House of Badawi

by C.J. Khemi

A stand-alone new adult fantasy romance perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy & Maas.

Rumors about women are rarely true, but should whispers about powerful men be adhered to?

Valxina Kulrani wants nothing more than to join the Keepers, an all women legion that protects the House of Badawi's spring of immortality. The Keepers prevent rival kingdoms from using the spring to create immortal armies-an undertaking forbidden by the King, for only he and his chosen are allowed to use the spring's waters.

When Valxina finally achieves her dreams, she expects safety and protection after a life of poverty. But Valxina soon discovers that her new existence isn't what she thought. Keepers are vanishing in the dead of night-including Valxina's superior, Sera.

Worried that her status won't keep her safe and that she and the other new Keepers could be the next to disappear, Valxina devises a seduce the Lord of Badawi, Zessfar, into telling her what he knows about the disappearances. As she grows closer to Zessfar and they put together the pieces of Sera's disappearance, Valxina realizes she might be falling for him.

But things in the House of Badawi are never as they seem. Whispers spread like wildfire behind the marble walls-about the true cost of the spring's waters, and the lengths that the House of Badawi is willing to go to keep those secrets quiet. Valxina must learn to separate truth from deception in a court where the truth could get her killed .

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Queer, Adult, LGBT, Fiction

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2022

About the author

C.J. Khemi (she/her) is the debut author of House of Badawi. She’s Indo-Trinidadian-American, a native New Yorker, and is currently living out her cottage-core dreams in a home outside of NYC.

Khemi holds a M.A. in International Affairs and a B.A. in Psychology. She is a content writer by day, covering current affairs and politics in the United States.

When C.J. is not working or writing, she is out walking at her local nature preserve, trying to perfect her mom’s curry chicken recipe (which she has yet to get just right), and binging her latest obsession with her cat, Moon.

You can follow CJ for more on TikTok and Instagram at - @cj.khemibooks

Reviews

[Fini (Hozier’s Version)]

07.02.2022
Update:

Literally sO excited pls gimme.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received from the author. Sadly I have mixed feelings on this. There was no chemistry between any of the romances. This also deserved to be a four hundred page book. This book suffered from a lack of development, particularly in world building and character/background development. Those extra 100+ pages could have been used for us to fall in love with Val and the story. Things just felt rushed and sometimes I was a bit confused on what was happening. But I will admit I did like the world building we got, I think it has the potential to be very rich and would highly look forward to another book set in this universe. CJ, please give me a book about Val and her found family finding themselves in the aftermath of this! I believe this also could have easily been turned into a duet because of the potential with the story. Overall this is a good debut that I think deserved at least 100 more pages. CJ has great potential and I look forward to the next book she releases.

[Sarita · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was provided to me as an arc by C.J Khemi and the publisher.

I found this to be a really fun and light read (in terms of its complexity as it was easy to follow) but do be aware the book does tackle on the surface level on some triggering subjects like physical and emotional abuse.

I really loved the setting and world building, C.J Khemi was wonderful at spinning words into beautiful scenes that I could vividly see in my mind. The lore was interesting, I do wish there was more background and history, especially about the god creatures but I assume that this will be further explained as the story progresses

The characters were really enjoyable especially Mylo and Danae, they’ve absolutely stolen my heart and hopefully if there is more to come I hope to see how they develop in the future as characters.

That being said, I do feel that the length of the book hindered some of the characters and their time to develop as well as the readers ability to form an emotional attachment. I wish Val and Zessfar had more time to develop and see how their relationship to each other affected them but because of the length of the book this felt a bit rushed so it made his betrayal to her feel void.

However, in the last 1/3 of the book we get to spend more time through Val with the rest of the characters, I liked here and Mylo’s dynamic their friendship seemed natural and the author did a good job of building that in the little amount of scenes they had together; I could see that he cared deeply for her. Her relationship with Ky was okay, nothing bad to say against it, it was easy to get behind because they have a past but again I hope to see how they flourish in the future. But my favourite has to be Dánae and Val, I’m not sure if it’s my thirst for enemies to lovers where the enemy has been pining for their love interest since day one, but Danae GAVE and I ate it all up. Her speech at the end, and the genuine care and love she feels for Val… I was screaming when they finally kissed and I can’t wait to see their relationship evolve.

It goes with out saying that I absolutely loved the fact that C.J Khemi made Val, the main character, pan sexual and from what it seems to be the start of a poly relationship. I don’t see this portrayed often in books so I look forward to seeing how they develop in a polyamorous relationship ❤️

[Littlebookterror]

Pan female mc with polyam rep in a Caribbean-inspired NA fantasy romance? Uh, yes.

"A cautionary tale about how rumors about women should not be listed to but rumors about powerful men? Probably should be adhered to."


