4.25 stars for 10 incredible acts of rebellion!!

Set in an alternate history where India is still under colonial rule by the British, and one girl lights the spark that inspires ten years of action to win back her country. I was inspired and fired up, learned so much about India's history and culture, and brought to the edge of alllll the emotions while reading this! Our heroine Kalki, her roommate and best friend Fauzia, and the women of Bombay slowly and surely rise up against their oppressors in the ways that only women can. Each act of rebellion is tied to the story one avatar of Vishnu, a perfect metaphor for the work of these powerful women!

I'm truly just walking away from this inspired and emotional and having a hard time with words, but this was incredible! Thanks so much to Vaishnavi Patel and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The struggle is never over.

An intriguing historical fiction read in which what would have happened if India had never gained their independence from the British. I can’t say I was well informed of their history so I did some research and wow, the author really did well in making an alternate reality in this book. I love how she weaves that with mythology.

The messages of this book are ones that are still true with the oppression we see happening around the world. At what point do people start rebelling and how? What is considered rebellion and is there a correct way to do it?

I loved seeing how little by little, Kalki starts laying the seeds from the inside to start the rebellion. It really shows you how any little bit of activism can set the fire to what you believe in.

While I enjoyed this book, it could have used more depth in certain places and could have used more showing us than just telling us. However, an absolute solid read. Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Vaishnavi Patel for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

3.75 stars

This is my first book by this author, and it's going to be a memorable one.

Kalki grows up in a version of India that exists in an alternate universe where there is no liberation from the British. Sound depressing? That's correct. Kalki, her family, her friends, and every part of her life are all impacted by the continued overt colonization they experience, and as the men are rapidly drained from the fabric of their society, Kalki and other women are left with a choice: submit or act. Kalki definitely chooses to act.

Readers should expect from the synopsis that this will not be an uplifting read, and to a large degree, that is true. There is constant struggle, loss, risk, fear, and gross unfairness in almost every incident and in every person's lived experience. That noted, there is also so much commentary and evidence of the resilience of the human spirit, the bonds we build with family and chosen family, and the ways individuals can collaborate almost tirelessly to fight for what is right.

Transparently, my interest in this book fully emanated from the notes about how it was structured, but while I was actually reading, I lost sight of this aspect quickly. Additionally, I struggled with the ending. I hate spoilers so I won't provide that detail here, but...not my favorite.

Overall, I enjoyed this read and am glad I was introduced to this author through it. I look forward to reading more from Patel.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel

By the author’s own admission, this book is an alternate version of the fight for independence from Britain by the Indian population of that country. This fight is female led and fought, headed up by young Kalki Divekar and her closest allies. There was much danger in this uprising, but this growing group of rebels were willing to chance loss of life for their freedom.

I found this story intriguing due to my admiration of this country, its people and its literature. Some of the best books I’ve read are penned by Indian writers. This story shows the tight reins the British held on the Indians, which led to their loss of freedom, great poverty, famine and therefore desire for independence.

Overall I give this book a solid four star rating and suggest it for readers who are interested in the end of the Raj.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion is a bold, genre-defying novel that blends myth with resistance, reimagining a colonized 1960s India through the fierce and fearless eyes of Kalki Divekar. Each of the ten chapters, mirroring the avatars of Vishnu, paints a vivid portrait of rebellion, friendship, and sacrifice as Kalki navigates a world torn by oppression and silence. Vaishnavi Patel delivers a story that is both intimate and revolutionary, steeped in cultural depth and emotional power. Though at times the pacing falters under the weight of its ambition, the novel’s heart, Kalki’s evolution from grieving daughter to insurgent icon, shines brightly. A powerful testament to what it means to fight for change from within.

A gripping speculative novel that reimagines 1960s India as a nation still under British colonial rule. Through the lens of Kalki, a young woman raised in the city of Kingston (a reimagined Bombay)—Patel explores the personal and political costs of resistance, weaving together mythology, revolution, and identity into a compelling narrative.

The novel covers ten years in Kalki’s life, each chapter mirroring one of the Dashavatara—the ten avatars of Vishnu. This structure grounds the story in Hindu mythology, and serves as a metaphor for transformation and resistance. So an very unique take on this interesting topic.

Kalki, alongside her friends Fauzia and Yashu, infiltrate the British administration while secretly organizing a grassroots rebellion. Their journey delves into themes of imperialism, caste oppression, religious division, and queer identity, offering a multifaceted exploration of what it means to fight for freedom.

