Review: 'The Jasmine Throne' (The Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri

 I got excited about The Jasmine Throne largely through the enthusiasm about it on Twitter. I kept seeing people write about it, kept seeing Suri teasing fans about it, and I can only go so long before I need to sink my claws into another 500+ pages of Fantasy. But I still wasn't quite ready for just how lush and thorough The Jasmine Throne would be

Pub. Date: 6/8/2021
Publisher: Orbit Books

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.

The Fantasy genre can be a tricky one. On the one hand it is full of invention and beauty, but on the other hand there are the same old tired tropes which don't just hint of racism but are blatantly so. Over the past few years I have tried to read beyond the Euro-centric Fantasy, which takes its inspiration from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings but never matches it. Brilliant examples of Fantasy novels stepping outside of that mold have been Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. These authors bring in their own cultural influences and history and show that Fantasy can be so much more. In The Jasmine Throne we get an India-inspired world, which feels incredibly fresh to me while being steeped in history. Tasha Suri also uses this to discuss the issue of empire, something India's history has been deeply marked by and which many Western authors take for granted. Ahiranya has been subjugated to Paridjatvipa, ever since the Age of Flowers came to an end. The way Suri describes how their language, culture and history are being slowly, but violently, erased is painful but very important to read. Fantasy is not just an escape, it is also meant to address the world we live in. Suri does so brilliantly, while weaving a beautiful and lush story.

Priya remembers being strong, having powers. But now she is only a maid at the mahal, doing her best to look out for the homeless children infected by the rot. When the disgraced princess Malini is imprisoned in the local Hirana temple, Priya becomes one of the maids to look after her. After one fateful night, however, everything changes. An uneasy, fraught alliance forms between Malini and Priya as the former seeks revenge against her brother and the latter looks to reconnect with her own past. And this is very much just touching the surface. So much happens in the 500+ pages of The Jasmine Throne but while it is a lot, it is never overwhelming. No detail is wasted by Suri, everything is tightly plotted and connected to the broader world. Told through a variety of characters' viewpoints, the heart of the novel is still very much Priya and Malini's journey. While their ultimate goals may not be the same, a strong bond builds between the two that fuels much of the novel. The characters surrounding these two are all brilliantly worked-out as well, with their own motivations and history, with conflicting ideals and dreams, with priorities they can't yet reveal. No single character felt superfluous or bland, every perspective brought something new and relevant.

The Jasmine Throne is my first novel by Tasha Suri and I have clearly been missing out. Her characters are so alive, so full of feeling but also contemplation, aware of destiny but hoping to blaze their own path. The world-building is exquisite, and I don't say that lightly. While it takes a little while to get into The Jasmine Throne but once you're in your in! I was going to read a little on my train journey before doing some work and I ended up reading for five hours straight. Priya and Malini are great characters, so full of contradictions but with such blazing hearts. This novel is super sapphic, with tenderness and passion, but also with danger and violence. Also, any author that has to knowhow and strength to put an italicized 'oh' in their books has won me over. Because YES! Give me all the yearning, the angst, the knowing you shouldn't, the standing on opposite sides but really only ever being on each other's sides. The Jasmine Throne is the first part of The Burning Kingdoms duology (which, according to Goodreads may now be a trilogy?) and I can't wait for the next installment to see what happens to my new favourite characters.

I give this novel...

5 Universes!

The Jasmine Throne is a beautiful novel which delivers on everything it promises. From stunning world-building to complex characters, I can't wait to return to The Burning Kingdoms.