In between all her new work, she turns to the palace’s scrolls on magic and learns how to enter the Binding Plane, where she can exert a magical influence over others using the invisible strings that connect her to them. When her mother is banished, Kaikeyi is forced to take up her duties in the royal court. As the only girl of eight royal siblings, Kaikeyi grows up knowing her value as a person is determined by her eventual marriage.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.Patel’s mesmerizing debut shines a brilliant light on the vilified queen from the Ramayana. Read this book if you’re remotely interested you won’t regret it. Kaikeyi (the character) is so compelling and truly one of the best narrator’s I’ve read in a long time. I can’t recommend it enough, whether you’re looking for a feminist retelling of a story, an extraordinarily written fantasy book, or even just a compelling female protagonist.

I honestly cannot say enough good things about Kaikeyi. A little bit of restructuring and it would have been absolutely perfect. My only complaints about this book are that it felt like it dragged on a bit in the middle, and the resolution felt a bit rushed. The world and magic feel alive and compelling, a perfect setting for the wonderfully-developed characters. The worldbuilding is done really well I know essentially nothing about the source material or Hindu mythology in general, but I was never lost, nor did I ever feel like the book was infodumping. Everybody in this book is well-rounded and believable and human. She is forced into everything that she does by fate, and is constantly trying to do her best by everybody.Īll of the other characters were so well-developed and interesting as well, from Kaikeyi’s siblings, to her husband, to her husband’s other wives, to her sons, and all of the other side characters. She was so human and real, and you really can’t help but empathize with her.

Kaikeyi is such a wonderful protagonist she’s strong and sure of herself and simply trying to figure out how to make a better life, both for herself and for other women. She is gods-touched, meaning that the gods cannot influence her fate, and she soon begins to discover what that means for her, particularly in regards to one of her sons. Kaikeyi is the only daughter of the king of Kekeya when her mother is vanished, she learns a magic that allows her to see and manipulate the connections between people, allowing her to rise in status and grow able to advocate more for herself. Kaikeyi, by Vaishnavi Patel, reimagines a queen from The Ramayana, a Hindu epic.

Kaikeyi review