Do we really need to be perfect to be equal? Don't we have to be simply human, with our flaws but still deserving of love and respect?
That is the only thing that really made reading this book so difficult for me, but I really really liked it!

A super cool story! This novel provided a very refreshing and alternative take on a traditional Indian epic! It allowed me to view the character of Kaikeyi from a different perspective - quite a contrast to the evil and witch-like light that her character and actions are usually portrayed in.

I actually ended up buying the book because, even though I was interested in the story, I could not click with the narrator…
The story itself is amazing and would definitely recommend it! Not on audiobook, though…

When I started listening to this book, I was tempted to DNF... I cannot place my finger on what was off, but surely something was... it felt so blah...

I'm glad I persevered though... I grew to like Kaikeyi and her story... to the extent I was tempted to give the book 5⭐ just based on how I felt by the of the book...

Spoiler y things that I found interesting...

- Kaikeyi and her ability to see the bonds between people, like literally... It felt like magic
- Kaikeyi and her friendship with Ravana... That was a plot twist I did not see coming at all
- gentle feminism, assertive (not aggressive)
- the fictitious debunking of the villian in her backstory... A very creative 'what really happened' conjecture (keep in mind it's a fictional reimagining)

Overall the book is a read-worthy addition to the myths reimagined genre, but I did feel that it did not quite live up to the excessive hype.

Not only is Kaikeyi a great book, but it's a wonderful retelling of a myth with the core message of women empowerment. This book, these characters, and the message will stay with me.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interested in mythology and stories with a focus on women's empowerment.

I am having trouble being succinct with what didn't fully work for me with this book. So I will list my pros and cons.

Pros
-I liked how the Kaikeyi's relationship with her husband (non sexually) and her sister wives developed. The way the wives raised the children together and loved all the sons was really beautiful.
-It was interesting to see the differences in how the kingdoms saw women's activities. Kaikeyi grew up in a kingdom that taught women to be warriors, but in her husband's kingdom they were not taught these skills and were expected to be the homemakers. But her husband did show his trust in her fighting abilities.

Cons
-The pacing felt very slow in many places. Because the book tries to span both Kaikeyi's childhood and adulthood, it zoomed through some parts and then ground to a halt at other times.
-Being familiar with the epic this draws from, I was uncomfortable with some of the characterization. I will try to be spoiler free by not mentioning names, but the main villain from the epic is shown in a very sympathetic light in this story and doesn't really show how they would switch to being so evil. Kaikeyi herself is given nuance, but many other characters are not.

I love a retelling, and thought this was such a great take on Valmiki’s Ramayana. The cover sucked me in, but I really enjoyed the audiobook, and narrator.

*many thanks to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I really enjoyed Kaikeyi. It is the first Indian epic retelling I've ever read and I really liked it. I did have to take some breaks while reading it because this book is thick. As it should be since it is filled with epic quests, battles, betrays, and self discovery. If you love mythology retellings I'd definitely recommend Kaikeyi!

The narration was well done and easy to listen to. Soneela Nankani did a wonderful job. I listened to it at about 2x-2.5x speed.

Narration: 5/5⭐️
Book 4/5⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the Audio-ARC!

This reminded me of the audiobook Circe by by Madeline Miller, only that instead of Greek Mythology it was inspired by the interesting mythology of India.
An original retelling with important themes and new insights that made me quite curious about the Ramayana epic.
The Audiobook had a very good narrator that well suited the main character and the story.

I absolutely loved the narrator for this book and I found the story to be captivating. Before reading this book, I knew very little of Queen Kaikeyi and the story of Ramayana, but after did a little research on the story. I think Patel's take of Queen Kaikeyi and her story was an interesting take. I"m looking forward to reading more from Patel in the future.

“If the gods had already ordained my evil deeds, then I had nothing to lose by defying them now. So, I would defy them.

