Book Review: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

I’m back with another book review! I meant to post this last week, but life got in the way. Regardless, I’m super excited to talk to you about The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. It’s the first book in a high fantasy trilogy filled with badass characters, sapphic relationships, a unique world, and a riveting plot. Let’s get started!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please note that this review’s (non-spoiler) quotes are from the digital ARC and not part of the final print.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri: Fast Facts

Release Date: June 8, 2021
Format: Digital ARC, courtesy of Orbit Books
Pages: 533
Genre: adult, epic fantasy, fantasy, high fantasy, romance
Publisher: Orbit Books
Content Warning: abuse, blood, body horror, confinement, death, drugs (mild), fire, homophobia (mild), mass murder, misogyny, suicidal thoughts (mild), violence, xenophobia

Summary

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. 

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— i.

“Power doesn’t have to be the way the regent and your rebels make it be,” Priya said eventually, making do with her own artless words, her own simple knowledge of the way the world worked. “Power can be looking after people. Keeping them safe, instead of putting them into danger.”

I loved this book. The Jasmine Throne revolves around Ahiranya, a state conquered by Parijatdvipa. In Ahiranya lies the Hirana, where the temple children and elders once lived before it burned down. Priya, the protagonist, is a maidservant and one of the last surviving temple children—a secret she must bear since Parijati soldiers would kill her if they knew. The temple children and elders also possess magic from the deathless waters, but since Priya has only passed through them once—being “once-born”—her magic is not very powerful. As the narrative unfolds, a rebel group attempts to fight against the Parijati empire for a free Ahiranya. However, there are no temple elders—also known as thrice-born—left. To revive the Hirana and take back Ahiranya, they need the deathless waters, and only Priya can access them.

The Jasmine Throne was a wild ride from to finish. The book was different from what I had initially expected but in the best way. As usual, I have a lot to say, but I’ll start with the characters.

Although there is a large cast of characters, Priya is the protagonist. Not only does she have an overwhelming amount of POV chapters, but she is at the center of this story since she is the only surviving temple child that can find the deathless waters. Initially, Priya was set on living a quiet life, out of the spotlight, until Princess Malini, the imprisoned sister of the emperor, witnesses Priya’s powers in action.

I find Priya to be a unique protagonist. Typically, you would expect a strong female protagonist, someone who is brave, reckless, and takes on the burden of saving the world. Priya is strong, but in a different way—she is soft and nurturing but determined and stubborn at the same time. Although Priya isn’t reckless, she is not passive and takes her own unique paths to get where she needs to go. Now that she is determined to eliminate the rot, I cannot wait to see how her character arc goes in the next book.

We also have Malini, the emperor’s sister, an imprisoned princess trying to overthrow her brother, Chandra, and put her eldest brother, Aditya, on the throne. Chandra punished Malini to the Hirana because she refused to burn to death alongside her ladies. But that doesn’t stop her from fighting against Chandra, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to get Aditya on the throne. Malini is resourceful and manipulative, but she also has an unexpected soft side.

Malini is the definition of a morally gray character. I find that people throw that term around like free candy these days, but if I could pick one fictional character that embodies this term, it would be Malini. She will manipulate anyone or anything for her own gain—except her goal is to form a new Parijatdvipa, one free of systemic misogyny and violence. She is fighting for a noble cause but will do whatever it takes to reach her goal. Malini plays people like a fiddle, and she would even kill people if it were necessary. She doesn’t have a set of values or morals; she is only focused purely on overthrowing Chandra, willing to break any moral code or law to get there. I adore well-written, morally gray characters, and Malini is by far my favorite in the series so far.

There are other prominent characters, such as Bhumika, the regent’s wife and Priya’s older temple sister; Ashok, Priya’s older temple brother who leads the rebellion; Prince Rao, who has sworn himself to Princess Malini. All these characters are critical to the narrative, and they each bring something unique to the table. Bhumika is just as determined as Priya and Ashok to free Ahiranya but wants to do so from the inside; Ashok leads the rebels against Parijatdvipa; Rao is determined to rescue Malini before meeting Aditya, who abstained his the throne to devote his life to faith and piety instead. I enjoyed getting into these characters’ minds, and I’m excited to see how their individual journeys will continue in the next book.

The antagonist is Chandra, the emperor of Parijatdvipa. What I found most interesting about him was that while he does have a POV chapter at the beginning and the end of The Jasmine Throne, he is absent for most of the novel. And yet, the entire story revolves around freeing Ahiranya from his grasp and overthrowing him. This narrative decision certainly pays off. It shows that he is the symbol of Parijatdvipa—a symbol of violence, oppression, and misogyny. It also allows Chandra to maintain an air of mystery and allure. I know Malini will defeat him, and I hope he endures a slow and painful death for everything he has caused. However, he is a well-written villain, and I appreciate that about his character.

