Beautifully written novel! If you enjoy retellings, and stories of women fighting to carve a mark and forge their own destiny, then give this a read.

The story of Kaikeyi is a retelling of the Hindu epic The Ramayana. In the original, Kaikeyi is the villanous queen. This novel dives into Kaikeyi's story. She was born the only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, someone who is raised on the stories and mercies of the gods but never seems to have them answer her prayers. Through reading texts she once read with her banished mother, she discovers that she has magic of her own. This magic helps propel her from the princess who was shrouded by her male siblings shadow, to becoming a favored queen, warrior, and dipomat who fought for rights of women. However, will the love she has for her people and family, and the plans she has for the furture go against the will of the gods?

The story of Kaikeyi from childhood through growing into the mother and queen she became was beautifully crafted. Told in first person, Kaikeyi weaves her story with great emotion and honesty. Although slow at times, I was always interested in where the story was going and what she would do and why. My favorite part of this book was how beautifully flawed Kaikeyi was. I had moments when I did not agree with her deisions, but I always understood why she did what she did. At times, she was incredibly stubborn and unyielding, but her love was always evident.

I have no real knowledge of the story this is based on other than the brief research I did before reading it, so I do not know if I would feel the same knowing more of the story it was re-imagined from. I will say I highly recommend this book to people who love complex and flawed characters and love stories of people coming into thier own, no matter the cost.

Thank You NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced audio copy of this book.

A retelling of the Ramayana, which is a popular epic in Asia. Kaikeyi is the protagonist and one of the most hated women in Hindu mythology. Kaikeyi is married off at 16 with the promise that her future son will be next in line for the throne. Kaikeyi was determined not to just be a mother and wife, but to create some good and have power in a man’s word. When Rama is born first to one of Raja Dasharatha’s wives, Kaikeyi at first doesn’t worry that her own son, Bharata, won’t be crowned. When the time comes, Dasharatha appoints Rama to the throne. Kaikeyi is angry and will do anything to get her son into power.

This is Kaikeyi’s story. A timeless tale about feminism. A woman, trying to find her place in society that is run by man. Change can happen that is big or small, it just takes someone to start the ripple. The plot and story had a lot of depth. I fond the story entertaining and enjoyed learning a piece of Hindu Mythology that I was not familiar with. The writing was beautiful, and the characters were all deeply flawed. This was a complex, sweeping tale about views of women, promises, change, and feminism.

Kaikeyi, written by Vaishnavi Patel and narrated by Soneela Nankani, is a stunning, compassionate debut retelling the legend of a scandalous queen in the mythological ode Ramayana. The story begins when Princess Kaikeyi is a young girl. It follows her as a courageous defender, queen, and originator of the Women's Council to improve women's lives throughout her empire.

Readers will delight in Kaikeyi's magical adventures. The characters' names may be challenging to follow, so I recommend listening to the audiobook. The narration is thrilling and captivating!

Kaikeyi is available for purchase on April 26th. Applause for Vaishnavi Patel and her extraordinary first novel!

Thank you, Hachette Audio, Redhook, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review this audiobook. I enjoyed every minute of it. (5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
@vaishnawrites

One of the most awaited books of 2022, Kaikeyi is a fabulous feminist retelling of the story of Kaikeyi- the evil stepmother from Ramayana, who exiled her stepson, Ram to a fourteen years long 'vanvaas', as she wanted her own son, Bharat, to be crowned King.

Patel does a great job at bringing out the best of Queen Kaikeyi- from being a warrior princess fighting against the traditional misogyny of society, to being a political strategist, to being a caring yet strong minded wife, to being a sacrificing mother who could take hard choices for the good of all.

Not knowing all details of the Ramayana kind of make it difficult for me to mark out the parts which were innovated by the author from those which are actually from the epic, but, I've read that she has included it in her book as an appendix.

