Kaikeyi
Books | Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
4
(252)
Vaishnavi Patel
"Patel''s mesmerizing debut shines a brilliant light on the vilified queen from [the Indian epic] the Ramayana....This easily earns its place on shelves alongside Madeline Miller''s Circe." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions--much good it did me." So begins Kaikeyi''s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on tales of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear. Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her. But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. And Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak--and what legacy she intends to leave behind. A stunning debut from a powerful new voice, Kaikeyi reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the Indian epic the Ramayana, weaving a tale of fate, family, courage, and heartbreak--of an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come. Praise for Kaikeyi: "Utterly captivating from start to finish. I was immersed in Kaikeyi''s world from the moment I opened Vaishnavi Patel''s stunning debut." ―Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch''s Heart "Patel shines an elegant, incisive lens on an ancient epic and the vilified queen tangled within it. Brave, compassionate and powerful." ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne "Mythic retelling at its best: entrancing, troubling, and complicated. Kaikeyi is marvelous." ―R. F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War "A lyrical and evocative retelling, full of power and grace, which brings forward a traditionally maligned woman of myth. A spellbinding debut." ―Ava Reid, author of The Wolf and the Woodsman "Compulsively readable and infinitely compassionate, this is the story I''ve been yearning for all my life." ―Roshani Chokshi, author of The Gilded Wolves "The best kind of retelling. Deftly weaving fantasy elements with beloved mythology, this brilliant reinterpretation enriches the Ramayana with counternarratives." ―Maya Deane, author of Wrath Goddess Sing "A thought-provoking, nuanced new look at one of humanity''s most foundational stories." --Shannon Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass "Kaikeyi is a glorious tapestry of a novel. I adored it." --Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong "The novel is compelling and rich, drawing on the source material while furnishing its characters with new complexity and motivations. Fans of Madeline Miller''s Circe will fall hard for this story." ―Booklist (starred review)
Fantasy
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More Details:
Author
Vaishnavi Patel
Pages
496
Publisher
Redhook
Published Date
2022
ISBN
0759557330 9780759557338
Community ReviewsSee all
"Aro ace main character"
Abby
"Very well written. I admire the ending, but I did not love the ending. However, it did display that you cannot control everything in life & sometimes small victories are the most important… aka perhaps one of the messages itself. I loved how it focused on the role of women & had such a strong female lead. I am eager now to look more deeply into Kaikeyi, I am fascinated with this revision of her story. "
Mariah
"What a beautiful story! kaikeyi is such a powerful woman. I love how she takes us through her journey; battles, struggles to make changes in her world but you experience her sorrows; such emotion.<br/>I found myself in the gardens, palace rooms, traveling through country side, running into monsters and witnessing all the magic in every page. This was a slow read but worth every minute. Gods, goddess, demons, deities so many beautifully retold tales."
Chrissyg
"Lots of action, lots of story, great coming of age and coming into power. Beautiful family dynamics represented, and pulls at the heart strings."
Addy Green
"Couldn’t put this down. Hope to see more from this author."
Nancy Smith
"This book is surely going to go up for book of the year award. It is a masterpiece. A must read!"
Andrea Myers
""Before it was Rama's story, it was mine"
This is the first book of its type I have ever read, a retelling of a Hindi story, adding details and shedding some light on a tale that might have otherwise seemed controversial, calloused, and cruel. It is a story of feminism at a time where that thinking was not only wrong, but deemed dangerous by those who spoke directly to the gods. It is a story of choosing the greater good, time and time again, for the sake of the greater good and not for the sake of one's self. It is a story of kings and queens, of war and peace, of magic and power, of mothers and daughters and sons. And this is a thick and heavy story by the way.
And an amazing one.
When young Kaikeyi learned that she had the magic to enter the Binding Plane, she saw her future changing. And it changed in so many ways, because of her, not because of the magic she possessed, but because of the realization that a woman could hold power if she just worked hard enough to procure it. Time and time again, Kaikeyi must do what she thinks is right, even when it might cost her everything. And as someone who the gods never listen to, costing everything might truly leave her in ruins.
The way this book was written forebodes the tragedy of the ending of Kaikeyis story, but we can't help but be pulled along with her, through app the ups and downs, hoping that maybe she might be able to do something to change her fate.
I absolutely loved this book, and even though it was long, perhaps it wasn't long enough because now i want to know how the rest of the kingdoms of Kosala and Kekaya fare after Kaikeyi has finally done all she must do."
Anna-Racquel Perez
"i agree with this suggestion, pretty good book"
Charlotte Kerr
"I knew nothing of the original story going into this novel.<br/><br/>It's very well written and at some points that is all that keeps it afloat.<br/><br/>But my main concern with this novel is that it supports women so whole heartedly then at the end just has Kaikey putting the blame onto herself, even after a God has told her it would have happened anyway.<br/>And the other concerns were with her ridiculous love for her sons that were mentioned so little that I didn't even recognize their names when they actually mattered to the story.<br/>It's hard to care for a characters sons when Kaikey herself has only said a few lines about that son in the entire book. So the lengths she tried to defend their actions don't seem believable at all.<br/><br/>Also I'm quite confused as to why everyone cannot separate this from the original story? It's a retelling of the original isn't it?<br/>Why read this if you just wanted to read the same story told with updated language?"
Billie Cuumm
"Couldn’t put this book down! If you love ‘Circe’ and ‘Song of Achilles’ you will love this book. An exploration on how a woman’s choices can matter in a world governed by gods and men"
L W
Lilly Watz
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