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.

Not the typical historical fiction I go for, but I'm glad I decided to give this a read. This story was really unique and really emotional too. This story was sharp and took a stab at addressing weighty themes. It was a powerful, ambitious read. It made me reflect on what it means to be free, what we are willing to do/sacrifice for that freedom.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[I also recommended this on the June 3rd episode of All the Books]

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion takes place in an alternate version of 1960s India, where British colonists’ brutal crackdown successfully quashed earlier attempts at independence. We meet Kalki as a teenager. Her father’s fight for freedom forced him to flee their home, and Kalki hasn’t heard from him since. Despite his rebellion liking costing his life, Kalki is following in his footsteps, in her own way. While her mother pleads for her to keep herself safe, Kalki is passionate about the fight to free India. We follow her as she gets older and learns how to best contribute to this struggle—and what she’s willing to sacrifice to the cause.

I was a little intimidated to pick this one up, for whatever reason, so I started listening to the audiobook and reading along, initially meaning to just immersive read for the first chapter to get into it. Instead, I ended up reading the whole book like that, and I loved the experience: the audiobook is excellent, and I felt like I understood the story more deeply by reading and listening simultaneously.

This is a stunning read about the realities of fighting for freedom. While this is not the real history of India, in the author’s note, Patel explains that it is all inspired by real-life events. You can really see that complexity in the text: while there may be heroes and villains, most characters are complicated. Good people do terrible things. Terrible people act as allies in key moments.

It also shows the real sacrifice, struggles, and rifts in revolutionary movements. There are many arguments within the resistance about which actions are appropriate, especially when it comes to violence: is killing your oppressor acceptable? What if they’re just a low-level employee? What if it’s in self-defense? Can you bomb a building with no one in it? How much acceptable risk is there if there may be someone in that building? There are no easy answers, and Kalki herself changes her mind multiple times about where her line is.

Throughout the narrative are traditional Indian stories from religion and mythology that offer context and guidance as Kalki makes difficult decisions, including about when violence is necessary and what kind of leadership is needed in peace times.

That’s not the only disagreement between freedom fighters. When we meet Kalki, she and her friend Yashu have both been invited as star students to a government function. While Kalki is sickened by it, Yashu explains she and other people in her caste have had more opportunities under British colonialist leadership than they had prior to it. She’s skeptical that overthrowing the current regime would benefit people of lower castes. It’s a conversation they will return to many times in years to come.

As I read this book, I was reminded of how many SFF dystopian stories we have about young people overthrowing an oppressive government and how few of them are set in our world—as if we have no examples of powers worth opposing. This feels so needed, not just as an understanding of how horrific British colonialism was in the past and its impacts today (though this is an alternate history of India, the government’s actions are all drawn from real history), but also as an example for the kinds of conversations and choices necessary to oppose corruption in our world.

Part of the reason I was originally drawn to Ten Incarnations of Rebellion was because of its queer content, and while that’s true, don’t expect a heartwarming queer romance. Patel is unflinching about the sacrifices and casualties of rebellion, and no one emerges unscathed. I did, however, enjoy the moments of queer solidarity and friendship included. (Side note: I thought of Kalki as bi and demiromantic and/or demisexual: “I’m slow to everything except anger.”)

When you pick this one up, don’t skip the author’s note at the end of the book. Patel explains how she was inspired by India’s freedom fighters, including those in her own family, and how colonialism has left a wake of destruction that still damages today. She also says that she was interested in the complexities of fights like this and how “selfishness and selflessness that go hand in hand in revolution”—Kalki is so devoted to the cause that no relationship with anyone else can come close. As the author’s note says, “Ten Incarnations of Rebellion is a love letter to those who fought and an exhortation to keep fighting. The struggle is never over.”

A fantastic alternate history of an India that didn't throw off British rule in 1947. This novel takes place in 1960s Bombay, now named Kingston, and features an unforgettable, flawed, brave heroine, Kalki Divekar, as she joins the fight for independence in her hometown by building a network of women revolutionaries. The story is told through ten periods in Kalki's life that mirror the ten incarnations of Vishnu, and Patel meticulously crafts the story, showing rather than bludgeoning the reader (I'm looking at you, Babel) with the many evils of colonialism. This is a big story told compactly, full of life, power, and hope. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for a digital review copy.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 6/2/25. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

Kalki Divekar is the daughter of a member of the Indian Liberation Movement who finds herself with the unique opportunity in her adult life to try to achieve the thing her father had been fighting for his whole life, India being free from British colonization. Along side her childhood friends,Fauzia and Yashu, they embark in a decades long dance of acts of resistance that are filled with danger and almost guaranteed death if found out.

This book was so beautifully done. Each chapter was a year in Kalki’s life and what she learned through the ILM movement. While the author has said that this is her imaging of what would have happened if the British were able to enact the techniques of control they learned after being forced out of India, this felt so real and moving. There were multiple times I cried reading this book which to me is a gauge into how much a book affects me. I was cheering for our characters and holding my breath during tense moments. In a time where we’re being asked to confront the harms being done in the world, I hope we are all able to be like Kalki, Fauzia, and Yashu-brave, determined, and demanding that what is right is done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this pre-approved ARC e-copy of Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel.

Set in an alternate universe where India was never liberated from the British, the Ten Incarnations of Rebellion follows Kalki, a woman who sparks a resistance movement that mirrors stories from the Dashavatara.

I have read all of Vaishnavi Patel’s books to date, and this is her most stunning novel yet. The characters, stakes, and writing are all so vivid that it is impossible not to become attached and invested. The way the chapters are formatted only amplify the emotional impact of the story, which is already strong.

This is a marvelous and moving piece of speculative fiction. If you enjoyed this author’s other works, I highly recommend this one, as it is Vaishnavi Patel’s truest work of art.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ - EXCELLENT

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion takes place in an alternate India that was never liberated from the British, and follows Kalki Divekar, the daughter of a rebel, across ten moments from her life as she and her friends foster in a new rebellion.

Alternative historical fiction is always difficult to execute, but Vaishnavi Patel stuck the landing for me with this one. While the book was a bit slow to start, mostly due to needing to establish much of the setup outlined in the synopsis, I quickly grew to love Kalki, her friends, and their cause as the book hit its stride. While events in the story are deeply emotional, the book doesn't concern itself more than absolutely necessary with frivolous emotions, opting instead for stylistic flair through things such as Kalki reciting a myth. I think this can make it difficult to connect more meaningfully with the characters and the story, especially as there's not a wealth of time spent developing them past what's absolutely necessary, but as an artistic decision I do feel these kinds of choices really rounded out the points Patel was trying to make about resilience, about community, and about the greater good.

I think this is a great pick for folks who like historical fiction and can tolerate a bit of a belabored pace, and it's certainly a valuable read on rebellion and the fight for independence.

An alternate history where India was not liberated history and the story of those who kept fighting for that freedom, Ten Incarnations of Rebellion is a massive undertaking on Vaishnavi Patel's part. One that she pulls off stunningly. The pressure and scale of revolution grows with the characters, beginning with seemingly small acts in their teenage years to growing their own revolution as they themselves grow through their twenties. Each chapter is almost a snapshot of each year that Kalki chooses to press for the freedom of her home and its people. Patel captures so well the way that what feels huge at one age changes within a year. It allows a lot of space for change that the reader doesn't see, which at times I found frustrating, but overall offered a wider understanding of time and how long the struggle for independence continued. A novel that is so deeply driven by personal relationships will always be close to my heart and no part of this novel works without the vibrancy of the friendships and families within.

𝑻𝑬𝑵 𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑹𝑬𝑩𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝒃𝒚 𝑽𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒏𝒂𝒗𝒊 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍 is my latest story of rebellious women and revolution that I was able to read and and listen to thanks to @ballantinebooks via @netgalley & #partner @prhaudio. This epic, alternate history story comes out June 3rd.

This is not historical fiction, and yet there are aspects of historically accurate themes in this tale of Indian resistance in a British occupied nation. In this version, the women have been left as the men have all but been taken to fight, but they are not all compliant. Kalki has been born into this system, but her father left behind seeds of resistance that grow up in her.

I absolutely adored Kaikeyi, and was excited to see what else Patel would bring, and I was not disappointed! This is an epic story that uses timeless themes of occupation, repression, sacrifice, revolution, and asks the hard questions of what we are willing to give for freedom. There was no lack of cultural critique of the oppressed in ways of inequality, and even in the varying methods of resistance. I found that aspect kept it from being didactic and even more open to universal applications and thought. It is easy to see the evil in the oppressor (as we should) but sometimes our smaller divisions have similar effects.

I feel like this is a richly drawn novel that cannot be adequately summed up by a short review, but I do want to say how much I loved Kalki and her progression through her journey. It was not a direct line, it was fraught with risk, it was filled with questions & few answers, but I loved where she landed. She was realistically flawed and still found her power.

I really appreciated having the narration of Mayuri Bhandari to help me hear the pronunciations and to do a bit of singing! It is so helpful to hear names and places correctly while reading about places away from my spheres.

I am fascinated by alternative histories. I always have many questions! Overall, this was a moving tale of strength & fortitude while balancing humanity. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Big thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion was everything I expected and more. As a speculative historical fiction novel around the events of India's Independence movement, I had some historical background to go off of, but Patel did a phenomenal job of bringing to light the tactics employed by Britain across the globe in this novel that I was less familiar with. The result was a novel that was emotionally charged on every single page and nearly impossible to put down.

