Review: Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

 Hi Readers,

I'm slowly making it through my TBR pile and feel like I'm starting to make some serious headway.  Woo!  If you are wondering how I am currently selecting my reads, I filled up a jar that I got from an Owlcrate box (I think in 2021...) with all of the names of books that I have in my current pile.  Once I finish one, my partner is drawing the next one for me.  You know...to keep me honest.  That's not to say that I haven't veered away from that once or twice.  

 

Anyway, let's talk about Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel.  This is one is from my BOTM backlog, I believe from my April 2022 box.  I selected this one based on some hype I had read about the book and the mostly positive reviews.  I can't say that I was super excited when I actually started it though, mainly because I was still feeling the book hangover from Wicked Fox and didn't want to commit to something that long before Vicious Spirits came in.

Kaikeyi is a perspective retelling of the Ramayana, which I was not familiar with prior to reading this story.  I did read through the wiki for the Ramayana to help gather a little bit more background for understanding, but I would be interested in reading other sources to better understand the story.

This story focuses the story on Kaikeyi, the only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya.  When her mother leaves her, she delves into her library and discovers a scroll that can help her access the "Binding Plane" where she can influence thoughts of those connected to her.  She also begins training with her twin brother to learn how to fight and defend herself.  Eventually her marriage is arranged and she becomes the third wife to the Raja Dasharatha, where she is able to establish and begin changing the roles of women in the city.  She and the other wives bare children to Dasharatha and the first wife's son, Rama, appears to be "gods touched" and becomes an inadvertent adversary to Kaikeyi.

I liked the power that Kaikeyi brought to the role of queen and the ability to facility change in a traditional society where women are treated as if their views don't matter.  I ultimately ended up enjoying Kaikeyi and would be interested in learning more about the original Sanskrit myth.  The story was well-written and engaging and the way the magic is portrayed is captivating.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the idea of a traditional story being retold through a different view point.  

4/5⭐

Next up, Vicious Spirits from Kat Cho!

Kattie