The first book in a new medieval India-inspired fantasy trilogy from a remarkable Canadian talent, A Kiss of Crimson Ash teems with rich storytelling, lush worldbuilding, and spice of every variety.
Taara, the pious newly crowned Queen of Abhaya, a resource-rich city-state, must marry whether she wishes to or not. Her betrothed is Garjan, Prince of Nandapore, a neighbouring city-state full of secrets and spellcasters. His forbidden love is Bhediya, a courtesan with magic in her blood. And then there is Roland, a thief by trade, attached to nothing and no one, who stumbles into a power-hungry king’s plot to unearth a weapon that has only lived in myth...until now.
Linked by desire, destiny, and a dangerous foe, these four must summon the power of an ancient goddess and chart a course through the empire’s brothels, temples, taverns, and palaces, forcing them to confront the darkest kinds of magic and the truest parts of themselves—before it’s too late.
Locked in a battle that will reshape the empire, they each must What will they risk for a weapon worth dying for, and a love worth life itself?
── .✦ pre-read 𖹭.ᐟ #1: everybody and their moms saw that one art right? RIGHT?? that and the fact that this is inspired by medieval India is ofc a direct add to tbr 🤭 #2: i've been informed not everyone has seen the art so i am attaching it below! enjoyyy <3
I really wanted to love this one, but I ended up DNF-ing at 31%. This story suffered from a lot of telling rather than showing, leaving the characters feeling flat and their motivations unclear. I also struggled with the pacing, and the multiple perspectives didn’t help.
Bhediya and Garjan start the book already obsessed with each other. Taara and Payal’s connection felt rushed, and much of their bond was told rather than shown. Roland and Yash did not grab my interest at all. I feel robbed of the yearning and the development that makes a romance satisfying, and I can’t push through without at least one character/couple to care about.
Overall, for a romantasy, it lacks the yearning and emotional depth I look for.
A big thank you to the editor and publisher for an ARC of the book!
A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH tells a tale of self-discovery, political intrigue, military maneuvers, and both strategic and unexpected alliances, set in a world filled with rich lore and magic, told in a voice that is equal parts enchanting and alluring, seductive and sweet.
This rich and lush world unfolds for readers in the first book of the Games of the Goddess trilogy. Told through four unique perspectives, this story brings Indian stories and culture to the forefront as these characters set to thwart a power-hungry king.
I genuinely loved the scenery and world-building. It was immersive and felt tangible. The characters are interesting, and each unveil a different part of the world. The friendships between many of the four main characters were the most interesting part of the story for me, particularly around The Thief and The Courtesan with other people in Nandapore. I wanted more from the romantic relationships in the story, and I think we just didn’t get to know the characters outside of the situations they found themselves in to be able to have deeper relationships. What we got was interesting and diverse, and I’m hopeful for even more as the trilogy continues.
Readers who love complex world building, slow burn stories, political intrigue, and diverse perspectives, this is a great story for you!
4/5 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A Kiss of Crimson Ash is set in a lush world based on medieval India. The Samjayan empire, made up of seven city-states, has been relatively peaceful in the centuries since the Great Blast decimated the lands of humans, spellcasters, and elven-folk alike. However, all is not as seems in the empire. Taara, recently crowned the Queen of Abhaya after her mother suddenly went mad, finds herself forced into a marriage of alliance with Garjan, the Prince of Nandapore. They soon realize that there are more than favorable trade deals to explain this rushed marriage - both the emperor and Garjan's brother are suddenly aligned with a faction of the elven determined to restore the world to a time before magic was freely given to humans by any means necessary. As the executions of spellcasters intensify, Taara soon finds herself (and her goddess-blessed blood) a target. Forced to ally with Garjan, they soon find themselves being driven across the empire, where the goddess guides them to two others who must join them in their quest to save the world before it is too late: Bhediya, spellcaster courtesan (and Garjan's longtime love), and Roland, a common thief from a faraway land. As the four learn to summon the powers of a time long past, they suddenly find themselves locked in a battle for the fate of the world itself.
The world that Anuja Varghese has created here is fantastic! I was instantly intrigued by the lush landscapes throughout the Samjayan empire, and the magic system was both fascinating and refreshingly original. The rotating POVs between the four main characters (Taara, Garjan, Bhediya, and Roland) were also really enjoyable and helped to keep the story fast-paced and full of action. However, I do wish that these characters (and their relationships with each other) were a bit more fleshed out. Though this is being advertised as a romantasy, I don't really think that is an accurate label - there is very little romance in the book, and in fact most of the promised "spice" is just a bunch of transactional and manipulative sexual encounters between various characters that were abrupt and a bit cringe-inducing. In spite of that, there is plenty of political intrigue and high-stakes magical action to carry over into the next books, so I am hopeful that these shortcomings will be less prevalent in the story to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“There was something calming about talking like this, about sharing food, as if the world had not tipped sideways and everything was fine.”
