I wanted to like this so much but sadly, I just didn’t. I was torn between two and three stars but ultimately decided on 3 because it’s not poorly written, I just didn’t enjoy the story.

Sometimes I think I might not be a romantasy girlie but I love some romantasy. This just felt like the plot was driven by lust more than romance and everyone was a liar and betrayed each other so I felt like that wasn’t really romantic.

Essentially, I felt betrayed by these characters and wasn’t really rooting for anyone in the end which isn’t a great place to be in the middle of a series.

I probably won’t read the sequel to this book but I’d try another book by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The thing that annoyed me the most about The Legend of Meneka was Meneka's self doubt but as an imposter syndrome warrior myself, I was glad that she began to see her worth as the story progressed. I enjoyed the mythos of the world and I know it's a romantic fantasy but I felt like so much was put into developing Kaushika and Meneka that the world building lacked a certain depth. This is the first book though and after the final chapter, I'm hoping we get a more detailed world building. I will say I enjoyed Rao's writing style and was actually drawn to The Legend of Meneka because of this (I also read the first 2 books in The Rages trilogy) so I had no difficulty being engaged in the story, I just wished as I mentioned before for a little more.

<I> Thank you B2Weird, Kritka H.Rao and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own<I>

I had never heard of Meneka and was pretty unfamiliar with much of Hindu mythology so this was a very fun but informative read for me! Meneka is one of the apsaras of Indra’s court and a powerful weapon, Indra is the king of gods and god of weather, thunder, lightning, and war. Apsaras are celestial nymphs, they use dance and music to provide sensual pleasure for both gods and men. Indra has them use these powers to defeat his enemies and prevent heaven from losing its magic. Meneka no longer wants to go down to Earth and seduce men, she wants to stay in Amaravathi (Indra's Kingdom) and use her talents there. He offers her a deal, seduce Kaushika, a powerful sage who is threatening the gods very way of life. The story was intimate and beautiful, I was fully invested in Meneka and Kaushika and rooting for them. I am on expert so will not speak on how faithful the book is to the original myth but I will say near the end there is a chapter with the god Shiva and it was so beautiful I cried. It has a nice ending and I am excited to see where book 2 goes!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This one is a very steamy Hindu mythology retelling that just missed the mark with me. I love mythology retellings but I got bored about halfway through and annoyed with Meneka's character. She came off as whiney and wishy washy to me. I think some people will enjoy it for it's steaminess.

Lush, descriptive writing and fascinating characters. I especially enjoyed the Hindu mythology. I'd recommend it to fans of Sue Lynn Tan.

I really enjoy Kritika Rao’s book. I love own voices storytelling. I particularly liked Meneka as it is a feminist retelling of a popular Indian story where the woman was previously marginalized. Im a big fan of feminist retellings and the author really does it justice here.

World building is lush as always. We are thrown into Amiritiva the celestial city and the forests and meadows the events take place. I like the magic system and that humans can work to develop their magic seperate from the gods/devas and other celestials. I enjoyed the foray into Indian mythology and the back stories of some of the gods.

This book is all about character development though and all the characters get it in spades. I always love books that don’t make the secondary characters 2 dimensional. Meneka and Kaushitika get full arcs and we see their highs and lows. I love that they are both flawed and made to see each other in their entirety and then given a choice.

The story line was really interesting. I’m generally not a big fan of characters withholding information or poor communication themes but I think it was handled well here and it made sense given the plot. I didn’t like the ending, however I can see how it opens up for the 2nd book 😉.

Overall I’d give this a 4.4/5

I continue to be so excited that non-Western authors, stories, and settings are increasingly getting published in fantasy, and in the trendy feminist mythological retelling subgenre in particular.

I don’t know much about Hindu mythology, and this is the second fantasy I’ve read in the last year that centers an often overlooked female immortal: the first was the goddess Ganga in Vaishnavi Patel’s Goddess of the River, and this is about the apsara Meneka.

Apsaras are celestial dancers devoted to the god Indra, who tasks them with seducing powerful mortal sages who threaten his power. Meneka is an apsara mentioned in the Mahabharata for successfully seducing (and falling in love with) one of the greatest Hindu sages, Vishvamitra / Kaushika.

I highly recommend the audiobook version; the narrator was excellent and perfect for this story.

“The Legend of Meneka” by Kritika H. Rao is Hindu mythology, blended with elements of romantasy. While I appreciated the author’s strong character development, I found the pacing to be uneven at times, which impacted the flow of the story. I struggled with fully grasping the mythological elements, as I’m not very familiar with Hindu mythology. That said, fans of mythology retellings—especially those seeking something beyond Greek mythology—are likely to enjoy this unique tale.
For the audiobook, the narrator truly enhanced the experience. Her accent brought Meneka’s character to life and added an extra layer of immersion to the story. I highly recommend the audiobook, especially for readers who may not be well-versed in Hindu mythology, as it makes the narrative more accessible and engaging.
Thank you to NetGallery and HarperAudio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited about this story, but it fell flat for me. The mythology was confusing at first, but once I started to read a little more, it all seemed to come together. There were moments of vivid descriptions that I loved. It was the characters, mainly Meneka, I couldn't connect with. I have no doubt there is an audience for this, but it isn't me.

As a side note, the narration was fine. Sharmila Devar did a wonderful job of reading the story. It truly was the story that didn't work for me.