Thank you Netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange of my honest review.

This book was not in any type of form a bad one but it was not the type of stories I'm drawn to. I can see how others might enjoy it since it has politics, mother-son relationships and the weight of choices.

Goddess of the River is a beautiful and enchanting tale of a mother and son, and their love for each other.

Ganga, the goddess of the river, is cursed as a mortal until she bears mortal godlings. When her last son is born, she is released from the curse, but her husband takes their son to be raised as his heir while Ganga returns to the river. Her son, Devavrata, is raised as a prince, but gives up his birthright so his father can remarry, and is renamed to Bhishma. But as his nephews fight and wage war over who will rule, he returns often to his mother to seek guidance, and she too relies of his visits and cares for him and loves him deeply.

This is a captivating and poignant reimagining of the tale of Ganga from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The writing has a lyrical quality to it, and was beautifully written. I really enjoyed this as it s a very feminist perspective of this epic tale, and really shows the deep relationship between mothers and sons. As a mom to two boys myself, this really resonated with me. I also appreciated this feminist lens of the tale, which is a side we don't often see in ancient literature. At its heart, the book is really about relationships - Ganga is not mortal, and is unfamiliar with mortal customs and traditions. She must learn how to navigate her relationship with her mortal son and support him as she is able. Bhishma too must learn how to support his nephews despite their differences and hostilities. This story is really about humanity, love, duty, and the consequences of our actions and how we deal with them.

I was not familiar with the Mahabharata, so I took some time to read up on it as I began this book, which was a great help at keeping all the characters straight and understanding how they each fit into the story. Though, Patel weaves everything together so well, this was not really necessary - more for my own understanding of this epic and the Hindu religion.

I do want to note that the author includes some content warnings at the beginning, which relate to the cultural norms at the time the original epic was written, which are also included in this retelling. Please be sure to read this note prior to reading in case there is sensitive content for you as a reader. I will say upon the advice of the author per the content note, I did skip a chapter with sensitive material, and I was able to continue the story just fine.

This was a beautiful story, and I am glad to have read it. Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Redhook Books for the advanced electronic copy. All opinions are my own.

I am obsessed. This myth telling was very interesting and fun. I really liked Ganga and Devavrata. It was fun to see how they were both influence but the human world. Ganga is an indifferent river goddess who is betrayed (like so many other women/goddess in mythology) But at least for the humans it works in there favor, this betrayal allows her to become more interesting and in-tune to human and their issues to better understand her duties as a god. While she originally hates people for destroying the earth around them she eventually learns to care for them, I also really Devavrata is he a little to stubborn and shortsighted yes and yes the road to hell is paved with god inventions which defines his entire life, at the end of the day Devavrata is just trying his best so i can forgive him so being a loyal little POS.

I received an ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Goddess of the River is a Hindu mythological retelling of the Mahābhārata. It expounds on a sidestory of the Goddess Ganga and her human son. I haven't read Patel's first book, Kaikeyi, but have heard great things about it and have it on my TBR. So I was very excited when I was granted an ARC of her newest book. I know we're going through a period of fatigue right now when it comes to Greek mythological retellings, but I'm so excited for this latest wave of retellings that we're getting from other cultures and regions. I went into this book knowing very little about Hinduism and I only had a cursory knowledge about the story in the Mahābhārata.

Due to my lack of knowledge, there were a lot of moments in the first half of the book where I was confused about the setting and backstory. I checked the family tree that's included in the book several times and it still didn't make sense. But I think that kind of reflects where the story is at the beginning of the tale The Mahābhārata is all about a dynastic war with two branches of cousins fighting about who should inherit the throne. I just wonder if Patel could've done a better job within the story of cluing in the readers on what was going on for the unintentiated. It wasn't until 58% in when a character succinctly summarized the conflict in conversation with someone else. I'd figured out what was going on by that point, but I would've really appreciated if that sentence was featured maybe 25% of the way in.