KAIKEYI is a retelling of the titular woman’s story from Hindu mythology. In the original tale, Kaikey is infamous for exiling Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu. Patel’s novel imagines Kaikeyi’s side of this story. I loved the concept of this book and the execution is incredible. It’s an enthralling tale of a woman, forsaken by the gods, who takes her fate into her own hands and finds a power all her own. The storytelling is so clever, deftly weaving the well-known aspects of Kaikeyi’s life with a rich backstory and luminous inner world of her own, creating a story true to the mythology that’s infinitely sympathetic to the woman cast as the villain. One of my favorite elements was the “binding plane” that Patel adds, a magical power Kaikeyi discovers that allows her to sense and manipulate the ties she has with others. This blends so well with the emphasis on relationships in the book; Kaikeyi is devoted to her family, her companions, and the women she seeks to empower. It’s also a beautiful portrayal of an asexual woman living in a world lacking ways for her to exist outside of a traditional family unit. An original and triumphant debut. Thanks to Redhook Books and Hachette Audio for the review copies!

Content warnings: sexism/patriarchy, war/violence, death, loss of a parent, domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts, grief

I really wanted to like this audiobook. However, I could not get into because the narrator did not appeal to me. She had a gravel voice that could not get me to concentrate on the story and Kaikeyi as a character. Therefore, the audiobook sounded promising, but the narrator did not sound pleasing.

When I took a class in college that focused on cross-sections of the Ramayana (different translations, different sources of record, adaptations, etc) I was enraptured by the detailed settings and all the characters and kingdoms and monsters and battles and gods. What I didn’t like so much was Rama himself; like every good mythological hero, he’s self-assured (read: arrogant), supremely capable (read: helped along by divine intervention), and focused (read: dismissive of other people). Rama is so much the center of his own universe that the other characters lose out because of it. (Note: we did not read the Ramayana cover to cover, instead reading certain chapters across multiple versions.)

Kaikeyi does something really, really awesome: it sets Ram as the villain. If you’re familiar with the Ramayana, you recognize Kaikeyi: the queen who banished him and kicked off the main plot of the Ramayana. But this book essentially ends there, instead focusing on the capable and gods-touched Kaikeyi. We get a badass aroace MC who challenges sexism left and right, dramatically raising women’s place in society. It’s a bit of a slow build, following her from childhood through the first rocky year of her marriage and beyond. But as we approached the end, when her sons are coming into adulthood and their own ideas and Kaikeyi and Ram class more and more… that’s where things get interesting.

I loved seeing different sides to the characters who were portrayed in the Ramayana as villains (Kaikeyi and Ravan) or just didn’t get much depth (Lakshman and Sita). By focusing on these characters, we really get to see how much growth Ram needs to become the hero of legend - and how much help he didn’t know he was getting along the way.

You don’t need to know the Ramayana to enjoy this book, but I definitely think knowing the basics helps you appreciate Patel’s attention to detail

Kaikeyi is a story that gave me mixed feelings on top of my mixed feelings, much as the character of Kaikeyi herself has inspired multiple interpretations of her story and her character in the centuries since the Ramayana, one of the two important legends of Hinduism, was first written – or amassed – or compiled – or all of the above – sometime between the 7th and 4th centuries B.C.E.

The closest Western parallel is probably the Homeric epics The Iliad and The Odyssey in age, size and in the scope of their importance to the canon of literature.

And, like the recent spate of modernized retellings of Homer’s famous tales such as Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles and Circe, as well as Claire North’s upcoming Ithaca, the Ramayana, particularly the story of the reviled Kaikeyi, was ripe for a contemporary retelling.

Which is just what Kaikeyi is, an account of Queen Kaikeyi’s life from her early childhood to the terrible events that made her so despised in the Ramayana. But told from Kaikeyi’s own first-person point of view, we’re able to see the famous story in which she plays such an infamous part told from a feminist perspective rather than the patriarchal, male-centric version that was written by the all-male Sages who denigrated her during her life and controlled her narrative after her death.