There is so much to love in Anuja Varghese’s A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH, but I what I loved most was that the book, the world, the fantasy, understands that we live at a time where people are being cruelly oppressed because of their sexuality and gender – the gift of this book is that it offers a world were Varghese’s character are free to be, to choose, to love, who they want, and who they are. In the first of Anuja Varghese’s Games of the Goddess Trilogy, we many amazing fantasy and D and D inspired characters but are told the story from four main perspectives. Taaratajini (Taara), a princess in Abhaya betrothed to Garjanathan (Garjan), the prince of neighbouring Nandapore. Once married they become the king and queen of Nandapore, mainly because Taara’s mother, Suvarnatara, is locked away suffering an inexplicable mental collapse. Bhediya is a courtesan and holds special magic in her blood, but is also madly in love with Garjan, who is also in love with her. We meet Roland, a thief who goes by many different aliases, which suits his personality and sexual appetites perfectly. There are several other significant characters who each play a role both in the epic battle to take down an evil king, and within the fantasy world itself, as genre, All of them made reading. AKISS OF CRIMSON ASH a tension filled, sexually exciting literary journey.
This was my introduction to the romantasy genre, and I am hooked. Anuja Varghese mixes humour, desire, and honesty to offer readers some fantastic characters, mostly kick-ass women who hold the magic and the power to take down the evil king. The world she’s created is medieval India mixed with that Game of Thrones royalty-pleb collective where you’re not quite sure whose side you’re on because even the bad characters are so richly characterized that as reader, I don’t want them to die, if only I can see them be bad again in the next book!
I am so excited to start this epic journey with Taara, Payal, and Bhediya!
P.S. I may or may not be searching NoveList for comps when the book is published, so that my entire summer reading list is romantasy novels with the queerest, most gorgeous characters in the fantasy world!
I liked the overall premise of this book and the intricacies of the plot. It definitely has potential, and I had high hopes that the mysteries and secrets would eventually draw me in, but unfortunately they did not.
The main shortcomings of the novel for me lie with the characters and the fact that this was a very plot-driven novel.
I am heavily drawn to character-driven novels with nuanced, in-depth character arcs that drive the plot. This novel had none of that. For me, the characters felt very surface level with bland personalities. I didn’t feel connected to any of them or invested in their stories. This left little motivation for me to read on, despite all the political intrigue and scheming that typically captivates me.
The relationships between the characters left much to be desired. Garg and Bhediya are already in love at the start of the novel, as readers are told multiple times but never really shown. The relationships between Roland/Yash and Taara/Payal are both very rushed and too insta-lusty for my liking. They seemed thrown together for the sake of pairing them off rather than growing and developing a relationship authentically.
I did not like the sex scenes at all (I have nothing against sex scenes in general). I just felt these were cringy, and pointless because the character relationships were so poorly developed. There was no tension, no yearning, no banter, nothing to make these scenes remotely appealing.
The rotating POVs made the story feel a bit disjointed, perhaps because I felt no connection between the characters. Every time the POV changed, I felt less motivated to continue reading.
Overall, I think someone with different preferences could really enjoy this book. The plot is strong, but the characters needed more depth and development for me.
Oookay! Let's talk cuz this book was fun! It had an absolutely lush world building, crazy settings, high stakes and amazing characters! This was a setting for a really fun, multi pov trilogy and I'm so excited for it! The BUT here is me, I'm the problem 😭 • Because this book unfortunately unearthed a lot of genrational trauma that I thought I had buries deep, instead of heaving a huge sign of relief that our characters are safe and sound, I remembered the characters who weren't and the pain every single of them faced, it made me wildly uncomfortable! • How Ganj mused themat over the ten years his brother had been married he'd never seen his sister in law not pregnant, she got 6 kids and is pregnant with one and in the end what happened to her..?! I was horrified but also knew that this might've been more common occurance. • The purity concept in which the courtesans are blamer for the atrocities men do, saying that courtesans compelled them with black magic to do so...a woman is always judged, always at the altar to be pointed at. • How Tara is cajoled with your husband will know, and she's totally unaware which pointed it the fact that the best way to control is to never make them aware never show them anything that brings point of comparison so they can see that the behaviour they're enduring is bad. • How mens violence is always excused and women are one way or another used as an unwilling pawn in a game they don't know of and blamed it they don't serve the purpose properly!
