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Book 129 of the year.

I love Madeline Miller books and this feminist retelling of Ramayana ably scratches the same itch.

I never tire of mythology retellings and this was one of the most beautiful and engrossing that I‘ve read
4 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! Took just a bit to reel me in, but once I was there it was hard to pull me away. Feminist vibes, sometimes a bit too on the nose but still always love to see it, story retelling, mild fantasy. I can‘t speak to how well done the retelling is since I had never engaged with the story before this. Easy pick that I was sad to be down with.

Starting my next book while at work today. Hoping to finish this book before the month is over!

Holy mood reader Batman. Anyway this book destroyed me a bit. Just a little. My heart hurts. 4.5 ⭐️

I loved this one! I thought it was better than Circe.
4⭐️‘s
#AwesomeApril
#readathon
#strongwomen

Honeymoon reading in Thailand. 🥰 #botm

An epic fantasy based on Indian mythology regarding the legend of Prince Rama and his step-mother Kaikeyi. I was unfamiliar with the original story so I found this re-telling enthralling. My only complaint was the length of the novel. I think 100 pages less would have made this a 5 star read. Excellent audio narration 🧡#52books23

You were right @LeeRHarry …this book is FANTASTIC💕 I‘m loving the legend of Kaikeyi, Indian Queen and warrior- destined for greatness. It‘s nearly 18 hours on audio but I‘m loving every minute. #Mythology #52Books23

Well, this was a surprise. A book group pick; I went in unconvinced, I don‘t like myths and legends and for 100 pages I was actually hating it. But then something changed, I don‘t know what, and off I went - loved it! An epic story of a woman forsaken by the gods, forging her own path despite the constraints imposed on women. A tear may have been shed.

I am really looking forward to reading this book. Kaikeyi is often considered the evil stepmother or the spoiled child in the versions of the Ramayana I‘ve read. However, she is a warrior queen so this does not really fit. It seems more a trope she has been squeezed into in order to move the plot forward.

Kaikeyi is the princess of Kekaya overlooked by her father, most of her brothers, even the gods. When she discovers texts that give her the magic to manipulate the people around her, things change. She turns herself into a warrior, and later when she is married, a diplomat and queen.
Things fall apart when it is time for her husband to choose his heir and a promise is broken, sending Kaikeyi down a lonely path.
Finished 6/9/2022

DNF, I am finding the story quite dry and it is not catching my attention. It may be I‘m not in the mood for this storytelling so I would not necessarily discourage others from reading.

#bookspinbingo 2 bingos!

This epic structure is very reminiscent of the Indian epics it‘s based from. It‘s super long and slow paced, but excellent and intriguing the whole time. I liked Kaikeyi as a character and loved seeing how she learned about her power to see and manipulate her bonds with others. That cataclysmic ending was rough but so well handled and very well foretold. Loved having some ace rep too. #Retelling #LGBTQ #India #Feminist

My books for 2022. Hoping I read more in 2023!

I walked into the bookstore with the intention of using a book credit (which I did) and buying books as gifts. Yea…that part didn‘t happen. 🤦‍♀️

Overall, I did enjoy the book, loved the feminist themes, and loved to see progress in a society with the caveat that I know this is fiction and does not define Hindu beliefs, as I know that was an issue brought up by many. As an original work, though, I would rate it four stars, and I'd love to explore Indian mythology further.

My “completed” #booked2022 reading progress-mess that hangs on my cabinet at work 😂

The cynical in me is delighted by this first line I a book!

This is a bail for now. I was listening on audio and I just wasn‘t interested in listening to it.

I‘m going to try to finish it in print at some point. Some books I think just need to be read and not listened to.

This is the first mythology book I think I‘ve tried on audio.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wasn‘t familiar with the Ramayana before this book, so I appreciated the author‘s take on this Indian epic and the re-imagination of Kaikeyi‘s character with a feminist bent. However, it dragged for me in some spots. 🎧

I really enjoyed this, I do not have the historical or mythological knowledge to compare this story to the original, but I loved the feminist bend, and the pacing, I also loved to see a polyamory family that is represented so healthy and loving.
I do think Kaikeyi's character was a bit flat, she seemed to be always right and a bit too perfect. But overall an engaging and adventurous read.

Thank you @TheAromaofBooks excited for this September #bookspin #bookspinbingo

Clean board lets go!

tagged books is my first read of the month.

