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The Bookweaver's Daughter
An #OwnVoices YA fantasy—a tale of magic, Indian lore, and radical female friendship.
In the ancient Indian kingdom of Kasmira, stories don’t begin with “once upon a time.” Instead, Kasmiris start a woman’s story with those who came before her: her parents, grandparents, ancestors. For fourteen-year-old Reya Kandhari, her story always starts the same: with the fabled line of Bookweavers, tracing centuries back to the lost Yogis—the mythical guardians of Kasmiri culture who created the world itself. As a result, Reya’s entire life has been shaped by words. Words of mystique and mythology. Words of magic that allow her father, the Bookweaver, to bring his stories to life. Words of power that make him the target of tyrants who will stop at nothing to destroy magic in Kasmira.
Living in disguise as a peasant in the fields, Reya’s sole focus is protecting the Bookweaver’s secret. But when her father is taken, Reya must flee deep into the jungle, alone with her best friend Nina and one ancient book. Grappling with Reya’s newfound magic, the two girls find themselves in the center of a war of liberation where magic reigns unchecked, and destiny takes a dark turn. As the stakes get higher, Reya realizes that her father’s legacy contains more power than she ever imagined. For Reya Kandhari is more than just a fugitive—she is a symbol of revolution. And that makes her a threat.
In the ancient Indian kingdom of Kasmira, stories don’t begin with “once upon a time.” Instead, Kasmiris start a woman’s story with those who came before her: her parents, grandparents, ancestors. For fourteen-year-old Reya Kandhari, her story always starts the same: with the fabled line of Bookweavers, tracing centuries back to the lost Yogis—the mythical guardians of Kasmiri culture who created the world itself. As a result, Reya’s entire life has been shaped by words. Words of mystique and mythology. Words of magic that allow her father, the Bookweaver, to bring his stories to life. Words of power that make him the target of tyrants who will stop at nothing to destroy magic in Kasmira.
Living in disguise as a peasant in the fields, Reya’s sole focus is protecting the Bookweaver’s secret. But when her father is taken, Reya must flee deep into the jungle, alone with her best friend Nina and one ancient book. Grappling with Reya’s newfound magic, the two girls find themselves in the center of a war of liberation where magic reigns unchecked, and destiny takes a dark turn. As the stakes get higher, Reya realizes that her father’s legacy contains more power than she ever imagined. For Reya Kandhari is more than just a fugitive—she is a symbol of revolution. And that makes her a threat.
250 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2018
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3018 people want to read
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December 10, 2021
When a book promises Indian visibility but it's evident while reading the story that it's meant for the non-desi readership, especially those who want clear translations —through the horrific chai tea, for example—even if it was unintentional on the author's part, I get disappointed. The writing was structurally difficult to read and it'll be better for me to not even start on the names of characters or regions or the main conflict of this story because it would turn into a rant.
To be very honest, I believe in not binding an ownvoices representation by an outline of what resonates with me or what I think is the 'right' representation, nor do I expect authors to prove their place as an ownvoices writer. But when the Indian culture, as diverse as any can get, is shown through most of its languages, traditions, and histories clubbed into a confused mash-up and depicted against the backdrop of a region that is socio-politically and religiously so sensitive, there is no doubt that the need for considerate edits is a common comment by readers.
This is particularly saddening since the concept of magic and the broader idea for the story is indeed interesting. alas, the lack of appreciative execution and the lack of effort to tell a story with consideration when its themes inevitably, even if unknowingly, reflect on contemporary issues influence my rating and reaction more. Also, while I never wish to bring up the diaspora debate, I can't help but feel that most of this critique is simply the result of most of South Asian diaspora being willingly disconnected with what is frequently, regularly, and importantly talked about in the homeland.
So I want to be quite clear when I say that no part of this review aims to make a remark on the author, the context they hold true, or what representation means to them. And since we all know how authors of color are expected the most from and not allowed second chances as often as others, I also want to say that I will be open to reading more of the author's works if they intrigue me enough, uninfluenced by this one.
08.03.2020 this book is meant for my desi heart. i'll just wait her for september to roll in quickly.
To be very honest, I believe in not binding an ownvoices representation by an outline of what resonates with me or what I think is the 'right' representation, nor do I expect authors to prove their place as an ownvoices writer. But when the Indian culture, as diverse as any can get, is shown through most of its languages, traditions, and histories clubbed into a confused mash-up and depicted against the backdrop of a region that is socio-politically and religiously so sensitive, there is no doubt that the need for considerate edits is a common comment by readers.
This is particularly saddening since the concept of magic and the broader idea for the story is indeed interesting. alas, the lack of appreciative execution and the lack of effort to tell a story with consideration when its themes inevitably, even if unknowingly, reflect on contemporary issues influence my rating and reaction more. Also, while I never wish to bring up the diaspora debate, I can't help but feel that most of this critique is simply the result of most of South Asian diaspora being willingly disconnected with what is frequently, regularly, and importantly talked about in the homeland.
So I want to be quite clear when I say that no part of this review aims to make a remark on the author, the context they hold true, or what representation means to them. And since we all know how authors of color are expected the most from and not allowed second chances as often as others, I also want to say that I will be open to reading more of the author's works if they intrigue me enough, uninfluenced by this one.
08.03.2020 this book is meant for my desi heart. i'll just wait her for september to roll in quickly.
August 11, 2020
I don't even know where to start with this book. I'm going to attempt to form coherent words and sentences, but if I don't, know that it's the book's fault for scrambling my one brain cell.
When I saw that this book was up for request on Netgalley, I was quite excited. I'd seen the book doing rounds on the internet, I was on a bit of a desi literature kick, and the premise sounded genuinely intriguing. The thing that sold me on it was the fact that the setting was a country called Kasmira, which sounds very similar to Kashmir and I thought "HEY! I've never read a fantasy book that's set in a Kashmir-inspired place before!!" And that made me very excited. Oh, boy, was I misguided in my excitement!
Now, this book doesn't have the worst premise. It's something that you see a lot in fantasy, and it's something that could be worked with to make a great book. There's this girl who's been orphaned. She's got secret magic, and a best friend. Her father left her a secret magic book she could use, she's got an entire kingdom hunting for her as she comes into her powers...I mean, you've seen this stuff before. And you've loved this stuff before. And you'll probably love it again. Just...not here. Because, see, the concept doesn't make the book. The execution does. And the execution in this book was…..abysmal!
The pacing was all over the place, the character dynamics were not worked at well - every change came out in a moment, like there was a switch flipping inside these fake people's heads. The writing itself started out well in the prologue and the first chapter, but it was downhill from there. There were so many infodumps, and I don't usually mind them when they're part of the story, but there WAS NO STORY! This book is riddled with plot holes and contrivances and it's just...not a good experience!
Before I completely rip into it, there are a few things that are…bearable about this book? I guess? For one, it tries to be wholesome, and halfway succeeds. I guess? The writing isn't bad, just very rushed, but like I said, it did start out nicely enough. There's no romance? So that's good? Kind of? And...ugh…there's this 15-20% of the book post the halfway mark where if you shut down your brain, you'll probably not hate it. And...that's about it for me. I know I've rated it two stars instead of one, but that's just because I have respect for a finished book that doesn't anger me to the point where I'm pulling my hair out. So that's not really an indication of anything for you xD
Now that that's out of the way…let's talk about THIS BOOK!
My first and biggest issue with this book is the REPRESENTATION. Yes, you heard it right. The REPRESENTATION. I'm aware that this is an OwnVoices book, but I am also an OwnVoices reviewer and I have to tell you, this is by far some of the worst, haphazardly thrown together desi representation that I've EVER seen!? There was definitely no research that went into the writing of this book. The author borrows from cultures from all over the sub-continent, but doesn't put them together in any meaningful way. They're just all mashed together, and it's supposed to be…..what, exactly? All I saw was a mess.
The book alludes to "ancient Kasmiri" being a language and has multiple characters mention it and talk about it, but it just sounds like words of sanskrit and Latin thrown together to me. It's kind of sad. The contemporary language that the characters use, however, is also not desi. It's just English. The Zakirs have a "Z" on their turbans? BTW THEY HAVE TURBANS. When Reya is teaching Nina how to read, she starts with the alphabet and IT'S ABCD??? LIKE NO MA'AM PLS STOP???
The rulers of this Kasmira kingdom are called Zakirs, which is clearly a name that is inspired by Persian/Muslim culture. But the prince is called Devendra??? Which is VERY MUCH a Sanskrit name. Why?? What does that even mean?? How does that make any sense??? Are you trying to imply that your culture in this fantasy novel is secular? If yes, then why is this secularity not in every other aspect? Why is it that only the- to use my friend's words - discount Zuko who gets the Hindu-esque name??? IT MAKES NO DAMN SENSE!!!
And speaking of this whole thing, the mages and the Yogis and all are clearly inspired by Hindu mythology. They are scholars and are respected by the whole country pre-Zakir invasion. After the Zakirs seize the throne, they're all exiled and/or killed, leaving very few of their families in any decent social standing in the country. If this Muslim regime shoving Hindu people out of "Kasmira" sounds very familiar to you, then you are not alone. I was APPALLED at the similarities between this and the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of 1989! And I was even more horror struck by the fact that THIS BOOK was written NOW, IN THE YEAR 2020, when the tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities all over the country are at an all time high because of a facist regime. WHEN THE GOVERNMENT HAS USED THE VERY EXODUS AS A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ANNEXATION OF KASHMIR!!!!! How out of touch from reality do you have to be to put something like this in your book???? I get that the author is a diaspora author, and she's very young, but this is NOT AN ANCIENT, OBSCURE THING!!! This is a very important, contemporary issue that's being talked about EVERY DAY in India and if you had even done an OUNCE of research, you'd have known it right away!!!