((very sad that I did not get an arc))

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

She’s 24 (I know the cover looks like a child/YA (or it did to me) but this is adult age). Fade to black. This is a standalone fantasy and isn’t too long so it was lacking a bit (or felt rushed) with the world building and character building. A few instances where what was happening was confusing in the moment-not sure if that could have been helped with more time or if that was just me though. I can see how her books could just get better from here if she writes more because I did like the storyline and towards the end even started knowing and liking most of the characters more too. I didn’t really see any of the chemistry with the Lord and had no clue she liked him so much until she said so (I could tell she maybe slightly liked him or thought he was different than she initially presumed). Though maybe some of it was we never saw much for her to like in him? There was some chemistry elsewhere but also not as much as I prefer to see to believe and enjoy any interaction. As some other reviewers have said: I think it just needed to be longer and slightly more fleshed out to truly connect and move it up to a 4/5 star read for me. Would read more of this author’s work.

[Elena Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am blown away by House of Badawi! Do you like women with sharp objects? LGBT-friendly platonic and romantic relationships? How about betrayal, deception, deep devotion, loss, and immortality? You're going to LOVE this book!

Valxina Kulrani has worked her way up to the role of Keeper of the Spring of immortality, facing the obstacle of being poor in a role traditionally filled by children of nobility, fighting off the disdain of anyone who would look down on her. Read along as she comes into her power and strength.

Enter the Caribbean-inspired world created by C.J. Khemi - The House of Badawi reigns supreme over its little corner of the world. Explore the Tower, full of strong, independent ladies (Keepers chosen by the gods) who protect the Spring, and their daring and brave personal guards. All is well for Badawi while they are on guard! Until it isn't...

Betrayal hits, enemies become friends, and friends become lovers. Everyone has a past you know nothing about...you won't know who to believe. There is too much to discover, so read for yourself!

[Anne M. Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

We LOVE to see a violent girlboss winning!! I'm impressed by the world building and the beautiful setting and descriptions we get throughout! I considered giving this a 4 star because I'm not typically a fan of 3rd person POV bc I can't sink into the world and characters as much, but that's more of a "me" thing. I thought there was going to be more that followed the ending! Which I guess is a good thing, haha. I also liked the note at the end suggesting we leave a review and that the author will never read them. Felt like a very nice, professional touch.

[Charlotte Moyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC for this book so I could leave an honest review.

I found House of Badawi to be an interesting, and easy read (although at times the plot could get a little confusing). I loved the entire premise of this book, and despite there being a few editorial mistakes throughout, really enjoyed the plot.

However I did find the pacing a little rushed, as were the majority of the relationships. I'd have liked to see more buildup in the relationships mentioned, and think the plot could have been spread out a little in places (and shortened in others).

All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable read for a debut novel!

[Mireya · Rating 5 out of 5]

House of Badawi is the most amazing thing I've read lately. It was also one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it de-li-vered in all aspects!!

Fast paced, with amazing characters and action, and short chapters to keep my attention. It was hard to stop reading😂

Val is a great protagonist, Danae rules and Zessfar deserved what he got. And, if I could, I would forget chapter 44* (if you know, you know)😐 All the other characters were quite good too. As were the relationships, both pre-existing to the start of the book, and the ones formed along the events developing.

I want to make a brief but special mention to the world. Even if we get enough to let us understand were our characters live at the moment and where they come from and some key aspects of history to understand the present, it was threaded almost with perfection. Could we have had more? Sure. Do I wanted more? Absolutely. But was what Khemi gave us good? No doubt.

Finally, if I were to have an issue with HOB, it would be that I wanted more. More of the world, more of Val and her friends and more (enemy) immortals loosing their heads (literally). But, anyway, the 300 something pages we had were A-ma-zing.
One of my favorite reads of the year without a doubt.

Anyway, HOB may be a debut, but I totally see CJ's potential in it, so can't wait to see what she brings out next👀

*Spoilers, 'cause I can't not make a joke to try to cope with what happened. So, if you haven't read HOB yet, or Haven reach chapter 44, stop reading right now. Otherwise, read on your own risk.
Chapter 44 ended me; it also ended Mylo. And, god, and I mad that Mylo got killed; we know him for little, but I really liked him. I had to read the page twice 'cause I couldn't believe it☹️

Edit: I took out Lady Gaga's words, 'cause apparently she's not as nice as she appears (AKA, she supports Israel, or, more accurately, says the world does not have an accurate vision of it and does not position herself about the genocide it is carrying out. And, really, silence is as bad as express support, in my opinion)

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

'House of Badawi' is definitely a push through until the end sort of novel, and I'm glad I did. This is a fantasy novel set in a different type of setting that was really refreshing. There is a more tropical element, which makes sense with the author being Indo-Trinidadian. You can see that draw of cultures coming together in this. So many books take place in a more European gothic setting, and this still gave a revitalized approach to the genre.

