Welcome to Smitten For Fiction! My name is Amanda and this blog is all about books. I mainly share spoiler-free book reviews and sometimes other bookish things. Not every book is my cup of tea – and that’s ok. Even if I didn’t like it, I try to find readers that would. Thanks for visiting. Let’s get Smitten For Fiction.

I read Kaikeyi because This Story Ain’t Over said it was the best book she read last year.

“A powerful, feminist retelling of the epic…Patel resets the balance of power, creating an unforgettable heroine who understands that it isn’t necessarily kings or gods who change history.” –Washington Post

“A thought-provoking, nuanced new look at one of humanity’s most foundational stories.” —Shannon Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

About The Book 📚

Title: Kaikeyi

Author: Vaishnavi Patel

Publication Date: April 2022

Publisher: Redhook

Suggested Reader Age: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned) Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. May include profanity, violence, sexual situations, or drug use.

Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, Historical, Mythology

Pages: 478

Content Warnings: Sexism, misogyny, death, war, violence, grief, death of a parent, fire injury, abandonment, murder, infertility, pregnancy, domestic abuse, sexual content

About The Author

“Vaishnavi Patel is a law student focusing on constitutional law and civil rights. She likes to write at the intersection of Indian myth, feminism, and anti-colonialism. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Kaikeyi. Vaishnavi grew up in and around Chicago, and in her spare time, enjoys activities that are almost stereotypically Midwestern: knitting, ice skating, drinking hot chocolate, and making hotdish.” https://vaishnavipatel.com/about/

My Review

› Kaikeyi is a retelling of the Indian epic Ramayana composed by Valmiki more than 2,000 years ago. Ramayana is about the life and banishment of a Hindu deity named Ram. I am not Hindu, so I took a little time to do some extra reading and learning about Ram to better understand this story. According to Britannica, Ram is one of the most worshipped deities and is viewed as “the embodiment of chivalry and virtue” so I would imagine some people won’t like Kaikeyi because Ram is portrayed as a complicated morally-grey character.

Kaikeyi was the daughter of the King of Kaikaya (now believed to be modern-day Pakistan ), one of the 3 wives of King Dasharatha, and the mother of Bharata. She’s referenced as Ram’s evil stepmother. Patel wrote this epic debut novel to show that Kaikeyi is not evil, she’s flawed, just like most of us. “The seeds of Kaikeyi were planted seventeen years ago in a discussion between my mother and my grandmother. Each summer, my grandmother would tell my sister and me stories, passing down myths and legends centered around Hindu gods and heroes that she herself had grown up hearing.” In her author’s note, Patel said she “wanted to give Kaikeyi a chance to explain her actions.”

Some own voices reviewers have said they didn’t like this book because it didn’t stay true to the original story, however, in the author’s note, Patel did say there are many changes. You can read more about that in Patel’s Goodreads post.



› Kaikeyi, daughter of King Ashwapati, is the Princess of Kekaya. From a young age, Kaikeyi felt that her father preferred her brothers because she is female. Ashwapati has the power to understand the language of the birds. One day, her mother leaves unexpectedly and Kaikeyi is left to pretty much raise herself. She’s wed to Dasharath the King of Kosala. Dasharath promises Kaikeyi that their child will be the heir to the throne. They have a son named Bharata. The other princes are Lakshmana, Shatrugna, and Rama.

We see the boys grow up, and Kaikeyi makes incredible changes to help women thanks to her special ability to connect with the “binding plane”. In the binding plane Kaikeyi is able to see the invisible threads that connect her with everyone around her and she’s able to manipulate those threads to make them do what she wants them to do. Kaikeyi is determined to change the minds of men. When Dasharath says Rama will become heir instead of Bharata Kaikeyi uses the “boons” he bestowed upon her at their marriage. A boon is a powerful gift. Kaikeyi’s actions are seen as treasonous, but the reader gets to learn things from a different perspective.

“You did the right thing,” Manthara told me. “No matter what is said about you, Kaikeyi, remember that you did the right thing. You are not wicked.”
“Then why do I feel wicked?” I whispered.
“Because those who are good question themselves. Because those who are good always wonder if there was a better way, a way that could have helped more and hurt less. That feeling is why you are good.”

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 7
Good characters, but had a hard time picturing them.

› Atmosphere: 4
The binding plane is extremely interesting, however, I wanted more description and world-building. There is also a lack of emotion.

› Writing Style: 7
Repetitive and wordy at times, but I like Patel’s writing style.

› Plot: 4
I often felt bored. There is a lot of fluff (words that aren’t moving the plot forward). I wanted to see more of Rama’s power.

› Intrigue: 6
The binding plane kept me invested in the story.

› Logic: 8

› Enjoyment: 6

Average 6

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Kaikeyi is an adventurous character-driven retelling of Ramayana. If you like morally-grey characters you’re going to love reading this debut. 82% of people on Goodreads gave this book 4 or 5 stars, so although this was just okay for me, I feel like there are lots of mythology fans who will love this debut. Quite a few reviewers have said this is similar to Circe, which I haven’t read. I think if you liked Circe then you’ll probably like Kaikeyi. I will definitely be checking out Patel’s next book.

Connect With Me 😊

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram