The Jasmine Throne

Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess's traitor brother.
Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin.
Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.
But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

I’m probably the last person who should be starting another series considering I’m already in the middle of many others BUT… how could I not read this? I’m always on the look out for diverse books because my shelf has been dominated by white authors for a long time, soo I’ve been doing my best to read and champion BIPOC voices when I can.

“Truth and lies were both tools, to be used when most necessary.”

Okay so I absolutely loved this book. I haven’t read any of Tasha Suri’s books before but I can confidently say this will be the first of many. The Jasmine Throne introduces us to the stories of Priya and Malani, two women set on making changes to the fate of their nations which are under very patriarchal societies. It usually takes me time to be invested in a character’s story, but Suri’s prose and the way she presents her characters had me captivated.

This book also has a full cast with POVs from secondary characters. Multiple POVs are typically a hit or miss for me, but they were so well done in The Jasmine Throne and added much to the story and depth of Priya and Malani’s motivations. If you love unapologetic and grey characters with internal conflicts and decisions that will keep you guessing, this one’s for you.

Rich in South Asian representation, badass women, schemes, exploration of colonization and religious fanaticism, environment-based magic, complicated familial relationships, and a slow burn forbidden sapphic love – all of this made The Jasmine Throne such an enjoyable read for me. Highly recommend it!

Thanks to the team at Orbit for sending me an eARC for review! All opinions are my own.