Much like my experience when reading Kaikeyi, I was unfamiliar with the source of this story and still found myself quickly falling in love. Patel has a beautiful way of opening up a myth and bringing new perspective and life to the story, while also making it easy to follow for anyone who is unfamiliar with its origin.

I was expecting a fairly similar style of writing to Kaikeyi and I loved to see how different and fresh this one was. The characters have great voice and kept me captivated right from the start. It's easy to see how well researched this book is, and I can see the threads that Patel chooses to pull to make her version of the story a unique, feminist, and deeply human one.

I love everything this author writes, and this book has solidified a fan in me for life. I can't wait to see what else she decides to tackle next!

I really really enjoyed this reimagining. I was swept away so very early on and felt the raja was a bit too good to be true. Her heartbreak with each loss was so crushing, I don't know how she was able to keep it up each time.

I admit about halfway or more through I got lost a little and had to re-read quite a bit because I had no clue who was who. A few times I actually went back wondering if I'd accidentally skipped a few pages.

This was so beautiful and heartbreaking. And makes me really want to research deeper into the many stories this has surrounding it.

3.5 stars rounded up: I received this ARC from netgalley and absolutely fell in love with it in the beginning. The characters were really well developed and the plot kept me engaged. Right around the half mark is where I started to get lost when a bunch of characters were introduced but they didn’t feel important. It felt as though they weren’t as developed like in the beginning and it was harder to really care for them and their stories. With that being said I still really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those that enjoy retellings especially if you haven’t heard it before.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.5 | 😘=1 | 🤬=1 | ⚔️=5 | 16/17+

summary: retelling of the Mahabharata centered on the river goddess, her son, and a war.

thoughts: I looooved Kaikeyi , so I was super excited for this one. this started out great but got progressively more confusing (no doubt amplified by the lack of family tree at the beginning due to the ARC of it all). I really really liked the beginning but things just declined from there? like the characters didn’t feel distinct enough to matter as their own separate entities. idk.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for an eARC of Goddess of the River.

Goddess of the River is a retelling of the Hindu epic The Mahabharata from the perspective of the river goddess and her final born son, Bhishma. It is really well written, and deeply explores the role of gods within the lives of humans. Ganga, forced to live on earth under the control of Shiva, struggles with the balance of godliness and humanity as she becomes human and bears human children. As she watches her son grapple with his duty as a Kuru royal in Hastinapur, we explore themes of godliness and the faults of royalty in a kingdom riddled with poverty and war.

It took me a while to get through this book. Because the digital copy I received did not have a family tree, I struggled to place certain characters. Finally, I found a family tree on the wikipedia page for the Mahabharata text which I referenced frequently. This is a really packed story to tell in 400 pages. However, through the perspective of Ganga and her son, Vaishnavi Patel does an excellent job of hitting several major themes.

I was unfamiliar with the history of the Kurukshetra war, and I feel like I learned a lot in this book. Patel's focus on female characters in this text reveals the flaws in concepts of justice and royal duty. How can we depend on blood royalty, and why do the gods depend on blood royalty when bearing their own children? What role should gods take in deciding history and fate? I highly recommend this one.

Thank you Netgalley & Redhook Books for ARC version of Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel.

I have read her 1st book "Kaikeyi" and had been waiting for this one, and she did not disappoint at all.

The writing style in this book is definitely different from her 1st book but I loved it.

She promised a retelling of one of the many side stories from the epic Mahabharata and she delivered: "The story of River Goddess Ganga and her son Bhisma" nothing more, nothing less.

I loved the fact that like other retellings of the original epic the story didn't empathize on any other side stories of the epic like Draupadi Swaymabar or the Abhymanu Assassination or even how each warrior met their end.

The author tells the story from the prospective of the River Goddess Ganga, her origin, her curse, her pain, her coming to learn her true nature, her becoming the Goddess we know and worship.

This book tells the story of a Devine being who came to earth because humans payed for her. She was not a God till we humans made her one.

Some people might find it a difficult topic to read, as Ganga being cursed and trying to free herself and her children, does drown her newborns.

I can't wait for it yo be published so that I can snag a beautiful hardcover to add to my bookshelf.

What a triumph of a novel! I had always wanted to read Kaikeyi, but happened to get an ARC for Goddess of the River, and thus picked it up first. Now that I know what Patel is capable of, it’s clear what I’ll have to move up on my TBR.

Goddess of the River is a retelling of the story of Ganga, the goddess of the river, using deep, introspective POVs to expound on the narrative of Ganga’s curse and the Mahabharata. It begins with the imprisonment of Ganga, as she descends towards earth to answer the calls of humanity. As we follow her and the Vasus, a group of eight free-spirited godlings she meets on Earth, we see these characters explore the meaning of dharma, duty, and meaningful existence.

