The protagonist, Kalki named after the prophesied 10th avatar of Vishnu (the Protector in the Hindu Trinity) is reimagined as a woman drawn into a powerful and dangerous liberation movement.

What sets this story apart is its setting: an alternate version of 1960s India where British colonial rule still persists. The author does a tremendous job of exploring themes like colonialism, revolution, and rebellion through a realistic as well as mythological lens. This blend of speculative fiction, history, and myth is the book’s greatest strength, its unique perspective is its true USP.

Thank you to Random House and Ballantine Books for the gifted copy.

This is a historical fiction set in an alternate world where India is still under British control. It follows Kalki throughout her life and how she fights for the freedom and helps liberate her people. I feel like the themes and subject of the book are very important. However, I don't think this books was for me. As I read, it felt very flat and the pacing was to sow for me. I think the writing style of the book made it hard for me to push through it.
If you like a historical fiction book that features a stark tone that allows the reader to ponder about the characters struggles, internal and external, with heavy themes of sacrifice and resistance, then this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for an eARC for my honest review.

Patel is a gorgeous writer! Her new book is set in an alternate-1960’s India that has not yet gained independence from Britain. The setting is rich, layered, and feels like a main character in its own right. The book follows the daughter of a missing revolutionary as she and her friends start a revolution of their own. I loved the book's structure: it is split into ten chapters, each mirroring the ten avatars of Vishnu. I think this book will be a bit polarizing as it is less about individual characters and more about about the building blocks of revolution. I loved it!

There are lots of reasons to like this alternate history novel about the Indian rebellion and their achievement of independence from the British. The book is set in the 1960s and as the author explains in the author’s note at the end of the book, India actually gained independence in the 1940s. The main characters are some very clever and dedicated women which also makes the historical fiction unique. The book progresses through the incarnations presented as stages that the main character, Kalki goes through in her emotional and leadership growth. Not only is the history interesting, but the themes of friendship, oppression and strong female leaders make this book creative and well worth reading. The author’s research is impressive.
Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

I’ve been a fan of Vaishnavi Patel’s work since reading Kaikeyi, and Ten Incarnations of Rebellion absolutely delivers on the powerful, thought-provoking storytelling I’ve come to expect from her. This novel blends alternate history with Hindu mythology in such a bold and imaginative way.

Patel doesn’t shy away from showing the brutal impacts of colonialism or the difficult moral choices that come with fighting injustice. The story is full of tension, love, sacrifice, and the constant push to reimagine a better world. I especially loved how the bits of mythology at the end of each chapter tied into Kalki’s journey—those moments really deepened the emotional weight of the story.

This book is a beautiful, layered reminder that we can’t simply return to the past—we have to break systems of oppression and build something new in their place.

Many thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the eARC!

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Set in an alternate history version of India where they did not become independent from British rule in 1947. Kalki Divekar is living in Mumbai where the oppressive British still control by oppression and violence. Many people in her life have been lost from the hunt for rebels and young men are taken by the military. Kalki and her friends decide to take on jobs within the government to try to destroy the enemy from within.

I really enjoyed this book. Vaishnavi Patel is a great author. Right now stories about rebellion and fighting oppression feel more relevant than ever. Kalki is strong, smart and determined. The book did start a little slow but quickly I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. There were a few choices having to deal with a particular character that I didn't love but won't spoil that in my review. Overall this is a very impactful book about doing the right thing in what feels like impossible circumstances. I will be highly recommending it to my fellow book lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was different from Patel’s previous work! I enjoyed the pivot into speculative fiction from more traditional fantasy, although enjoyed the sojourns into legends we got to see in this narrative. I found the cast of characters very compelling & in particular seeing a group of women cast as the revolutionaries was fantastic. There were moments that I was so worried for them I just couldn’t put my kindle down! This cements Patel as an always buy author for me.

