I loved almost everything about this book! LIONESS OF PUNJAB is a wonderful debut, built on the life of Mai Bhago, or Bhag Kaur. In many ways, it seemed similar to Vaishnavi Patel's KAIKEYI and I think that's really wholesome and great!

Anita Jari Kharbanda weaves a tale that narrates Bhag's journey from a girl to a woman to a warrior. Set in 17th century Punjab, this is the time period when Sikhs were oppressed by the Mughals namely Aurangzeb. There are many brilliant scenes in this novel and I especially loved how the book encased the use of several Punjabi words. The only downside is that the writing was more tell than show and it did feel like a debut but nevertheless, I had a great time with this!

A fictionalized take on the legendary Sikh heroine Mai Bhago, this novel recounts her childhood in 17th century India, her life spent in anticipation of spiritual and military greatness, her marriage to a Khalsa warrior, her aspirations to join the men under Guru Gobind Singh's allegiance, and the final, fateful battle against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's forces in the winter of 1705.

I found the aim of this book to be quite important- retelling a part of Indian history that is not very well known in the mainstream. The fact that it is marketed as YA should not deter from the subject matter.
However, the execution left much to be desired. The writing style was very factual and emphasized on telling over showing. We are continuously spoon fed facts about what is going on in the kingdoms, how we should feel about characters, what is wrong or right, and whose side to sympathize with. We are even repeatedly told that Bhago loves her husband, but there is zero buildup to their story. All her interior thoughts are given a line apiece and you are expected to take her dialogues as word-of-god. The authorial voice felt quite preachy. I was also not a fan of how the Punjabi words were used with their English meanings explained immediately afterwords (USE FOOTNOTES OR SOMETHING). Once is ok, but reading the English translations of words and phrases innumerable times really takes away from the experience.

Finally, the biggest issue for me was Bhago's character depiction itself. I feel like it's possible to write a character uncomfortable in femininity without making them a "not like other girls" stereotype- Shelley Parker Chan does it to perfection with Zhu Chongba. But Mai Bhago is desperate to prove she is different from other kuriyan because she is so talented, zesty, special and God gifted. She felt quite holier than thou + self righteous to me, especially in the way she talked about the girls of her village, including her female cousin. It really dilutes the message of the story to me: that of female empowerment.
[I was provided an e-ARC by @yalibooks and @netgalley in exchange of a honest review.]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me access to this book for an honest review!

"The battlefield is your holy ground. The double-edged sword is your prayer. Combat is your service. And victory is your karma."

I am a fifteen year old Sikh girl , I have always heard stories about the Gurus and the brave Sikhs who helped them from my mom. I was elated when I heard about Lioness of Punjab, Mai Bhago is one of the most fearless women in the Sikh history and it meant the world to me to see a book being published from her point of view.
Thankfully Anita Jari Kharbanda did justice to Mai Bhago's life, I loved reading about how Mai Bhago became the fierce warrior she was and how her faith in Guru Gobind Singh ji never faltered. Lioness of Punjab is a pronounced debut novel which makes interested in reading more from Anita Jari Kharbanda.

Please pick this book up when it releases on 17th September.

Based on the true historical figure Mai Bhago, a woman warrior, LIONESS OF PUNJAB is a powerful tale of faith, feminism, and courage. It begins with her childhood, where she wants to learn swordplay and weaponry like her brothers. Her parents are at a loss with what to do with her, and initially forbid her to train like a boy. However, her determination won't be quashed, and we see Mai Bhago becoming slowly the woman she is meant to be. She marries, but still holds fiercely to the sword, and even protects a cousin in peril. But as the war against the Mughals Army ravages on, her loved ones begin to lose faith that the Sikhs can prevail. It is then Mai Bhago's chance to shine, as she leads 40 men to battle. Full of wonderful details about her family and life, this novel allows us to imagine how a legend came to be.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read Lioness of Punjab.

This book had me hooked from the first page. I read this in one sitting and loved how strong Mai Bhago was. I found some of the dialogue a little confusing, only because it went back and forth between languages, but other than that I loved this book.