Just to be clear, I don't think the exodus was something that was excusable. It wasn't. I don't understand the political context well enough, and I am still educating myself, but throwing someone out of their home because their beliefs are different from yours is just not acceptable. But the same can be said for what the state has been doing to Kashmir recently. And while I understand that all stories need to be told and heard, there is also the contemporary context that you must keep in mind. At a time when the state itself is villanizing a religious community, and touting another one as the superior one, you writing a book elevating the status of the oppressor and villanizing the oppressed just DOESN'T SIT RIGHT WITH ME! And that's why I'm angry.
Just this whole implication and veiled Hindutva nonsense (intentional or not, that's how I saw it) made me so angry that I didn't even register the technical problems with the novel until someone pointed them out for me. There are constant changes in tenses and voice throughout the novel. There are even places where the perspective feels off - it's supposed to be first person perspective but I think third person slipped in here and there. The words "naan bread" were used. These are definitely small things, if thought of as isolated incidents, but they are mistakes that appear all over the book and make the reading experience that much worse.
To add to this, the Bookweaver's daughter being an instant target has NO EXPLANATION whatsoever - at least not until the very end. And why does everyone think "she is their only hope, their beacon of light, etc.,"??? How do people conveniently either know or not know about her father and her family?? How does this idiot protagonist LITERALLY FORGET what her uncle looks like??? Why do random hunters who have shown no indication of kindness and have to be incredibly wary and careful to escape the king's forces allow two random girls into their camp FOR NO REASON??? What even is the magic system here?? Even if all these things aren't 100% impossible, there is a way in which you need to write them to sell the reader on them. But that didn't happen here. Again, not the worst of premises, but really terrible execution.
To top it all off, this book baits the shit out of you. Nina and Reya's relationship is platonic, but it doesn't read that way. It definitely carries a lot of sapphic subtext, but Reya just shows up at the end and is like "she's LIKE MY SISTER" *eyeroll of the century*. Reya also "develops" (nothing develops in this novel tho lmao) this intense friendship with a character that's introduced at like the 60% mark called Naveen - who is also conveniently a mage- and there is SO MUCH SUBTEXT there too. Nothing happens anywhere and it's fine but what is even going on??? YOU DON'T GET IT, I DON'T GET IT, NO ONE GETS IT. It's like the opposite of Oprah in here.
Overall, I think an attempt was made, but it failed spectacularly. This book needed a lot more editing and a BUNCH of sensitivity readers from the Indian subcontinent. The plot itself wasn't unsalvageable, but it needed big edits. It was too convenient and contrived and a lot of elements came out of nowhere and went nowhere and I just didn't understand what was even going on! All that, coupled with not-so-good writing and horrible representation just made this book a very very sour reading experience for me. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this to anyone. I know it's still an ARC though, so I hope the publishers take criticism well and try and push back the release date so some more edits can be made.
The author is young and a woman of colour, and I know that the industry is not very forgiving of mistakes when you're someone like that. I truly believe that if she educated herself and redid this story, she might have something important to say to the world. And I really hope that is what happens. I would hate to see another WOC's voice silenced for mistakes that white authors don't even get a slap on the wrist for.
When I saw that this book was up for request on Netgalley, I was quite excited. I'd seen the book doing rounds on the internet, I was on a bit of a desi literature kick, and the premise sounded genuinely intriguing. The thing that sold me on it was the fact that the setting was a country called Kasmira, which sounds very similar to Kashmir and I thought "HEY! I've never read a fantasy book that's set in a Kashmir-inspired place before!!" And that made me very excited. Oh, boy, was I misguided in my excitement!
Now, this book doesn't have the worst premise. It's something that you see a lot in fantasy, and it's something that could be worked with to make a great book. There's this girl who's been orphaned. She's got secret magic, and a best friend. Her father left her a secret magic book she could use, she's got an entire kingdom hunting for her as she comes into her powers...I mean, you've seen this stuff before. And you've loved this stuff before. And you'll probably love it again. Just...not here. Because, see, the concept doesn't make the book. The execution does. And the execution in this book was…..abysmal!
The pacing was all over the place, the character dynamics were not worked at well - every change came out in a moment, like there was a switch flipping inside these fake people's heads. The writing itself started out well in the prologue and the first chapter, but it was downhill from there. There were so many infodumps, and I don't usually mind them when they're part of the story, but there WAS NO STORY! This book is riddled with plot holes and contrivances and it's just...not a good experience!
Before I completely rip into it, there are a few things that are…bearable about this book? I guess? For one, it tries to be wholesome, and halfway succeeds. I guess? The writing isn't bad, just very rushed, but like I said, it did start out nicely enough. There's no romance? So that's good? Kind of? And...ugh…there's this 15-20% of the book post the halfway mark where if you shut down your brain, you'll probably not hate it. And...that's about it for me. I know I've rated it two stars instead of one, but that's just because I have respect for a finished book that doesn't anger me to the point where I'm pulling my hair out. So that's not really an indication of anything for you xD
Now that that's out of the way…let's talk about THIS BOOK!
My first and biggest issue with this book is the REPRESENTATION. Yes, you heard it right. The REPRESENTATION. I'm aware that this is an OwnVoices book, but I am also an OwnVoices reviewer and I have to tell you, this is by far some of the worst, haphazardly thrown together desi representation that I've EVER seen!? There was definitely no research that went into the writing of this book. The author borrows from cultures from all over the sub-continent, but doesn't put them together in any meaningful way. They're just all mashed together, and it's supposed to be…..what, exactly? All I saw was a mess.
The book alludes to "ancient Kasmiri" being a language and has multiple characters mention it and talk about it, but it just sounds like words of sanskrit and Latin thrown together to me. It's kind of sad. The contemporary language that the characters use, however, is also not desi. It's just English. The Zakirs have a "Z" on their turbans? BTW THEY HAVE TURBANS. When Reya is teaching Nina how to read, she starts with the alphabet and IT'S ABCD??? LIKE NO MA'AM PLS STOP???
The rulers of this Kasmira kingdom are called Zakirs, which is clearly a name that is inspired by Persian/Muslim culture. But the prince is called Devendra??? Which is VERY MUCH a Sanskrit name. Why?? What does that even mean?? How does that make any sense??? Are you trying to imply that your culture in this fantasy novel is secular? If yes, then why is this secularity not in every other aspect? Why is it that only the- to use my friend's words - discount Zuko who gets the Hindu-esque name??? IT MAKES NO DAMN SENSE!!!
And speaking of this whole thing, the mages and the Yogis and all are clearly inspired by Hindu mythology. They are scholars and are respected by the whole country pre-Zakir invasion. After the Zakirs seize the throne, they're all exiled and/or killed, leaving very few of their families in any decent social standing in the country. If this Muslim regime shoving Hindu people out of "Kasmira" sounds very familiar to you, then you are not alone. I was APPALLED at the similarities between this and the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of 1989! And I was even more horror struck by the fact that THIS BOOK was written NOW, IN THE YEAR 2020, when the tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities all over the country are at an all time high because of a facist regime. WHEN THE GOVERNMENT HAS USED THE VERY EXODUS AS A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ANNEXATION OF KASHMIR!!!!! How out of touch from reality do you have to be to put something like this in your book???? I get that the author is a diaspora author, and she's very young, but this is NOT AN ANCIENT, OBSCURE THING!!! This is a very important, contemporary issue that's being talked about EVERY DAY in India and if you had even done an OUNCE of research, you'd have known it right away!!!
Just to be clear, I don't think the exodus was something that was excusable. It wasn't. I don't understand the political context well enough, and I am still educating myself, but throwing someone out of their home because their beliefs are different from yours is just not acceptable. But the same can be said for what the state has been doing to Kashmir recently. And while I understand that all stories need to be told and heard, there is also the contemporary context that you must keep in mind. At a time when the state itself is villanizing a religious community, and touting another one as the superior one, you writing a book elevating the status of the oppressor and villanizing the oppressed just DOESN'T SIT RIGHT WITH ME! And that's why I'm angry.
Just this whole implication and veiled Hindutva nonsense (intentional or not, that's how I saw it) made me so angry that I didn't even register the technical problems with the novel until someone pointed them out for me. There are constant changes in tenses and voice throughout the novel. There are even places where the perspective feels off - it's supposed to be first person perspective but I think third person slipped in here and there. The words "naan bread" were used. These are definitely small things, if thought of as isolated incidents, but they are mistakes that appear all over the book and make the reading experience that much worse.
To add to this, the Bookweaver's daughter being an instant target has NO EXPLANATION whatsoever - at least not until the very end. And why does everyone think "she is their only hope, their beacon of light, etc.,"??? How do people conveniently either know or not know about her father and her family?? How does this idiot protagonist LITERALLY FORGET what her uncle looks like??? Why do random hunters who have shown no indication of kindness and have to be incredibly wary and careful to escape the king's forces allow two random girls into their camp FOR NO REASON??? What even is the magic system here?? Even if all these things aren't 100% impossible, there is a way in which you need to write them to sell the reader on them. But that didn't happen here. Again, not the worst of premises, but really terrible execution.