In an alternate history version of India, they are still under British rule in the 1960s. Kalki Divekar has grown up in Kingston (built on the ashes of Bombay), under oppression and with now hope of change as many rebels, including her father, were banished years ago. As she grows up she realizes freedom is something you sometimes have to take into your own hands. She and a group of friends decide to begin a new independence movement using their jobs with the British colonists to help undermine their regime. As the movement grows, and more and more difficult decisions must be made, Kalki has to decide if it’s more important to be a hero or a survivor!

I will admit to knowing very little of the true events surrounding India’s independence. I have read a few other fiction stories that happen around that time in the area, but that’s about it. That being said, it did drag and was a bit drawn out for me. I’m not sure if it was just my experience around reading it (I read a large chunk at one time on a long plane flight) or just the story itself. I think as a whole it was a good story, and I liked some of the growth and discoveries about freedom/independence that were discussed towards the end, but it sometimes felt difficult to get there. I think this book has a place on the shelf, I’m just not sure if I was the right audience to appreciate it.

If you enjoy alternate history, or freedom fighting stories with twists, espionage, close calls, touch choices, and sacrifices, give this one a try. It was published today, so you can get it at your favorite book buying location!
Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.
#NetGalley #TenIncarnationsOfRebellion

Happy Pub Day to this subversive work of alternate history. It's no secret that I ADORED Kaikeyi, but I was lukewarm on Goddess of River. So I was hesitant about Vaishnavi Patel's departure from wronged women of Hindu mythology all the way to alternate colonial history of India. Not gonna lie, I was disappointed that even with the title of the book and the chapters, this book, in fact IS NOT connected to the mythology of Vishnu avatars, one of my favorite parts of Hindu mythology. The connection is largely metaphorical references and the very loose connection that the protagonist is named Kalki, the purported Vishnu avatar yet to come at the end of the current Kali Yuga. Given the author's previous works, I don't think it was too presumptuous to expect a cool fantastical take on it. So I definitely grumbled and slogged through the first half or so, as the story does the tedious work of creating an alternate version of 1960s Bombay where the British never left and used colonial oppression tactics they used elsewhere to solidify their control of a "modernizing" India and Indians. Eventually I realized it's a coming of age story of sorts, with Kalki as the face of a nation that finds the spark of rebellion in the ashes of failed movements (and dusty bookstore and archives, heck yeah), until it grows into a proper revolution, primarily led by women. Paraphrasing the author's note, it is about all the "selfish and selfless" choices required on the journey to galvanizing and freeing a nation, one that can be easily turned on itself as a tactic of long term colonizers. Kalki and her friends and compatriots are an incredibly intersectional group of revolutionaries, the kind that a more contemporary Indian can find accessible and relatable. They're working women, queer folx, Dalits, democratizing/sympathetic Brits, and those who kept the flame of all revolutions past alive in priceless ephemera. That said, I wish the setting wasn't the 1960s but a more contemporary timeframe that could provide a much needed perspective on where India is right now. A lot of this reminded me of the early 2000s Bollywood film, Rang De Basanti, that was a cultural reset for many Indian youth about reclaiming the spirit of Indian freedom fighters to hold corrupt leaders accountable. A film that would never pass the censors in the current political climate in India. And yet, I got extremely emotional when Kalki and her friends suffer the devastating consequences of revolutionary action, much like the characters of the movie, which was super formative for me. The Indian Independence struggle is one in living memory, so you would be hard pressed to find someone whose grandparents were part of that struggle who WOULDN'T get emotional. Patriotic songs of independence will never not make me cry, and even with all my nitpicks about the book, I absolutely sobbed when a particularly favorite one is used in a galvanizing moment towards the end. Personally, it made me even more emotional because in this alternate history, queer people are front and center, as they have been in every revolution everywhere. It made me realize how much of our queer history was also something we lost to colonialism, even the visibility of queerness in the actual history of Indian Independence. Was this a particularly daring take on colonialism and sectarianism in India? Not really. But was this a reminder that the struggle for liberation has to be intersectional and is never over? Absolutely. So thankful to Netgalley for the free ebook! Can't wait to see what Vaishnavi does next!

