By Tasha Suri
Winner of the 2022 World Fantasy Awards, The Jasmine Throne is what happens when a saphic romantasy meets Game of Thrones set in India. The Jasmine Throne is set in a fictional fantasy world influenced by ancient India.
A multi-POV novel, the political intrigue is told through several characters with competing interests. The main story focuses on Priya a former temple child in Ahiranyi, a nation subjugated by the Parijatdvipan Empire, and Malini, the emperor’s exiled sister.
It is always enjoyable to read fantasy based in non-Western culture because of the diversity of weapons. The weapons in this book were ones used in ancient India, like chakrams and Urumi (a sword with a flexible whip-like blade).
A strong novel with complex characters, political intrigue, and a religious zealot for an antagonist, even though it wasn’t my favorite novel of 2022’s top nominees, I can see why it won.
If I had to issue a complaint about The Jasmine Throne, the only one I can think of is the ending felt like a conclusion and more like the start of something bigger. If you liked The Jasmine Throne, you’ll enjoy that it is the first book in the Burning Kingdoms trilogy Tasha Suri has crafted.
I greatly enjoyed the audibook narration by Shiromi Arserio. I would have had difficulty pronouncing a number of the names correctly. After listening to the audiobook, it’s great to read the names in print and know how to pronounce them.
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