The Jasmine Throne

The Jasmine Throne is a 2021 fantasy novel by Tasha Suri. The novel is the first part of the Burning Kingdoms trilogy and draws inspiration from Indian history and culture. It is set in the fictional Parijatdvipan Empire in a vassal state named Ahiranya, which is on the verge of rebellion due to years of cultural and religious suppression. The story follows Priya, a maidservant who once belonged to a group of temple children with a magical connection to the land, and Malini, a princess imprisoned after she refused purification in a ritualistic death by fire. Together, they embark on a perilous journey to alter the empire’s future. The novel received critical praise for its characters and atmosphere and won the 2022 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

This guide refers to the 2021 e-book edition published by Orbit, an imprint of Hachette.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss anti-LGBTQ bias, colonial and sexist violence and discrimination, physical and emotional abuse, murder, nonconsensual drugging and addiction, and the killing of children.

Plot Summary

Ahiranya, a vassal state of the Parijatdvipan Empire, suffers from instability and “the rot,” which is a disease that causes plants to grow from the bodies of the infected. Priya, a maidservant in the regent’s household, tries and fails to provide afflicted orphaned children with sacred wood, which can slow the disease. One of the boys, Rukh, asks her to help him find work, and she takes him back to the palace with her.

Meanwhile, Princess Malini, who is Emperor Chandra’s sister, leads a rebellion against him, unhappy with his violence and patriarchy; she wants to name her brother Aditya as ruler instead. Chandra finds out and demands that she climb into a pyre to her death. When she refuses, he orders that she must be isolated and imprisoned in the Hirana, a former temple in Ahiranya where priests and temple children were once burned alive. The temple children gained special powers from the deathless waters, which are the sacred source of power within the temple’s heart. However, the elders worried that the children had become too powerful and were causing the rot, so they massacred them.

Priya, who was one of three temple children to escape the massacre, accepts a position as Malini’s maid to earn more money and search the Hirana for clues about her past. She accidentally reveals her true nature to another maidservant, Meena, who is a member of the Ahiranyi rebellion against the empire. Meena attacks Priya and demands access to the deathless waters. The temple itself comes to Priya’s aid, and she kills the other maidservant. When the guards arrive, Malini intervenes to save Priya and lies, saying that the attack was an attempt on her life. Lady Bhumika, the regent’s pregnant wife and another former temple child, tells Priya that Malini requested Priya as her personal maidservant and tasked her with spying on the princess. Meanwhile, Rukh also confesses that he works for the rebels, and they want to speak with Priya. He leads her into the woods, where she meets Ashok, who is the third temple child to escape. He had saved Priya’s life during the massacre. He is now the leader of the rebels and asks Priya to help him find the deathless waters, which will help the rebellion.

While Priya works as Malini’s maidservant, she learns that the princess is being drugged with needle-flower under orders from Emperor Chandra. Priya convinces Pramila, Malini’s attendant and jailer, to let her take over the administration of the drug, and she stops giving it to Malini. The two women become closer, but the princess begins suffering from withdrawal. As Malini recovers, she asks for Priya’s help, sending a message through Priya to Rao, one of her allies hiding in the city, asking him to leave. Rao is hesitant to go and says that he will be waiting for Malini in the forest.

Meanwhile, tensions within the city continue to rise. A controversial poet’s followers are captured and executed, and the rebels assassinate guests at a high-society event. Distressed by Ashok’s increasing violence, Priya lets the Hirana guide her to the heart of the temple, where she immerses herself in the deathless waters. She emerges with enhanced powers, and she seals the entrance to the waters. She then returns to Malini and offers her a deal: She will help her escape the Hirana if Malini guarantees Ahiranya’s freedom from the empire.

Through their magical connection, Ashok intuits that Priya found the deathless waters. He leads an assault on the palace in an attempt to reach her and force her to reveal its location. Bhumika gathers her household and uses her power to command her plants to defend the palace against the rebels. When her husband is wounded during the attack, Bhumika orders the head of the guard to kill him so that she can take command.

While the battle rages, Malini and Priya escape the Hirana and flee into the forest. However, Priya collapses from the aftereffects of the deathless waters. Despite her own fatigue, Malini helps guide Priya to safety. As she recovers, Priya opens up about her fears of rejection due to her powers. Malini confesses her struggles with societal expectations and her attraction to women. Their moment of vulnerability ends in a kiss, but they are interrupted when Ashok and his rebels arrive. Bhumika then arrives with her own reinforcements, and she and Priya drive Ashok away.

Priya, Malini, and Bhumika make their way toward Aditya, only stopping when Bhumika goes into labor and delivers a baby girl. One of the rebels sneaks into camp and forces Priya to meet with Ashok, whose health is deteriorating. She offers to save him with the deathless waters on the condition that he accepts Bhumika as the leader of Ahiranya. Meanwhile, Rao reunites with Malini, and Priya briefly visits Malini one last time, promising that their connection isn’t over. Rao takes Malini to Aditya at the lacquer gardens, which is a monastery, while Bhumika and Priya head back to Ahiranya.

Aditya is relieved to see Malini, but he refuses to take the throne, preferring to remain a priest. Just then, they learn that Emperor Chandra’s forces are on their way. While Rao is frustrated by Aditya’s lack of action, Malini comes up with a plan to save them by burning down the monastery with the invaders inside it. In the aftermath, Rao reveals a prophecy that says that Malini is destined to take the throne. Malini ascends as empress, determined to bring Chandra to his knees.

In Ahiranya, Priya, Bhumika, and Ashok return to the Hirana and enter the deathless waters. While submerged, Priya meets one of the nature spirits called the yaksa, who demands that she carve out her heart and soul in exchange for power. Priya attempts to do so, but a small piece linked to Malini remains unchanged. Priya and Bhumika emerge with their full powers, but Ashok drowns in the waters. The two women are crowned as the new elders, and Priya uses her new magic to slow the spread of Rukh’s rot. She vows to use her power to destroy the rot once and for all.