So I ended up having a couple of credits I needed to burn through and decided on these two! 😍 #botm

Oooh, I loved this one! ❤️
This is Kaikeyi‘s story, told with the twist from a woman‘s point of view. Taking the stories from The Ramayana (which I knew next to nothing about before reading this) and retelling the epic story of her legacy. #booked2022 ~ a book about a real or fictional royal @4thhouseontheleft @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Patel has crafted a gorgeous story intricately spinning a backstory for Kaikeyi, taking a story where the female character has been vilified and giving her a voice. It is gorgeous, and the audiobook, fantastic. I listened to the first 80% and then read the final pages, and I felt that worked well as I then had a good handle on word pronunciations & the world. I generally am not a fan of retellings, but this one I would highly recommend.

My last book for July.

I enjoyed this beautifully written retelling (of sorts) of the Ramayana… it‘s always fun to read a book that leads me to side research and I was deep into the original story. An epic fantasy story, and the feminist tilt was a nice touch.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is one of those books that is more descriptive than plot heavy - I was often thinking where is this going? That being said, I liked the references to various Hindu (?) gods & goddesses although I wish the stories were fleshed out more rather than passing references. I‘ll have to research more into them on my own.

I‘ve heard this compared to Circe but I haven‘t had the chance to read that one yet. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 🧡 💛

I flew through this immersive 17-hour audiobook narrated by Soneela Nankani. So compelling! Taking a character from the classic Ramayana and spinning out an entire life story for her—oh, Kaikeyi! I cared about you so much! And I loved the setting, ancient India. An impressive achievement that has whetted my appetite for more retellings based on Rama‘s journey.

[Kaikeyi:] “Do you think a woman should be killed for infidelity?”
[Ram, her son:] “You might be different, Ma, but surely you know that most women introduce weakness into the world.”
It was as though I had been hit in the chest by a horse.

In this retelling of Ramayana, we learn the life of Kaikeyi, who was only known as the queen who exiled Rama (the hero) for 10 years. Patel dives deeper into this lesser known “evil queen” and tells how Kaikeyi acted because of love for Rama and her kingdom. While I‘m unfamiliar with Ramayana, the book still tugged at my heartstrings because Kaikeyi suffers so much in order to do what was right. I also loved Kaikeyi‘s dedication to women‘s rights!

Still eating as much tteokbokki as I can cram down my gullet. Still reading KAIKEYI, too, though probably not for much longer. Today was a pain day, and I read so much I‘m on track to finish this great book either late tonight or early tomorrow.

It‘s perfectly acceptable to eat two doughnuts for lunch on your birthday, yes?

They were delicious! The filled one was mascarpone fig, while the glazed one was hot honey. Now I‘m gonna see about sinking into KAIKEYI.

All these reviews are well -deserved. The book was incredible!

First finished book for summer break, and it was a great one! I‘m not familiar with the original mythology, so now I‘m feeling the need to do some research lol

So far I've done nothing with my summer break but listen to audiobooks and put together puzzles... it's been great! Almost done with Kaikeyi and loving it

This is a retelling of the Hindu legend of Kaikeyi. It's a beautiful story of her rise to power as the King's third wife and advisor to her downfall. I loved it 🧡
#BOTM
#Pantone2022 #SpiceyMustard @Clwojick

This week‘s library haul is 100% books I stacked on Litsy so I‘d remember to borrow them once I defeated La TBR. Hurray!

Note also the Pride ribbons on my bike, blowing in the intense wind. There were times tonight when I felt like I was going uphill even though my route was flat, flat, flat.

Well written, bringing to light a piece of mythology I‘m unfamiliar with. Would recommend to anyone who liked Circe by Madeline Miller.

Such a beautiful cover 🌟

“I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions - much good it did me.”

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

A book i wish I'd been able to devour in one sitting but it was too long and I needed sleep 😂 this was a really great read. I've only read one other similar to it. It's not exactly a story with plot that we experience in real time but a story told from the future and in real time. It starts to unravel too quickly at the end but I still really enjoyed it, blog review to come 🤓 #mythology #legends #queer #asexual

Kaikeyi is another book where a woman tries to have agency over her life and to help other women, but gets fucked over by both men and gods. It was beautiful and fascinating, and made me do some research into the actual story is based on.

If you have trouble with it I'd suggest the audiobook- it really helped me separate all the characters and unfamiliar words.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #marvellousmay #bookspin

The style or speaking voice of the author/translation felt very formal at first, but as I got deeper into the story, I felt that it fit the character of Kaikeyi so well. I loved the imagery of a world I‘m not familiar with, and the development of the MC was compelling.

@TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65

I'm heading to the other side of the state on a super secret bookish mission! If everything goes according to plan I'll be able to share what I'm up to in a few hours! 🤞

(Listening to the tagged #audiobook while I drive)

It is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month! So in honor of this month, I am reading a few books by #aapi authors from my (mountainous) TBR pile. Highly recommend each book as they were thoroughly enjoyable!