 | The Jasmine Throne is set in an India-inspired fantasy world. Most of the story takes place in Hiranaprastha, a subjugated state under colonial rule. Indigenous rebels are murdering members of the ruling class, and a mysterious plague destroys the crops and turns people into plants. Into this volatile mix, the emperor sends his disgraced sister, Princess Malini, to be held prisoner in the abandoned Hirana Temple. The towering temple was the site of a massacre where (almost) all the temple priests and acolyte children were burned alive. |
Princess Malini is determined to escape her prison. But she’s being drugged and her jailors are all enemies. She has only her will and her drug-addled wits to protect her.
Another main character, Priya, is one of the temple children who escaped the massacre at Hirana Temple. She now lives as a servant and is assigned to clean and cook for the imprisoned princess. The servants are forbidden from interacting with Malini, but Priya inadvertently meets the mysterious princess.
Meanwhile, the rebels are trying to find a way into the temple to access its magical waters. One night a rebel masquerading as a maid attempts to force Priya, the former temple child, to find these hidden (and forbidden) waters. In the ensuing struggle, the rebel dies and the Princess seizes her chance to make Priya her ally. Malini claims that the rebel was trying to assassinate her and asks to have Priya as her personal maid and protector.
Another main character, Priya, is one of the temple children who escaped the massacre at Hirana Temple. She now lives as a servant and is assigned to clean and cook for the imprisoned princess. The servants are forbidden from interacting with Malini, but Priya inadvertently meets the mysterious princess.
Meanwhile, the rebels are trying to find a way into the temple to access its magical waters. One night a rebel masquerading as a maid attempts to force Priya, the former temple child, to find these hidden (and forbidden) waters. In the ensuing struggle, the rebel dies and the Princess seizes her chance to make Priya her ally. Malini claims that the rebel was trying to assassinate her and asks to have Priya as her personal maid and protector.
The author masterfully creates stakes for each character that are both personal and political.
- Malini wants to destroy her brother, who’s trying to kill her and who murdered her two best friends, whom he burned alive to “purify” them. She also wants to depose him because he’s a cruel man and a terrible emperor.
- Priya wants to serve in the Hirana Temple because it means more money, but also because she has only snatches of repressed memories from the massacre. She thinks if she finds the magical waters hidden in the temple she’ll be able to piece together what happened and become whole. She also hopes the magical waters may help her avert the plant plague.
- The regent’s wife wants to support her oppressed people without her beloved husband’s knowledge (who would view it as both a personal betrayal and treason).
- The rebel leader wants to use Priya to serve his cause, but also needs her to find the magical waters before he dies.
There were other point-of-view characters who were less critical to the main storyline, some of whom could easily have been eliminated. Every named character is someone the reader has to keep track of and potentially dilutes the reader’s interest. When one of these minor characters died, I wasn't invested enough to have an emotional reaction. Yet despite so many POV characters, The Jasmine Throne is a page-turner.
Princess Malini and Priya (and their romance) carried the story, and I was completely invested in them—enough to put the next book in the trilogy on my "to-read" list.
The Jasmine Throne won The World Fantasy Award for best novel in 2022.
The Jasmine Throne won The World Fantasy Award for best novel in 2022.
RSS Feed