🪩 This book was dark, real with really amazing things happening- a lot tho wasn't wrapped up so I'll definitely be picking up the next book cuz I'm a glutton for punishment, yess!!
💖 Thanks NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own!
A Kiss of Crimson Ash delivers a gripping, high-stakes story filled with secrets, danger, and slow-burning tension.
The novel centers around a world shaped by power, betrayal, and long-buried truths, where every choice carries consequences. From the very beginning, the plot pulls you in with its sense of looming threat and steadily escalating conflict. Anuja Varghese does an excellent job layering mysteries, political intrigue, and personal stakes so that the story keeps unfolding in surprising and satisfying ways.
What really stands out is how tightly the plot is woven. Revelations are spaced perfectly, twists feel earned, and the tension never lets up for long. The story balances action, strategy, and emotional consequences, making the stakes feel real and the outcomes unpredictable. Each major plot turn reshapes what you think you know about the world and the characters in it.
The world-building is detailed and immersive without slowing the pace, and the rules of the world and its conflicts are clear, which makes the larger story arcs even more compelling. By the end, the book leaves you with answers—but also with bigger questions that make you immediately want the next installment.
If you’re looking for a fantasy with a strong, plot-driven narrative, layered mysteries, and steadily rising stakes, A Kiss of Crimson Ash is a great pick.
This book has promise. The premise is interesting and the setting is somewhat unusual. Ultimately it fell very flat for me. There are 4 POV characters, and while each could have been compelling in their own ways, I just didn't care about any of them. In part that's because there is telling rather than showing, info dumps, and very scanty world building. I had no sense of where any of these people came from or what motivated them or really, anything. There's a lot of sex though. I would have preferred slightly fewer sex scenes in favour of some decent characterization. There was one moment when a POV character reminisces in their mind about an event from their childhood, and then it's gone in a sentence. It probably was a turning point in this person's life, but we only get that one fleeting sentence. A few chapters earlier though, we got 5 page description of the same character having sex. I don't mind sex scenes, I'm not a prude. But I'd rather get to know the characters, their back stories, and this world in greater detail and depth.
I thought this world was very interesting, especially the political structure. The story its self was very plot driven. You were definitely just told what was happening and that resulted in the big ending feeling like it just happened and there wasn’t much building to it. The story itself follows four POVs, but there are a lot of other characters that you are made to feel are important to the story. The four main characters did not see much growth and development throughout the story, which in turn makes these other characters feel just thrown in.
The other part of the story I will point out is the sex scenes. I do not mind them in my stories, but for people who do not like in your face sex scenes, they are not going to like this. There are a lot of the in a story that is 325 pages long. They also just seemed to happen for really no reason at times.
Like I said I think the world and political structure are interesting, but I don’t know if I will continue with this story.
𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ 3 stars ★ ˖⌕ ۫ ➺ spoilers free review → thank you netgalley and Orbit for the arc
I was SO excited about reading it, the writing was truthfully good, I liked it, the world building also had potential, but most of it was “tell don't show”. My opinion about relationships is complicated, it was oblivious insta love, bhediya and garjan immediately became obsessed with each other and although I loved Taara and Payal there was no development of tension and chemistry between them either. If I have to be honest, I only cared about Taara’s pov (again I love her and Payal, they are my babies) and I also think that Roland's pov was completely unnecessary, it didn't bring anything to the plot and his relationship with yash wasn’t interesting either.
I received an advance copy of this book via Goodreads giveaway.
There’s a lot to like here- I enjoyed the world building and lore, and I liked the overall concept. Ultimately it felt just too short and rushed for what the story needed- the pacing felt off, and I think our 4 protagonists suffered in having to switch POVs, since I felt we only got to know them all on a surface level. I needed more build-up and development to make the big moments feel impactful. If this continues into a series I think there’s a lot of potential for this to develop!
I rate this 2.5 stars but did round up. First off the story initially sounded very interesting, but after reading it was messy and hard to keep up with. There are so many different characters telling the story and it makes it hard to really get into the book and understand. I did feel like there was way too many sexual scenes and that took away from the plot. Over all the base for the story was great but the execution left a lot to be desired.
Incredible detail and outstanding writing!! I can’t say enough good things about this book and I can’t wait to read the next book!! Great world building, wonderful characters, great dialogue!!
a story of love, betrayal and divine fury that grips cities and kingdoms across a great empire, A Kiss of Crimson Ash is a finely balanced book, by parts epic in scale and alluringly intimate, filled with heat and magic