Review by Booklist Review
Meneka's entire existence revolves around being a weapon of seduction. She is an apsara, a celestial being who must use her magic to entrance and subdue those who threaten her god's reign. Despite being a celebrated figure in Indra's palace, Meneka is exhausted by her missions. Desperate for change, she asks Indra for an atypical gift: freedom. Outraged by her disrespect, Indra assigns Meneka a mission that has already claimed three of her apsara sisters: she must neutralize the human sage Kaushika, whose growing power is starting to disrupt the magical balance in Amaravati. Meneka willingly accepts this final mission and infiltrates the sage's hermitage, but Kaushika is not as he was described. As Meneka learns of Kaushika's true desires, her perception of her god begins to shift until she is uncertain of what her future holds. Interwoven with Hindu mythology, the first of Rao's Divine Dancers duology is as captivating as the apsara's dance within. Fans of Sue Lynn Tan, Axie Oh, and Sabaa Tahir will be anxiously awaiting the finale of this retelling.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rao (The Surviving Sky) delivers a spellbinding romantasy that reimagines Hindu deities. Meneka is a 23-year-old apsara, or celestial being, who seduces and kills targets given to her by Indra, the lord of heaven. After completing her most recent mission, she asks Indra for her promised reward--freedom from his service--but he angrily denies her request and instead assigns her a perilous new job: seduce Kaushika, a powerful mortal sage with abilities that rival Indra's own. Failure to defeat Kaushika and stop the spread of his influence among humans before a significant celestial event will result in Indra losing power and Meneka's city, Amaravati, disappearing. Meneka succeeds in seducing Kaushika, but she falls into her own trap, developing strong feelings for the sage as she comes to realize there's more to him than Indra led her to believe. Now Meneka must decide where her loyalties lie. The fascinating magic system draws deeply from the Hindu pantheon while the gripping plot never lets up on the treachery, betrayal, and steamy scenes between Meneka and Kaushika. Romantasy readers won't want to put this down. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Meneka is an apsara who's fed up with endless seduction for the good of heaven. She'd like to retire, but the god Indra gives her an impossible task to complete first. Meneka must sway Kaushika from his sage's path and remove the threat to Indra's heaven. But Kaushika instead brings Meneka spiritual insight, and her sexuality only solidifies his faith and power. Now, both the mortal and celestial realms are on a collision course toward war. Rao's (The Unrelenting Earth) new duology again plays with Hindu mythology, this time delving into it directly. Meneka's discomfort with her role, paired with her deep devotion, transforms the narrative into a dialogue about believers defining new relationships with the divine. The novel's pace is defined by the slow-burn romance, and the characters have layered motivations and make naturalistic choices. The cliffhanger ending opens the way for chaos in the sequel. VERDICT A balanced blend of sensuous romance with deeply felt meditation on crises of faith.--Katherine Sleyko
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