There is an array of characters that eventually becomes a found family type of feel. I loved how certain characters came together in the end and fought together, constantly protecting each other. There is also a variety of personalities. From our main character, Valxina, who has climbed up the ranks from poverty and can be a bit naive with her trust at times to Zessfar, a lord of Badawi House that is plagued by circumstances of Court and leadership. Danae is a spitfire character while Ky is a gentle giant, and Mylo is a stand out for me as a deceptively dangerous and precious ally.

What did not work for me was the pacing of the book. It made certain elements less believable, such as falling for characters so quickly and having unwavering trust in them, to the middle portion of the book being incredibly rushed. I thought the beginning was paced appropriately, but once Valxina and Zessfar meet, it really ramps up too quickly and with that being at the center, that needed at least another 50-100 pages for me to believe what they experienced together. A time jump also could have worked here as some stuff was glossed over to build up that dynamic. The ending was paced in a way that still worked for me, although maybe could have gone a bit faster and left a bit more conclusion than a single chapter since a lot does become slightly open-ended. Basically, I just wanted more of the book which in itself is a compliment.

I also found Valxina to be a bit frustrating at times with her naivety. It does come full circle to explain why she ignored and trusted so freely, but I also think there still should have been more of a guard up from her considering her background. I was not so annoyed with her in the end, and I also appreciated the ARC that circled around with Danae. Although I'm not entirely sold with how they ended up, I was still giggling and kicking my feet like a teenager so there is always that. The most interesting dynamic between the characters for me was between Ky and Valxina, and I'm glad the book delivered what I was hoping for.

Overall though, I really appreciate this book at its core and the imagery that came with it. It was also queer in a way I didn't know about before going into it so I'm a big fan!

Rep: bi MC, lesbian SC, wlw characters, polyam.

[Angela Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved!

What a fascinating story! And honestly, I wish it was longer or I could return to the world 🥰 I am obsessed with the Keepers and how badass they are. Val is such a relatable character and I felt for her the entire story. I will say—you enter this world in a way that feels like you’re in the middle of something. There are definitely pre established relationships with the characters that you have to piece together as time goes on, but each character is a treat.
🗡️💧⚔️
𝘛𝘰 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘢, 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

“𝘼𝙨𝙠 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙. “𝙊𝙠, 𝙤𝙠,” 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙. “𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙤?” 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙. “𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙖𝙡.”

“𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚢. 𝙸’𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝—𝙸’𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚜𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍, 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛.”

[Hazelnut Starlight · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a debut novel, it was well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the concepts, as well as the setting. The author pulled from her own roots and gave us a story set in Indo-Caribbean culture. Our main character, Valxina, is determined to rise above the circumstances of her birth in order to follow her dream. We are given mystery, intrigue, queer representation, and a diverse cast.
However, given the marketing the author did, it fell short of my expectations. The plot line moved much too quickly, and there were a couple of spots where the story felt disconnected. I really wished the author had flushed things out more. I understand our MC only works/interacts with a very limited part of the overall society, but I felt lost when it came to how the societal structure is designed in this world. There just wasn't enough to this novel to keep me thoroughly engaged. It was like roast chicken and mashed potatoes - only the chicken was overcooked and there wasn't any gravy.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️ (Since Goodreads is an all or nothing rating system, I'm rounding up because House of Badawi was really close to the full 5 stars)

I was so excited to receive an arc of House of Badawi as I've been looking forward to this book for awhile!

Favorite quote: "What happens in a person’s life to leave them dashing through the darkness with the person once responsible for their pain? What twisted events and spiraling paths leave one glancing over to the person they once thought they understood and knew, not out of wariness— but with fascination?"

First off, let me say, that the pacing of House of Badawi was spectacular. There was never a moment where I felt inclined to skip anything, even when tensions were high and the stakes were real. Khemi is not afraid to unalive her characters, so guard your heart accordingly. I'm still crushed from certain events.

While I adore Val and her tenacity, I really loved the ones she surrounded herself with even more. They were everything I hope for in a found family storyline. Danae's character development was especially satisfying.

I feel like I can safely describe the ending as pleasing, albeit a tiny bit open-ended; which is nice because I would love to return to this world for a continuation of Val's story, or even have the opportunity to follow more POVs.

My only complaint is I feel like we didn't get enough time to "know" the villain[s]. Don't get me wrong, they are definitely monsters, but I was seeking more motivation and a little more explanation for certain events. On the other side of this, you know you enjoyed the heck out of a story when you wish there was more of it.

Either way, I devoured House of Badawi, fell hard for a certain guard (or two) and definitely found myself smitten with multiple keepers. I highly recommend this debut novel as a fall must-read.

