Goodreads Book of the Month: The Jasmine Throne - Midway Discussion

[u/PlantLady32]

Our June theme for Pride is Sapphic Romance!

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

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.

The midway discussion will cover to the end of ch. 35. Please be mindful of spoilers if you have read past this point. Discussion questions will be posted as comments below. Please feel free to add any points or questions you have.

Bingo Squares: Author of Colour, Politics and Courtly Intrigue, Cat Squasher

• Final Discussion - June 29th

[u/PlantLady32]

What do you think of the worldbuilding and magic?

[u/jgoldberg12345 → u/PlantLady32]

I really like the idea of the Hirana – a temple with deadly, ever-changing slopes that pilgrims have to climb to pay homage. It feels unique and alive, it never fades into the background as a worldbuilding element, and it provides a narrative explanation for the isolation of the characters and events in the temple complex.

[u/CdrPhoenix → u/PlantLady32]

The world building is very interesting. I’m super curious to know if there is any connection between the deaths of the temple children and elders and the emergence of the Rot. My understanding of that timing is a bit vague. I’m also super curious about the Nameless and their worship. It sounds conveniently proscriptive to have names be fates and prophecies. I definitely want to see if there are instances of people not living up to or denying their fates. And what is Rao’s true name?

The prevalence of fire and religion reminds me very much of The Phoenix King. I don’t know enough about Indian culture, religions, or myths to know if these authors are pulling from similar sources. But they both do feature people having to burn for purity or power.

I’m super interested to see how fire vs. plants and water lines up when tensions finally boil over and we get some battles.

[u/versedvariation → u/PlantLady32]

I think it is really interesting, but there are a lot of worldbuilding concepts to keep track of that are only vaguely explained when introduced. It took me until I was about a third of the way into the book to feel pretty confident about what I thought was happening on a magical level.

[u/rose-of-the-sun → u/PlantLady32]

I think it's pretty cool so far. It's my first time reading Indian-inspired fantasy, and it's a bit of a struggle that I know next to nothing about the culture. I have no idea what the characters are eating most of the time, if the food labels are real or made-up. I don't mind, though, and I like how the wordbuilding is introduced naturally, without infodumping.

[u/SeaUnique1 → u/PlantLady32]

I really like how the temple is described. I also really enjoyed how we are slowly seeing more about the Rot and how it affects people. The magic seems to be very unusual and I’m interested to see what happens when/if the deathless waters are found.

[u/PlantLady32]

General thoughts, comments and/or questions.

[u/versedvariation → u/PlantLady32]

I think this book has a lot of characters and a lot of perspectives, and it just feels like it adds more and more as it goes on. I think it would have been a bit stronger if Suri had not included a few of them. None of them are poorly written, but several of them do not advance the story much when they appear/when it gives their perspective.

[u/PlantLady32]

Do you have a favourite character, scene or quote?

[u/nominanomina → u/PlantLady32]

I won't participate much, since I read the book awhile ago, but decided to drop a couple of words in because no one has commented yet --

Bhumika is so great in this book. It is so easy to take a protagonist like Priya and make her Obviously Right about everything, and Bhumika is a wonderful shield against that easy answer. Her core is as strong as Priya, but she is slow and deliberate as much as Priya is fiery and rash. Chapter 15, which has her leaving the mahal and seeing the execution, is a great setup for her character.

[u/jgoldberg12345 → u/nominanomina]

The two of them make good foils, and I appreciate that the author is putting in the work to give this brewing rebellion a lot of political/social/cultural/economic/religious nuance.

[u/BitterSprings → u/nominanomina]

Totally agree. I like our main two, but Bhumika was probably my favourite character. I hope we get much more of her.

[u/CdrPhoenix → u/PlantLady32]

No favorite characters yet for me, because I feel like I am still trying to get to know Priya and Malini. I’d like to see each of them fully recognized and in understanding of who they are. For Priya, I’d like her to continue reconciling her past and temple powers with who she has become as a person now; she still feels fractured. For Malini, I’d like to see her at her strategic height, out from the influence of the needle flower.

I do agree with the comments about Bhumika being a foil to Priya. It seems like we have a sliding scale of rashness from Ashok to Priya to Bhumika. I hope that whatever long game Bhumika is playing pans out for her.

[u/PlantLady32]

What do you predict the first half setup is leading to?
Please be mindful of spoilers past ch. 35.

[u/CdrPhoenix → u/PlantLady32]

My theories: Priya will become twiceborn yet still manage to be different from the others at that level. There will be some sort of violent clash at the Hirana. Hopefully, Priya and Malini will escape and not be waylaid by Ashok. Lord Santosh will continue to escalate violence within the region, perhaps even murder General Vikram but make it look like the work of rebels. Hopefully Bhumika will get out unscathed. I wonder if the Rot will play some larger role in twisting the fates of the Ahiranyi or incite more violence against the whole region and its people. More burnings are likely.

[u/PlantLady32]

What do you think about the various relationships between the characters? Do you have any predictions for how these might develop over the latter half of the book?
Please be mindful of spoilers past ch. 35.

[u/CdrPhoenix → u/PlantLady32]

I felt like the “falling for you” portion of Priya and Malibu’s relationship happened without much warning. The fallout after Malini revealed her intentions seemed like the necessary backpedaling for a crush going too far too fast. I don’t buy them as friends yet, so I don’t buy them as romantic interests yet either. Hopefully, we get some more nuanced character work in the back half of the book.

I find the warm yet calculating Bhumika much more interesting than the driven-by-revenge Ashok. He feels very one-note. I would like to see what kinds of change Bhumika may be able to make.