I loved the integration of mythology with alternate history, and found it inventive and intellectually rich. Clearly not a book you can read with lots of nearby distractions. The narrative doesn't shy away from complex moral questions—such as the ethics of violence in revolution and the relationship between caste, religion, and gender. Characters like Yashu, a Dalit woman, and Fauzia, a Muslim lesbian, bring depth and authenticity to the story, highlighting voices that are often marginalized in historical narratives.

However, the pacing is often a bit challenging, and sometimes leaves the character development and emotional arcs lacking. Additionally, the frequent shifts between present action and past memories can be jarring, occasionally disrupting the narrative flow.

All in all, I found it to still be a daring and imaginative work that challenges readers to reconsider history through a speculative lens, and reveals the power of collective action.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel

Thank You NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a complimentary copy of this novel! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was invited to read and review this novel, but honestly, I had a bit of a hard time getting into it, especially the first half or so. While I enjoy a good historical fiction and this novel is categorized as a historical fiction, it didn’t pull me in as other historical fiction novels pull me in. This novel is a speculative historical fiction. Overall, the writing was very good. It is set in India in the 1960’s and explores the idea of a different account of India and it’s fight for freedom from the British. Kalki’s father led a rebellion years ago, but he disappeared in order to stay safe and work behind the scenes. Now it is up to Kalki and her group of women friends to band together and fight for India’s freedom. But there are threats and those who wish to stop them. They must be careful who to trust. This speculative novel is ten chapters long, with each chapter portraying a moment in Kalki’s life. The book is meant to signify the ten avatars of Vishnu. It explores the idea of what it means to have freedom, and what one is willing to do and sacrifice to achieve true freedom. Overall, I did enjoy the novel even though I had a hard time getting into it at the beginning. The last quarter of the novel picks up and there is a lot happening. It will be AVAILABLE June 3, 2025!

DNF at 18%. Super disappointing! I liked Patel’s Kaikeyi and Goddess of the River a lot, but this one is not working for me. I’m not sure if her style is better suited to myth retellings or if she changed her style here… I think it’s the former.

This is the story of Kalki and her friends as they navigate an alternative history of India where the British still rule in the 1960s. I read Babel by R F Kuang recently, and even though magic is not included in this story, it feels quite similar to Babel in style, scope, and pacing. And thematic content, of course. Folks who enjoyed Babel might want to give this book a try.

For me, the writing is too simplistic and the story moves too fast for emotional impact. I meet a couple characters and just a few pages later they are called off to war. That would hit me harder if I had had time to get attached to them. I do think Patel’s other works read like that at times, too, but it clicked for me in a myth retelling. In a more contemporary story like this, I’m looking for more character depth.

I will absolutely read more from Patel in the future, but I don’t think she’s an automatic win for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

An interesting story about gaining independence and knowing how much you are willing to give up in order to accomplish political freedom. I liked that Kalki had friends who were there to remind her what she was trying to accomplish and help her with her goals. I liked that she stood up to more radical resistances fighters who were willing to use guns and more violence to gain freedom. It was hard when Kalki found out that one of her campaigns would lead to killing innocent people and that it would be used against her organization. I liked her mom who was there when she need a place to stay or she need comfort, and I like that a person that Kalki thought was an enemy was actually a informant who was help Kalki succeed in her mission.
The hardest part of the story was wondering if Kalki and her resistances fighters were ever going to gain freedom and if the cost of that freedom was worth it, including the lost of her best friend..

I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of a story about resisting an oppressor.

This book was different than my usual reads, and maybe that's why it felt like it took me a long time to get into it. I really liked the setting of an alternate reality in India still under British occupation with the central characters fighting a rebellion. The first third was definitely pretty slow which made me have a lot of trouble getting into the overall plot.

I really enjoyed this speculative fiction novel from Vaishnavi Patel. Her research and worldbuilding were extensive and intricate, which made for a strong backdrop for the story. I struggled to connect with the characters and felt that the pacing dragged at times, but the story itself was engaging and painted a picture of the issue of imperialism and how these problems echo throughout history.
I especially enjoyed the bits of Hindu mythology at the end of each chapter as they related to Kalki and her experiences. Despite the characters' lack of depth, the stories being told helped tie the (alternate) history of India to the heroes of myth and legend.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC!

A slow first half of the book was saved by a wonderful last half full of romance, tragedy, action, and heart.

I was so pulled in by the world building that it was hard to remember I wasn't reading actual historical fiction. I felt a little disconnected from the characters due to the format of the book - each chapter covers pivotal moments in a year of Kalki's life, so we are thrown into events year after year. It was an interesting narrative choice but it didn't quite resonate with me.

