The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Series: The Burning Kingdoms (#1)

Format: 533 pages, Paperback

Published: June 8, 2021 by Orbit

Fantasy/own

Princess Malini is imprisoned in the Hirana by her evil brother who has religion on his brain, and not the kind one. She will stay there until she is ready to burn, yes burn as her handmaidens burned.

The Hirana is a religious place in a conquered land. And they burned everyone there and now it lies desolate.

Priya is a servant for the local commander and she is meant to clean the former temple. But they will meet even though they are not supposed to. But Priya has secrets.

Rebellion is brewing. The crackdowns are hard. There is a plague going on...

I liked it. A good fantasy that ended pretty well too, I like when there is no mega cliffie. Of course there is a book 2 so I need that one cos nothing is solved. There is just a respit.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

Best of August

 

Byyyyeeeee August! Hello 'Ber months!

Here are our faves for last month.

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - A Trade of Blood by

"Best book goes to Trade of Blood!!"

Carole -  The Score by Elle Kennedy

"A couple goodies, but this was the best."

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole -  Pressure (2026)

"Surprisingly really, really good."

Blodeuedd - Nadda this month

"I remember no movies..."

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - The Marlow Murder Club (S1 -2) & Patience (S1-2)

"Nothing like British murders in summer." 

Carole - A.P. Bio (S1-4)

"Pleasantly surprised I liked this so much! It was fun."

Best Cover of the Month:

Blodeuedd's pick

Carole's pick

Audio: A Match made at Matlock

By: Jan Ashton, Julie Cooper, Amy D'Orazio, Jessie Lewis

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Series: The Engaged to Mr Darcy Series

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Release date: 04-01-22

Publisher: Quills & Quartos Publishing

Pride and prejudice variation/audible

I enjoyed this one, but at the same time it shows that it is written by many authors and I would have preferred a Darcy Lizzy book.

Now it is about a houseparty and there are so many POVS. Viscount Saye and his Lillian that he is trying to catch, Lizzy and Darcy obvi who are engaged but her father is dragging his feet letting them marry and I wanted more of them!

Then there is there cousin Georgette with her own love troubles, her friend Sarah who also would like to find romance at this party.

So lots of romances going on.

Good narration, enjoyable, but obvi hey I want more Lizzy

Viscount Saye, eldest cousin of Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, is startled one wintry day by the news that his beloved, Lillian Goddard, is to become engaged to another. Unwilling to lose her, he quickly plans a party at his ancestral estate to woo her away from her suitor. Twenty ladies and gentlemen respond to his invitation, eager for a fortnight of revelry in Saye’s inimitable style.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, at last engaged to his beloved Elizabeth Bennet, finds himself stymied by her father. Mr Bennet has consented to the engagement but forces them to endure a prolonged courtship, with too much time spent apart. Getting Elizabeth to the house party is only the first in a series of frustrations and challenges that confront them. Will their love and attachment prevail?

Georgette Hawkridge has all the finest qualities of a lady of fashion. Alas, she has fallen in love with a decidedly unfashionable man, an affection they have kept well-concealed. Two weeks is a long time to hide, however, and the truth of what they mean to one another—and the man her suitor really is—must eventually emerge.

Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam attends his brother’s party with no thought for anything but time among friends; after all, he is too poor to marry, an idea that rankles, particularly when he must watch love bloom around him. Then he meets Sarah Bentley, a pretty, wealthy girl with a predilection for admiring the unlovable, but will he know his heart before it’s too late?

Amid masques and marvels, love will abound; attachments will be formed, tried, and tested, and one couple’s engagement will come to an end. For all who heed the summons, it will be an unforgettable fortnight at Matlock!

TMST

 

 9/1/2026 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Fall? (Sep-Nov)

No idea what books are coming out. But for September I have some oldies that had been sort of left behind. Sorry old books! One was one I looked for for years. And then poof there it was. Moving is hard, there is still one that is lost.

In October I picked some spooky books, no real horror, just spooky looking ;)

In November I have a pile picked out that just did not fit elsewhere but I want to get reading

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