Vaishnavi Patel says it herself: it’s quite a challenge to condense a 2 million word epic down to a 400-page novel. For that, and for introducing new audiences to the Mahabharata, she deserves endless accolades.

That said, I don’t think Goddess of the River is as successful as Kaikeyi. The latter (Patel’s feminist reimagining of the Ramayana) was one of my favorite reads of 2022, in large part because of how Patel made one of the story’s classic villains a sympathetic, complex character that one could easily imagine had been the victim of having been written by male authors.

Goddess, however, I think wanted more to say. Perhaps it suffers, thematically, wrapped up though it is in its frustrating exploration of justice and dharma (duty), primarily through Ganga’s mortal godling son, Bhishma, who repeatedly chooses to make choices and support leaders he knows are wrong, because he holds keeping his word above all else. Mostly, though, I wanted more from Ganga herself - instead she is largely sidelined for most of the second half of the story.

Still, an impressive feat, and one well worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WARNING: Read the content warnings and the authors note before picking up this book.

Patel has delivered another successful introspective character-driven examination of well-known mythical characters... this time the Mahabharata. This time we have two POV characters from the ancient historical and religious text. The story examines bodily autonomy, personal responsibility, and morality. I found Ganga's POV much more compelling, and I believe that is for two main reasons. Devavrata's POV doesn't appear until well into the narrative. Also, there is an immediacy of Ganga's voice that is missing from her son's chapters. Despite this, the books is incredibly emotional and has a lot to say about intent, impact, choices, and consequences.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Vaishnavi Patel does it again with a stunning retelling of a story that I was not familiar with prior to reading, but am now absolutely in love with. Her writing is lyrical and wonderful and captures the attention and imagination with every word. My only complaint is not really one of quality, but simply that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who throughout the plot, but I think the large cast was handled as well as it could have been given the source material and my lack of knowledge.

If you love fantasy, especially historical fantasy, you'll love this. It is a triumph of fantastical meets reality and blends seamlessly the power of gods with the power of humans, especially those with born privilege. No choice is easy or clear and the consequences are always brutal, with some characters trying (and often failing) to live the best way they can while others accept their plot as a villain in others' story and lean into it. The conflict is painful and the results bloody but my god is the story beautiful and amazing along the way.

Highly recommend this and Kaikeyi by the same author.

I really enjoyed this book. I love reading about Indian mythology and I love the way that the author writes. I cannot wait to read more!

Vaishnavi Patel has done it again! She weaves the intricate beautiful stories of Hindu mythology into gorgeous stories everyone will love

“No flood or drought or earthquake could wreak the havoc that humanity had accomplished all on its own.”

I really enjoy mythical retellings, especially when a new twist is put on them to tell the story from a fresh perspective. Goddess of the River is a reimagined take on Ganga’s story from The Mahabharata, and it was clear that significant research concerning geological features also went into the writing of the book.

“There were no good choices in this world, only the weight of those choices.”

I really enjoyed the push and pull in this book. The reader really feels the weight of duty and responsibility, as well as the internal conflict when it comes to keeping vows versus moral goodness. Throughout the book, characters are faced with difficult decisions that put them at war (both figuratively and literally) with themselves and with others. As they reflect on past decisions, they also must face the consequences of those choices. Even deified characters are not exempt from this push and pull, and there are so many shades of gray as more and more choices lead to a war that feels almost inevitable.

I love Patel’s writing style and how she weaves new threads of stories into existing canonic cultural tapestries, telling the tales from perspectives that are missing from the originals. The characters are incredibly flawed, and yet I couldn’t help but relate to many of them in different ways. I felt one’s helplessness over not knowing how to fix a situation as it gets progressively more complicated, as well as another’s internal battle to do what is right while also upholding honor and dignity. I didn’t necessarily agree with the choices they made, but I could understand why they made them.

I definitely recommend this book, but also suggest readers check the content warnings, as there are several.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was my first time reading a book from Vaishnavi Patel, and it did not disappoint. I loved the prose in this book, as well as the exploration of the relationship between a mother and her children. Definitely recommend for anyone who loves mythological retellings.

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Retelling

› In the content warning at the beginning of Goddess of the River, Patel said, "Goddess of the River is my examination of the story (the Mahabharata) through the eyes of two difficult, complex characters, and a contemplation on the nature of power and the responsibilities of those who wield it."
Reviewers familiar with the Mahabharata say this is not factual, and that Ganga asked Shiva for help. This made him look like a villain, and I'm not quite sure how that served Patel's retelling.
› Ganga is well-developed but for the last half of the book, she feels like a side character acting as our eyes to the story. I wanted her to be making decisions and I wanted to see how HER actions were affecting the plot. I did like that all of the characters are morally grey, however, many of the characters were boring and underdeveloped. I couldn't picture what they looked like, they lacked characteristics to enable me to differentiate between them.