My favorite parts of this book are the lyrical quality of Patel’s writing and the themes explored. Maybe I also read this at an opportune point in my life, where I needed some appreciation for our existence, both the good and the bad, but I was so struck by some of the quotes in this novel. All of these positives were only further amplified by the Hindu mythology surrounding them. What a refreshing change from the Greek mythology retellings out there! Altogether, these aspects made it a read that was hard to put down, and even though it was a longer novel, it felt like it flew by thanks to the good pacing.

As far as critique goes, I don’t have much to say. If I were to be picky, I think the wealth of characters that you get with trying to tell the Mahabharata is an inherent challenge, and it was one that Patel traversed well. It was still challenging to keep track of who’s who in the middle third, because they get introduced at a pretty brutal pace. Other than that, I doubt you’d find much fault in this novel so long as this is the genre that you’re interested in!

Vaishnavi Patel has done it again! Kaikeyi is one of my favorite books of all time and I will be adding Goddess of the River to that list. It was such an honor to read this incredible retelling of a story i’ve heard a million times growing up. I could tell that it was researched with care and I greatly appreciate the questions this books asks about casteism, morality and dharma

Thank you Redhook books and NetGalley for the ARC!

As a big fan of Patel’s previous work, I was excited to request and get approval to read Goddess Of The River! Ganga is a remarkable character, who, while a goddess, displays some of the most human characteristics in any book I’ve read in awhile. Reading this reimagining (a tale I was unfamiliar with) made me more interested in stories from Northern India. I will be looking for more stories like Goddess of the River, and I will always be a fan of Patel’s work!

Thank you again for the ARC!

Goddess of the River is a reimagining of the epic Mahabharata that follows the story of Ganga who is cursed by a powerful sage, and her godling son turned mortal, Bhishma. This story follows the pair and their decisions throughout the many decades leading up to a great war and explores how those decisions influence said war.

I was not familiar with the story of Ganga before picking this book up, but I found the way that Patel presents it to readers makes it easy to understand. I enjoyed how she portrayed Ganga, a strong female character who is tormented by her choices. We watch her explore motherhood, loss, and how all our actions, divine or human, can shape the future for generations to come. I appreciated how Patel explored these topics with grace and found her ability to make me feel the same emotions as the characters in the moment incredible.

I had a hard time following in several spots, having to re-read and go back to see who people were. There are a lot of characters and the family tree that will be present at publication I think will help a lot of readers. This story is so complex that it's definitely a novel to sit and take in rather than listen to in the background or casually read. Despite this, I think many people will enjoy this story! It is rich with detail and Vaishnavi Patel does an incredible job weaving this story together. It has made me want to pick up her previous work.

Please take a look at the trigger warnings in this book before picking it up. I typically do not look at them, but I should have for this book as some of the topics were pretty triggering (especially as a parent).

Thank you Netgalley and Redhook Books for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for this ARC e-copy of Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel.

Goddess of the River is a reimagining of the epic Mahabharata’s story of Ganga, the goddess of the river, and the beloved godling son she is cursed to bear. The story follows the ill-fated mother and son duo through the decades, as their decisions shape the future and lead to a catastrophic war.

I should mention that I read Kaikeyi at its debut and loved it, so this book was a “must request” for me. Yet again, I was enthralled by Vaishnavi Patel’s skill, with which she can weave a beautiful and moving first-person portrait of an ancient goddess for a modern audience. A deep love radiates from the pages of this novel that you can’t help but to fully feel. This book is also more complex than Kaikeyi, with more characters, more politics, and more action, all of which require the reader’s full attention.

This adaptation, just like its predecessor is emotional and exceedingly well-written. I look forward to reading whatever this author writes next.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ - GREAT

CW: pregnancy, infanticide, murder, death, period accurate misogyny

Thank you to Redhook Books, Orbit, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!

Vaishnavi Patel, you absolute heartwrecker. I was fortunate enough to read an e-arc of Kaikeyi, which I absolutely loved, and I knew I would love Goddess of the River as well. Absolutely beautiful, ibnedible, and in what I'm beginning to note as a Vaishnavi Patel standout-- an incredibly unreliable narrator, and I love it so.

Ganga is so . . . evocative, in the way she reacts, has feelings, leaps to conclusions, and ignores what she cannot see. *Mind the trigger warnings, and the explanations.* Ganga is living under different norms than we do with knowledge that what she is doing is accurate, yet her actions might still be a breaker for many. She is a goddess, her influence and power restrained to help others, and trapped into a human body for an impulsive act of compassion. She fights all these that are put upon her, fights her anger, fights herself-- and then, completes actions for the good of others with the understanding of why that is the "right" thing to do.
Her son is both as clear-eyed and as unreliable as she, caught between his duties and his love for his family. The Mahabharata likely goes into far deeper depth for him (being far longer), but I appreciated what was shown and represented for him.

