The Jasmine Throne

By: Tasha Suri

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

"RAISES THE BAR FOR WHAT EPIC FANTASY SHOULD BE." —Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights

A ruthless princess and a powerful priestess come together to rewrite the fate of an empire in this “fiercely and unapologetically feminist tale of endurance and revolution set against a gorgeous, unique magical world” (S. A. Chakraborty).

Exiled by her despotic brother, princess Malini spends her days dreaming of vengeance while imprisoned in the Hirana: an ancient cliffside temple that was once the revered source of the magical deathless waters but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

The secrets of the Hirana call to Priya. But in order to keep the truth of her past safely hidden, she works as a servant in the loathed regent’s household, biting her tongue and cleaning Malini’s chambers.

But when Malini witnesses Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a ruthless princess seeking to steal a throne. The other a powerful priestess desperate to save her family. Together, they will set an empire ablaze.

"An intimate, complex, magical study of empire and the people caught in its bloody teeth. I loved it.” —Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

"Gripping and harrowing from the very start." —R. F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War

"Suri’s incandescent feminist masterpiece hits like a steel fist inside a velvet glove. Simply magnificent." —Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

"A fierce, heart-wrenching exploration of the value and danger of love in a world of politics and power." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This cutthroat and sapphic novel will grip you until the very end." —Vulture (Best of the Year)

"Lush and stunning....Inspired by Indian epics, this sapphic fantasy will rip your heart out." —BuzzFeed News​

Critic reviews

"The Jasmine Throne pulls you under, sweeping you away on a current of gorgeous prose and intricately imagined magic and politics. Filled with sharply-drawn characters who ache with longing: for peace, for war, for one another. It left me breathless."—Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

"This powerful series opener will undoubtedly reshape the landscape of epic fantasy for years to come."—Booklist (starred review)

"The Jasmine Throne more than lives up to the hype with its rich and expansive world, compelling characters, cool magic system and Suri’s excellent writing, which holds it all together."—BookPage (starred review)

"The Jasmine Throne is a riveting and gorgeously-written tale set in an intricate, expansive world. [The characters] will live in my imagination for a long time to come, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!"—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch’s Heart

"The Jasmine Throne is an intimate, complex, magical study of empire and the people caught in its bloody teeth. It’s about resistance and power, histories both personal and political, and the heroes who must become monsters to survive. I loved it."—Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

"This is a powerful and intense opening to an epic trilogy. Glorious....Lush, evocative, richly characterised, emotionally dense, with a scope that at first seems intimate and turns out to be much, much larger. Suri’s skill—never minor—here seems to have taken a step or three up: there are few epic fantasies I have enjoyed, or admired, as greatly."—Liz Bourke, Tor.com

"Suri astounds with the spellbinding epic fantasy that launches her Burning Kingdoms trilogy....a fierce, heart-wrenching exploration of the value and danger of love in a world of politics and power....Suri’s confident and passionate prose expertly guides the reader throughout. This is a blade-sharp, triumphant start to what promises to be an exciting series."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Tasha Suri writes the female characters I didn’t realize I was aching to see in fantasy, to devastating effect. The Jasmine Throne is a fiercely and unapologetically feminist tale of endurance and revolution set against a gorgeous, unique magical world."
—S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

"Like the magic in this tale of reclaiming power, The Jasmine Throne will work its way under your skin with Suri’s compelling characters and gorgeous, effortless prose.”—Sam Hawke, author of City of Lies

A slow start but well worth the listen

Malini has opposed her brother, a despot who claimed their father's kingdom. As a result, she was exiled and sent to live in the Hirana for "reflection" until she either falls in line or dies. The Hirana is a cliffside temple that once housed many priests and priestesses and was the source of the deathless waters, though after all of the priests and priestesses, including the children, were murdered - immolated - the temple is little more than a ruin.

Priya is a servant who has been chosen to take care of the Hirana and Malini without allowing her to see and interact with them. She also does what she can to help children in the area who are suffering from the rot, a disease with no known cure, though its progress can be slowed. But Priya has a secret, and when Malini discovers it one night, the two women become tied together, seeking the secrets of the temple and using each other to achieve their own goals: Malini to steal the throne and Priya to find her family.

What started out somewhat slow turned into a fascinating story combining politics, betrayal, mystery, magic, and absolutely wonderful storytelling. Once the story really got going, which took about 2 hours of listening for me to really get into the meat of the story, I found it difficult to stop listening when I needed to.

Though most of the book is centered around Priya and Malini, there are many other characters that we get to know through their own POV chapters which add an immense amount of depth and perspective to the story, particularly where the simmering tensions are concerned. Though the vast cast of characters could seem off-putting to some, Suri is able to draw the reader in and introduce them to the characters in such a way that I didn't feel lost or disconnected, and I found myself rather enjoying the many interludes with the other characters and the larger picture they helped paint of what is happening. I will absolutely be continuing this series with the next book.

As I mentioned above, I listened to the audiobook of The Jasmine Throne, which was narrated by Shiromi Arserio. Though this is the first book of hers that I have listened to, I have several others in my TBR, and after her wonderful performance here, I look forward to listening to her read me other novels. If you enjoy listening to audiobooks, I encourage you to add this one to your TBR.

Good Fantasyland but with issues

A great fantasy series based in India myth and magic. However I had a really hard time figuring out where characters where in any given space, and there were a few to many named characters to keep track of in the first part of a series.

There’s definitely something here

Author did create an interesting world and explained the power dynamics and sexism well. This is a true enemies to lovers story and I liked the ended. I am curious about what happens next

Cons. Everything in the world pretty much sucked and the tone of the book stayed pretty consistent the entire time. In a way that felt a bit one note. A little too much telling us that the princess is devious (in a good way) and not showing us till the end.

Go ahead and download it

Prose heavy and wonderful in a way I haven’t read in a while. Pick it up and don’t look back

Exquisite

One of the most vivid and visceral reads in a long time. Thank you.