Review: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Synopsis
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. 

What I thought
Thank you Orbit books and Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.

How much did I like this book? Well… I sold some books and drove an hour away to my closest Barnes & Noble just so I could have a physical copy.  

This book was amazing. It was everything I wanted and more.  This is now my favorite book of the year and I don’t think any other book will be able to top it.  I have so many feelings about this book and I have to think about what I am typing so I do not spoil the story for anyone.

This is the first book in a fantasy trilogy so the beginning is slow, while you learn the world, but once you get over that point it is hard to put down. I have not read any books by this author so I had no idea what I was in for.  The writing of this book was phenomenal; it was like I was right there with the characters.  I found myself so invested in the relationship between Malini and Priya that I was reading this book every chance I got.  It’s like this book did everything perfectly and I can not think of one thing that could have made it better.  

The women in this story are:
Passive:  No
Morale Grey: Yes
Flawed: Yes
Strong: Yes 
Going to save their Kingdom: Yes

I had to give myself some time to come up with word for this review and I still don’t think I am giving it justice.  If you like political fantasy, morally grey characters, Sapphic romance, strong female leads… you should read this book. You can thank me later.

My Rating: /5

Have you read this book? If so what did you think? Tell me in the comments below.