This book is absolutely amazing. The plot and pacing are really well-written. The characters in this book are realistic and three dimensional. This book has a very realistic portrayal of rebellion—the sacrifices it takes and the way it is executed. The structure of the book is really interesting and really elevates the plot. This book is an engaging read and I highly recommend it.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel is a beautifully written and emotionally powerful story that completely pulled me in. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after the last page. I honestly didn’t want it to end.

3.5/5 stars

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion is an ambitious, thought-provoking novel set in a fictional India that never gained independence from Imperial Britain. At its center is Kalki, a young woman who takes up her father’s legacy to lead a rebel movement in a country still under colonial rule. She fights for a freedom she’s never known, unaware of the true cost such a fight demands.

Like Patel’s debut Kaikeyi, this story is rich with emotional depth and political urgency, but Ten Incarnations takes on even bigger questions: Can a revolution succeed without violence? What is the real cost of freedom? Who pays that price? The novel doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it leans into the complexity—showing how those who begin the fight often don’t live to see its results, and how the very connections we try to protect can also become our greatest motivations.

Patel explores themes of sacrifice, justice, colonialism, caste, gender, and class with nuance, often forcing the reader to sit with discomfort. The book’s greatest strength lies in its willingness to wrestle with these moral gray areas. As Kalki begins to question whether her complete devotion to the cause is sustainable, we’re reminded that revolutions aren’t only fueled by ideology, but by people—and the bonds they form along the way.

That said, I did find myself wanting more from the world-building and secondary characters. The setting—an alternate imperial India—is fascinating, but it never quite comes alive in the way it could have. Some character arcs also felt a bit underdeveloped, which made it harder to fully invest in the emotional stakes.

Still, Ten Incarnations of Rebellion is a bold, timely story that raises powerful questions about justice, legacy, and resistance. It doesn’t flinch away from the cost of change, and it lingers long after the final page. It's not a perfect book, but it’s an important one—and one I’m glad I read.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite a difficult book to review. Sometimes alternate history is confusing if you know the actual history. Imagine India in 1960, still a colony of Britain , with the religious divisions and caste system still intact and Britain being terrible overlords.
It will take some strong women to keep the spark of rebellion alive.
Kalki has grown up without her father as he was part of an earlier rebellion. when she finds out he is still alive and expects her to carry on as a rebel, it changes her life.
She is quite a complex character, and as we follow her and her two fellow rebels, we see what it takes.
The structure of the book is quite interesting as each section is a year and an incarnation that has a story myth told as a metaphor for what is happening in Kalki's life. I found it quite interesting.
There are many moral issues that. come up when one is fighting a rebellion, and Kalki must deal with them within herself. Sacrifices must be made and many around her do exactly that.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. These are my honest opinions.

3.5 stars. Vaishnavi Patel delivers a powerful and thought-provoking reimagining of myth and history in The Ten Incarnations of Rebellion. With lyrical prose and a fierce, feminist lens, Patel masterfully explores themes of identity, resistance, and transformation through vivid characters and a gripping narrative. This novel is both intimate and epic, blending the mythic with the personal in a way that is both emotionally resonant and intellectually compelling. A bold and beautifully crafted work that solidifies Patel as a leading voice in contemporary speculative fiction.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this digital e-arc.*

I read this book back in January and I think I have thought about this book at least weekly since then. In 1960s Kingston, a city built on the ashes of Bombay in a world where the British continue to occupy India, a young woman named Kalki must struggle to survive and hope for a better future.

Told in ten chapters that both mimic major events in Kalki’s life as well as the ten avatars of Vishnu, the writing really blew me away while reading. There are some truly powerful moments and I stopped to reread several passages. While this is a reimagining of historical events, the themes of resistance and fighting oppression feel incredibly timely today, along with the importance of believing in hope.

Kalki herself is such a strong and well developed character. I really felt her emotions as she begins to secretly plan a renewed independence movement. I really loved how each moment in Kaliki’s life built up a rebellion and a fight for independence. The ensemble characters were also incredibly well written and reading about what each character has endured made me emotional at times. Overall, this was a fantastic book from Vaishnavi Patel! The characters have depth and story is well plotted while discussing themes that are very relevant today.

