roseybot's review against another edition
DNF -- I wanted to get through it, but I honestly can't even remember what's happened thus far. It's not for me. The descriptions were off putting and confusing, and there was a general lack of place or urgency to the story that I need to be able to really enjoy a book.
smellymiche's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
emmaskies's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars but rounding up for GR. This book is BEAUTIFULLY written. The prose? Immaculate.
Despite all the flowery language though I spent a good amount of time thinking nothing was really happening - or rather, that things were happening very slowly, which was unexpected in a book this short - which is why this one is a 3.5 for me. Beautiful writing, just not a ton going on. Where I tend to think of stories as being either plot-driven or character-driven, this felt language-driven.
A wonderful escape if you want to dive into another world and just vibe for a while
Despite all the flowery language though I spent a good amount of time thinking nothing was really happening - or rather, that things were happening very slowly, which was unexpected in a book this short - which is why this one is a 3.5 for me. Beautiful writing, just not a ton going on. Where I tend to think of stories as being either plot-driven or character-driven, this felt language-driven.
A wonderful escape if you want to dive into another world and just vibe for a while
junghoseok's review against another edition
3.0
This book was pretty good, kind of over the top, but I have to say I liked reading about a romance between married people and I think we need more of that in books (hard to accomplish with teenage/YA protagonists, but it's a thought). The reincarnation thing was intriguing and well done, and I liked the world and the overall feel of the setting. The second book has some great reviews, so I'll be picking that up soon.
jombienerd's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars
I’ve wasted hours of my life reading this book, I don’t want to waste any more of my time writing a review for it.
I’ve wasted hours of my life reading this book, I don’t want to waste any more of my time writing a review for it.
a_ghostintheroom's review against another edition
5.0
The residue of this author's lyrical writing still sits with me now that I've finished. I was briefly reminded of Rosamund Hodge's "Cruel Beauty" but each story holds their own. Chokshi's words begged for my attention and I found it impossible to skim through any detail, favoring instead to savor each detail, to occasionally drift off and really put myself into the book... And for a book so centered on storytelling, this novel has the attention-capturing cadence of spoken-word storytelling itself. To say I loved this would be a mild comment indeed.
mandykins007's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic read. Refreshingly prosaic and clever plot.
everthereader's review against another edition
3.0
Review Posted On Marvelous Eden of Books
Spoiler Free Review:
So yet another book that has gotten a ton of hype recently. What truly caught my eye is that the author is South Asian and wrote a book based off of Indian mythology. I really did enjoy this story and can't wait for more.
The writing definitely stood out to me. The author has gorgeous prose and the descriptions of the settings was easily painted in my mind. The vibrant colors of the clothes, saris in this case, I could easily picture the character's appearance. Roshani Chokshi's writing is like a piece of art, she can easily paint simple uses of figurative language into her descriptions and twist words into sentences of beauty, To be completely honest, I would give this book a shot solely for the exquisite writing. “I wanted a love thick with time, as inscrutable as if a lathe had carved it from night and as familiar as the marrow in my bones. I wanted the impossible, which made it that much easier to push out of my mind.”
The story is inspired by a few Western fairytales, Beauty and the Beast, Hades & Persephone, Cupid & Psyche, etc. The Indian mythology is based off of the myths, Savitri and Satyavan, Shiva and Parvati, and a few others. It was interesting seeing the parallels between the well known Western fairytale mixed in with the Indian mythology.
Something I found to be really cool is that I was able to recognize the language and terms used. Although I'm not Indian (I'm Bengali), being South Asian a lot of the food and clothes were easily recognized. Rasmalai and carrot halwa are two of my favorite desserts that are mentioned. It made me pretty hungry but I also came to appreciate my culture a little more. I've read very few books I could truly resonate with and it's a great feeling to feel a connection with a book through its culture.
The world building was done pretty well. The author did a wonderful job crafting different worlds and kingdoms. The plot did fall a little flat. Things got extremely confusing towards the middle and all of the build up to what I thought would happen pretty much fell apart. Things did clear up a bit, but I feel like somethings things could have been explained a little better.
The main character is Princess Maya, a headstrong and stubborn character. She willing to do whatever it takes to win her freedom which is an admirable aspect about her along with her love and devotion to her little sister Gauri. Gauri sounds like an interesting character and I'm excited to see her story unfold. Amar was a bit of a one dimensional character. I'm not entirely sure on how I feel about him, he was kind of just there for the romance. A huge issue I had were Maya's feelings towards Amar. It was very hot and cold. She was switching between hating and loving him. This is one of my pet peeves and really just shows no faith in a relationship.
Overall, as a debut novel, this was very fun and enjoyable to read. I always love to read books by an author who is a person of color. Roshani Chokshi sounds like an amazing person, from what I've seen on social media. I will definitely pick up more of her works as they come out and can't wait to see more from her.
Rating: 3.75/5
Spoiler Free Review:
So yet another book that has gotten a ton of hype recently. What truly caught my eye is that the author is South Asian and wrote a book based off of Indian mythology. I really did enjoy this story and can't wait for more.
The writing definitely stood out to me. The author has gorgeous prose and the descriptions of the settings was easily painted in my mind. The vibrant colors of the clothes, saris in this case, I could easily picture the character's appearance. Roshani Chokshi's writing is like a piece of art, she can easily paint simple uses of figurative language into her descriptions and twist words into sentences of beauty, To be completely honest, I would give this book a shot solely for the exquisite writing. “I wanted a love thick with time, as inscrutable as if a lathe had carved it from night and as familiar as the marrow in my bones. I wanted the impossible, which made it that much easier to push out of my mind.”
The story is inspired by a few Western fairytales, Beauty and the Beast, Hades & Persephone, Cupid & Psyche, etc. The Indian mythology is based off of the myths, Savitri and Satyavan, Shiva and Parvati, and a few others. It was interesting seeing the parallels between the well known Western fairytale mixed in with the Indian mythology.
Something I found to be really cool is that I was able to recognize the language and terms used. Although I'm not Indian (I'm Bengali), being South Asian a lot of the food and clothes were easily recognized. Rasmalai and carrot halwa are two of my favorite desserts that are mentioned. It made me pretty hungry but I also came to appreciate my culture a little more. I've read very few books I could truly resonate with and it's a great feeling to feel a connection with a book through its culture.
The world building was done pretty well. The author did a wonderful job crafting different worlds and kingdoms. The plot did fall a little flat. Things got extremely confusing towards the middle and all of the build up to what I thought would happen pretty much fell apart. Things did clear up a bit, but I feel like somethings things could have been explained a little better.
The main character is Princess Maya, a headstrong and stubborn character. She willing to do whatever it takes to win her freedom which is an admirable aspect about her along with her love and devotion to her little sister Gauri. Gauri sounds like an interesting character and I'm excited to see her story unfold. Amar was a bit of a one dimensional character. I'm not entirely sure on how I feel about him, he was kind of just there for the romance. A huge issue I had were Maya's feelings towards Amar. It was very hot and cold. She was switching between hating and loving him. This is one of my pet peeves and really just shows no faith in a relationship.
Overall, as a debut novel, this was very fun and enjoyable to read. I always love to read books by an author who is a person of color. Roshani Chokshi sounds like an amazing person, from what I've seen on social media. I will definitely pick up more of her works as they come out and can't wait to see more from her.
Rating: 3.75/5