Two teens, a magical court, and a journey through a world filled wtih spirits drawn from Hindu and Buddhist folklore. The story follows plant-loving perfume making Ridhi Kapadia, a girl who yearns to find magic, and the popular Nilesh Batra, her former friend. Ridhi spends her days mixing perfumes and wandering into the local woods to listen to her beloved trees... and finds herself begging to be let into an enchanted kingdom from the yakshas. Nilesh on the other hand is tired of pretending to be happy, shocked by his parent's perfect marriage being a scam... and decides to end up on his former best friend's doorstep. Nilesh finds himself drawn into Ridhi's magical adventure and both of land in a magical court and find themselves on an adventure. I have to say I was initially intrigued by how beautiful the cover was and that this was going to be a magical fantasy read filled with mythology and folklore... but I can honestly say this book was a major miss for me. The book was a slow read, I felt like there was so much info dumping and less actual plot, and the characters just felt kind of bland. I never really found myself invested in either character or enjoying them. The story itself would be better suited for a middle grade fantasy reader. I just didn't really enjoy this and was left kind of disappointed because of the potential this story could have had. This story was unfortunately really boring and I just found myself sluggish throughout the time I spent reading it.

Release Date: March 4, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Divining the Leaves is written very poetically and I loved it, but the pacing was slow to start and I couldn't connect to the story. While I loved the writing style I felt that there was a lot of info dumping and more telling than showing. The folklore and mythology were wonderfully done and a great part of the story. While this wasn't my favorite book it was entertaining enough and I hope others enjoy it fully!

Couldn't finish. I didn't find this to be as promised. I'm disappointed because the synopsis had so much promise! I enjoyed Star Daughter, so it was disappointing not being able to finish Divining the Leaves

This is difficult to review. On one hand, I love the new approach to faerie stories and Ridhi Kapadia was a great character to follow in the story. She knows her passion and is a bit of a misfit among her peers for it. She loves her family but longs for more. On the other hand, you have missing plot and Nilesh Batra, our other main character who I was not a fan of through the whole story. Yes, he's a typical teen, but his arrogance grated on me seemed to think of nothing but a pretty girl. Ridhi's character development seemed realistic, as she finds a place for herself in the world, while Nilesh doesn't show any development until the very end and I felt like it came from nowhere (I mean, I could offer a possible explanation, but I shouldn't have to). Nothing really happened, until something did and it seemed like it came from nowhere. I did like the non traditional ending, but it seemed disconnected from the rest of the plot.

This book had immense potential, and I'm so sorry to say that it just missed the mark for me. It was extremely slow and dumped a lot of information and worldbuilding on you, but nothing really happened until later in the book. I did love the mythology and folklore - Hindu mythology is so cool. The other thing I was kind of annoyed by is the MMC. He was just... unlikable. I didn't connect with him. He frustrated me.

I did ultimately DNF this book at 55%. I am rating it 2 stars based on what I read.

This cover is absolutely stunning, I love the artwork! I think there was a lot of potential here, I just could not stand the MMC. I understand he was going through a lot, but he wasn't very likable and I didn't feel myself seeing change as much as I wanted to. I did love the worldbuilding and the incorporation of myth/folklore into the story.

I really wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t work for me. When requesting this book, the description sounded so cool—fantasy, magic, and folklore—but it ended up falling flat. It starts off so slow, and I couldn’t connect with the characters or the world at all. It felt shallow, like it never really dug deep enough to hook me.

The folklore and nature themes were interesting, and I can see how someone who likes slower, reflective stories might enjoy this. But for me, it felt disorganized and honestly, kind of boring. I’m bummed this one didn’t work out, but I’d still give the author another shot—there were good ideas here; they just didn’t come together this time.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the eArc.