Vaishnavi Patel's story has motivated me to dig deeper into the history of British Colonialism and it's impacts within my own family as well as globally. If a story can do that, it's forever a 5 star review from me! I will not be forgetting Kalki's (or any of the other character's) story any time soon.

This is a great historical fiction novel set in an alternate world where India is still under British colonial rule. It follows Kalki over the course of her life with each chapter reflecting a year. The overall formatting of the book was very interesting to me and despite the important themes that were brought up throughout the novel - it felt as if it was trying to do too much at once? I don't really have the right words to express that. However, don't let that deter you from giving this a go. Vaishnavi Patel is a great writer!

Alternate histories are always very hard to pull off and the author does a fairly commendable job here. Due to the ties with Indian mythology and Indian history, the book may not appeal to everyone but I loved the premise and the innovative concept of using the 10 incarnations of Vishnu.

I really wanted to love this one, but sadly it isn’t working for me. Kaikeyi is one of my favorite books, so when I saw another book by this author I jumped on the chance to read it. I definitely think this is more a me problem than a book problem.

This is well written and the prose is beautiful, exactly what I would expect from this author. The story is interesting and the characters seem well developed.

I think if you’re a fan of historical fiction, enjoy the idea of a reimagined history, and don’t mind a slower plot or long chapters this could work for you.

I’m DNFing at 55% - long chapters & slower pacing rarely work for me and this is one of those cases where I just can’t seem to get into the story.

I will absolutely be reading more from this author in the future and really do think she's very talented, this was just the wrong book for me personally.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC. I don't know how to rate this book. I was super excited to read this because I loved Vaishnavi Patel's previous books. This book covers super important topics, and I think Vaishnavi Patel has a lot of important stuff to say about the fight for freedom and independence. However, while I really like our three main characters, the actual book itself is kind of slow in the beginning, and it is only towards the end that I started to feel something. I guess I just expected more from the author because I truly believe she is a good writer, but in this book, everything just feels so distant, and the pace is a bit strange due to the book being divided into ten long chapters which cover ten years of time. While I am familiar with the myths of the Dashavatara, I am uncertain whether the choice to structure the book was a good choice, because in some chapters the connection was clear, while in others it was not as clear. I still think this is an important book to read.

Over to others. This is a richly imagined novel of alternate history that's broken into ten chapters meant to represent the ten incarnations of Vishnu. Kalki's father disappeared while leading a rebellion and now she's taken up the cause. It's 1960s alternate India and Patel weaves in Indian cultural beliefs and mythology to tell her story. Unfortunately, I felt much of this was going over my head, probably because I was struggling to relate Patel to what I know of India. That's on me, not her. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm sure this will resonate with many.

2.75⭐️ rounded up

A historical fiction based in an alternate 1960's history where India remained under British control. It's time for the Rebellion.

Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 11 hours and 42 minutes
🎤: Mayuri Bhandari
In relation to the audiobook, I found it to be done very well. It was clear and concise, and the narrator did an excellent job creating an emotional atmosphere within the novel. I didn't have any problems with their dictation or the way they spoke and I was able to listen at the same preferred speed during the duration of the novel.

Themes:
🥀: Rising up against colonization
🥀: Resistance in the face of oppression
🥀: The true meaning and cost of freedom

Representation:
☀️: South Asian Cast
☀️: Queer main and side characters
☀️: Chapters mirror the 10 Avatars of Vishnu

Tropes:
💗: Found Family
💗: Child picking up the mantle of the parents rebellion

🥵: Spice: 🚫 light kissing only
Potential Triggers: check authors website/social media

Short Synopsis:
Kalki has grown up in Kingston, which was built out of the ashes of Bombay by the British. Living her entire life under British rule, where Indians thought of as the "lesser" people, Kalki is used to flying under the radar. Having lost not only her father, but friends and loved ones to British occupation, Kalki decides that it is time for her to pick up the rebellion from the elder generations. Starting with small acts of resistance, Kalki soon builds a group who also feels it's time to make a stand. Freedom, at last.

General Thoughts:
This book is actually a very hard one to rate. While I feel like the themes and subject matter are extremely important, and that everybody needs to have books with this type of content on their TBR, this novel fell so extremely flat for me. In this instance there's not any one large issue that created problems for me, but a subtle building of numerous issues overtime that just led up to a poor reading experience for me.

I did really enjoy our main character Kalki. She was strong and really presented a lasting emotional response. The way she struggled with her own thoughts and ideas versus what was better for the greater good came across as very realistic. Her strong sense of loyalty to her family, as well as to her cause was commendable and unwavering.

I also really enjoyed the way that this story was formatted and written. Each chapter covered a pivotal point in Kalki's life over the 10 year duration of this novel. They were also modeled after the 10 Avatars of Vishnu. I found this an extremely unique and fresh way to blend Indian culture and heritage with a novel that is set in an alternate history.

