I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Star Rating: 4 stars
Series: standalone
Blurb:
A mother and a son. A goddess and a prince. A curse and an oath. A river whose course will change the fate of the world.
Ganga, joyful goddess of the river, serves as caretaker to the mischievous godlings who roam her banks. But when their antics incur the wrath of a powerful sage, Ganga is cursed to become mortal, bound to her human form until she fulfils the obligations of the curse.
Though she knows nothing of mortal life, Ganga weds King Shantanu and becomes a queen, determined to regain her freedom no matter the cost. But in a cruel turn of fate, just as she is freed of her binding, she is forced to leave her infant son behind.
Her son, prince Devavrata, unwittingly carries the legacy of Ganga’s curse. And when he makes an oath that he will never claim his father’s throne, he sets in motion a chain of events that will end in a terrible and tragic war.
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
GODDESS OF THE RIVER is a centuries-spanning tale of a mother’s love for her son in a relationship fraught with fundamental differences in world view.
This is a retelling of myths that make up part of the sprawling epic, the Mahabharata. Like with KAIKEYI, it focuses on a character often overlooked. Instead, GODDESS OF THE RIVER places her squarely at the centre of it, an immortal observer who slowly comes to realise she cannot remain remote from the mortal world as it tears itself apart.
The book weaves together a past and present timeline to bring this epic tale of a great way caused by the many ways families failed one another. The second perspective (and timeline) come in from the second (of four) acts. It did take me a while to get into Bhisma’s chapters as they bring with them a sudden influx of new characters who, as someone unfamiliar with the myths, it took some time to get to grips with who they all were (the family tree at the front was invaluable for this.)
I enjoyed how this book exposed the fundamental flaws in inflexibility for the sake of honour. Lots of fiction and myths hold up keeping your word no matter what as this great and noble thing. Here, that rigidity in how oaths are interpreted causes so many problems as Bhishma keeps his oaths absolutely to a cruel, foolish, weak king rather than standing up to him to, objectively, do the “right” thing.
In all, this was an engaging, epic tale of broken families and a goddess bringing compassion to those hurt by the actions of others.
Read my reviews of other books by Vaishnavi Patel:
Standalones:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 