To top it all off, this book baits the shit out of you. Nina and Reya's relationship is platonic, but it doesn't read that way. It definitely carries a lot of sapphic subtext, but Reya just shows up at the end and is like "she's LIKE MY SISTER" *eyeroll of the century*. Reya also "develops" (nothing develops in this novel tho lmao) this intense friendship with a character that's introduced at like the 60% mark called Naveen - who is also conveniently a mage- and there is SO MUCH SUBTEXT there too. Nothing happens anywhere and it's fine but what is even going on??? YOU DON'T GET IT, I DON'T GET IT, NO ONE GETS IT. It's like the opposite of Oprah in here.
Overall, I think an attempt was made, but it failed spectacularly. This book needed a lot more editing and a BUNCH of sensitivity readers from the Indian subcontinent. The plot itself wasn't unsalvageable, but it needed big edits. It was too convenient and contrived and a lot of elements came out of nowhere and went nowhere and I just didn't understand what was even going on! All that, coupled with not-so-good writing and horrible representation just made this book a very very sour reading experience for me. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this to anyone. I know it's still an ARC though, so I hope the publishers take criticism well and try and push back the release date so some more edits can be made.
The author is young and a woman of colour, and I know that the industry is not very forgiving of mistakes when you're someone like that. I truly believe that if she educated herself and redid this story, she might have something important to say to the world. And I really hope that is what happens. I would hate to see another WOC's voice silenced for mistakes that white authors don't even get a slap on the wrist for.
will-avoid-forever
August 18, 2020Although I received an e-ARC of The Bookweaver's Daughter in exchange for an honest review, I no longer intend to read it. Nor will I ever pick up a copy of this book once it's been published.
Many Indian, including Kashmiri, early reviewers of this debut have kindly explained their main issues with The Bookweaver's Daughter:
📌 Poor representation of Indian culture
📌 Problematic content that is offensive to the history and current climate in Kashmir
I highly recommend reading these reviews for an informed opinion:
📌 Meha from Books, Bits, & Bobs (#ownvoices)
📌 Mish from Chasing Faerytales
Many Indian, including Kashmiri, early reviewers of this debut have kindly explained their main issues with The Bookweaver's Daughter:
📌 Poor representation of Indian culture
📌 Problematic content that is offensive to the history and current climate in Kashmir
I highly recommend reading these reviews for an informed opinion:
📌 Meha from Books, Bits, & Bobs (#ownvoices)
📌 Mish from Chasing Faerytales
November 12, 2020
Let me get this straight. The prologue and the first few chapters made me think that this is going to be my new favourite book. Oh boy, was I wrong about that.
I am going to be splitting this into two sections, things I liked and thing’s I didn’t.
->Things I Liked About The Book
-STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONISTS. Reya and Nina’s friendship is something I truly enjoyed and adored.
-Reya being sassy and savage: “Please. I said. You are just a kid with daddy issues” was one of the quotes I laughed so much at.
-The opening lines: “This book is for everyone who felt like their favourite books weren’t woven for them. To all the girls who looked for a heroine in their bathroom mirrors. For a twelve-year-old writer who thought she wasn’t magical. This one is for you.”
->Things I Didn’t Like About The Book
-The representation. Yes, the REPRESENTATION. I am very aware that this book is an #OwnVoices book, but I was very disappointed by the representation.
It is stated that the rulers of the kingdom of Kashmira is the Zakir Dynasty, but the prince is named “Devendra Zakir”. The problem with this is that ‘Devendra’ is a Sanskrit name whereas ‘Zakir’ is a Persian/Muslim surname. Like what?
-Many cultures from all over the Indian Subcontinent are mashed up and it just doesn’t make sense.
India is a country of many cultures and most of them are unique in their own way and don’t co-relate to each other.
-Lack of research.
I feel that if the author had done even a little bit of research, the book would have been a lot better. She clearly did not take the recent events into consideration. In the book, it was stated that the yogis/mages, who are clearly inspired by Hindu mythology, were well respected before the Zakir dynasty invaded Kashmira and started killing/exiling all of them. This seems very similar to the Kashmiri Pandits Exodus of 1989, where the Hindu pandits were forced out of the state. If you didn’t know, The conditions between the Hindu and Muslim community at the moment aren’t best because of the fascist regime in the country. The 1989 Exodus was stated as one of the reasons for the annexation of Kashmir, I understand that she is a diaspora author but a little bit of googling would have easily avoided all this because writing something which can be potentially inspired from a real-life event which is a sensitive topic for millions of people is very ignorant in my opinion.
-The book could definitely use a bit of editing because the constant changing of tenses and voices made the writing seem a bit off.
-Small things like the usage of random Latin and “naan bread”.
-The plot was very predictable which lead to basically no suspense.
I give this book 1 Star
Thank you Netgalley and Tanglewood Publishing for a review copy of this book. This did not affect my review in any way
I am going to be splitting this into two sections, things I liked and thing’s I didn’t.
->Things I Liked About The Book
-STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONISTS. Reya and Nina’s friendship is something I truly enjoyed and adored.
-Reya being sassy and savage: “Please. I said. You are just a kid with daddy issues” was one of the quotes I laughed so much at.
-The opening lines: “This book is for everyone who felt like their favourite books weren’t woven for them. To all the girls who looked for a heroine in their bathroom mirrors. For a twelve-year-old writer who thought she wasn’t magical. This one is for you.”
->Things I Didn’t Like About The Book
-The representation. Yes, the REPRESENTATION. I am very aware that this book is an #OwnVoices book, but I was very disappointed by the representation.
It is stated that the rulers of the kingdom of Kashmira is the Zakir Dynasty, but the prince is named “Devendra Zakir”. The problem with this is that ‘Devendra’ is a Sanskrit name whereas ‘Zakir’ is a Persian/Muslim surname. Like what?
-Many cultures from all over the Indian Subcontinent are mashed up and it just doesn’t make sense.
India is a country of many cultures and most of them are unique in their own way and don’t co-relate to each other.
-Lack of research.
I feel that if the author had done even a little bit of research, the book would have been a lot better. She clearly did not take the recent events into consideration. In the book, it was stated that the yogis/mages, who are clearly inspired by Hindu mythology, were well respected before the Zakir dynasty invaded Kashmira and started killing/exiling all of them. This seems very similar to the Kashmiri Pandits Exodus of 1989, where the Hindu pandits were forced out of the state. If you didn’t know, The conditions between the Hindu and Muslim community at the moment aren’t best because of the fascist regime in the country. The 1989 Exodus was stated as one of the reasons for the annexation of Kashmir, I understand that she is a diaspora author but a little bit of googling would have easily avoided all this because writing something which can be potentially inspired from a real-life event which is a sensitive topic for millions of people is very ignorant in my opinion.
-The book could definitely use a bit of editing because the constant changing of tenses and voices made the writing seem a bit off.
-Small things like the usage of random Latin and “naan bread”.
-The plot was very predictable which lead to basically no suspense.
I give this book 1 Star
Thank you Netgalley and Tanglewood Publishing for a review copy of this book. This did not affect my review in any way
August 14, 2020
I'm so exhausted and disappointed with this book. I'll try writing an actual review soon.
August 15, 2020
This book has such harmful representation of Hindu-Muslim relations in India, of the situation in Kashmir, and shows a blatant lack of research.
Read my full review here
Read my full review here
August 18, 2020
There’s been a lot of valid conversations happening surrounding this book and I’m not sure I want to add my voice to that. After all, people have already said what I’m thinking.
Whenever you’re writing a fictional story based on real people and real events, it’s so important to do the research first. I think you really need to know the history before writing it into a book that could cause a lot of harm.
There are (to me and others) references to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from late 1989 to 1990 in this book. There is so much to consider about that event and I don’t think it was handled with as much as much care as it should have been. Even more so, the current situation between Kashmir and India should be taken into account. The Kashmiri people have had their rights stripped for over a year. Naming an entire country Kashmira and it’s people Kashmiri is not something I can get behind.
Furthermore, I was uncomfortable with the Muslim versus Hindu rhetoric found in this book. The Zakirs gave me the impression that they were based on Mughal leaders. I didn’t like that the ruling government was simply called the Raj when we call the British colonization of the Indian subcontinent the British Raj. The “bad” guys having very clearly Muslim names versus the “good” guys having names from Hindu epics should not be a liberty you take in your story. Yogi is a term used for a person who practices and teaches yoga that is rooted deeply in Hinduism. I could go on but I think you get the idea. People have lost their lives to this kind of rhetoric (Islamaphobia if you’re wondering) and you should be mindful of that.
I also want to touch on the idea of mixing cultures, histories, languages, and other aspects you consider when you’re world building. The author mentioned on Twitter how fantasy worlds such a Avatar, Lord of the Rings (LoTR), and Game of Thrones (GoT) have been created by mixing various myths and histories across various cultures. I absolutely think that authors of color should also be able to do this, especially with their own cultures, but it’s incredibly important they do it with care. Avatar has clear nations and tribes that take from cultures and is done is a (relatively) positive way. George RR Martin, on the other hand, has received a lot of criticism for his portrayal of the Dothraki. It’s not enough to simply take bits and pieces of different cultures (even if some if it comes from our own) and do whatever we want with them.
In the end, I think that this book could benefit from a stronger and more concise world building in a way that doesn’t cause harm to real people. We should also be diligent in learning the history of the countries and cultures that we want to write about.
