If I were Maya, I would be so angry at the world right now, but Maya is a dutiful daughter who will do anything to please her father and his kingdom. She is blamed by all and in particular by the wives in her father’s harem because of her prophetic horoscope predicting that her path will doom them all. Fortunately, she remains a princess under her father’s protection, until the day he condemns her to die for the good of the Kingdom, set to take place on the day she is to choose a would-be suitor to wed.

For her father and the good of the kingdom she reluctantly accepts.

But luckily for Maya, sometimes even the best laid plans are bound to fail and on the day she is to cross the veil to the beyond, she survives her death and a bloody battle as she is saved by Amar, who was one among many introduced earlier as a potential match.

There is mystery around Amar, but Maya has a discipline brought about her upbringing, that will refrain her from questioning the man who saved her, the man who makes her queen of his kingdom, the one who makes her his equal. She might even let herself love him which is something to her that is new. Until the day that again, the best laid plans are bound to fail.

In Maya we meet a young lady whose future has not been of her choosing for most of her life but in the hands of men using her as a tool in their strategic political planning to conquer. But one day, when the power is hers and she chooses for herself, the mistake is at least hers to make.

From this point on, we are on a journey with Maya where every moves she makes sends her on a path to reclaim the truth of who she really is.

I do not count many retellings to my reading repertoire, however this one said to be based on the Persephone and Hades myth is one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

There is an obvious contrast in terms of world building that is skilfully described. While the world of the living was drawn with a finite brush suggesting the same fate that so many empires have suffered in the past, Amar’s kingdom seems to grow beyond time.

The tale is beautifully written, however some readers may find the author’s heavy use of metaphors tiresome and may be inclined to halt their reading for that reason. Please do persevere if not to discover whether or not Maya succeeds in her quest.

Happy to recommend this piece to readers lover of Fantasy and myths. I am also really looking forward to read more about Roshani and her work in the future.

LaChouett

Thanking team @GriffinTeen for providing me with a copy of this title.