The lengths I went to get a chance to read this book took even myself by surprise. It’s not a secret that I have a soft corner for Indian fantasies, and the synopsis sounded amazing, but I think I fell in love the moment I saw that cover. I mean,by now, I should know not to judge books by their covers, but did you just see the beauty that is this book’s cover? Every time I look at it, I get the chills. A Desi girl, in a very Desi outfit, with a posture and look that screams badass – it’s just. Sigh. Have you ever felt so inspired by just looking at the cover of a book???? And if the cover did all that, the book itself, the amazing story, the spectacular MC, the beautiful writing all swept me away, and I am still drowning in the feels this book left me in.

Amrita is the princess of Shalingar, and her life has never been lacking, despite the absence of her mother and her sheltered life, thanks to her adoring father, best friend Arjun, and people around her who love her more than anything. But when the tyrant Macedon emperor Sikander enters her kingdom, with the demand for Chamak – a divine yet dangerous drug, upon refusal, he shatters her beautiful and orderly world. Fleeing for her safety, and on a quest to save her kingdom back from the tyrant rule, Amrita is accompanied by Thala – an oracle she released from slavery and befriended – and together they embark on a journey of revelations.

The Library of Fates is a special special book. It not only draws inspiration from Hindu mythology, but also from Indian history, and is extremely relevant even now, especially now, during the current political climate. The Library of Fates is the story of how a girl born for greatness embraces her destiny. It’s the story of how the determination of a princess, the love and loss of a girl who lost everything, the power of female friendship manages to unravel a tyrant rule from its roots. It’s the story of how love, selflessness, faith, belief, determination and sacrifice can reassign the threads of fate.

Let me first talk a little bit about the world building and rep. Shalingar is a fictional kingdom based on India, and Sikander’s invasion is very much inspired by the real invasion on India by the Macedon empire. However, the story also has parallels to the later colonialism, and how indigenous cultures and people were invaded and later influenced by western ideals, creating damage to the thriving cultures of these countries. Chamak – the divine drug that Sikander hopes to exploit is the symbol of everything that previously belonged to indigenous cultures and countries, later exploited by their invaders, and these powerful symbolism makes Amrita’s quest special, imminent and amazing.

The inclusion of Hindu mythology is magical. I’ve grown up reading stories of vetalas, and all of the classical mythological and cultural aspects included in the book was authentic, beautiful, apt and gave me a feel of all the stories I grew up with. The world was lush, the descriptions beautiful without ending up as purple prose and the overall effect was mesmerising.

Amrita is the desi fantasy MC of my dreams. She is just fantastic, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I loved her and was inspired by her. When pushed to make difficult decisions, she makes them ; when her comfortable life is taken away from her, she accepts her privilege and moves on ; in the face of loss, she lives and fights for those who sacrificed for her and is one of the bravest, greatest, kindest and most selfless girls I’ve ever read about.

Thala deserves a special mention. She was Amrita’s rock whenever she needed support and never hesitated to confront and give her a piece of her mind when Amrita needed some tough love. She was an amazing friend, a great companion and a strong woman whom I ended up admiring so much. She was Amrita’s voice of reason, and their friendship was just so beautiful.

The rest of the characters were all wonderful. There is a romance – and the book is also sex positive – but it doesn’t take up a huge part of the story and was perfect, subtle and not overwhelming.

Overall, The Library of Fates is a beautiful, feminist fantasy, rooted in Indian culture,history and mythology, a story which will leave you amazed, mesmerized and inspired. I would recommend it to fans of The Star Touched Queen and A Thousand Nights!

The Library of Fates has an interesting mythology set in the ancient fictional kingdom of Shalingar - a kingdom that is nearly utopic but is being threatened by a foreign emperor. Amrita, the princess, is ready to sacrifice her future life for her kingdom, but the nature of her sacrifice takes her on an unusual journey where she discovers herself. The fantasy world, while taking inspiration from ancient kingdoms, has a wholly unique mythology of its own.

First, let me start with the world-building. Shalingar is a pretty peaceful and chill kingdom - the king is benevolent, the subjects are happy, sexism is non-existent, and it is largely influenced by kingdoms and provinces in India. The author includes lush details of the culture, and customs of Shalingar, while staying away from the stereotypes; for instance, spirituality is largely the people's prerogative, but different religions and faiths co-exist. The central mythology of this book concerns a land where people were in tune with nature, and a vast library where every person's life is written (which honestly feels similar to the Library in The Magicians). The influences of Hindu mythology are in the form of vetalas - but they are loosely interpreted, as vetalas are sort of like ghosts, but here they are immortal spirits, as in the former is in a negative sense, while the latter (or at least as in this book) they are keepers or guardian-like.

Amrita is an interesting protagonist. She has been closeted from childhood, but being brought up by a kindly king, she learns to always put her people first. Even when the time comes to finally leave her kingdom, she does it with great sorrow in her heart. However, she is also a strong person and will do what is necessary for the greater good. Her journey is more of her realization that sometimes the life you imagined is not the life that is waiting out there for you, and sometimes that is okay, too. At first, she is skeptical of the mythology coming to life, as she has considered them as merely stories. Her friendship with the seer Thala (who is also a slave) changes her, and sets her out on her journey - and their growth was beautiful to watch. There are two romances, but neither is the focus of the story, but the reincarnation was a nice addition.

As for the emperor, he seems underdeveloped and feels like he is derived from Alexander the Great. He is, however, a key part of Amrita's journey and her choices later on in the book, but I won't discuss further on that to keep this review non-spoilery. I will, say, however, that the last quarter of the book felt rushed on that account, and could have been stretched out a little - especially because it was a crucial part of her story's development. As this, so far, looks like a standalone, it feels like it was wrapped up fast to end the story.

Overall, though, this book is a lushly written fantasy, and I am delighted to read a story about my culture in such a wonderful setting.

This is a beautiful and original fantasy book based on Indian folklore, and it's so refreshing to read a story that reflects Eastern traditions. It's also very interesting to read a YA novel that explores colonialism and intersectional feminism. So please, don't sleep on this book! Give it a chance and you won't regret it!!

My favourite thing about this book is that Aditi Khorana presents a strong female main character who wants to choose her own future (and she does!), but she's not violent. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, but I really appreciate the change. I like that there are stories that show that it's not all about power, or physical strength, but it's also about resilience, about making difficult decisions. And I love that Amrita is not focused on revenge, that she tries to makes things better, that she's so respectful and connected to nature, animals, and life itself.

Another thing that I like is that "The library of fates" focuses on female friendship, that the reader gets to see girls who fight together and support each other, because we don't hear this kind of story often enough.

It's an action-packed book, yet thought-provoking, about the things we create when everything seems lost, about sacrifice, and about the different possibilities life has to offer.

This was the first Aditi Khoran's book I've read and I'm quite impressed.
I really liked the world and the diversity in the novel. I loved to know more about indian floklore, and that was one of my favourite parts.
The romance was quite insta love-ish and really fast, and it doesn't really built it up throughout the story. And some parts of the story were quite predictable.
Overall, it was a fast, cute coming-of-age story!