Whenever you’re writing a fictional story based on real people and real events, it’s so important to do the research first. I think you really need to know the history before writing it into a book that could cause a lot of harm.
There are (to me and others) references to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from late 1989 to 1990 in this book. There is so much to consider about that event and I don’t think it was handled with as much as much care as it should have been. Even more so, the current situation between Kashmir and India should be taken into account. The Kashmiri people have had their rights stripped for over a year. Naming an entire country Kashmira and it’s people Kashmiri is not something I can get behind.
Furthermore, I was uncomfortable with the Muslim versus Hindu rhetoric found in this book. The Zakirs gave me the impression that they were based on Mughal leaders. I didn’t like that the ruling government was simply called the Raj when we call the British colonization of the Indian subcontinent the British Raj. The “bad” guys having very clearly Muslim names versus the “good” guys having names from Hindu epics should not be a liberty you take in your story. Yogi is a term used for a person who practices and teaches yoga that is rooted deeply in Hinduism. I could go on but I think you get the idea. People have lost their lives to this kind of rhetoric (Islamaphobia if you’re wondering) and you should be mindful of that.
I also want to touch on the idea of mixing cultures, histories, languages, and other aspects you consider when you’re world building. The author mentioned on Twitter how fantasy worlds such a Avatar, Lord of the Rings (LoTR), and Game of Thrones (GoT) have been created by mixing various myths and histories across various cultures. I absolutely think that authors of color should also be able to do this, especially with their own cultures, but it’s incredibly important they do it with care. Avatar has clear nations and tribes that take from cultures and is done is a (relatively) positive way. George RR Martin, on the other hand, has received a lot of criticism for his portrayal of the Dothraki. It’s not enough to simply take bits and pieces of different cultures (even if some if it comes from our own) and do whatever we want with them.
In the end, I think that this book could benefit from a stronger and more concise world building in a way that doesn’t cause harm to real people. We should also be diligent in learning the history of the countries and cultures that we want to write about.
November 20, 2022
Hi everyone! This is Malavika, author of The Bookweaver’s Daughter. I wanted to take a moment to hold the folks here close and appreciate the labor & love it took for them to critique my book. In this message I wanted to acknowledge your pain, explain my perspective, and ask for you to give a fair, honest chance to my second forthcoming book, ALL THE YELLOW SUNS, in which I hope you’ll observe a lot of reflection and growth.
I wrote the first version of TBD when I was 12. It was entirely about white characters, because that’s all that I knew. At 17, I rewrote the book to feature South Asian characters, but without significantly researching or understanding what the responsibility of writing South Asia would mean. I wrote it alone in my room, in secret, with no agent or mentors. I sent the book out to publishers and Tanglewood was gracious enough to accept the work of an unpublished girl of seventeen. At the time, I did not recognize the harmful potential of the book. I didn’t recognize the danger of mixing names with Hindu and Muslim connotations. I picked the name Kasmira because at sixteen I thought it sounded cool — as a relatively uneducated Tamil diasporic kid, I did not anticipate that it would evoke pain about the present-day situation in Kashmir. Kasmira was never meant to represent Kashmir, and I’m sorry that it was interpreted that way.
I have seen critics wondering why such a book was allowed to be published. I agree — this book wasn’t ready. (I joke that it was my “first pancake” book.) Also, to my knowledge, I was the first person of color ever published by Tanglewood, and the resources of sensitivity readers & South Asian mentors were simply unavailable at that particular small press. For this reason, I fell short in my responsibility to my community.
I understand that folks may have wanted a response from me sooner. At 18, still unagented and relatively unsupported, I was terrified to speak to a wave of online critics. I’m terrified even now, only 21 and a few years into a career that is brutal for queer people of color. But I am speaking up now because I believe in accountability, community justice, and love.
My new book, All the Yellow Suns, is releasing next year. It is not set in South Asia, but rather in my home state of Florida, amid the swamp and sweating sun, following a young Tamil girl navigating her sexuality. It is a subject that feels close to home, and I have learned from my past mistakes about not writing out of turn, and I now have a strong community of trusted mentors and readers who helped me with this book. I feel hopeful about this book and what it could mean to other Tamil women, women of color, and sexual violence survivors like me. For that reason, I want to ask with an open heart for a second chance, and for you to judge ATYS (and me, as I am now) only after you’ve read it. Thank you all ❤️
I wrote the first version of TBD when I was 12. It was entirely about white characters, because that’s all that I knew. At 17, I rewrote the book to feature South Asian characters, but without significantly researching or understanding what the responsibility of writing South Asia would mean. I wrote it alone in my room, in secret, with no agent or mentors. I sent the book out to publishers and Tanglewood was gracious enough to accept the work of an unpublished girl of seventeen. At the time, I did not recognize the harmful potential of the book. I didn’t recognize the danger of mixing names with Hindu and Muslim connotations. I picked the name Kasmira because at sixteen I thought it sounded cool — as a relatively uneducated Tamil diasporic kid, I did not anticipate that it would evoke pain about the present-day situation in Kashmir. Kasmira was never meant to represent Kashmir, and I’m sorry that it was interpreted that way.
I have seen critics wondering why such a book was allowed to be published. I agree — this book wasn’t ready. (I joke that it was my “first pancake” book.) Also, to my knowledge, I was the first person of color ever published by Tanglewood, and the resources of sensitivity readers & South Asian mentors were simply unavailable at that particular small press. For this reason, I fell short in my responsibility to my community.
I understand that folks may have wanted a response from me sooner. At 18, still unagented and relatively unsupported, I was terrified to speak to a wave of online critics. I’m terrified even now, only 21 and a few years into a career that is brutal for queer people of color. But I am speaking up now because I believe in accountability, community justice, and love.
My new book, All the Yellow Suns, is releasing next year. It is not set in South Asia, but rather in my home state of Florida, amid the swamp and sweating sun, following a young Tamil girl navigating her sexuality. It is a subject that feels close to home, and I have learned from my past mistakes about not writing out of turn, and I now have a strong community of trusted mentors and readers who helped me with this book. I feel hopeful about this book and what it could mean to other Tamil women, women of color, and sexual violence survivors like me. For that reason, I want to ask with an open heart for a second chance, and for you to judge ATYS (and me, as I am now) only after you’ve read it. Thank you all ❤️
August 18, 2020
*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*
When I came across the description for Malavika Kannan’s debut, The Bookweaver’s Daughter, requesting an ARC was a no-brainer for me. Described as a YA fantasy inspired by the mythology of India, it called out to my love of the genre and my constant search for Indian representation in literature. Not only that, but the book’s synopsis said the story took place in a land called ‘Kasmira,’ which I was certain was based on Kashmir.
A personal note — I’m Kashmiri on my Dad’s side of the family, and I had yet to read a YA novel set in or inspired by Kashmir (if I remember correctly, the only book I’ve read at all set in the region is Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children). So I went into this book excited, hoping to love it. Unfortunately, I didn’t.
You can find the full review on my blog
When I came across the description for Malavika Kannan’s debut, The Bookweaver’s Daughter, requesting an ARC was a no-brainer for me. Described as a YA fantasy inspired by the mythology of India, it called out to my love of the genre and my constant search for Indian representation in literature. Not only that, but the book’s synopsis said the story took place in a land called ‘Kasmira,’ which I was certain was based on Kashmir.
A personal note — I’m Kashmiri on my Dad’s side of the family, and I had yet to read a YA novel set in or inspired by Kashmir (if I remember correctly, the only book I’ve read at all set in the region is Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children). So I went into this book excited, hoping to love it. Unfortunately, I didn’t.
You can find the full review on my blog
August 15, 2020
I literally could not. I didn't want to post my review anywhere online at first because it is still an ownvoices debut by a teen but this book is so awful. It was riddled with plotholes, not to mention an overused plot and poorly put together writing and dialogue.
The worldbuilding was confusing and info-dumpy, none of the characters felt very three dimensional. Honestly all of this info dump and all the "foreign" sounding words could have gone in a glossary. Oh and really? You had to say naan bread? (This is one specific example, there's a lot). The author then proceeded to subtweet my friend after we joked about the mention of naan bread, which is not a good look.
Yes, the author may be diaspora but I am too and it is very annoying to see the clear lack of research. If you're going to write about your heritage, Google some current events. Especially if your fantasy world is supposed to represent Kashmir.
Overall, not a good book, clear lack of research.
The worldbuilding was confusing and info-dumpy, none of the characters felt very three dimensional. Honestly all of this info dump and all the "foreign" sounding words could have gone in a glossary. Oh and really? You had to say naan bread? (This is one specific example, there's a lot). The author then proceeded to subtweet my friend after we joked about the mention of naan bread, which is not a good look.
Yes, the author may be diaspora but I am too and it is very annoying to see the clear lack of research. If you're going to write about your heritage, Google some current events. Especially if your fantasy world is supposed to represent Kashmir.
Overall, not a good book, clear lack of research.
August 11, 2020
Oh, there is such a review coming 🤦♀️
June 3, 2021
After a few discussions and contemplation, I decided that I didn't really like this book that much. And I somehow feel it's a little offensive and trying to portray a very hindu propaganda. The fact that the kingdoms, even though fictional, we named Kasmira (which is so similar to Kashmir) and Indira/Bharata (which ultimately denotes India where also the main uprising forms oops), is a direct understanding of the supposed divide forged. Said to be an indian inspired fantasy but damn if I ever felt any sort of representation (and I'm an ownvoices reviewer)! It read like a very haphazardly put wattpad fiction, written at the age of 12. The plot was all over the place, the characters were insufferable, the magic was okayish and I was bored.