Rounded up from 4.5!

I was so excited to receive this ARC after reading and adoring Kaikeyi and I was not disappointed.
Goddess of the River is a retelling of the story of the river Ganga and her son Bhishma and how they both navigate their lives in being both mortal and human. Patel shows the contrast between being fluid like water and hard like stone within the mother and sons relationship and sees how one can change the other.
It is so refreshing to experience gods and goddesses from a culture that I am not as familiar with (Indian) but to also have it from a women’s perspective which are so often overlooked and steamrolled by the “more powerful” men. Goddess of the River shows this especially with Ganga’s journey with Shiva.
It is truly a beautiful book and I look forward to so many more from her!

This wasn’t a quick read for me. I was engaged in the story for the first third or so, and then it got bogged down so much that my progress slowed to a crawl. Still, learning about Indian culture and beliefs was fascinating, and I loved Patel’s characterization of women, especially through the eyes of Ganga herself. There’s an interesting duty versus justice theme that really makes you think.

I think if the plot summary has indicated how much war would be the focus, I would have chosen a different book.
3.5 stars, rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for the complimentary copy. My review is entirely voluntary.

Goddess of the River reminds me why it is to the benefit of the reader and the speculative fiction genre to publish stories that are rooted in a diverse array of traditions, yet rooted in themes that resonate with everyone. This book takes a character from a larger Hindu work - the goddess Ganga- and explores not only her story as god made human made god again, but the repercussions of our actions (whether divine or mortal). It’s an exploration of justice, honor, motherhood, and free will, but never looses its way in becoming too dense or making the reader feel bad. It does what all good folktales and myths do- it sweeps you up in the story and leaves you with something that will stick with you in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for the ARC.

4.5 stars rounded up!

I absolutely adored Kaikeyi from this author and was excited to pick up this work. Goddess of the River tells the story of Ganga, a river goddess, and her son Bhishma throughout their lives as they navigate the messy world of mortals. The book touches on topics of justice, duty, family, and strength. I am not overly familiar with Hinduism or the Mahabharata so cannot speak to how this work relates to the original epic.

Vaishnavi Patel’s strength lies in writing morally nuanced, believable characters - particularly women. I loved the first part of this novel told completely from Ganga’s point of view. I found the frequent time jumps in the later sections of the book to not be as effective as I would have liked but overall the story was easy to follow and engaging throughout.

I will definitely be reading more from this author and will be picking up a physical copy once available. Recommend to all fans of mythology retellings!

Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I am not familiar with the Mahabharata which Goddess of the River retells but I fell in love with this book. It is well written and easy to follow the storyline. I love all things mythology/lore because it gives us insight to cultures we might not be familiar with. This book definitely ranks as one of my best reads so far this year.

This was such a wonderful read, based on the legend of the goddess Ganga and her son. I was not familiar with it and the way the mythology is brought to life is immersing and vibrant. Ganga is a divine river that eventually is cursed to exist as a mortal woman. Despite the limitations of her new form, she still has the power to change the lives and destinies of those around her.

The descriptions of her existence, both as a river and as the beautiful Jahnavi, are lyrical and filled with longing, as Jahnavi gives her husband a son, and strife finds her again, because while she might look mortal, she still has the mind of a goddess, aware of her divine origin, and acts accordingly.

The mix of gorgeous writing and the compelling story and characters has made me a fan of Ms. Patel.

Another great book by Vaishnavi Patel! I have previously read Kaikeyi, also by her and loved it. It retells the story of the Mahabharata from the viewpoint of Ganga, the goddess of the river. It is a story about her and her interaction with humanity due to becoming mortal herself for a time and having a son who lives in the human world. Her son, while having an immortal soul, is a mortal being. Ganga becomes entrenched in the world of the humans, who make many mistakes (chopping down trees, polluting the river, fighting wars, etc.) for the sake of her son. She goes from being a goddess who cares nothing for the humans, and at times dislikes them, to caring for the humans, taking their sins and guilt from them and giving them peace.

The book was well=written, had a good pace, and kept me wanting to read more. I did not like this book as well as Kaikeyi, but was still a good read and I would recommend it to readers who loved Kaikeyi.

I received this book as and ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The prose is lovely, the pacing feels good for the story, and I can see this being a solid three stars, four to five for the right readers. I stopped after chapter 2 (5%).

Beautiful cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for the ARC.