Ridhi is a 17-year-old young woman deeply connected to nature: she blends flora into delectable scents, wears flower crowns, and feels the trees as if they speak to her, and she wants desperately for the nature spirits - yakshas - to allow her entry into the enchanted forest. Nilesh is a young man who used to be her friend but has veered away from the "weird girl" with flowers in her hair. Nilesh's world falls apart when he discovers that not only are his parents divorcing, but that their marriage has been an illusion for years. He gets suspended from school and sent to live with Ridhi's family while his parents sort themselves out. While staying with Ridhi's family, Nilesh encounters Kamini, part of the Yaksha court. He's smitten, but Kamini's affections may not be all they seem to be. Meanwhile, Ridhi has made connections of her own in the Yaksha world, striking up a deal with one of the noblewomen of the Yaksha court. The nobles are playing the mortals like chess pieces, but the mortals have their own agendas. Rich with Hindu and Buddhist mythology, Thakrar allows Divining the Leaves readers to get lost in the beauty of the writing. She creates a story that invites readers - like her main characters - to escape from the frustrations of daily living to get lost in the magical beauty of the enchanted forest and the Yaksha court and Night Market. Invite readers to create their own flower crowns and nature-inspired art projects to extend an activity for this beautifully woven story. Invite your fantasy readers to get lost in this world.

The beautiful cover and premise caught my attention right away. The story takes place both in the modern world and a fantasy one and I think the author did a good job combining both. I liked the main character Rhidi, she is unapologetically herself despite being mock by her piers. She wears whimsical outfits and believes in magic, her sole purpose has been to proof that it exists. As for the MMC Nilesh, I had a hard time liking his personality. He was at times rude and very self centered. I get that he is a teenager and is going through some emotional situations with his family but it put me off a bit. It had a rich world immersed in Indian culture and lore, which I enjoyed. The story moved a bit too slow for my liking so at certain parts I found myself a bit bored sadly. And the romances felt a bit too juvenile by being insta love/attraction. Overall it was nice, but it was a bit hard to stay engaged with what was happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollin's Children's Books for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

DIVINING THE LEAVES is a beautiful contemporary fantasy YA with inspiration in Hindu and Buddhist folklore. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy!

I give it a 3.4!

I loved the flowery language of this book, it made for a really rich world and helped create a sense of immersion in this magical landscape the protagonists found themselves in. However, I was taken out of it a few times by the need to look things up. I don't mean the cultural folklore or references, as I feel they were clear, but other words used. I was happy to learn, but having to pull out my dictionary meant having to pull myself out of the story.

I will say Nilesh, the male protagonist, really didn't do much for me. In simple terms, I get it: he's just found out his whole family has been lying to him, he's been displaced with an estranged family friend, sure. But because we never got to see him before this happened, we just saw him at his absolute worst, and it made it hard to defend him or even want to. The instalove was already a lot, but even then, he didn't even care about her personality, and he mentioned her being hot over and over again. Sure, they hung out, but it didn't feel substantial or like the tension made sense, which is why I think I was shocked when I realized it wasn't some sort of love spell and was meant to be genuine.

While talking about romance, I also have to bring up Ridhi. Her dynamic with her love interest ends up making more sense as the book progresses, but her attraction does not. I wish there had been a scene between when they first meet and when their first lesson starts, because the crush just felt like it came out of nowhere.

I do find myself wanting more from a few of the relationships in this book, especially between Ridhi and Nilesh. Even though they were supposedly friends at one point, it never feels like that. It feels like they don't know each other at all, and maybe it's because they've just grown up, but I see no world where they could have ever been as close as Ridhi described. Even though they're going through some of the same things (discovering this magical world, engaging with the people in it, trying to escape their current lives), they just feel so separated from each other, which at times works for their estrangement, but then just makes me think: why even pick these characters? Also, Nilesh just accepting the acceptance of the magical world after picking on Ridhi for years really tickled me.

Like I said though, I love the rich landscape of this book, and I did enjoy that it was high stakes, unique, and stunning--both the writing and the cover. I'd read another book by this author.

I found this very very very difficult to get into. I would stop after a few sentences about wouldn't be able to get back into. I unfortunately had to DNF and probably won't be reading this again.

I thought this book would be great but it fell woefully short. I did not enjoy reading it and will not be recommending it to anyone ever.