Although I enjoyed this story at certain points, I did find a few qualms along the way. I felt like the story had a haphazard timeline in between, where time elapses and it still feels like only a day had passed. The time jumps were so quickly placed and executed. At some points, it got a bit cringy and I didn't enjoy the dialogues much. I also felt like the MC, Reya, was a very typical heroine oops. She's one of the typical YA heroine you'll read about, thinking that she'll save the world, and doing the exact opposite of what everyone tells her to. Ugh.
That said, I really have to commend the author for having written this when she was 17. That has to account for something, really. But still, it doesn't overlook the fact that the representation was so poor, and literally zero research has gone into building the world. And again, I just wish we could've known more about how the bookweaving works, you know. I felt like it really got very less screen time. I mean, wtf was BOOKWEAVING?? Wtf happens!? We are literally given no information about the only reason why Reya is hunted and wanted which should've had so much more importance and focus on the story. How does the bookweaving work? Wtf happens? Did her father just sit and write stories? If stories indeed came true, why didn't it for him? Wtf did Reya not already use it to change the fate? Ugh 🙄🙄🙄
I'm just a little salty about this book tbh. I had high expectations, considering it was supposed to have Indian rep, I found no relation. It was all over the place and weird and the story was also very cliche and an overly use plotline.
It's head fast paced and predictable so if you want to spend some time on an easy fantasy, this might be it 🤷
Although I enjoyed this story at certain points, I did find a few qualms along the way. I felt like the story had a haphazard timeline in between, where time elapses and it still feels like only a day had passed. The time jumps were so quickly placed and executed. At some points, it got a bit cringy and I didn't enjoy the dialogues much. I also felt like the MC, Reya, was a very typical heroine oops. She's one of the typical YA heroine you'll read about, thinking that she'll save the world, and doing the exact opposite of what everyone tells her to. Ugh.
That said, I really have to commend the author for having written this when she was 17. That has to account for something, really. But still, it doesn't overlook the fact that the representation was so poor, and literally zero research has gone into building the world. And again, I just wish we could've known more about how the bookweaving works, you know. I felt like it really got very less screen time. I mean, wtf was BOOKWEAVING?? Wtf happens!? We are literally given no information about the only reason why Reya is hunted and wanted which should've had so much more importance and focus on the story. How does the bookweaving work? Wtf happens? Did her father just sit and write stories? If stories indeed came true, why didn't it for him? Wtf did Reya not already use it to change the fate? Ugh 🙄🙄🙄
I'm just a little salty about this book tbh. I had high expectations, considering it was supposed to have Indian rep, I found no relation. It was all over the place and weird and the story was also very cliche and an overly use plotline.
It's head fast paced and predictable so if you want to spend some time on an easy fantasy, this might be it 🤷
August 23, 2020
Kannan, at 19, probably doesn't understand the responsibility one bears as an #OwnVoices writer. I respect her opinion, which I believe has been shaped by the people around her and a narrative (probably one-sided) she has come across all her life. Her (not-so-subtle) hints at the exodus of Kashmiri-pandits in this story cannot be ignored.
Fantasy tends to have its cliches and I am willing to overlook a few errors in her craft because this is her debut novel but what's unacceptable, and mostly enraging is her lack of research and the very absence of innovation in her story-telling technique.
The Bookweaver's Daughter misrepresents Kashmir (a very touchy topic in India, mind-you), its inhabitants and the traditional Indian culture and the diversity of it.
Terribly disappointed, but hope that the author will make the necessary changes in her forthcoming books. Not boycotting the author, just not supporting the existence of this book.
Fantasy tends to have its cliches and I am willing to overlook a few errors in her craft because this is her debut novel but what's unacceptable, and mostly enraging is her lack of research and the very absence of innovation in her story-telling technique.
The Bookweaver's Daughter misrepresents Kashmir (a very touchy topic in India, mind-you), its inhabitants and the traditional Indian culture and the diversity of it.
Terribly disappointed, but hope that the author will make the necessary changes in her forthcoming books. Not boycotting the author, just not supporting the existence of this book.
August 18, 2020
Pros: The message about female friendship and the basic concept of the magic of the bookweaver.
Cons: There were quite a few. The pacing and the writing needed more work and this book proved to be a struggle to get through. There needed to be a lot more research, since the "Indian" setting failed to live up to the basic standard. There were also several problematic elements in the story, for example, naming the place Kasmira and then dealing with the delicate socio-political matters that come with it without due sensitivity and responsibility. The characters failed to come through at all. By the end of the book, I didn't really feel like I knew any of them. I don't usually say this for own voices books, but the representation here was not well done, and desperately needs sensitivity reader. Also, while the concept of the magic system was neat, it was not explained nor explored in a meaningful way, leaving the reader more confused than intrigued.
That being said, if more research was put into the book and it went through more revisions, I'm sure it's be able to shine. There were some good concepts there, but the execution was poor. If a better version of the book was to come out in the future, I'm sure I would enjoy it.
Full review on my channel:
https://youtu.be/x36EWS29iGQ
Cons: There were quite a few. The pacing and the writing needed more work and this book proved to be a struggle to get through. There needed to be a lot more research, since the "Indian" setting failed to live up to the basic standard. There were also several problematic elements in the story, for example, naming the place Kasmira and then dealing with the delicate socio-political matters that come with it without due sensitivity and responsibility. The characters failed to come through at all. By the end of the book, I didn't really feel like I knew any of them. I don't usually say this for own voices books, but the representation here was not well done, and desperately needs sensitivity reader. Also, while the concept of the magic system was neat, it was not explained nor explored in a meaningful way, leaving the reader more confused than intrigued.
That being said, if more research was put into the book and it went through more revisions, I'm sure it's be able to shine. There were some good concepts there, but the execution was poor. If a better version of the book was to come out in the future, I'm sure I would enjoy it.
Full review on my channel:
https://youtu.be/x36EWS29iGQ
August 15, 2020
I have decided to edit the review based on my experience while reading the book and realizing that my concerns about the book were legit.
The Bookweaver's Daughter is the first book I have read by an Indian-American author based in Indian folklore and I was very excited to read the book. Mainly because it would be a book which had something that reminded me of my culture and upbringing on every page, Since its a fantasy book I expected it to have some discrepancy than reality but for the most part, the book felt like I was reading it from a white person's point of view. Whether it was the names, historic relevance, food or clothes, they at times felt like props. I hoped the book would be a lot more relatable and close to home than the other American based books that I have read.
The book follows, fourteen-year-old Reya Kandhari as she struggles to survive an ongoing war as a new ruler takes over her beloved homeland. Reya, who belongs to the fabled line of Bookweavers, is forced to live as a peasant hiding her identity to keep her father safe. But when the only thing she wants to protect is taken from her, Reya finds herself right in the middle of the rebellion.
Reya Kandhari is a strong character who knows her strengths and also her weaknesses. Her character arc from not trusting herself to be able to lean on others was the best part of the book. Malavika writing style was the second best part. There are several scenes where I could feel myself racing through the pages because I was feeling every bit of what the MC was feeling and I couldn't stop reading. I immediately needed to know what was going to happen next.
I also really enjoyed some of the other characters like Nina, and Devendra. I haven't loved and hated a character as much as Devendra while reading a book. I would have loved to see some more of the deep friendship Reya and Nina share, than hearing about it from Reya. I would specifically like to mention that I enjoyed Malavika's writing and the book would have been felt better if the Indian folklore was left out of it.
Even though the book is based in fantasy and the world-building about a bookweaver was pretty interesting, it lacked cultural references and influence on the characters. Not just that, but given how the book talks about a place called Kashmira which is a huge kingdom taken over by a new ruler, reflects poorly in the current situation. over here (at home).
Talking about cultural references feeling like props, words like naan bread, chai tea, interchanging saris for words like silks and dresses as well as character often eating mangoes irrespective of the season, or tripping while wearing sari gave a very shallow representation of the reality. Other than these few mentions, the book pretty much followed other American books. As for based on folklore, India has a very diverse history which changes from state to state, it is hard to pinpoint folklore in the country as it is, but by only mentioning yogis it does not make the book based in Indian folklore.
Overall, I want to know if something happened to Devendra and I would be interested in Malavika's future writings if they are well researched.
The Bookweaver's Daughter is the first book I have read by an Indian-American author based in Indian folklore and I was very excited to read the book. Mainly because it would be a book which had something that reminded me of my culture and upbringing on every page, Since its a fantasy book I expected it to have some discrepancy than reality but for the most part, the book felt like I was reading it from a white person's point of view. Whether it was the names, historic relevance, food or clothes, they at times felt like props. I hoped the book would be a lot more relatable and close to home than the other American based books that I have read.
The book follows, fourteen-year-old Reya Kandhari as she struggles to survive an ongoing war as a new ruler takes over her beloved homeland. Reya, who belongs to the fabled line of Bookweavers, is forced to live as a peasant hiding her identity to keep her father safe. But when the only thing she wants to protect is taken from her, Reya finds herself right in the middle of the rebellion.
Reya Kandhari is a strong character who knows her strengths and also her weaknesses. Her character arc from not trusting herself to be able to lean on others was the best part of the book. Malavika writing style was the second best part. There are several scenes where I could feel myself racing through the pages because I was feeling every bit of what the MC was feeling and I couldn't stop reading. I immediately needed to know what was going to happen next.