While the Ramayana itself is the epic history of Kaikeyi’s son Rama, a reincarnation of Vishnu, in Kaikeyi’s part of that story we are at the end, where she poisons the mind of her husband King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, persuading him to exile Rama from the kingdom he is supposed to rule, for 14 long, bitter years. But that event – and the worse things that follow after it, are the last part of Kaikeyi’s story when it is told from her own perspective.

For her, the story begins at the beginning, the tale of a young woman, the only princess of Kekaya, with eight younger brothers and a disapproving father, the king who exiled her mother as a result of machinations in his own court.

Kekaya is a warlike kingdom, and Kaikeyi, in spite of her gender, learns many of the arts of war under the tutelage of her twin brother. But for all her agency and independence, she is forced to obey when her father marries her off to the King of Ayodhya, as Ayodhya is a larger, more prosperous country that Kekaya cannot afford to anger.

It is as one of the three Queens of Ayodhya that Kaikeyi finds both her purpose and her eventual downfall – at least according to the legends.

What we have in this fictionalized version of her life is the story of a strong woman who was forsaken by her gods for acts she had not yet committed, who began her rise with a little magic and less agency, but who eventually managed to carve herself a place at her husband’s side in war and in the highest councils of their kingdom in peace.

And who managed – in spite of the dire pronouncements of the Sages who denounced her as angering the gods by not staying in her “woman’s place” – to raise the standard of living and responsibility for many of the women of her kingdom.

Until it all went straight to something like hell – right along with damnation.

Escape Rating B: I said at the top that my mixed feelings had mixed feelings about this story. There were points where it seemed like a fairly straightforward feminist interpretation, where the conservative forces of the patriarchy who claimed they were speaking for the gods were just part of the cycle of men making god in their own image. In other words they wanted to maintain the status quo that kept them in power and women less than the dust under their feet by claiming that was what the gods wanted.

But then there are actual gods in this story who actually claim that those men are, in fact, speaking for their divine selves. Which does undercut some of that interpretation.

And on my rather confused other hand, as Rama and his brothers grow up, it’s clear, at least from Kaikeyi’s point of view, that knowing he was the avatar of a god from such a young age had done Rama absolutely no favors whatsoever. That he’s a puppet of divine forces beyond his control or understanding – and that he is just as much a pawn of men who get their hooks into him when he is young and corrupt him to their purposes – one of which is to strike Kaikeyi down through their control of her son.

In other words, these facets of the story read like an entirely different saying about the gods, the one that goes “whom the gods would destroy they first make mad,” variations of which go all the way back to Sophocles’ play Antigone – which was also written sometime in the 4th century B.C.E.

Because this is Kaikeyi’s story rather than Rama’s, this is not a story about a great man fighting great battles against great evil and having great adventures. In many ways it’s a much quieter story than that as Kaikeyi reaches maturity in Ayodhya, learns how to control her own magic, and makes changes in the ways that all women are treated in her adopted country.

But this is also a story that is effectively forced to serve two masters. On the one hand, it hits many of the same beats as epic fantasy. The use of magic, deities meddling in the affairs of their worshippers, the battles between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Howsomever, as the retelling of a foundational document in religions that have millions of adherents to this very day, the story must still conform to the major plot points of the epic poem it derives from. Kaikeyi the character can explain, to herself and to the reader, why events are remembered and recorded as they eventually were – but she can’t change the outcome no matter how much the reader might want her to or even expect her to because this does read much like epic fantasy.

Still, what makes Kaikeyi’s story so interesting is the way that she works through relationships, aided by her magic, to garner influence and power to help the women of her kingdom. One of the unusual facets of her story is that Kaikeyi herself is both Ace and Aromantic in this interpretation. Whatever her husband feels for her, this is not a romance. She comes to see him as a dear friend and a partner, but she has no romantic or sexual interest in him or anyone else in her life. She does not use ‘feminine wiles’ or seduction to make her point or to gather followers. It’s always fascinating to see a woman in a historical-type story that does not ever play those obvious tropes.