This was an enjoyable read with a fascinating premise. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a book I was highly anticipating because I really enjoy the author and have loved the other two books by her that I read. I just couldn’t get into this one. I read 50 percent before Dnfing it. I had a hard time getting attached to the characters.

I do think this will be a huge hit with people who mostly read historical fiction and want something a little different! I can see this being some people’s favorite book of the year so even though it didn’t work for me, I will be recommending it often to people that I think would enjoy it. I think if I had been more familiar with this time period, I would have enjoyed an alternate reality more but I’m just not that familiar with it.

4.5 stars

What would India look like if their freedom from the British had not been won? How would the citizens have reacted and found their freedom?

I love the work of Vaishnavi Patel. Her writing is evocative and her concepts thought provoking. Ten Incarnations of Rebellion was an interesting novel that followed Kalki as she fights for Indian freedom under British colonialism. This felt different than Patel’s prior works but held the same level of emotionality. The last chapter in particular was fast paced and so fulfilling.

Highly recommend to readers of Patel’s previous works and those interested in historical fiction!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books for access to this work. All opinions are my own.

Ten Incarnations of Rebellion should be required reading. The way the story was infused with mythology against the background of modern systems of oppression was both inspirational and moving. Although the plot presents an alternative version of history, it paints a very real picture of the fight for independence.

It’s full of strife, acts of rebellion, and reckoning with deeply held prejudices and biases innate to us all. Like Yashu, plead to Kalki, we cannot strive to go back to what came before, but rather overthrow all systems of oppression and injustice, and create the world we wish to live in. Overall, a beautiful story of love, friendship, sacrifice, and determination.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to receive this book in an advanced reader copy! Thank you to netgalley for proving me to read this book!

I absolutely devoured the story! It was so good and so captivating!

Thanks to PRHAudio and Ballantine for the preview. All opinions are my own.

This is such a powerful story of rebellion and resistance in an alt-history India. Its message is both timeless and timely. Change is not easy, it takes real work, sacrifice, time, patience, and heartbreak.

The characters in the story are not perfect. They can be selfish and selfless in turn. They have their own prejudices and lines they won’t cross; sometimes those lines are much further than they thought. But they’re so real, and I still wanted them to succeed so badly. And knowing the sacrifices some of them made, knowing they wouldn’t see the fruit of their efforts was so poignant.

Mixed into the struggle were Hindu tales that were always relevant to the particular point in the story. They were really used to great effect.

Definitely recommended for a moving and powerful story of independence.

I was excited to read The 10 Incarnations of Rebellion, and had hoped to recommend it to my class. As much as I loved Kaikeyi, I unfortunately wouldn't recommend this book. I was drawn to the premise of an alternate history, especially since my family is from Mumbai.
However, I found the character development lacking and struggled to connect with any of them. While I appreciated the inclusion of a Dalit perspective and learned some things I didn't know before, the narrative sometimes felt overly expository, which disrupted the flow. It also lacked the focus and cohesion that made Kaikeyi so compelling.
I admire the ambition behind the book and the vision it tried to bring to life, but ultimately, I didn’t feel it was executed effectively and didn’t enjoy the reading experience as much as I had hoped.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of Ten Incarnations of Rebellion! Highly recommend for fans of The Lion Women of Tehran and Reading Lolita in Tehran. Small acts of rebellion can create the path to a firestorm of resistance if given the room to breath.

In a reimagined world where India never won its independence from the British, Kalki is a strong heroine who is easy to root for. Colonization has impacted every facet of her young life, and instead of choosing to feel powerless and hopeless, Kalki decides to lean into the pain and use her & her people's suffering as fuel. Women have a unique ability to be able to hide in plain sight while pursuing acts of rebellion and contributing to underground movements, and Kalki uses this to her advantage. I found myself cheering for her successes and empathizing with her losses and challenges.

Overall - 4 ⭐️
Plot - 3.75 ⭐️
Characters - 4.25 ⭐️
Character Development - 4 ⭐️
Setting - 4.5 ⭐️
Writing - 4.25 ⭐️

This was such a well written story. It's historical fiction themed which takes us to an alternative world where India is still under British colonial rule. It focuses on strong main female characters who drive the rebellion. I liked how each chapter depicted a year of our main character Kalki's life. The entire story spans for a decade. If you are a historical fiction enthusiast, this is one not to miss!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.