a historical hand in play as well as a romance that endures.