The Jasmine Throne

This book came across my radar as a 2025 Hugo finalist (series category). I picked it up because it was set in India, a nice change from most fantasy fare, and there were promising signs of political/social intrigue.

The writing was very readable. The magic system seemed interesting, and I enjoyed the worldbuilding. I did like seeing the different factions, but I didn’t find myself very compelled by the “why” they were acting as they did. Vaguely, to avoid spoilers, it seemed a lot of powerful people and their supporters were happy just to hang around awaiting a decision from a “chosen one.” Such a situation makes me imagine crowds in stasis until a viewpoint character arrives, and then they start doing things again.

I had a similar issue with the characters. They were distinct and internally consistent in their behaviour, but I didn’t feel I had a handle on how/why they were that way, which made their interactions (and subsequent decisions/actions) feel contrived. There were also a lot of viewpoint characters, including various throwaway ones (if you hadn’t noticed a new viewpoint character on page before, you’d probably find them dead after a couple of pages).

Overall, an unusual magical setting that sets up later books.

This was the April book in the book club I have with two friends and we all liked it so much that we want to read the sequel.

I really liked the setting - I haven't come across many fantasy novels based on old India. We also get wood magic, supernatural (or alien?) beings, a mysterious illness and a magical temple. The worldbuilding is great and very dense. I found it hard to put the book down once I had gotten into it because it felt like being in a different world. The story, too, is more complex than I expected and there are some interesting and unexpected twists. The romance doesn't follow the usual patterns, either, I felt. If you're into fantasy you should check this one out. #2024reads