I loved Kaikeyi's power of the Binding Plane, and her very strong portrayal making me think again if how easy it is to malign women who were just fallible humans. I also loved the nuances of Ram showing the struggle between his divine powers and his human reception of those divine powers. I think this is an important aspect which must be studied for all whom we consider heroes/Gods/Prophets - but clearly it's not something which will go down well with everyone.

All in all, amazing! And..look at that cover!

Grateful to have received this @hachetteaudio book as an ARC from @netgalley

#kaikeyi #vaishnavipatel #mythology #ramayana #ramayanaretelling #feministretellings #feministbooks #bookstagrammers #unitedbookstagramindia #bookworms #bookish #indianmythology #indianepics #bookcover #bookreview #netgalleyreview #hachetteaudio #ilovereading

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I had absolutely no prior knowledge of this story or mythology. I also haven’t read a lot of other mythological retellings (I have only read Ariadne by Jennifer Saint), so that’s where my perspective is coming from. And I thought this was great.

I’m sometimes afraid retellings can be a little dry, but Kaikeyi just felt like it was getting richer as the story progressed. From what I’ve read, the Binding Plane is a new addition to this tale and I really loved that aspect! We also journey with Kaikeyi for her entire life so it’s very easy to connect with her and her relationships, all of which were very well done. By the time Kaikeyi leaves home, she’s giving you snippets of foreshadowing so you know something awful is going to come but I was just on the edge of my seat to see how it all played out. I had a real sense of foreboding and knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it. This story is truly a tragedy and I just do not read many things like that so that’s what felt really refreshing for me.

I was also very happy to be listening to the audiobook production of this one because my pronunciation would have been very off. The narrator was good.

I hoped and expected more out of this book and that is what Patel delivered! I am giving this book 4 stars! The characters were very well written and easy to get attached to and put yourself in their shoes. The story blew my mind. To be honest I went into this book not knowing anything about it. As I'm trying to expand the genres I read I wanted it that way! Needless to say this book left me impressed. I even walked 4 extra laps on the track just cause I did not want to stop listening at that certain part. I cannot wait to see what Patel continues to deliver!!

I was hesitant to pick this up because mythology books such as Circe sound absolutely boring to me but Jenanie's, from this story ain't over on YouTube, campaign convinced me to pick this up. I loved following Kaikeyi and I found the decision to keep this as a single POV gave me everything I needed. The plot was done extremely well and the inclusion of Hindu gods at just the right moments added a wonderful extra layer. Kaikeyi is awesome. She's intelligent, driven, loving and just wants what's best for every woman around her irrespective of class. She wants a fair world for women and employs the help of her sister-wives to do so. Her relationships with the women closest to her were another way for us to see different facets of her personality while showing how supportive women can be to one another without needing much reason to be. I enjoyed seeing her get her footing in Kosala after coming from a place where she had already established herself, it showed her resilience and drive to succeed no matter the situation. I urge you to pick this up now you won't regret it.

Audioarc received from Netgalley - 3.75

The whole concept of this story and the thought and research that must h ave gone into it, is awe inducing to say the least.

Kaikeyi is a story of power, gods, and making change. The story is based on the real events of Kaikeya and Kosala but the mix of magic and the presence of Gods really brings the story to life. Patel creates a vivid landscape of their world and how women are essentially possessions. Through her entire life, Kaikeyi fights to change this for her gender and her kingdom.

I had a bit of a hard time staying engaged with this story because of the timeline. We see Kaikeyi through her entire life, birth to late years. It was hard to stay engaged with the story when it skipped in time so quickly. I see why it was written in this way to cover her whole life in one book but it was difficult for me to stay invested.

While I commend Patel's mind and ability, the writing was also largely passive. Much of it was Kaikeyi's inner monologue and stories. Towards the end of the book the conversation picked up but, as a reader, I prefer much more dialogue than what was written.

Truthfully the only things I didn't like about this book come down to my preferences as a reader. I lvoed the story overall. The narrator is a favorite of mine (she also narrated the Daevabad trilogy). And the subtle inclusion of Kaikeyi as asexual is brilliant. I do recommend this book to fans of fantasy without a doubt.

This interesting stand alone fantasy inspired by historical India, drawing from Hindi traditions. The story is rich in character development and world building. The novel centers around a strong female character with a strong voice. 

As someone who loves diverse, non European settings, I really thought I would love this one. Yet, while I appreciated all the individual elements, I was never able to fullu lose myself in the narrative. I liked this one, but did not entirely love it. I believe this mainly came from lack of connection to the characters, which kept me at an emotional distance. 

I would still encourage readers to try this one for yourself if you also love unique fantasy settings and rich cultural settings. 

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

It's difficult for me to review this because I liked a lot of aspects of the book but also didn't feel completely connected to it like I often do with myth retellings.

The conceptualization of the world was done really well; the different areas and people are executed in a way that led me to visualize each person and place, and it wasn't difficult to follow because of this. Sometimes when a book is this long it can get difficult to stay on track and know what's going on, especially for historical novels for me, but this didn't happen. I also loved that Kaikeyi is asexual; she says two very distinct things that explicitly describe it and in general you can tell even without the confirmation.

The writing was very stiff, though I understand that royal vernacular is a big part of that, it just wasn't very smooth or enjoyable to read dialogues with characters. This was also entirely too long in my opinion. A lot of what's written is repetitive and isn't very subtle in its message, which I think diminishes the message a bit because it tries too hard to be obvious. For a novel that accomplished world building so well, I found myself disappointed with the magic because we get so little of it, and when we did, it was the same "I entered the binding plane" description. I get it, that's your magic, but it got very repetitive and I wish there had been just a bit more of that side. I also can't help but feel uncomfortable at how this type of feminism feels classist and transphobic to me because it's all about leveling women up to men's status, reinforcing the binary version of feminism, excluding trans people (which have existed in all cultures for many, many years!) , while also completely ignoring the fact that there are actual servants that don't get to have the same journeys of freedom or acknowledgment. We see Kaikeyi's relationship with Marantha and it's meaningful, but it's surface level as servant/mother and I think in a novel that uses so much space to talk about feminism, ignoring an opportunity to flesh out a vital character felt like such a disappointment.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of KAIKEYI in exchange for my honest review!

CW: pregnancy loss, child death, parent death, sibling death

This kind of gave me Mulan plot vibes in the best way possible. Kaikeyi is a badass, strong female MC and I loved listening to her fight against the patriarchy and misogyny in her life. This was SO good and I definitely want to get a hardcopy when it comes out so I can reread it. That says a lot in itself because I don't usually reread books! This is definitely a new favourite. I highly recommend you pick up this book after it comes out on the 26th!

Patel's choice to empower a maligned character from a famous epic came at the right time for me.

With not just a feminist lens, but also one that strips away the patina of gender roles and expectations, she takes us through Kaikeyi's determination to be active in choosing her own path, in not buckling to the patriarchal ties that would have her just be a wife and mother: being seen but not heard, being taught but not consulted.

At every stage in Kaikeyi's life, we are aware of the societal expectations and barriers that hinder her from exploring what she is interested in and capable of learning. We also see the ways in which she chooses to subvert and challenge them.

Patel has done a phenomenal job in how she has told this story. The way she has layered the growth of her main character is exceptional and just develops from strength to strength, while examining human fallibility, desire and the lack thereof, duty, friendship, belonging, service, and selfishness.

The inclusion of the beliefs and the presence of the gods and their enemies, and how they exist in the teachings and the ways of life of the people is another well done aspect that makes the world-building bloom.

This is brilliantly written, with a dedication to detail and character development that is sometimes sacrificed in the face of plot.