I also really enjoyed some of the other characters like Nina, and Devendra. I haven't loved and hated a character as much as Devendra while reading a book. I would have loved to see some more of the deep friendship Reya and Nina share, than hearing about it from Reya. I would specifically like to mention that I enjoyed Malavika's writing and the book would have been felt better if the Indian folklore was left out of it.
Even though the book is based in fantasy and the world-building about a bookweaver was pretty interesting, it lacked cultural references and influence on the characters. Not just that, but given how the book talks about a place called Kashmira which is a huge kingdom taken over by a new ruler, reflects poorly in the current situation. over here (at home).
Talking about cultural references feeling like props, words like naan bread, chai tea, interchanging saris for words like silks and dresses as well as character often eating mangoes irrespective of the season, or tripping while wearing sari gave a very shallow representation of the reality. Other than these few mentions, the book pretty much followed other American books. As for based on folklore, India has a very diverse history which changes from state to state, it is hard to pinpoint folklore in the country as it is, but by only mentioning yogis it does not make the book based in Indian folklore.
Overall, I want to know if something happened to Devendra and I would be interested in Malavika's future writings if they are well researched.
May 23, 2020
I received an arc for this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Tanglewood.
When I saw that this book was available on Netgalley, I got really excited. It's about books, magic, and Indian lore, which is something that I've never read about before. However, when I started reading this, I quickly realized that this wasn't what I hoped it would be.
The pacing is extremely rushed and there are no indications of time, which was really confusing. Apparently, the story takes months but it really felt as everything happened only days after each other, which was weird and again, felt really rushed.
The main character, Reya, was a bit boring. She had no goal during the book, her opinions about the Renegades and the king were wavering even though there was no reason for that. Her friendship with Nina was extremely superficial and even during her most important moment, where she had to anchor her magic, she forgot about Nina entirely, stating that she was on her own and had nobody who cared about her. All while Nina was being held in a prison.
This has a lot of potential but it really didn't work for me.
When I saw that this book was available on Netgalley, I got really excited. It's about books, magic, and Indian lore, which is something that I've never read about before. However, when I started reading this, I quickly realized that this wasn't what I hoped it would be.
The pacing is extremely rushed and there are no indications of time, which was really confusing. Apparently, the story takes months but it really felt as everything happened only days after each other, which was weird and again, felt really rushed.
The main character, Reya, was a bit boring. She had no goal during the book, her opinions about the Renegades and the king were wavering even though there was no reason for that. Her friendship with Nina was extremely superficial and even during her most important moment, where she had to anchor her magic, she forgot about Nina entirely, stating that she was on her own and had nobody who cared about her. All while Nina was being held in a prison.
This has a lot of potential but it really didn't work for me.
August 16, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this ARC in return for my feedback.
While I cannot say that I enjoyed my time reading The Bookweaver's Daughter, mainly due to trope choices, plot point decisions, and what feels like little oversight from the editing side of things. I have also been made aware of some serious sensitivity issues. I have linked the tweet that has the article that does a deep dive on all the problematic elements that occur within the book from an actual own voice reviewer!
https://twitter.com/chasingfaes/statu...
While I cannot say that I enjoyed my time reading The Bookweaver's Daughter, mainly due to trope choices, plot point decisions, and what feels like little oversight from the editing side of things. I have also been made aware of some serious sensitivity issues. I have linked the tweet that has the article that does a deep dive on all the problematic elements that occur within the book from an actual own voice reviewer!
https://twitter.com/chasingfaes/statu...
August 16, 2020
I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book is not my cup of tea. The elements of the story intrigued me, but the execution of the story sadly disappointed me.
The book's description touts it as being "a tale of magic, Indian lore, and radical female friendship", which is what drew my interest in the book. It follows Reya, the daughter of the bookweaver who has the ability to use magic through telling stories. When her father is killed by the king who wants to eradicate magic, Reya inherits her father's ability but doesn't know how to use or control it. She soon finds herself caught between a resistance group and the king who both want to use her power and must decide which path she will take.
Lamentably, the book's description oversold the actual book. I almost marked the book DNF (did not finish) at the 23% mark because I didn't care about any of the characters and the plot was a confusing whiplash of events happening to the main character. For the first half of the book, the reader didn't actually know what the bookweaver's magic was, and this made it difficult to understand why everyone was so reverential of Reya and why the resistance movement so readily accepted her. The world building seemed underdeveloped, and I think there were some questionable decisions made by the author in that department. Reya often refers to things like naan bread and dhol drums, both of which are essentially like saying bread bread and drums drums. Similar to the world building, the characters themselves seemed superficial. The "radical female friendship" seemed forced by the author rather than naturally developed. Overall, I think there are bits and pieces of ideas in this book that are interesting, but it needs more editing and revisions in regards to pacing, plot, characterization, and world building. I think it could also do with some sensitivity readers in regard to its incorporations of Indian lore and depictions of a fictionalized Kashmir.
The book's description touts it as being "a tale of magic, Indian lore, and radical female friendship", which is what drew my interest in the book. It follows Reya, the daughter of the bookweaver who has the ability to use magic through telling stories. When her father is killed by the king who wants to eradicate magic, Reya inherits her father's ability but doesn't know how to use or control it. She soon finds herself caught between a resistance group and the king who both want to use her power and must decide which path she will take.
Lamentably, the book's description oversold the actual book. I almost marked the book DNF (did not finish) at the 23% mark because I didn't care about any of the characters and the plot was a confusing whiplash of events happening to the main character. For the first half of the book, the reader didn't actually know what the bookweaver's magic was, and this made it difficult to understand why everyone was so reverential of Reya and why the resistance movement so readily accepted her. The world building seemed underdeveloped, and I think there were some questionable decisions made by the author in that department. Reya often refers to things like naan bread and dhol drums, both of which are essentially like saying bread bread and drums drums. Similar to the world building, the characters themselves seemed superficial. The "radical female friendship" seemed forced by the author rather than naturally developed. Overall, I think there are bits and pieces of ideas in this book that are interesting, but it needs more editing and revisions in regards to pacing, plot, characterization, and world building. I think it could also do with some sensitivity readers in regard to its incorporations of Indian lore and depictions of a fictionalized Kashmir.
April 7, 2020
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *
A vivid piece of strorytelling, the Bookweaver's daughter follows Reya, daughter of a powerful mage, on her journey through the fictional kingdom of Kasmir, where mages hunted.
This was an enjoyable, light read, albeit a bit predictable and a little juvenile in parts (although I will accredit that to the author's age).
This book seems like it tries to be profound in parts for the sake of being profound, and no other reason, and the writing seemed a little overly descriptive.
I definitely also would have liked to see a bit more world-building!
A vivid piece of strorytelling, the Bookweaver's daughter follows Reya, daughter of a powerful mage, on her journey through the fictional kingdom of Kasmir, where mages hunted.
This was an enjoyable, light read, albeit a bit predictable and a little juvenile in parts (although I will accredit that to the author's age).
This book seems like it tries to be profound in parts for the sake of being profound, and no other reason, and the writing seemed a little overly descriptive.
I definitely also would have liked to see a bit more world-building!
April 28, 2020
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I was hesitant about this book at first because the first ten pages or so had me confused and unsure of what was going on. I am not sure if this is because it is the first book I read on my laptop, and I wasn't comprehending the information as well as I normally would while getting used to a new set up. I don't want to discredit the book however, because it was amazing. After the first ten pages the story clicked for me and picked up rapidly. I read this book in one sitting which is no easy feat considering I have two little girls running around.
This book was really special because it gave us a story infused with Indian culture and influence. I love reading about other countries and cultures, so getting to do that in a fantasy based novel was really unique for me. I love the food, and scenery the author described. Kannan also did an amazing job tackling the dark theme of oppression in a vibrant and hopeful way.
Nina and Reya are two amazing female leads. If not for anything else getting to see their friendship and sacrifice is reason alone to read this book. The girls are together when Reya thinks this quote, "I could teach a thousand girls like Nina to read- a magic more potent than anything a Mage could summon." This quote stuck with me the entire novel, and will stick with for awhile.
One last thing that really stuck out to me is that THERE WERE NO EDITING ERRORS. I have read a lot of books where I find grammar issues, or problems that make me think the book wasn't edited that well. This may not bother everybody, but these mistakes usually jump out of the page at me. So, it was really nice reading a book and not seeing any errors. So bravo to the author, and the team of editors for this book. Great Job! I will be recommending this book!
I was hesitant about this book at first because the first ten pages or so had me confused and unsure of what was going on. I am not sure if this is because it is the first book I read on my laptop, and I wasn't comprehending the information as well as I normally would while getting used to a new set up. I don't want to discredit the book however, because it was amazing. After the first ten pages the story clicked for me and picked up rapidly. I read this book in one sitting which is no easy feat considering I have two little girls running around.
This book was really special because it gave us a story infused with Indian culture and influence. I love reading about other countries and cultures, so getting to do that in a fantasy based novel was really unique for me. I love the food, and scenery the author described. Kannan also did an amazing job tackling the dark theme of oppression in a vibrant and hopeful way.
Nina and Reya are two amazing female leads. If not for anything else getting to see their friendship and sacrifice is reason alone to read this book. The girls are together when Reya thinks this quote, "I could teach a thousand girls like Nina to read- a magic more potent than anything a Mage could summon." This quote stuck with me the entire novel, and will stick with for awhile.