As a South Asian woman obsessed with historical fiction, I was immediately drawn to this book (of course, the stunning cover had a part to play in it as well :)). I loved the rich descriptions of life in the village, as well as the family life and dynamic that really hasn't changed much over the centuries between this book and present day. I didn't know it was based off of a real woman, but the protagonist is badass and I'm very happily surprised to learn that she did in fact exist. The romance is.. it's not a romance novel. The relationships that matter are between her and her family, and it was refreshing to see as well as heartbreaking towards the end. I had it sitting on my shelf for a good couple weeks before finally reading it in three days, and I regret not picking it up (or, tapping in) sooner! The writing was better than I had expected, and while I feel like it gives a middle grade vibe, anyone can find a part of themself in this story. One last thing- I enjoyed the references to Punjabi culture and language scattered throughout the book, but as a non-native speaker even I got confused at times. I expected there to be a glossary at the end, but there wasn't :(. A little bit of googling helped though. Otherwise, a four star read!!

As an Indian, I already knew this story beforehand, but it was still refreshing to read a retelling and see how the author made their own mark on the story. This is obviously a very important story and more people should know about it, so I am very grateful to the author for writing it. Highly recommended.

I really liked this story right from the beginning. The character was compelling and I found myself not wanting the story to end. The MC was strong, brave and determined to learn how to fight. It was a different type of story where the MC didn’t want a traditional type of life and remained true to herself until the end. I liked how she found her way and her calling but I wish more time had been spent on that aspect. I was still very happy to read this book and definitely enjoyed it. I actually learned quite a bit and would definitely recommend others check out this empowering. 4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

OH MY GOD?? How do I even start? This book is literally perfect. It’s so good, amazing, jaw-dropping, informational, inspiring, and fascinating!

This book is about a Sikh female warrior based on Mai Bhago’s life. She is reimagined as Bhag Khar in here and we follow her story from when she was little until to the very end.

Bhag Khar grew up in 17th century Punjab where she is constantly fascinated by swords and fighting, which is an area usually dominated by men. But, she is a determined, and a hardworking person! So, she transformed herself to an amazing Sikh warrior in the process of countless trainings.

Overall, this book is inspiring and very well-written. I like the writing style, how relationships are written, etc. From this book, I learned a lot about Sikh culture, Sikh women, and Punjab in the 17th century.

Recommend for fans of historical fiction, and brave women :)

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me have an eARC of the book to read and review.

Okay, as much as I wanted to learn about Mai Bhago, this book was not doing it. I'm sorry. The narration style gave me nothing, like it felt flat and clinical, so much telling but little showing (if at all) and that could all have worked maybe if the book was not written in first person. The narrator here is the main character, aka Mai Bhago, and she goes through this story like she's stating facts. Personally, I did not perceive any imagery and emotion the way I usually expect of first person story and it was so bad the disconnect between the story and me felt super jarring. I was 100% indifferent, I couldn't relate to anyone, I couldn't root for anyone, so as a result, I couldn't like the book either. And having come in with the expectations I had, can you imagine the weight of the disappointment I feel right now?

It also really annoyed me how strong the 'not like other girls' game was here and the first page itself made me so uncomfortable cause she's waxing about how she's "not like the girls of her time" because it angers her to see her people be slaughtered by the Mughals and I'm here like??? <i>Why, were the other Punjabi girls going around lighting patakhe and celebrating because their families were dying??? You think you were really the only girl alive back then who was angered by what was happening to her people??</i> Girl... I know there's girl-bossing and everything, but this is just... You need to calm down a little and look beyond your nose once in a while, thanks. And I mean no disrespect to the actual historical figure, just to the character in this particular book and her creator, like what are thinking??

But yeah, maybe other readers will be able to look past all the things I complained about or even love the book for those but for me it's a hard no, sorry.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Being a historical fiction lover and my heritage being Indian, I was enthralled and excited when I heard about this book centered around the female warrior; Mai Bhago. The representation is excellent, especially in a genre like historical fiction and I loved the mix of Punjabi and English language that flows beautifully. We see the journey of Mai Bhago from a girl to a woman who leads an army of men and the many facets, struggles, fears and desires of her life.