The only thing I didn’t like regarding the characters was how many POVs there were. Of course, such an intricate and well-built story will have many characters; however, I didn’t think everyone needed a POV, which was the case. I believe several POVs don’t work in books most of the time, but there are some exceptions. While it wasn’t terrible in The Jasmine Throne, there were times that it was off-putting and confusing. I mainly found that it wasn’t necessary when a new rebel attack occurred or Chandra’s men commit another massacre against Ahiranya. We would witness these instances through characters who just died or never appeared again. It especially didn’t feel necessary when said instances were rehashed by one of the main characters within the following few chapters. I just thought that the abundance of POVs cluttered the narrative and threw it off track a few times, especially when it was a random person we would never hear from again. Other than that, Tasha Suri thoroughly rounded out her characters and did an excellent job bringing them to life on the page.

— ii.

“You spoke of hating those with imperial blood,” murmured Malini. “You spoke of your loved ones burning. Well, I have lost people I love to the pyre, too. At my brother’s orders. Let us see him off the throne together, Priya.”

A large cast of characters comes with twice as many relationships. All the dynamics were intriguing, but there were a few that the narrative focused on. The central relationship is between Priya and Malini, who meet when Priya volunteers to be the maidservant to Princess Malini and her jailer, Pramila. They ignite their connection when Malini accidentally witnesses Priya use her powers, and everything blooms from there. I’m not sure if Priya and Malini’s relationship was meant to come across as enemies to lovers, but it felt that way a bit. Priya has disdain for the Parijati empire (and understandably so), and while the princess intrigues her, she remains on guard while working. And Priya’s dislike for Malini only grows once she discovers that Malini used her.

But Priya and Malini’s growth as a pair was one of the most beautiful aspects of The Jasmine Throne. They start as strangers—Malini sees Priya as a means to an end and her ticket to freedom, while Bhumika requests Priya to spy on Malini to find anything useful. But the more time they spend alone together, the more Priya falls for the princess. And while Malini also develops feelings, it’s more complicated for her because of her emotionally detached personality. Yet, they cannot stay away from each other, especially once they start working together as equals.

Priya and Malini’s dynamic is powerful. The Jasmine Throne deals with the theme of power, and Priya and Malini embody that perfectly. Their respective character arcs—despite being irrevocably intertwined—lead them to strong leadership positions as they achieve large acquisitions of power. It almost felt like destiny, with who they ended up becoming, together and apart. There are many things to look forward to in the next book, but their relationship is by far what I’m most excited about.

I also appreciated the primary platonic and familial dynamics, particularly between Bhumika, Priya, and Ashok. They have a lot left unsaid, which has created a tension that has simmered for years. As the tension reaches its boiling point, their complex emotions begin to unfold, bringing heart-wrenching pain and messy conflict. Despite the complications this dynamic has, their love for one another truly outshines everything else, even when they fight on opposite sides.

I also loved the deep friendship and loyalty between Malini and Rao. Rao believes in Malini and her cause and would do anything for her. For most of the book, we don’t know the reason for his unwavering loyalty, which made their dynamic enjoyable. He is so devoted to Malini, but we don’t know why, which makes us want to journey with him to figure it out. Toward the end of The Jasmine Throne, we finally see Malini and Rao interact more, and their relationship continues to be integral to Malini’s character arc. I can’t wait to see where it goes in the next book.

Overall, Tasha Suri crafted excellent characters, and as a result, formed authentic relationships. They are the heart of this story. I’m dying to see how these relationships will continue to develop as this trilogy progresses and things start heating up.

— iii.

“I don’t know what it means to be a temple child anymore. Maybe it means being useful to people who seek power,” she said, finally looking at Malini. “Maybe it means being monstrous. Sometimes it feels like it. But maybe… maybe it means something else. The children and I, we could control the Hirana. Control nature. Someone once told me that the strongest of us could even control the rot. Maybe what it means to be me is to… to be a cure.”
It was a hope she’d only started to consider now that she could feel the power fading out of her, ebbing and flowing. Now that she’d felt the heady sweetness of it. Could her magic really be monstrous, if it felt this sweet?

High fantasy stories require a lot of world-building, which The Jasmine Throne has. Tasha Suri filled the novel with rich world-building and vivid images. It can be challenging to create a vibrant high fantasy like The Jasmine Throne, and we can see the hard work and effort she put into bringing this world to life. Ahiranya is such a beautiful world. Despite the systemic poverty and oppression residents face, we know of its beauty through flashbacks and magic. Furthermore, everything checked out. The rules of magic and the other elements in this world remain clear and consistent throughout the story.

