BLOG TOUR; The Jasmine Throne ft. Book Review

You might have noticed I have not been active much – at all – since the year has started. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you might know that I had a baby in January, and we’ve gone into lockdown again and adjusting to everything has really sapped my desire to read and blog. I’ve been reading a lot of fanfiction instead, but this book has been on my anticipated reads list since I first heard about it, so I was thrilled to get a chance to be a part of the blog tour! The launch post for the tour can be found here!

I was hoping to get an additional feature done for my post, but unfortunately, my older daughter is back to online learning, so my time has been taken up with that. Don’t be surprised to see more posts featuring this book over the rest of the year, however! It comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Title: The Jasmine Throne
Series: Burning Kingdoms
Author: Tasha Suri
Genre: Adult, fantasy
Type: E-book
Publisher: Orbit Books
Publication Date: 08 June 2021
Cover art: Micah Epstein (illustrator), Lauren Panepinto (designer)

Goodreads | Amazon | 

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

On-page Representation

• Indian
• South Asian
• Lesbian

Trigger and Content Warnings

• Explicit violence including immolation and self-immolation
• Colourism, xenophobia
• Gender-based violence/violence against women (this does not include sexual assault)
• Homophobia and internalised homophobia
• Suicidal ideation
• Self-mutilation
• Abusive family dynamics
• Child murder
• Body horror (plant-based, cosmic)
• Forced drug use and depictions of addiction/withdrawal

Tasha Suri was born in Harrow, north-west London. The daughter of Punjabi parents, she spent many childhood holidays exploring India with her family, and still fondly remembers the time she was chased around the Taj Mahal by an irate tour guide. She studied English and creative writing at Warwick University, and now lives in London where she works as a librarian. To no one’s surprise, she owns a cat. A love of period Bollywood films, history and mythology led her to begin writing South Asian influenced fantasy. Tasha Suri has won the British Fantasy Society Best Newcomer Award and Starburst Brave New Words Award.

You can find Tasha on :-

Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in their tour.

For some reason I thought this was a standalone, but am i glad it is not!

This is the first book I’ve read this year, which, yes, it is June, I know. But! I can’t say I regret my reading of the year started with this. What a breathtaking read. What an adventure to be taken on, swept along with the currents and just – wow.

Tasha Suri has a way of making fantasy and politics work so well. I’m not one for political intrigue in most stories, but when it comes to her writing, I get caught up in it, eagerly devouring her words to get answers, to figure out the players and those being played.

At the core, this book is about two things to me – family, and power. Family and how they fan hurt you and disappoint you and help you in equal measures. Family, both blood and chosen. Power, and how it can save you or damn you. Power and what you make of it.

Family and power and how they intersect.

The parallels between Priya and Malini and their families are not in your face, but as we see more of them, learn more of their pasts and their desires, the parallels become evident. They’re on parallel lines that perhaps never should have intersected, but not that they have, they’ve changed each other. Mass each other stronger, in a sense.

It was such a revelation to read their relationship evolve. The author has a way with words, with imagery that paints such a vivid picture in your mind. It is beautiful to watch unfold

And, of course, it’s the italicised ‘oh’ that gets me everytime.

‘It burned through her blood, sang, and she thought, oh.
Oh no.‘

The Jasmine Throne; Tasha Suri

There were more points of view chapters than I had expected, but I cannot say I did not enjoy it. Each character has such a vivid voice and such conviction for the most part in their belief and faith, and what they are doing. It gives us a more complete idea of the way the world works, and makes a more intricate web that is coming together.

My heart is still racing from that read, so don’t mind the incoherence of the review! I look forward to how things will change now that there is new power coming into the story as well.