This book did really present some challenges for me. I had a very hard time with the overall pacing of this novel. I found myself constantly bored and searching for something else to do while reading this book. I was constantly pulled out of the story by lulls in any kind of action that we were receiving. I also felt like a lot of what could've been action sequences were done behind the scenes instead of detailed to the reader. For example, numerous times we were told that the fight for independence was closing in on an end. However, I didn't see any of the major disruptions made towards the British that were resulting in this inevitable "win". We were just told it was coming.

This story did pick up slightly towards the last 25% of the book. But at that point I had been so disinterested for the majority of the book that it was hard to muster up the energy to be excited about the ending. I will say that the ending, despite the lack of energy, was emotional.

That is not to say this novel cannot be enjoyed by others. Readers who are OK with a slower pace as well as less detailed action sequences in a historical fiction might find this to be right up their alley.

Disclaimer: I read this book as a free audiobook through the Penguin Random House audiobook influencer club and a eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thanks first and foremost to NetGalley and Kathleen at Penguin Random for pre-approving me to read and review this eARC.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion's publication date is next week, and I'm thrilled to share my perspective on this novel, as I have read and thoroughly enjoyed other works of Patel's.

This novel is an alternative version of historical events wherein India does not gain independence until the 1960s, and much of the history we know today about that era in Indian history is erased and/or re-written. Patel asked what might have happened if India had remained under British rule for a couple extra decades - how may that have shaped the India we know today, and the India of yesteryear. Patel explores themes of family, grief, revenge, justice, revolution, love, queerness, gender ideals and roles, and much more in Ten Incarnations. These themes are explored in depth, often from varied perspectives. This worked incredibly well, as did the unexpected folks along the way whose minds were shifted by Kalki and her crew, or by the way they saw the British treating Indians on a daily basis.

While none of the reveals were surprising for me, this could be a really fun engagement for many readers, as the bread crumbs Patel leaves aren't overly obvious, I don't think. (I blame having a spicy brain with pattern recognition always on 1000)

There wasn't quite as much depth to some of the characters as I'd have liked, particularly given this novel is primarily character-driven. I didn't feel as connected to the characters, their aims, their dreams, their arcs, as I'd have liked to have been, but not every novel is a perfect fit for every reader.

Nonetheless, this novel is a solid imagining and revisiting of historical events that took place, revolution and rebellion, and themes of resistance and oppression, including in some ways that continue to impact India and the rest of the subcontinent.

The lower ranking doesn't reflect the impact that this novel has and can have, but simply how well it worked for me. This novel is slower-paced than I prefer, and is a bit more politically dense than I'd prefer, lowering the intrigue factor for me significantly. Regardless, I'll continue to read from Patel, and look forward to hearing how others feel about this novel!

CWs: graphic - colonization; moderate - death, death of a parent, sexism, police brutality, sexual harassment; minor - homophobia, sexual assault, torture

This is a bold and imaginative alternate history that reimagines 1960s India under continued British colonial rule. The novel follows Kalki Divekar, a young woman from Kingston as she becomes a central figure in a covert resistance movement. Structured around ten pivotal moments in Kalki’s life, the narrative weaves together mythological symbolism and political rebellion.

Vaishnavi Patel has done it again. I devoured this book in one sitting. The use of the ten avatars of Vishnu as a way to arrange the story was so unexpected but a literary delight to read (don't worry, you don't need any existing knowledge to enjoy this book). This story is full of female rage and rebellion, and my personal favorite, destroying colonialism brick by brick. The romantic subplot was well-done and had me screaming and crying. I couldn't recommend this story more and I adored it.

If you liked Babel by R.F. Kuang, or V for Vendetta, Ten Incarnations of Rebellion weaves a related story. One of an alternate history of India where the British manage to hold on to their colonial rule. Where they - as any colonizing force in history does - take a patronizing stance toward those they subdue in the name of "this is better for them than what they were doing on their own before we came to help them find the light." Not a quote, that line, but more a sentiment.

What we get to read are the ten moments in Kalki's life that mark her finding, participating in, and eventually leading a resistance-turned-rebellion. What we get to read are all of the smaller moments of selfishness and selflessness and love and heartbreak and betrayal that shape Kalki and Fauzia and Yashua. These three women take the embers of resistance and fan the flames, creating smoke and fire.

This is one of those books that is hard to read because it is rooted in history and the present. What we see here has happened, is happening, and will happen again. But what we look for is a reason to push back, to dream for better.

Who gets to measure the cost of freedom and determine if it is worth the price? Does it matter our motivations for taking part (or not)? In the end, Ten Incarnations of Rebellion leaves us with the story of women who take on power, brick by brick, and dare to try for freedom.