However, this was a lovely book which presented a lot of ethical questions about what's more important: being loyal or being just? I love a book that really wants to delve into these deep questions. The beginning of this book is quite heavy and delves into topics such as infanticide. Patel opens the book with a trigger warning page, so if you're given a heads up before delving into the story. I know this review might seem more critical of The Goddess of the River, but truly I went through the 500 pages in less than a week. I never found myself bored and there were moments where I was at the edge of my seat.

I give Goddess of the River 4 out of 5 stars.

As a fan of Kaikeyi, Vaishnavi Patel's debut book, I knew I had to pick up Goddess of the River. This story is just as beautiful and descriptive with gorgeous storytelling that is engaging and clear. Following the goddess Ganga of the River Ganges, the story highlights the overarching story of the Mahabharata. Ganga herself has a very auxiliary part of the original story, so it was interesting to see how the author found creative ways to keep Ganga involved and present in the story in both her mortal and Goddess form. The book has two POVs, Ganga and her son, and I found they complimented each other quite well.

Overall this is a great read and I recommend it for anyone looking for a folklore/mythic retelling!

A huge thank you to @orbitbooks_us for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for my thoughts!

I had a really difficult time figuring out a rating for this one. I feel like I went into it expecting something that it wasn't.

From the beginning you can tell Patel has a deep understanding of the myths/lore that they are retelling. The amount of research they likely did definitely paid off. I felt as though I was reading the actual myth (in terms of structure and vibe) - which leads me into some of my confusion.

While it was definitely interesting, it felt like I was reading out of a textbook for AP English. It had the same pacing that I feel like traditional myths have and while that is really on brand for this being a myth retelling I feel like I was expecting more novel and less education?

I generally love myth retellings but I think I enjoy when there's a bit more of a divergence - where it would be more of a retelling and less of a remake.

The author is very clearly a great writer objectively, the story itself just unfortunately wasn't for me.

"'Don't you miss the heavens?' I asked him suddenly. 'Of course,' he said to me. 'But when I was in the heavens, I missed you.'" 😭

This was a beautifully written retelling of the story of Ganga. As someone who is not very familiar with the original story or mythology in general, I cannot speak to its similarities to the historical tale. I can, however, say that you do not need any prior knowledge to enjoy this version.

I do highly recommend that you create a character map as you read. I of course understand why the author could not create one and put it in the back of the book, as it would reveal some major spoilers. Creating one yourself as you read would be highly beneficial in my opinion, as there are a lot of characters and some have multiple aliases.

Overall, this is a very interesting journey. I loved that the timeline bounces around a lot and questions that you may have from "future" chapters are answered when we see more of the past. Since it is a story that is more of a "I'm telling you what happens" style versus a "showing you what happens/taking you through the journey" style, I found it to be slow moving and it did take me a relatively long while to read the book. This is really my only complaint and why it is not a 5 star read.

I definitely recommend this book and will be looking for this author's work in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Patel's writing is so lyrical and beautiful, I adore it! This one was a lovely ride and I enjoyed almost every minute of it, I recommend it to anyone looking for an immersive book-reading experience with gorgeous prose.

Always interesting when we don't see what's right in front of us. My interest was peeked from the start and I enjoyed the perspective Patel came from - using the essence of the Earth as the characters. How we interact with them, take advantage of them (Earth), don't appreciate the power they hold is also how we treat each other. What a poignant way to write about that. And to write it in such a way you are grieving the loss and experiencing the love.

I received this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. Ganga goes through such character growth, and it is amazing to see her change and thrive in Goddess of the River. I liked the dual pov, and it was interesting to read about people who went to Ganga for help. You were transported into their lives, and the author did this wonderfully.

I appreciated reading about different gods. I have only read about Greek gods, so I liked learning about something else. This also unfortunately contributes to why I did not give the book 5 stars. For the most part the author would explain what things are/what words meant, but occasionally I would find myself confused, and the definition function on my kindle was not much help.

Overall, I would recommend this book :)

I am continually impressed by Vaishnavi Patel’s storytelling abilities. They have yet again given us a beautiful retelling that transports the reader to another time and place.