One last thing that really stuck out to me is that THERE WERE NO EDITING ERRORS. I have read a lot of books where I find grammar issues, or problems that make me think the book wasn't edited that well. This may not bother everybody, but these mistakes usually jump out of the page at me. So, it was really nice reading a book and not seeing any errors. So bravo to the author, and the team of editors for this book. Great Job! I will be recommending this book!
March 28, 2021
"The Bookweaver once told me that when we die, we all leave something behind."
I have received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars.
Okay I had very high expectations going into this book and I have to say they did not deliver. The one thing that bothered me was the lack of world building. I really expected to find how this world works and to explore the magical side of this a lot more. That said this book is definitely light and easy to read and once you start you will probably read it in 1 sitting. I definitely had fun reading this and would recommend it as a quick fun read.
May 21, 2021
Hello there, and welcome to That Introvert Reader! Today, I'll be reviewing a book I got from NetGalley, by an incredibly young author- The Bookweaver's Daughter, by Malavika Kannan- but first, there's something I need to announce.
https://thatintrovertreader.blogspot....
https://thatintrovertreader.blogspot....
July 19, 2020
I tried so hard to find charm in this book, to find something that made it stand out from books like Inkheart and Fablehaven and other books about a place where story and/or magic are forbidden. The setting, Kashmira, is supposed to be a part of a country inspired by India, but to me that was only because of the name of the country and the characters names. There wasn't anything that really said this is new, rather it felt like a kind of rewrite of other YA books.
Now, having said that, I do know that the author is pretty young and the quality of the writing was not bad. With luck, the writing and the imagination will blend and she will become a force in the YA world.
eARC provided by publisher.
Now, having said that, I do know that the author is pretty young and the quality of the writing was not bad. With luck, the writing and the imagination will blend and she will become a force in the YA world.
eARC provided by publisher.
dnf
August 15, 2020Won’t be reviewing this one. Check out Mish’s Review
September 7, 2020
The Bookweaver's Daughter // by Malavika Kannan
From the NetGalley description: "The Bookweaver’s Daughter is an #OwnVoices YA fantasy—a tale of magic, Indian lore, and radical female friendship, written by debut author, Malavika Kannan, when she was 17 year old. Malavika is an Indian-American novelist, feminist writer, and political activist raised in the suburbs of Central Florida and currently a freshman at Stanford University."
This is a book that I was really looking forward to and was so excited to receive. I rushed through some other books just to make sure I could read and review this one on time for its release. The description of it just sounded SO interesting and I just knew that I would love it. But sadly I was wrong. While the premise itself is absolutely fantastic and I commend her for her creativity, there were just too many issues with the book overall for me to say that I actually liked it.
I've read a few reviews now by people that are more equipped to judge the accuracy of the references to the culture that this book is based on than me. I have no issue admitting that I know next to nothing about that culture and will therefore refrain from passing judgement on that. I did however have thoughts about the writing and plot that I will lay out below.
As I said above, the plot ideas themselves were not terrible. The execution of them though were not very elegant to put it lightly. The entire story felt like it was one climax after another and as a reader I felt like I never got a break. There were hardly any slower scenes to catch your breath and to bring beautiful little details to the story. This rushing through events also made it seem as if things were just too easy for the main characters to really make sense. An untrained girl beats a young but supposedly well-trained commander of the imperial army before she even learns to use her magic? And she keeps getting herself out of situations that grown resistance fighters with years of experience cannot escape from? A lot of the scenes just did not really make sense to me whether it was due to lack of details, unexplained talent or lack of talent of certain characters, or the timing of things just being.... off.
While I generally love first person narrations, I honestly found myself wishing it would switch to somebody else sometimes. I know the narrator was a young girl but her constantly erupting emotions just really threw me off sometimes. This story was supposed to be built on the foundation of a strong relationship between Reya and Nina, yet from the start I struggled to understand what their relationship really was. It seemed to constantly teeter between best friends for years and then not knowing each other all that way after all, even denying the existence of her best friend completely at one point by lamenting the fact that she was so lonely and had nobody in the world that could ground her enough to master her magic. It was confusing to say the least.
But this weird relationship also extends to other parts of the book as well. I struggle to understand how she feels so bonded to people that she hardly knows. Of course, tragedy and struggles like those in the book can bind people together a lot, but there just was not any focus on building relationships with others at all. They were simply assumed each time. On the other hand, a character she had maybe met three times at this point and that was intent on killing her, she all of a sudden knew well enough to notice emotions that those people who knew him his whole life would not notice?
Overall to avoid going into too many details, many of the characters seemed overly emotional and unprofessional to hold the roles they have in this book. There were phrases, such as "rookie" and "what the hell," that just seemed really off-putting and unnatural for the setting, and the Latin-based magical words felt out of place in an Indian-inspired book as well.
So to close this out, this is the debut novel of a teenage writer. I did not know that until I did some research after finishing the book. I probably would've judged it a little less harshly during my reading if I had known that ahead of time. She seems to have a lot of creativity and I appreciate how she spoke about the importance of books and reading in the story itself. Hopefully with more practice and experience, she will improve her writing and research skills over the next years.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
From the NetGalley description: "The Bookweaver’s Daughter is an #OwnVoices YA fantasy—a tale of magic, Indian lore, and radical female friendship, written by debut author, Malavika Kannan, when she was 17 year old. Malavika is an Indian-American novelist, feminist writer, and political activist raised in the suburbs of Central Florida and currently a freshman at Stanford University."
This is a book that I was really looking forward to and was so excited to receive. I rushed through some other books just to make sure I could read and review this one on time for its release. The description of it just sounded SO interesting and I just knew that I would love it. But sadly I was wrong. While the premise itself is absolutely fantastic and I commend her for her creativity, there were just too many issues with the book overall for me to say that I actually liked it.
I've read a few reviews now by people that are more equipped to judge the accuracy of the references to the culture that this book is based on than me. I have no issue admitting that I know next to nothing about that culture and will therefore refrain from passing judgement on that. I did however have thoughts about the writing and plot that I will lay out below.
As I said above, the plot ideas themselves were not terrible. The execution of them though were not very elegant to put it lightly. The entire story felt like it was one climax after another and as a reader I felt like I never got a break. There were hardly any slower scenes to catch your breath and to bring beautiful little details to the story. This rushing through events also made it seem as if things were just too easy for the main characters to really make sense. An untrained girl beats a young but supposedly well-trained commander of the imperial army before she even learns to use her magic? And she keeps getting herself out of situations that grown resistance fighters with years of experience cannot escape from? A lot of the scenes just did not really make sense to me whether it was due to lack of details, unexplained talent or lack of talent of certain characters, or the timing of things just being.... off.
While I generally love first person narrations, I honestly found myself wishing it would switch to somebody else sometimes. I know the narrator was a young girl but her constantly erupting emotions just really threw me off sometimes. This story was supposed to be built on the foundation of a strong relationship between Reya and Nina, yet from the start I struggled to understand what their relationship really was. It seemed to constantly teeter between best friends for years and then not knowing each other all that way after all, even denying the existence of her best friend completely at one point by lamenting the fact that she was so lonely and had nobody in the world that could ground her enough to master her magic. It was confusing to say the least.
But this weird relationship also extends to other parts of the book as well. I struggle to understand how she feels so bonded to people that she hardly knows. Of course, tragedy and struggles like those in the book can bind people together a lot, but there just was not any focus on building relationships with others at all. They were simply assumed each time. On the other hand, a character she had maybe met three times at this point and that was intent on killing her, she all of a sudden knew well enough to notice emotions that those people who knew him his whole life would not notice?
Overall to avoid going into too many details, many of the characters seemed overly emotional and unprofessional to hold the roles they have in this book. There were phrases, such as "rookie" and "what the hell," that just seemed really off-putting and unnatural for the setting, and the Latin-based magical words felt out of place in an Indian-inspired book as well.
So to close this out, this is the debut novel of a teenage writer. I did not know that until I did some research after finishing the book. I probably would've judged it a little less harshly during my reading if I had known that ahead of time. She seems to have a lot of creativity and I appreciate how she spoke about the importance of books and reading in the story itself. Hopefully with more practice and experience, she will improve her writing and research skills over the next years.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2020
When I saw this book was listed on Netgalley, I knew that I needed it. I immediately requested it, and was ready to dive right in. We were promised a lush and intricate fantasy world inspired by Indian folklore, but sadly, this didn’t deliver.
The Bookweaver’s daughter follows Reya after her father’s death. His legacy as Bookweaver has passed on to her, and she is now a symbol of hope for the rebellion. Drawn into the struggle and fight for freedom, she’s caught between two warring sides.
Now, a lot of other reviewers have addressed the harmful representation in this. I am in no way educated on this topic, so I won’t be addressing that in this review. Not because I don’t care, but because I simply don’t know enough to form an opinion. By all means though, read other reviews and their complaints about the representation.
I just want to address the concept of this book for a quick second. It was completely epic. I mean, the title Bookweaver just sounds awesome, so that hooked me immediately. Farther than that though, this truly did have a ton of potential. I truly feel like this book suffered from being too short. At a measly 250 pages, this felt super rushed. Like a lot of other reviewers, the pacing threw me off. This book is supposed to happen over the span of months, but it felt like it took days. Huge plot points were glossed over in a page or two, which minor details were focused on. I really struggled with this, because it was hard to get engaged in a plot with a confusing timeline. The author easily could’ve added another hundred pages without this ever feeling like it was dragging.
