Rati Mehrotra
YA Fantasy
To learn what she can become, she must first discover who she is.
Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen. But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, Katyani is shipped off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.
But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
(3.5 / 5) This is a historical fantasy from Indian mythology. Katyani was adopted by the royal family and then served as bodyguard to the family, with a soul-bond to the queen. Her past is a mystery until tragedy takes over and she is informed of a past she never knew and doesn’t accept.
The story is full of adventure, political intrigue, monsters and more. I’ve become a huge fan of stories with monsters and this one did not disappoint. They’re creepy and unpredictable and they definitely didn’t get enough time on the pages!
It was slow from the start but picked up toward the end. I had trouble being immersed in the story or being invested in the characters but it was an enjoyable ride. I’d recommend this for those that love monsters and Indian culture!
General content summary: some language (mild), break in and attempted killing, poisoned dart, face melted from poison (few details), previous parental death, monsters (death, attacking people, blood, multiple, monsters eating people and horses, killing monsters (some details), monsters draining blood from horses, some gore), killing horses (blood), m/f take baths in same place (no details), references to menstruation, m/f kiss (few), talk of torture (few details), captivity and sedation, stabbing death, corpse hanging from tree, arrow death, whipping (pain, some details), f/f kiss and flirting, sword death (some details of dying), forest fire, threat with knife, poison death (some details), physical violence (killing, battle, injuries, some blood, multiple), ghosts, stabbing (some details), a child sees his parent be strangled to death (previous), a man is previously suffocated, a creature feeds on someone’s blood, death from injuries, grief, spiritual visitation (multiple).
Thank you to Wednesday Books for the gifted copy!
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I liked this one too! I was in the UK recently looking at all the pretty UK paperback covers and thought of you 🤣
In the UK? Oh I’m so jealous!