The way this was written works beautifully for the story of Ganga, Goddess of the River, and her half-mortal son. We follow Ganga from the time she was brought to Earth in her river form with all its initial limitations, to her time spent as a mortal, and when she again takes her river form. Her son Bhishma is influential in the story as well and we get to hear his point of view.

There is a lot of talk of mortality and dharma/mortality. Every single character makes questionable decisions, some outright horrendous. But we are never led to believe any of these characters are truly bad. Patel highlights the many facets of being human and consequences of our choices.

I will say that Kaikeyi remains my favorite of the two, but this is still very much worth your time.

I'd like to start by stating that my knowledge of ancient Hindu text doesn't expand very far pass an Intro to World Lit in my undergrad. I feel like as a retelling/reformatting/adaptations, that this was expertly done. I was so engaged and interested in the story. I found the first few parts to be the most interesting, but overall the entire thing was well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up Goddess of the River on May 21, 2024.

This book surprised me in the BEST way. I usually struggle with books that are more character-driven, but Patel's writing of Ganga and Bhishma compelled me from the beginning. I couldn't put it down initially, and once the dual POVs wove together, I appreciated Patel's storytelling even more. I've never known much about Hindu mythology, but through this book, it felt like the gods were truly right there with me.

Now, fair warning -- CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS before you pick up this book! There are some gruesome instances, and it's best to be prepared.

But overall, this was an incredible tale told through a really compelling lens. I can't wait to see what else Patel does!

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook books for the advanced readers copy of Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel.

I loved Kaikeyi by the same author so this was one of my highly anticipated reads for the year. I was not disappointed at all with this novel. She's very skilled at storytelling from a perspective not usually captured in the original work she's exploring and giving voice to that lesser character.

Though I found myself less interested in the stories of the sons and grandsons in this epic tale, I knew that those chapters were important to that of our main character.

I would definitely encourage others to read this novel particularly teens who are interested in this genre of stories.

In Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel tells an intriguing and poetic tale of human connections, the relationship between mother and child, and of the challenges of trying to be our best selves in a deeply complex and complicated world—all through the relationship between Ganga, the goddess of the river, and her human son, Bhishma. It retells the story of the Mahabharata from the point of view of Ganga, when she is cursed by a follower of Shiva bear mortal children. The story follows the river goddess, viewing the world from the perspective of a deity, as she touches the human world through her attempts to guide her son, Bhishma, in the moments that their lives cross. Goddess of the River is intricate in the way it portrays the world through two very different perspectives, human and deity, both of whom are trying to navigate a changing world. I found this book genuinely enjoyable to read. The story deeply brought me into the lives of Ganga and Bhishma in the sincerity of their emotions through difficulties they face.

This book does tell a very complicated political story through Bhishma’s tale, including a complex family tree, political struggle, and war. The moments that I enjoyed this book less were in some of these parts; while I found the story intriguing, some chapters involve so many stories and familial relationships that I found it very difficult to keep track of it all. I do believe that the author does a good job at making it clear when some details are important and when some are less important to the overall plot, but I do still feel as though I may have enjoyed the story more if I had a better grasp on these relationships.

I would strongly recommend that any reader read the content warnings. The author is very forward about what to expect from this book and has a section at the beginning detailing why these subjects are included. War also takes up a portion of this book, though it is written through a character perspective and not a drawing of battle maps and troop numbers, so I found this inclusion meaningful even as someone who doesn’t always enjoy the topic.

Overall, I would recommend Goddess of the River. Readers who enjoyed Kaikeyi will likely enjoy this book, though do remember that these books highlight different themes and have a very different perspective for the main character, so be aware that they’ll read differently. I am personally very excited to see what the author writes next!

Vaishnavi Patel is back again with another great retelling!

I adored Kaikeyi. I was more than excited to receive Patel’s new mythological retelling of Ganga, the goddess of the river. Like Kaikeyi, it is written in Patel’s lyrical fairy tale writing style, and you are sucked into the rapids of the story from the very beginning. Again, we experience themes of love, motherhood, godhood, and war. I loved it.

