Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 416 pages
Author: Sajni Patel
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Release Date: January 16th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Circe goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology, a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine.

Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters—she’s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King’s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom’s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe—but you would be wrong.

Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King’s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life.

When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom’s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he’ll consider granting his freedom.

Except Manisha doesn’t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn’t know it, but the “monster” he’s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.

Alternating between Manisha’s and Pratyush’s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question “What does it truly mean to be a monster?”

DESERVES MORE ATTENTION.

Ahhhhh, this was so good and I need more people to read this please!!!

If you love:
– Medusa retellings
– A fierce heroine
– Indian mythology
– Feminist rage
– A soft monster slayer MMC

Then this might be for you. Oh my gosh I was committed very early on and did not want to stop listening to this book. I loved the combination of all the things I mentioned above and how they wove together to create this story. It is a hard read and a needed read. I loved the resilience of Manisha. Her strength and quest for vengeance and finding her family again leads her to help many and know her power too.

And Pratyush?? I LOVED HIM. He made me totally roll with the insta-love because that man fell hard. And the way he handled multiple situations had me falling in love with him myself. I loved seeing Pratyush and Manisha’s paths align and realize that they are on the same side.

This felt like a closed story line, yet maybe open to more of the world? I’m not quite sure. I was satisfied where this ended, but would absolutely read another book in this series. It was empowering and thought provoking and tackled many issues in a way that captured my heart.

Overall audience notes:

• YA Fantasy
• Language: low
• Romance: kisses
• Violence: high
• Trigger/Content Warnings: rape discussed throughout (and on page, brief and not explicit but you do know what is happening), blood and gore, body horror and mutilation

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