✔️Pansexual FMC
✔️Diverse characters
✔️Found family
✔️Sapphic relationships
✔️Friends to lovers
✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️Badass women
✔️Who did this to you energy
🔥Add a little bit of Spice

[Paige Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm obsessed. You had me at Caribbean-inspired fantasy and absolutely sold me with Val. C. J. Khemi creates a beautifully relatable cast of characters from her heroes to her villain. Val's character was so much fun to follow, even through her most traumatic moments, and I was actively rooting for her every step of the way. The humor, the writing, the found family, and polygamous relationship were solid, my only gripe is that I wish it had been longer! I'm dying to experience more of the Badawi world. I can't wait to see what C. J. Khemi comes up with next.

[Sandra Blasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

In general, it is a fast-paced story led by badass women with a good development throughout the book and an amazing worldbuilding!

Being a quick story, there are things that I would have liked to have been more analyzed and expanded but it has been so easy to get into the story, I always wanted to continue!

I loved how each of the characters had their story and had depth, in a short time we know them a lot. And the romance is so well done, fast but well, I really liked all three of them.

The ending is a bit open but I'm satisfied, it's a good ending with pain included🥲

[The Norwegian Person · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want to finish the book, because I didn't want it to be over.. I do need more, like this could probably be a 600 page book without feeling long. Faste pace, but everything is written so well and concise (my absolute favourite regarding fantasy). I tried to savour the book and the characters. Needless to say, I want more of Val!

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited but unfortunately, I was let down. The characters feel quite one-dimensional, the worldbuilding is almost nonexistent, the writing is not good and I was just annoyed throughout the entire thing. It could have been fun if the main character's obliviousness wasn't so aggravating.

[Denisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This needed to be longer

[Kutasha M'sango · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️
I got and ARC form the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year. I’ve been following this author for sometime on TikTok and was really excited to read this book, which I why I’m so sad that this was kind of a let down. I believe this book would have benefited from being turned into a duology. I felt like there wasn’t enough time to truly build up the stakes when it came to the conflict and the romantic relationships.
I will say that the writing was good and the world building was interesting but I just needed more.

[Lizzie Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did like this book. The atmosphere is gorgeous, the story telling, the lore, the everything, gorgeous. I love the premise of this book and I absolutely can't wait to see what the author puts out next. I think the bar's been set and they can only go bigger and better from here.
The pits falls of this book are the dialogue and the way characters fell flat. Val was a great FMC but I feel at times she wasn't fully fleshed out and could have been so much more than that. I liked her so much I wanted more, that's the thing. I also loved the plot of the book but to be honest, the subtle misogyny trope, though I get it and the idea of it in the story didn't hurt... it didn't feel powerful enough. Alot of the sideways misogyny or sexism thrown in was almost too juvenile? As was the dialogue. We had such elegance and gloriousness and then the dialogue felt waaaaay too modern for the feeling of the book. Mostly the feeling of those two things pulled me out of the story and had me kinda squinting at it, because 75% of the dialogue would be amazing, flowing, poetry even and then it would cut short to anachronistic language almost.
Fans of the Guilded ones would love this. I also would love to see more subtle, soft queer novels come through like this one. The flexibleness of Val's sexuality was such a huge plus, If you'd like some gritty fantasy that's beautiful with a lovely sapphic undertone, get this book!

[Tiara Chutkhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Caribbean inspired fantasy? Yes please!

House of Badawi is set in the island of Qeshm. It follows Valxina Kulrani, a newly anointed "keeper" of the house's spring of immortality. Coming from a poor family, Valxina worked her way up in the Badawi House after winning her spot in a lotto as a child. After a traumatic initiation, Valxina believes that she is finally safe and secure in her new role. In the tower is she surrounded by strong, like-minded women, all keepers like herself. But in the days that follow, Valxina begins to see that her keeper status saves her from nothing.

Keepers begin to vanish in the night and with the help of her fellow new keepers and the tower guards, Valxina devises a plan to seduce the Lord of the House of Badawi and learn the truth.

This book had so many great elements: queer representation, magic, female warriors, suspense, romance (lots of tension lol!) and intense battles. C.J. Khemi weaved Caribbean/Indo-Caribbean history into her world flawlessly and I enjoyed seeing the sprinkles of culture in what the characters wore, ate and the language they used. The story never felt boring and I was always on edge, wondering where things would go next. Frankly, I would love a sequel because the ending left me with so many questions.

If you're a fan of fantasy or looking to get into fantasy, I would highly suggest checking this out!

[Jorjor Battle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a good read! I thoroughly enjoyed the fantasy in the book, and all the action scenes in the book they were very entertaining. The fmc was fun to follow in her journey of becoming a keeper. I like how even though she did have trauma, she was not a woe is me character. Made it easy to fall I love with her.
The romance didn’t really kick in until the end (for me). I wasn’t sure who was the romantic interest until over halfway through but be on that it was a great fantasy romance reading. I can’t wait to read more from CJ Khemi!