This book is the embodiment of an idea executed to perfection.
The story captivates you form the early pages and won’t let you go even long after you finish it.
The world building was truly great, the magic system was intersecting and innovating something that its rarely seen in today’s fantasy genre.
My favorite thing of all about this book was the way the story was being told, the little breakings of the forth wall were done to sheer excellence.
The story is a retelling of the Indian mythology Ramayana, and follows the character Kaikeyi a fierce girl who find herself and her dream faced with the whole structure of a world, that is against women, along the years.
I have to say. that i believe the listening to the audiobook benefitted my experience greatly in this book, as the book has the perfect writing style for it. and the narration was done phenomenally.
It was truly magical to see and experience this character, something I hope anyone who likes to read would gift themselves.

Wow. What a gorgeous story.

One beautiful thing about audio books is that pronunciations are done for the listener! This epic story is a retelling of a Hindu tale of which I have never heard, so many of the names and places were unfamiliar to me. I admit my utter lack of worldly influences, but this was a captivating entry into this one. It was so easy to listen and have Soneela Nankani narrate so perfectly. I could simply escape into this warrior woman's story.

If you are also unfamiliar, Kaikeyi is a woman in Hindu mythology who is apparently a villian. This is her side of the story! I was quickly taken in by Vaishnavi Patel's writing and felt all the coming of age and maturity development of Kaikeyi. It was a fascinating journey to experience the patriarchal dominance and the feminine subversion in another religious setting. Let's be honest, shall we: none of these male "heroes" would have made it without all the women in their lives! Not that women are faultless, and this story shows a flawed, but incredibly strong and ultimately selfless woman.

I really loved this story and easily give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I am so grateful to @NetGalley and @hachetteaudio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. If you have any interest in a fabulous retelling, fantasy story, or just a strong female character, please pick this up.

OHHH BOY GUYS!!! THIS BOOK! I was not expecting to be as blown away as I was!
It's early for me to say, but I can tell you this may end up being one of my favorite books I read this year, definitely one of the best I've read so far.

I confess I am not familiar with the Indian epic Ramayana and the vilified queen Kaikeyi, but what Vaishnavi Patel has done here is to have breathed some good old fashioned feminist life into a woman reviled (at least, in this book, can't speak for the original tale) with absolutely gorgeous writing, perfect pacing, and impeccable world-building that completely blew me away. I couldn't look away from Kaikeyi's story as she finds herself and her own agency in a world where men make choices for the women in their lives and how she thrusts forward to find a path for herself. Kaikeyi was a character who has so much depth and is so well developed, and the overall character development as we see her go from Princess to Wife to Queen to Mother to Villain is just *chef's kiss*. I truly felt so angry every time we see Kaikeyi dismissed or forced into situations and there is a prominent theme of feminism and self-determination that made me cheer for not just Kaikeyi, but every woman in this story. I loved the theme of women coming together to support each other with the relationship between the Queens and the Women's Council. This story is both empowering and absolutely entrancing and I couldn't stop reading. I also had the opportunity to read the audiobook, and I have to say the narrator does a fantastic job. Written in the same vein as Circe, Kaikeyi is an epic tale of fate and family, and one woman's quest to determine her own path and to do what is right regardless of the sacrifices she has to make.

Wow that was awesome! I very much enjoyed this book. I have no prior knowledge of this story so unlike other retellings (ex. song of achilles) I had no idea what was going to happen to anyone. Once I got to part 3 I was STRESSED until the end. I hate reading physical books but I did with this book because I didn’t want to get distracted because I was so into the story last night. I was tempted to stay up and finish it. Now that I’m finished I want to get lost in a black hole of Google to learn more.
I picked Kaikeyi as my April BOTM choice but I also received a copy of the audiobook from the publisher on NetGalley. It was nice to switch between reading and listening. The narrator was great. This is out 4/26, if you like fantasy or retellings definitely read this.
This will be posted on my Instagram @katebrownreads as well!