My only complaint is that we parted from Ganga’s perspective too soon. Bhishma, understandably, holds a lot less charm than his mother. The book heavily focuses on politics and war after Ganga drifts into the background. It is still well paced, but I found myself wishing for our female protagonist to take back the reins.

I would still recommend reading this book! Patel does a phenomenal job, once again. The warning from Kaikeyi still stands: If you have any personal or religious connections to the source material, I urge you to proceed with caution. This retelling changes the narrative, and thus, the Gods and Goddesses are not portrayed in the way you may be used to seeing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for this ARC.

Another hit by Vaishnavi Patel, bringing her own, feminist spin on Hindu mythos to us. Giving this one a 4.5 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

In the same vein as her first novel, Goddess of the River gives its female characters new life by empowering them to take agency of their own stories and actions. You watch the Ganga grow from your stereotypical scorned, bitter women to a very complex, worldly goddess that sees the shades of grey in the mortal world. This story is also told from the perspective of her son, and how, like a river, they drift apart and come back together over the course of the son's lifetime.

The only reason this did not get a 5 out of 5 stars was because you jump backward and forward in the story's timeline from chapter to chapter (especially in the middle of the novel), and this meant I kept flipping back to the chapter start and previous chapters to fill in gaps. However, by the time I got to the end of the story, I recognized why the story was told this was, as certain plot points and character reveals were kept mysterious.

Overall a really interesting reach with rich descriptions.

I have a few mixed feelings about this book. I’m not familiar with the source material so everything in the story was new to me. I liked some of the discussions in the book about how whether or not following you vows to the detriment of your morality makes you honorable or not.
I think my biggest issue was the back and forth timelines. I never really fully developed a connection to any of the characters.
The book was wonderfully written otherwise and I will continue to read more by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Vaishnavi Patel for the ARC of Goddess of the River. I loved Kaikeyi and couldn’t wait to read more of Patel’s work. It took me almost 2 months to read this story but I think that’s because I wasn’t previously familiar with the Mahabharata. It was difficult for me to keep track of all of the characters but that’s just because I struggle when there are so many characters and moving parts. I think Patel did a beautiful job telling this story and incorporating Ganga and her point of view. My favorite parts of the book were the ones from Ganga’s POV.

"Kaikeyi" had been one of my favorite reads of the prior year, so I was especially excited to get my hands on an early copy of "Goddess of the River". In a similar thread to her debut novel, author Vaishnavi Patel has crafted a retelling of another female being from the Mahabharata, this time focused on Ganga, goddess of the River Ganges,

Most of the novel is centered on Ganga's first-person perspective, as she recounts her earliest days and her eventual imprisonment into a human form by a sage with the power of Shiva; she's given a curse in which the eight godlings, or Vasus, that were under her care must now become her children. She eventually meets Shantanu, raja of Hastinapur, who is determined to marry her - and Ganga, calling herself Jahnavi, agrees, on the condition that he asks her no questions. Shantanu agrees, even despite the birth and passing of their infants, but eventually confronts his wife and takes back Devavrata to raise as his heir.

The following chapters alternate between perspectives and timelines as the years pass in Hastinapur and tensions after Shantanu's passing lead to bickering and conflict over the Kuru Kingdom. Central to the later years is Bhishma, who watches as his grandchildren and grandnephews vye for ownership and control and questions his duties to his kingdom over his own moral compass. Ganga herself comes to question her own place and purpose as a deity watching over the mortal world, and her responsibilities as both a goddess and a mother.

This is a beautifully written novel that has Patel's poignant and lyrical prose built upon a complex and multi-layered protagonist. Ganga's passages were the strongest for me, especially in the emotional and heart-wrenching moments where she was simply a mother watching her son, unable to intervene on his behalf. However, this was not a smooth read for me, since there were just so many characters and plotlines to keep track of, made even more difficult by the number of time and perspective skips across chapters. There were a number of side characters that I didn't feel were fully necessary to the story and dragged the pacing heavily - and the sheer number of factions and political backstories to keep track of was also confusing and detracted from the main focus of the novel. There's such a strong story hidden in here that gets muddled by the sheer volume of characters and areas Patel wanted to cover.