I was eagerly awaiting the day that the trend of mythic retellings would reach the Indian epics, and Patel brings a richly feminist perspective to the story of Kaikeyi, a queen villainized in the traditional Ramayana for using two god-granted boons to banish Rama and make sure the crown goes to her own son instead. Patel writes Kaikeyi as a warrior in her own right, a powerful woman who is fighting against the rigged system of the gods, who just want chaos and bloody war and have chosen Rama as their hero. Fans of Circe should already be falling for Kaikeyi!