I also have to complain about the world building. After reading half the book, I just had to sit back for a second, and ask myself “what is a Bookweaver.” And after reading this, I still have that question. It’s never told to us straight, it’s danced around, and mentioned, but never explicitly stated. I really needed it to be stated though, because in a world with mages, yogis, and Weavers, I got confused very quickly.
Another one of my problems with this was the dialogue. I’m not sure why it felt so stilted, but it did. Conversations often felt like they were only thrown in to educate us, and didn’t feel like real interactions.
And finally, I just want to talk about all of the potential that is wasted with Devendra. As soon as he was introduced, I was in love. I was totally ready to read about the tortured prince who changes his views and challenges his father. Instead, he’s just kinda there for the entire book. His personality is barely explored, and except for one incident at the end, he just sits back and watches.
After reading this, I have to confront the fact that while I didn’t hate it, I was waiting for it to be over. I hate giving ARCs a bad review, but I can’t justify rating this any higher. I would like to commend the author for writing this at only 17, it’s a huge accomplishment. This book just wasn’t executed very well.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
The Bookweaver’s daughter follows Reya after her father’s death. His legacy as Bookweaver has passed on to her, and she is now a symbol of hope for the rebellion. Drawn into the struggle and fight for freedom, she’s caught between two warring sides.
Now, a lot of other reviewers have addressed the harmful representation in this. I am in no way educated on this topic, so I won’t be addressing that in this review. Not because I don’t care, but because I simply don’t know enough to form an opinion. By all means though, read other reviews and their complaints about the representation.
I just want to address the concept of this book for a quick second. It was completely epic. I mean, the title Bookweaver just sounds awesome, so that hooked me immediately. Farther than that though, this truly did have a ton of potential. I truly feel like this book suffered from being too short. At a measly 250 pages, this felt super rushed. Like a lot of other reviewers, the pacing threw me off. This book is supposed to happen over the span of months, but it felt like it took days. Huge plot points were glossed over in a page or two, which minor details were focused on. I really struggled with this, because it was hard to get engaged in a plot with a confusing timeline. The author easily could’ve added another hundred pages without this ever feeling like it was dragging.
I also have to complain about the world building. After reading half the book, I just had to sit back for a second, and ask myself “what is a Bookweaver.” And after reading this, I still have that question. It’s never told to us straight, it’s danced around, and mentioned, but never explicitly stated. I really needed it to be stated though, because in a world with mages, yogis, and Weavers, I got confused very quickly.
Another one of my problems with this was the dialogue. I’m not sure why it felt so stilted, but it did. Conversations often felt like they were only thrown in to educate us, and didn’t feel like real interactions.
And finally, I just want to talk about all of the potential that is wasted with Devendra. As soon as he was introduced, I was in love. I was totally ready to read about the tortured prince who changes his views and challenges his father. Instead, he’s just kinda there for the entire book. His personality is barely explored, and except for one incident at the end, he just sits back and watches.
After reading this, I have to confront the fact that while I didn’t hate it, I was waiting for it to be over. I hate giving ARCs a bad review, but I can’t justify rating this any higher. I would like to commend the author for writing this at only 17, it’s a huge accomplishment. This book just wasn’t executed very well.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
December 10, 2021
* Thank you to Jonathan Ball Publishers for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. *
This is a nice and short read filled with adventure, magic, and friendship. We follow Reya’s – the bookweaver’s daughter – journey to saving the kingdom of Kasmira from the wrath of the king – King Jahan - whose goal is to get rid of magic and its mages once and for all.
This was a page-turner from the beginning. Given the size of the book I liked that the plot progressed quickly and there was no dragging in the story. With a focus on friendship, I liked that we got to see the definition of unwavering friendship between Nina and Reya.
The magical system was interesting. And magic that involves writing and stories??? My book loving heart was sold.
I liked the infusion of the all the bookweaver’s past stories and the actual plot – in the end it came together well.
However, I felt like the book described everything but the development of the magic, specifically, more depth into the character learning her powers – which is what I definitely wanted to read more about. Therefore, the length of the book could’ve been a bit longer to include more details explaining the magical system and all the other mages powers in the book.
Things seemed too easy… Reya didn’t put much fight into being caught, she just went along with what the king said, I expected more resistance from Reya. Also, a certain character that never used their powers could immediately use their powers to fight…
To end off, the cover art is absolutely stunning. And as a debut novel, it was refreshing to read teens written by a teen.
This is a nice and short read filled with adventure, magic, and friendship. We follow Reya’s – the bookweaver’s daughter – journey to saving the kingdom of Kasmira from the wrath of the king – King Jahan - whose goal is to get rid of magic and its mages once and for all.
This was a page-turner from the beginning. Given the size of the book I liked that the plot progressed quickly and there was no dragging in the story. With a focus on friendship, I liked that we got to see the definition of unwavering friendship between Nina and Reya.
The magical system was interesting. And magic that involves writing and stories??? My book loving heart was sold.
I liked the infusion of the all the bookweaver’s past stories and the actual plot – in the end it came together well.
However, I felt like the book described everything but the development of the magic, specifically, more depth into the character learning her powers – which is what I definitely wanted to read more about. Therefore, the length of the book could’ve been a bit longer to include more details explaining the magical system and all the other mages powers in the book.
Things seemed too easy… Reya didn’t put much fight into being caught, she just went along with what the king said, I expected more resistance from Reya. Also, a certain character that never used their powers could immediately use their powers to fight…
To end off, the cover art is absolutely stunning. And as a debut novel, it was refreshing to read teens written by a teen.
July 31, 2020
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
"The Bookweaver's Daughter" is set in a fantasy world inspired by India and I really liked learning about it, especially that the book is #ownvoices.
The characters are typical for YA genre - young girl hiding enormous magical powers, her best friend, evil king, rebels, dead parents etc. Most of them, even though they were cliche, were also likeable and I enjoyed the friendships and familial relationships presented in the book.
The plot sometimes felt a little bit rushed and they were tiny moments when it didn't really make sense. The book is only 250 pages, so it definitely could be lengthened a little bit and the plot would definitely benefit from it.
The magical system is also very interesting and I liked how it fits into the book.
If you want to read a #ownvoices book about a girl with magical powers, set in an India-inspired fantasy world, this book is for you.
"The Bookweaver's Daughter" is set in a fantasy world inspired by India and I really liked learning about it, especially that the book is #ownvoices.
The characters are typical for YA genre - young girl hiding enormous magical powers, her best friend, evil king, rebels, dead parents etc. Most of them, even though they were cliche, were also likeable and I enjoyed the friendships and familial relationships presented in the book.
The plot sometimes felt a little bit rushed and they were tiny moments when it didn't really make sense. The book is only 250 pages, so it definitely could be lengthened a little bit and the plot would definitely benefit from it.
The magical system is also very interesting and I liked how it fits into the book.
If you want to read a #ownvoices book about a girl with magical powers, set in an India-inspired fantasy world, this book is for you.
May 11, 2020
The Bookweaver's Daughter
by Malavika Kannan
@tanglewoodbooks
@malavika.kannan
#TheBookweaversDaughter
Set in the ancient Indian kingdom of Kashmira, we meet Reya, the Bookweaver's daughter, forced to keep her true identity a secret from everyone in her life.
A gorgeous #ownvoices novel featuring Indian characters and traditions,
The story was captivating and beautiful one I was able to fully immerse myself in it.
Kannan's writing is a powerhouse that you can be completely immersed in
You will be immediately transported to the lush world of Kashmira, cheering on the main protagonist, Reya and follow along side her every step of the way.
A wonderful book of Indian folk lore and captivating friendship that I loved from start to finish. This book that is chuck full of magic and creative twists, making for enjoyable read.
by Malavika Kannan
@tanglewoodbooks
@malavika.kannan
#TheBookweaversDaughter
Set in the ancient Indian kingdom of Kashmira, we meet Reya, the Bookweaver's daughter, forced to keep her true identity a secret from everyone in her life.
A gorgeous #ownvoices novel featuring Indian characters and traditions,
The story was captivating and beautiful one I was able to fully immerse myself in it.
Kannan's writing is a powerhouse that you can be completely immersed in
You will be immediately transported to the lush world of Kashmira, cheering on the main protagonist, Reya and follow along side her every step of the way.
A wonderful book of Indian folk lore and captivating friendship that I loved from start to finish. This book that is chuck full of magic and creative twists, making for enjoyable read.
April 1, 2020
Set in the ancient Indian kingdom of Kashmira, we meet Reya, the Bookweaver's daughter, forced to keep her true identity a secret from everyone in her life.
Kannan's writing is so powerful that you feel yourself immediately transported to Kashmira, cheering Reya on every step of the way.
This book is full of magic and many twists and turns. Once I picked up this book, I couldn't stop reading, it was so engaging. I was sad when this book ended as I felt as though I had been on a full journey with Reya and wanted to see what was next for her; I hope that Kannan expands this book into a series, possibly exploring the lives of the other yogis and mages.
Kannan's writing is so powerful that you feel yourself immediately transported to Kashmira, cheering Reya on every step of the way.
This book is full of magic and many twists and turns. Once I picked up this book, I couldn't stop reading, it was so engaging. I was sad when this book ended as I felt as though I had been on a full journey with Reya and wanted to see what was next for her; I hope that Kannan expands this book into a series, possibly exploring the lives of the other yogis and mages.
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