The woodland was as unnamable as each breath of air, as indivisible as water.’ ‘But Priya, who’d once been taught traditional Ahiranyi as a temple daughter, knew that the Ahiranyi had never had names for the forest. Since then Parijat has ruled, worshipping the Mothers who sacrificed themselves, and Ahiranya has been crumbling, its religious power lost during the burning of the temple and all its Elders and children at the order of the Emperor, its people and lands consumed by the rot. But then a group of women from Parijat burned themselves on a pyre to gain the power to stand against Ahiranya. The central story is set in Ahiranya, which used to be a powerful nation that almost ruled the entire continent (I think, the map was sadly not ready for the ARC I read) during what was called the Age of Flowers. As soon as I read the prologue, I knew I was in for a ride. Suri has built an incredible and concrete world with Parijatdvipa.

What a powerful book! The Jasmine Throne absolutely swept me away, I have never read anything quite like it. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, as long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides. Priya is a maidservant, one of several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to attend Malini’s chambers.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of powerful magic – but is now little more than a decaying ruin. Together, they will change the fate of an empire. The other is a priestess searching for her family. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne.

The jasmine throne priya