EBOOK
About
In the spirit of Circe, Ariadne, and The Witch's Heart, this stunning debut reimagines the life of Kaikeyi, the extraordinary queen from the famous Indian epic the Ramayana. It is a tale of fate and family, of courage and heartbreak, that centers Indian mythology and gives voice to a woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.
"I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions, much good it did me."
So begins Kaikeyi's tale. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is, raised on grand stories about the might and benevolence of the gods: how they churned vast oceans to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they offer the devoted and the wise magnificent boons, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land prospers. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously, banishes her mother, her own worth, measured by how, great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when, she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.
Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the ancient texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. She uses it to transform herself from overlooked princess into warrior, diplomat, and most-favored queen, determined to forge a better world for herself than the one that gods and men have granted.
But, as the demons of stories Kaikeyi grew up hearing threaten the cosmic order, her will clashes with the path that the gods have chosen for her family-and especially that of her beloved son, Rama. And, she must decide if her resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak... and what legacy she intends to leave behind.
"I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions, much good it did me."
So begins Kaikeyi's tale. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is, raised on grand stories about the might and benevolence of the gods: how they churned vast oceans to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they offer the devoted and the wise magnificent boons, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land prospers. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously, banishes her mother, her own worth, measured by how, great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when, she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.
Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the ancient texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. She uses it to transform herself from overlooked princess into warrior, diplomat, and most-favored queen, determined to forge a better world for herself than the one that gods and men have granted.
But, as the demons of stories Kaikeyi grew up hearing threaten the cosmic order, her will clashes with the path that the gods have chosen for her family-and especially that of her beloved son, Rama. And, she must decide if her resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak... and what legacy she intends to leave behind.