The only aspect of the book I struggled a little with was the writing that felt more apt to middle grade rather than young adult audience. Otherwise, this is a fantastic book that I highly recommend you to pick up when it releases.

I was excited at the thought of reading about a strong, Sikh woman character, who features as a part of our holy teachings.
This is a very simply told story about Mai Bhago, a female warrior who ended up fighting with Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
I wanted to feel educated but didn't really end up with that feeling.
Not so much YA but Middle grade in its writing.
It may be a good book for non-Sikh readers who won't have much prior knowledge of our religion and its teachings, but it may irk other Sikh readers.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Yali Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly - what sensational representation in our main character, one whom I knew nothing about from history. Fullif adventure, but reads much more as Middle Grade than YA.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH! it was so interesting to follow the main character. i really didn't know much about this story prior to reading but I thoroughly enjoyed it. i'm quite surprised more people haven't found this book yet!

2/5

Firstly I have to say as a Punjabi Sikh woman I was intrigued to see a book being published on an important Sikh religious figure. However, learning that it was a first person YA novel I was immediately put off.

The writing itself is easy to understand this much is true, and easy to follow the story. Yet, it does not read like Young Adult. The writing very much gives the impression of middle grade or younger, it seems to walk you through the story and descriptions and doesn't let the reader make their own conclusions. In addition, the inclusion of Punjabi words and phrases is awkward, it very much gives early 2010s writing. I think this book would be best for the demographic of 10 year olds (which isn't necessarily a bad thing!)

Also, I have to say... this book made me uncomfortable. I did not feel represented in this story. I mean as in I was very uncomfortable about reading some author's musings of what this important religious figure must have been like growing up who had such an impact in Sikhi. I did not think it was appropriate at all. If the author truly wanted to do a story representing Punjabi Sikh woman, she could have easily adapted Sundri. Another story originally written by Bhai Sahib Bhai Vir Singh, who also shows the strength and impact of women in Sikhi.... and better yet... it was fictional!!! It did not put thoughts and words into a real religious figure's mouth!!!

Also, this is a personal grievance but I did go through the Author's social media and I know not everyone is on social media that much but writing a book about a Sikh figure, but not really talking about important Sikh issues like the 1984 Genocide or the ongoing oppression of Sikhs and Punjabis by the Indian state kinda sus to me but anyways.

*Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an Epub in return for an honest review.*

Hindustan, 1689. A young woman is born in a small Sikh village.
18 years later she leads exhausted soldiers to victory in the name of the tenth Guru.
But how did she get there?

"𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯."

Historical fiction has been, and remains, one of the most underrepresented genres for so many poc. I know representation is sorely needed, and that's why books like the Lioness of Punjab are so important, especially for younger readers.

"𝘞𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘥."

I would say it's lower YA-middle grade age targeted, but that absolutely does not mean that older readers won't enjoy Lo P. Although I didn't really gel with the writing style, I still really enjoyed it and I think that's what's important to take out.

Another thing I really liked was the author's note at the end of the book. I think it added and enhanced the story, providing a historical annecdote while, again, emphasizing the need for accurate representation.

Combining both historical accuracy and a developed story can absolutely not have been easy but Kharbanda certainly managed it. Every single character sprang to life, and the side romance was really sweet too.
Another aspect I enjoyed was learning about Sikh traditions and history. These were seamlessly incorporated into the story! I really liked being able to recognise the major events from Sikh history, particularly from the perspective of a young woman. It was brilliant being able to 'get in the head' of such a famed figure.


Mai Bhago has been born at an inauspicious time- the Sikh/Mughal war is raging and she cannot bear the pain of sending her relatives off to die alone, starving, on the field of battle. But she must, as all women must. Furiously training in secret she soon becomes a fearsome warrior, one of the best in her history.

Years pass. Armies rise and fall. Soon, Mai's family have arranged her a husband.

This doesn't quell her spirit. Slowly, slowly, she fall in love with him and him with her. But the war is ever present. He's soon called away to fight, but when he deserts a lost cause, Mai turns her heart to him. Leading him and his comrades into battle, she soon becomes a myth, a legend told to young girls to inspire, teach, and give hope of their futures.

Kharbanda writes arranged marriages extremely well, the western media has become almost obsessed with portraying them as forced and violent, but so much of the time this just isn't the case and both parties are consenting, and grow into love together.

"𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴."

I was so excited to get a copy of this because LOOK AT THAT COVER. it's BEAUTIFUL.

In telling this story, a spotlight is shone on the neglected women of history. Lioness of Punjab is sure to inspire many young girls in need of a hero.
I absolutely can't wait to read more books by Anita Kharbanda.

I saw the title and knew I had to read it. I grew hearing stories of Mara Bhag Kaur and her courage. To me, she will always be the woman that stood up to a bunch of men who abandoned their discipline and religion because of a few hardships. It was nice to read a book that features Mai Bhago.
However, I think I would have liked this book a bit more if there wasn’t such a fictional effect. Mai Bhago’s story is interesting all by itself and I do not think many of the elements that were added should have been added

First things first, I decided to read this book for 3 reasons:

1. My favorite king/emperor/sultan/ruler in the whole world is Aurangzeb. (Well, either him or Salahuddin Ayyubi, but one of those two for sure.) I figured Aurangzeb was going to be portrayed as the villian anyways, but I still wanted to see exactly how they would do it.
2. The Sikh have always fascinated me, mainly because they always seemed to be a crossover of Islam and Hinduism, so I was hoping to get a more thorough glimpse and understanding of that with this book.
3. And Indian female warrior - need I say more?

I can honestly say that it was certainly an "interesting" book; I'm not sure how exactly to rate it.

Here's a quick summary before we dive into that: Bhag Bhari is the eldest child in her Sikh family. She also happens to be a girl in a world that has certain expectations and limitations for women. Of course, she hates that. She wants to learn sword fighting, wrestling, and other such sports like her younger brothers and male cousins. The book follows her life from childhood to marraige and then onto the battlefield.

So here are my thoughts:

1. They didn't completely bash Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir which was... interesting. Obviously, I didn't mind it.
2. I don't want to step on any toes, especially because this is religion, but... I didn't really like how they represented women in it. I know, I know it might be different for everyone! But... I wish they didn't bash women who actually do like to cook and not fight and stuff. Even if someone wasn't "womanly", couldn't it have been handled better? Even if someone did want to learn to fight, cooking and cleaning isn't a job that's specifically for women...
3. The way the main character was turning out, I didn't like the way her personality was made. For a few chapters, I thought she was going to become trans or something considering how much she seemed to hate other women in general. I started to perk up when she finally began to use her sword as self-defense instead of just... whatever. Idk.

I made a conscious effort to consume historical novels that POC authors write and never have I once regretted it. Lioness of Punjab tells the story of a young woman defending her land and going through many losses. The writing style was gritty and unnervingly honest to the point. The characters were beyond amazing and the author even gave depth to side characters who barely make an appearance beside the occasional scene. This book is something I'll hold close to my heart and I have only Kharbanda to thank for that <3

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This tells the story of Mai Bhago, the warrior woman who fought with her small army of 40 men,, against the Mughal army in the Battle of Muktsar, which is bealieve to have contributed to Guru Gobind Singh's survival.
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We follow Mai Bhago through her life form whre she was a little girl to her leading her army without any fear. It was an eye opening experience, to learn about Mai Bhago and her importance. Mai Bhago was portrayed as a loving sister, daughter and warrior. The author used Punjabi language and culture perfectly, and for anyone who is about to say that is going to be hard to understand the story because of it, no its not. And remember that the author does not owes us any translation or changes. We as raders are capable of learning and searching.

It is slow paced and more centered on Mai Bhago, which is why i am not giving the book a higher rating, i was expecting more action.