Kritika H. Rao (The Surviving Sky) reclaims a character from Hindu tradition in the epic romantic fantasy The Legend of Meneka, first in the planned Divine Dancers duology.
Meneka is an apsara from Amaravati, the City of Immortals and seat of the god Indra. Although she is a celestial being imbued with magical powers of dance and illusion, Meneka's long list of missions to seduce and desert human leaders has left her jaded. Her ill-considered request to remain in Amaravati angers Indra terribly and results in Meneka striking an impossible bargain. A powerful sage named Kaushika is challenging Indra by encouraging surrounding leaders to stop worshiping him, which would lead to the downfall of Amaravati. Meneka volunteers to distract the sage from his goals, on the condition that Indra grants her request if she succeeds.
Meneka braces to match her skills against a scheming, diabolical villain in the mortal world. However, nothing can prepare her for the powerful, arrogant Kaushika, whose abhorrence of Indra comes not from ambition but disgust at the god's uncaring attitude toward humanity. Meneka poses as a hopeful acolyte at his hermitage, and respect and a powerful attraction grow between them. Meneka finds her loyalties divided between the home she loves and the man who has captured her heart.
Rao's spellbinding prose conjures a cinematic grandeur, and her worldbuilding brings legends to life in this gorgeous love story. Meneka's transformation from naive and yearning to powerful and self-assured is inspirational and engrossing, and her journey to love and community feels authentic and meaningful. Gods war with sages as faith is forged and shattered in this dynamic, woman-forward retelling. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads