Welcome friend! Ariel and I read Amy Leow’s debut, The Scarlet Throne as our buddy read for October. Here is what this book is about.
Amy Leow | Goodreads
The False Goddess #1
A dark, heart-thumping political epic fantasy by debut author Amy Leow—full of scheming demons, morally grey heroines, talking cats, and cut-throat priests, this delicious tale of power and corruption will captivate from beginning to end.
Binsa is a “living goddess,” chosen by the gods to dispense both mercy and punishment from her place on the Scarlet Throne. But her reign hides a deadly secret. Rather than channeling the wisdom of an immortal deity, she harbors a demon.
But now her priests are growing suspicious. When a new girl, Medha, is selected to take over her position, Binsa and her demon strike a deal: To magnify his power and help her wrest control from the priests, she will sacrifice human lives. She’ll do anything not to end up back on the streets, forgotten and alone. But how much of her humanity is she willing to trade in her quest for power? Deals with demons are rarely so simple.
The Scarlet Throne – Discussion
Kriti: The Scarlet Throne is inspired by Nepali culture. We hadn’t read a book from there yet! The tradition of the living goddesses by training young girls to be the vessel for the gods was new too. Ariel, what did you think of these aspects of the story?
Ariel: The premise was quite compelling and exploring a new fantasy approach was something that made me look forward to buddy reading this with you. I liked the political angles that being a living goddess provided our characters, and overall the story took us on a fresh adventure!
Our main character, Binsa, has been the vessel for Rashmatun. She was past the age that girls typically assume that role and the priests were getting anxious for her to select a successor.
Binsa’s main motivation from the start is that she does not want to end up alone and forgotten. There aren’t many paths forward for her, so instead of handing off her power, she fights to keep it. We find out early on that she doesn’t have a goddess inside her, but rather a demon who also fights for control.
The dynamic between Binsa and the demon at first is fraught with struggle, and it takes a bit for the story to move past that so they can begin working together towards a shared goal. Together, they have to navigate many rituals, ceremonies, and strict expectations of the temple in order to maintain power over the religious faithful but also maintain favor with the public as well.
I found the history around the demon, Ilam, and how he came to be in her fascinating. I liked that he did not have many memories of his past and part of the plot focused on understanding his powers and roots. Through Rashmatun, we also learned of other gods, their vessels and how they all fit in the overall political scale. There are a lot of rituals and customs in this story and I enjoyed the glamour and intrigue.
Another part of the story talks about Binsa being responsible for training her protegee, Medha. Binsa wrestles with her ruthless quest for maintaining power while balancing the fact that she must protect a younger child. Their dynamic echoes in a lot of ways Binsa’s perception of her mother, and how she reacts to her mother directly influences how she interacts with Medha.
Binsa really did not want to like Medha but to be in the role of the confidant of a child and have such a strong influence on her made it a challenging situation for her. I liked this side of the story. It showed Binsa as capable of love but also solidified her as a formidable character. The times she admonished the priests or her servants were always fun to read!
It’s not often we read a story who’s main POV is the antagonist of the world at large. Binsa isn’t looking to be a hero or save people, but she does have a lot to gain by navigating the world around her. She learns to strike a balance of wishing for a scorched earth while also understanding that those in power still need people to rule over.
Yes, I enjoyed reading from a perspective of this kind for a change. 🙂 What did you think of the writing?
The start of the book felt like a steep learning curve as we figured out the world and the pieces on the board that were important. Some elements felt a bit disjointed while Binsa spent a lot of time at war with the demon, instead of moving forward seeking power. However, as the story continued, things started to fall more in place and I found myself quite invested in what would happen! I look forward to the next installment of the series!
The second half was well done and I wanted to return to it and see what happened next. I would like to return to this world again and see what Binsa does next.
If you are looking for a unique fantasy series, add this to your Goodreads.
Thanks for reading our discussion! Let us know what you think of this book!
Many thanks to Orbit for a review copy of the book!
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