But as much as I found Kaikeyi’s campaign for increased women’s rights in general and greater agency and authority for herself in particular, the last quarter of the story fell flat for me. At that point, the bitter ending is coming fast, and Kaikeyi spends a great deal of time and energy castigating herself because she didn’t see it coming and can’t seem to stop the destruction that cannot be turned aside. She blames herself for absolutely everything that happens to a degree that just bogs down a whole chunk of chapters leading to the ending.

So I loved the first three quarters and was ready to throw the thing across the room in the long, drawn-out, “it’s all my fault, I’m to blame for everything” final quarter.

June is Audiobook Month and I listened to Kaikeyi rather than reading the text – which would have made throwing it across the room not just difficult but downright dangerous as I was generally driving while listening. And I’d hate to throw my iPhone out of the window. Seriously.

One of the reasons I kept going even when the story hit that big slough of despond at the end was because I was listening rather than reading. Stories that are in the first-person-perspective, as Kaikeyi is, lend themselves particularly well to audio when the narrator’s voice matches the character, as was certainly the case here. While I had mixed feelings about the story she was telling, the audio teller of the tale was excellent.

This was a very cool book and I originally only picked it up because I love the narrator and I thought it sounded interesting. This was very different from anything I’ve read before and I’m very excited to read more from this author.

I wasn’t able to listen to the audiobook to completion because there is an echo that’s very distracting. I love Soneela Nankani’s narration as always.

This book is a reimagining of the vilified queen from Hindu mythology. In the classic Ramayana, Queen Kaikeyi is portrayed as a jealous queen who wants her son Bharata to ascend the throne. This retelling focuses on Queen Kaikeyi from childhood to her quest to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.⁠

I'm a sucker for a retelling or reimagining of a classic story or a myth. Even though I had never read the epic Ramayana, I knew I had to get my hands on this one. ⁠
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This feminist reimagining of the Indian epic Ramayana checks all the boxes. It's got great character development, an interesting plot, lots of family drama, and a bit of magic. It gets five stars from me.

This was an EPIC mythological retelling of the Indian story of the Ramayana that focuses on the life of Kaikeyi, the infamous queen who has been cast as the villain throughout history. Such an incredible debut that shows Kaikeyi as a full-bodied woman with unique powers who was always trying to do what was best for her family, even when it cost her dearly.

I loved the ace and aro rep in the book and the narration by Soneela Nankani was EXCELLENT!! Highly recommended for fans of books like Circe or Ariadne. My only complaint was that I found it a little longer than it needed to be, clocking in at just over 17 hours listening time! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance listening copy!

This book is HEAVY, both in physical weight and in the themes throughout. Kaikeyi is far from perfect - she can be megalomaniacal at times, and often puts her desires above the wellbeing of others. But she's interesting and that's what matters. The passion in her voice is so strongly conveyed through the narrator, and it makes you want to root for her. (That being said, it is a retelling of the Ramayana where Kaikeyi was less than gracious, but still...)

But outside of all of this, you get a delightful yet sorrowful epic story about the extents of a mother's love. With this comes a land of gods and magic, intricately woven into the tale of being a woman in historical times. I really REALLY enjoyed it and can't wait to read more from Vaishnavi Patel.

*Thank you to RedHook and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review*

This is the story of a princess in a Hindu land. Kaikeyi is fierce and doesn’t settle for the limited roles women are allotted. Her mother is banished from the kingdom when she’s a child and Kaikeyi is left to raise her younger brothers. About this time she discovers she has a special power. Along with her magical ability she also seeks out combat and weapons training. Once she’s married off to another Raja she’s able to use her gifts and training to be unlike any other queen.

When I first got approved for this title I was a little daunted by the length. It’s 17 hours long. That’s a serious commitment if you end up not liking the book. The first two thirds of the book kinda plods along. It’s not that nothing is happening but it’s measured. The last third is really fast-paced and nonstop action.

I liked the book. The exploration of the Hindu religion was interesting. It’s not something I know a lot about. Being immersed in a new culture is always worth my time. Also, the narration is good.

Thanks to @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for a copy of this book. It’s available now.