DNF @ 38%. Is the plot in the room with us? It doesn't appear to be. Being in Nilesh's head is an exercise in agony, as he spends a good chunk of his time just thinking about how hot a yakshini girl is. He is also not freaked out AT ALL by ending up in a fantasy realm even though he has never believed in such things. Maybe this would have all evolved into a nuanced exploration of his pain (and healing?) over the dissolution of his parents' relationship, but more than a third of the way in and we weren't exploring ANYTHING.

As for Ridhi...she read like a ten year old more than an older teen. She goes around announcing how she believes in magic and it's going to come for her and wonders why everyone thinks she's weird. (The fact that she is correct is besides the point; OF COURSE this type of behavior is going to get you ostracized in a typical American high school.) I liked that she had her own perfume business but nothing seemed to really be happening with that, and again, at 38% of the way through the book, NONE of the stuff that was being set up in the synopsis of the book was actually happening.

I also can't figure out why this book is set in Atlanta...but also the realm of the yaksha? It's established pretty early on that the realm of the yaksha is in the Himalayas, but then it's also in the freezer section of a supermarket in Atlanta and in Ridhi's backyard. I don't mind the "magical world along the real world" setup at all, generally speaking (Tithe by Holly Black does this well, for example) but it doesn't work when you have already established said magical world as being somewhere else.

It's too bad, because the absolutely GORGEOUS cover here does not at all match up with the innards of this book.

i realized very early on that despite this beautiful cover, this book was aggressively not vibing with me. more specifically, its characters were not vibing with me. i couldn’t sit through some of their decision makings and though the world-building was nice — it alone wasn’t enough to keep me. thanks to netgalley and the publisher fot this earc!

sad to report that this was kind of disappointing...
the plot seemed so intriguing, and I though it was going to be a nice cozy fantasy, but all it was was kind of slow and boring...
there were so many questionable things that happened and I think the characters could have been a lot more developed
because of my lack of connection to the characters, I couldn't ever get super into this book. I would be willing to try more books by Shveta Thakrar though as this had a lot of potential. it just wasn't executed the best...

Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar is a lush, lyrical collection of poetry that beautifully blends the mystical with the personal. Thakrar’s evocative language and imagery transport readers to a world where nature, magic, and emotions intertwine. Each poem feels like a journey of self-discovery and enchantment, making this a deeply resonant read for those who appreciate delicate yet powerful verse.

Forest worshipper Ridhi worships the plants and trees around her and one day hopes to be allowed into the enchanted forest kingdom of the yakshas. One day, her old best friend, Nilesh, comes to her home needing respite from his parents' failing marriage. But Ridhi and Nilesh haven't been able to get along in a while, ever since Nilesh admitted he didn't believe in Ridhi's magical beliefs. When Ridhi's actions accidentally land Nilesh in the land of yakshas, Ridhi must challenge what she thinks she knows about her magic and risk it all to save Nilesh.

This sounded like a cute middle-grade book, but without a background in Indian mythology, the storyline was difficult to grasp, causing me to struggle with the world-building in the beginning of the book. The story also had a pretty slow pace and neither of the main characters was very likeable in my opinion.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

The cover of Divining the Leaves is breathtakingly beautiful, which is what drew me to this book and the description seemed interesting as well. Thakrar did a good job building this really beautiful world, which was the high point of the book for me. For all of these reasons I was really expecting to love this book but was disappointed that I didn't. The characters were okay but lacked depth and it felt like they never truly developed. Also, the pacing was very slow. Initially, I assumed it was solely because the author was trying to build this magical world and assumed that the pacing would pick up after a few chapters, but that never happened. I experienced the same thing previously when I read Star Daughter by Thakrar, so I'm starting to think that this is just her writing style. Overall, it was an okay book.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this! I hate to say it, but this one was not for me. The characters felt all over the place, which is fair, they are teenagers. The word, "Mummy", is now permanently engraved in my skull which is not a word I wanted engraved. The premise for the book is something I really liked. A kind of fantasy escape from the real world, but it felt disorienting. I might just not have been the right audience for this.