Add this one to your TBRs, because this is a strong contender for one of my favorite books of 2025.

This is my first time reading Vaishnavi Patel and I was NOT disappointed. I loved the organization of the story over the 10 years of our protagonist’s life. This story was bold, creative, and chock-full of girl power. I also felt that the alternative historical context propelled the plot forward and raised the stakes just enough to pull me in. Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this story. I look forward to reading more of Patel’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A few months ago, I was invited to preview Vaishnavi Patel’s new novel Ten Incarnations of Rebellion. Though I wasn’t sure I would have time to read it before it was released, I found the premise intriguing – alternate histories are often interesting but I wasn’t sure I was familiar enough with the actual history to truly appreciate an alternate history. However, after I started listening to the Empire podcast (starting from the beginning because that’s just how I listen), I decided I had to read it and I’m so glad I did (and did so with those first handful of Empire episodes so fresh in my memory). Exploring a version of India where British colonial rule cracked down more in the early 20th century and partition didn’t happen in the wake of WWII, Ten Incarnations of Rebellion follows one young woman’s journey in her rebel father’s footsteps as she begins taking action against the British in an alternate version of Mumbai that Patel calls Kingston.

At nineteen, Kalki Divekar engages in her first outright act of rebellion against the British in Kingston though she’s been itching to do something ever since her father disappeared before the British could arrest him as a traitor. Hesitant and cautious at first, each successful transgression, each chance taken that pays off, causes Kalki’s anger and drive for independence to grow exponentially. But not everything goes according to plan and the British with their propaganda are adept and turning the people of Kingston and India against each other, preventing them from building a united force that could actually defeat them. But as Kalki’s confidence and skills grow, so do those of the movement that she finds herself playing a key role in growing and guiding. Kalki and her friends are determined that it’s a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ their efforts will ultimately succeed but will they and those who have been fighting alongside them live long enough to see freedom and independence?

One of my favorite things about Ten Incarnations of Rebellion is how Patel structured it. Broken into ten chapters, each begins with a lesson Kalki learns and ends with a myth that ties it all together as well. This structure helps keep the novel’s pace moving as well as thematically on point. The description mentions that the structure is also a “mirror the Dashavatara, the ten avatars of Vishnu,” and, though I am not familiar enough with Hinduism to appreciate all the nuances that Patel almost certainly worked in through the stories chosen, I understand enough to know how much it helps reinforce the novel’s solid foundation.

Once again, I have to return to the fact that the novel is an alternate history. While it helps to be familiar with the history of India in the 20th century (and I’m incredibly glad that I ended up listening to those Empire episodes when I did, given how little history of India we learn as part of the US history curriculum), I don’t think it is necessary to be fully familiar with that history to follow and appreciate the world Patel has created, it does add layers to a strong narrative with compelling characters. It’s strong enough to stand alone, in part, because of the research that Patel conducted and which she alludes to in her author’s note. While the timeline is altered from India’s actual history, so many of the events and tactics of the rebellion are still rooted in true events and fights against colonialism and oppression that they carry their weight.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion is available tomorrow, June 3, 2025.

A very interesting alternative reality book.

What if Britain had remained in power rather than India becoming independent? This book follows that premise. We have a young woman, hoping to bring down the British Coloniel Rule from the inside. Each chapter represents one year in her life and so much happens within each chapter!

An intriguing book that takes on life, death, happiness, and tragedy. Much deeper than many of the books I read. Well thought out and makes you think about many what ifs in history and in life.

Wow! This book was phenomenal. It started a little slow but by the end it had ripped my heart out, stomped on it, and then made me feel hopeful. An alternate history of what would have happened if India had failed to gain their independence from British Colonization. The book follows Kalki, a young Indian girl who has only ever known British rule. We see her learn many hard lessons as she grows into a woman who cannot stand by and let her people continue to suffer. There is love and loss, there are triumphs and failures, and we see plenty of despair, but also hope. This was definitely a five star read and I highly recommend it. I will read anything that Vaishnavi Patel writes.