Although the world Tasha Suri created is unique, complex, and compelling, some instances in the book (mostly in the first half) could have benefited from more world-building. There already is plenty of world-building, but it felt too spaced out or insufficient at times, which made the story difficult to ground. However, these incidents were not very frequent, so they did not affect my reading experience too much.

— iv.

“Three journeys,” she had said. “After three journeys through the waters, you will be elders like us. This is only your first journey. Don’t forget: those of you strong enough to survive must still work hard and grow even stronger. It is our responsibility to keep the faith, and to preserve the memory and traditions of Ahiranya’s grand history. Even if the Parijatdvipan empire forgets what we once were, we do not forget.”

The Jasmine Throne is a unique story, and the plot is no exception. We follow the cast of characters through the novel as Priya searches for the deathless waters, Malini tries to escape her imprisonment, Bhumika revolts from within the system, Ashok leads the rebels, and Rao tries to get in touch with Malini and Aditya. These five characters all play a part in overthrowing Chandra’s violent reign, and they each envision their own methods of doing so.

Tasha Suri crafted a well-constructed plot and interweaved the themes seamlessly into the novel. The Jasmine Throne is ultimately about power—from its various types to wielding it to exploring its positive and negative aspects. You could do a lot with the theme of power, especially in a high fantasy setting, and the author explored this theme with strong characters, complex dynamics, a stunning world, and a compelling plot. But there are other themes The Jasmine Throne explores, such as love, friendship, family, and the pain and joy that comes with that. Empires, imperialism, and the systemic oppression and violence that come from those themes. Tasha Suri wrote a story that examined many important themes, and she did an excellent job of intertwining them together. The themes and the storyline kept me engaged from start to finish.

The book was more on the slower-paced side, but it was a good thing in this case! With so many characters critical to the narrative, it is essential to explore their individual storylines and how they contribute to the main plot as a whole. As I always said about pacing, whether a book is fast, slow, or medium-paced does not bother me, as long as the pacing makes sense for the narrative. That happens to be the case with The Jasmine Throne—a slower-paced book, but rightfully so, keeping its audience engaged the entire time.

— v.

“Maybe freedom will mean being able to protect our children instead of using them,” he added, brushing Rukh’s leaf-strewn hair back from his forehead. “I’d like to believe that.”

I also thoroughly enjoyed Tasha Suri’s writing. Her prose is like poetry; her words are truly stunning. I enjoyed the dialogue and the prose in between throughout the narrative. She balanced the two perfectly and showed her strengths with each aspect. I found her best writing was when she employed a good mix of dialogue and prose without focusing too much on one or the other. Regardless, Tasha Suri is a talented writer, and it made reading The Jasmine Throne so much more fun than it already was.

— vi.

She thought of heart’s blood, of love and fury and the sweet place in between, where thoughts of Malini dwelled. And the bloom—the sapling—that was her own magic grew and grew, until she knew she was not exactly Priya anymore. Perhaps she never had been. Perhaps from the moment she’d arrived on the Hirana as an infant, the deathless waters had been remolding her from within, making her a vessel for their magic and their voices, discarding all the parts of her that made her a mortal woman with a simple mortal heart.

Overall, The Jasmine Throne is a strong start for what I think will be an epic trilogy. Despite the overwhelming amount of POVs and the occasionally slow world-building, I enjoyed this book. I had somewhat high expectations going in, and Tasha Suri knocked them out of the park—even though this story ended up being something entirely different from what I initially thought. I highly recommend this book, even if fantasy isn’t your thing. There’s so much content in here; it would be difficult to find something not to love. I know I said this already, but I’ll repeat it—I’m excited about the sequel! I think the series will only get better from here, and it’s already amazing.

Final Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

— vii.

She saw Aditya watching her. There was a bleak, accepting look on his face. No joy. He looked at her as if he saw her death upon her.
Well, let him. Let him. She would not grieve.
She could make something new of Parijatdvipa.
She could make herself something monstrous. She could be a creature born of poison and pyre, flame and blood. She had told Aditya that when the opportunity to seize power came—to wield it—the opportunity had to be taken and held and used. If he would not wield it, she would.
If he would not take their brother’s throne, in that room of sweet falling jasmine where the sisters of her heart had burned, then she would do it.
She was going to build a new world.

I’d love to hear from you guys now! Did you manage to pick up a copy of The Jasmine Throne? If so, what did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it if you haven’t had the chance yet? Have you ever read any books you had high expectations for and exceeded them in an unexpected way? If you have, let me know what book(s)!

If you missed my May 2021 Wrap-Up, you can find it here. I will say that it’s a bit different from my usual monthly wrap-ups. Also, if you haven’t read my full recap of Montreal’s YA Fest 2021, you can find read it here!