Thinking along the lines of complex characters, non-conforming women with agency, and sapphic romance in the fantasy genre, I thought I’d stop by with a recent read:
The Jasmine Throne; by Tasha Suri
The Jasmine Throne is Indian inspired epic fantasy, with an emphasis on epic. As I have come to expect from this author, lush worldbuilding offers an immersive experience for the reader to delve into richly described settings that touch on all the senses, with forbidden tales of origin and folklore giving glorious magical depth. Told through multiple points of view, two main characters take centre stage: Priya, a maidservant with a complex past, and Malini, an imperial princess of Parijadvipa, and traitor to her people.
The lives of these two women come together in the Ahiranya temple, where Malini is imprisoned for her traitorous crimes, and Priya is charged with watching over her. But Priya is no ordinary maidservant. Once a temple child, her people’s language was stolen, their culture abandoned, and they were left to starve. Priya doesn’t speak of her past, or the powers she holds as a result. While others, including her brother Ashok, are seeking rebellion against their oppressors, Priya’s view is complex to match the world she lives in.
In amongst a twisting tale of Malini’s attempts to escape, a sapphic romance develops between the two women. Told with evocative language, insightful layers are revealed of the two characters, as they explore their feelings in a relationship that holds huge significance for how they see the world. Two strong and complex women from the outset, it’s a relationship that builds trust, resilience and independent clarity, with character development as unpredictable as the world they live in. While Priya considers Malini has different faces to survive, Malini is steadfast in her thoughts of marriage: “What is more monstrous than that that is inherently by your nature unable to serve your purpose? To want simply because you want. To love simply for the sake of love.”
I enjoyed this feminist perspective, and the magic that surrounded it. Priya has knowledge of the deathless waters, knowledge that could be used to aid the rebels. But with cool, calm scrutiny she makes choice decisions about who to trust and where her loyalties lie. Political tension mounts, as a cast of characters seek to determine their positions in a morally grey arena, and loyalties are tested and corruption is revealed, even among the closest of familial ties. Multiple voices add huge depth to the world, opening out geographical and magical dimensions, although at times I felt it detracted from the pace of the story and from the perspectives of Priya and Malini. Having said that, the depth of the world was a triumph, one unafraid of tackling issues of independence and empire pertinent to the world as we know it. It’s a question Priya and Malini must face, from opposite sides. For Priya, no matter what favours might be afforded, independence does not come still chained to the empire.
What are you reading?