› I didn't care about the cousins, so I did not care about the war. I liked the world-building and description, but I wanted more. The writing is eloquent with a good dialogue style. The timeline jumping was confusing and I didn't enjoy the parts written in the third person, however, I enjoyed the first-person point of view from Ganga. I felt confused about many of the character's motivations and the side-character plot line. I found the middle boring and the ending anticlimactic. The novel is unique, however I didn't feel compelled to pick it up and had a hard time finishing it. Overall, this was a good read for me. I think it would have been better as a series.
APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: Intricately plotted, character-driven, nonlinear, sweeping, tragic
Pace: unhurried
Tone: emotional, heartwrenching, sad, mystical, magical, challenging
Writing Style: descriptive, lush, richly detailed
Character: brooding, complex, flawed, strong female, diverse, multiple points of view

Read Alikes:
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lyn Tan
The Bear and the Nightengale by Katherine Arden
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
Circe by Madeline Miller

› Final Thoughts
• Goddess of the River is an ambitious story about a mother and son's complicated relationship, jealousy, greed, the burden of responsibility, and the corruption of power. I'm looking forward to reading more from Vaishnavi Patel.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Vaishnavi Patel is a master storyteller and to me on par with Madeleine Miller when it comes to historical/mythological retellings.

Just like Kaikeyi, Ganga's narrative is engrossing and hypnotic, every sentence so beautifully crafted that I want to drink the book up.

Safe to say Patel is my forever auto-buy.

As someone who loves everything mythology, this book felt like a perfect fit!

I was absolutely captivated from the start of this story, with all of the beautiful imagery. It was very easy to get into, and it kept me hooked from the start!

This story follows Ganga, the river goddess sent to be the caretaker for those who roam across her banks. It encapsulates feminine rage, and the overall desire to connect with something that was lost.

Patel’s sophomore book, Goddess of the River is a retelling of the story of Ganga, the river goddess. It is the story of Ganga and her mortal son and the way in which fates are shaped in synchrony with the course of her river.

Goddess of the River is masterfully told and captivating. The beginning and the end were very, very well done in my opinion but the middle lost my interest and I am shattered to report anything but praise for the mind behind Kaikeyi.

Goddess of the River features the stories of the Pandava brothers and some of the Mahabharata and being someone who is familiar with this story, I still found the middle bits of Goddess of the River confusing as is bound to happen with most high fantasies due to the winding arcs and web of characters.

Patel has a gift and her writing always leaves me mesmerized.

Unfortunately, I could not complete this book because it was not enjoyable. Thank you for the opportunity, NetGalley.

I really enjoyed reading this book and the fact that it is Indian mythology is even better. The only thing was that I would get confused at times w/ time line.

Goddess of the River starts with the same immersive scene setting I saw in Kaikayi. I was immediately drawn in to Ganga's story. This story is an exploration of motherhood, connections, and the meaning of honor. I really loved the initial part exploring Ganga's experiences and growth with challenges she faced. I loved Ganga and Bhishma as characters. What lowered my rating was the middle portion which was a bit more slowly paced and took some time for me to move through. The story is beautifully written, and I will continue to read anything that Vaishnavi Patel writes in the future.

I am going to be completely honest in that I DNF'd this book - HOWEVER - that is no fault to the book but rather my abhorrent reading slump i am currently going through. What i read i found very intriguing and I will be picking this back up!

This book was nothing like what I expected it to be. I loved returning to Patels storytelling, yet this was so very different from Kaikevi. This is a story about the differences between duty and Justice.
It's also about how a diety changes over the course of lifetimes as well as how we as humans; and parents can want so much for our children, but we have to accept the choices they make as individuals. I love learning about these epics from Patel, and I appreciate the beautiful South Asian setting. I can't wait for more from her.

I read this book on Mother’s Day and found it to be the perfect book for the occasion. A mother unwavering love for her son through countless tragic events. I story of love, loss, grief, power, resilience, war, & so much more. So grateful to have had the chance to read this early!

If you enjoyed Kaikeyi, then this book will be for you. We follow the river Ganga, who once lived as a god in the heavens, until Shiva anchored her to the earth. She watches as humanity begins to settle into settlements and then cities along her river banks, becoming more and more discomfited watching as the humans use the earth for themselves without thought of what they are destroying. She is accompanied by Vasus, godlings, who are connected to nature. But after the Vasus pull a prank, a sage curses them because, and when Ganga defends them, he curses her as well, committing her to a fate as a mortal until she can save the Vasus.
This was a great retelling the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, seen through Ganga's lens. I think the author did an excellent job of making the story accessible and engaging. I am an outlier who enjoys Patel's books but doesn't find the writing as lyrical and beautiful as many others do; I find it a little on the drier side. Still a book most readers should enjoy, especially those who enjoy mythological retellings.

4/5 ⭐️

This was my first book by this author and won’t be my last. I had heard great things about Kaikeyi from friends and knew when I got the ARC of Goddess of the River I had to read it. The authors writing in this book makes you feel as if you are one of the characters particularly Ganga the main goddess of the story. There were time that I had to just pause because the writing was that descriptive. Please pay attention to the CW in the beginning, I did not and when it got to chapters 8-10 I was caught off guard immensely. My only issue with this book was the interchanging of character names. A few have multiple names they are referenced by and at times in the story, both names would be mentioned in a singular paragraph. It would seem slightly confusion in the beginning but did ease with time.


Thank you NetGalley for a complementary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. The way this author writes the main character is heartbreaking, you FEEL everything she goes through and its a lot.
I am not familiar with the Mahabharata which is what this story is based on, but the way this story was told made me feel so connected to the characters and the story that I want to read more of not only this authors work, but also of the source material itself. I immediately went to the store and not only purchased this book but also Kaikeyi with hopes that it will be even half as good as this one.

I know I havent said much, but to all the folks that enjoyed Circe, this should be right up your alley.