**A Fascinating Retelling of Hindu Mythology**

I am absolutely captivated by Vishav Patel's latest retelling of the Hindu epic, "Goddess of the River". As someone who is not deeply familiar with Hindu mythology, I was eager to dive into this world and experience it through Patel's beautifully written narrative. From the moment I began reading, I was immersed in a richly detailed and complex world that transported me to ancient India.

**A Complicated and Dark Narrative**

One of the aspects that struck me most about this book is its dark and complex themes. Patel tackles topics such as infant death, infanticide, partner abuse, and misogyny, which can be triggering for some readers. However, it's precisely these dark elements that make "Goddess of the River" so compelling. The story follows Gunga, a goddess who is cursed by a sage to be reborn as a human after her godling spirits are hung up by her river. As she navigates this mortal coil, Gunga must confront the harsh realities of mortality and the consequences of her choices.

**A Exploration of Mortality and Choice**

Throughout the book, Patel explores the idea of mortality and its impact on individuals and society. Gunga's journey is a powerful exploration of what it means to be human, and how our choices can have far-reaching consequences. As she struggles to come to terms with her new existence, Gunga must also navigate the complexities of human relationships and the influences of mothers on society. This theme is woven throughout the narrative, adding depth and complexity to Patel's world-building.

**World-Building and Character Development**

One of the things that I appreciate most about Patel's writing is her ability to flesh out even the most minor characters. The side characters in "Goddess of the River" are well-developed and nuanced, each with their own stories and motivations. Patel also skillfully weaves together elements from Hindu mythology, creating a richly detailed world that feels authentic and immersive. From the gods and goddesses to the politics and machinations of the mortal world, every aspect of this narrative is carefully crafted to draw the reader in.

**A Beautiful and Engaging Narrative**

Patel's writing is simply beautiful, and I found myself completely absorbed in the story from start to finish. The audiobook narration was also excellent, bringing the characters and world to life with ease. One of the things that I appreciate most about Patel's style is her ability to balance action, drama, and humor, creating a narrative that is both engaging and emotionally resonant.

**A Must-Read for Mythology Fans**

If you enjoy mythology retellings of any type, then "Goddess of the River" is an absolute must-read. Patel's writing is compelling, her world-building is rich and immersive, and her characters are well-developed and complex. I was completely swept up in this narrative, and I can see why it has received such high praise from fans of mythology and fantasy. Whether you're a seasoned fan of Hindu mythology or just looking for a new and exciting read, "Goddess of the River" is definitely worth checking out.

**A Personal Connection**

For me, personally, one of the aspects that resonated most with me was Gunga's journey from being a goddess to being a human. As someone who has always been fascinated by mythology and its relevance to our world today, I found myself drawn into Gunga's struggles with mortality and identity. Patel's portrayal of this complex theme is both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant, making for a deeply satisfying read.

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, "Goddess of the River" is a truly exceptional retelling of Hindu mythology that will captivate fans of fantasy and mythology alike. Vishav Patel's writing is beautiful, her world-building is rich and immersive, and her characters are well-developed and complex. If you're looking for a new and exciting read, then this book is definitely worth checking out. With its thought-provoking themes, engaging narrative, and beautiful prose, "Goddess of the River" is a must-read for anyone who loves mythology, fantasy, or just great storytelling in general.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys it's Sam and this is my spoiler Freeview of goddess of the river by Vish naavi Patel this is a standalone adult mythology retelling this is from the same author who wrote Kai uh which she is doing retellings of Hindu epics so I am not super familiar with these epics there are a few things that I am familiar with from like pop culture references and things but not as much so I cannot speak to like what things she's using and and changing and the ways in which she makes it unique but she does have notes at the back of the book for like here's which uh translations I used and which things I changed and which things I didn't and like why I did that which I think is a really cool reference point as well for the things that she's pulling from so this book primarily follows a goddess this is the river gunga she is a river goddess and she at the very beginning of the book is basically like called Down to Earth by people but then one of the other gods basically is like you can't do that because you're going to destroy the world if you do that and like traps her in a river and then things go from there she ends up um eventually being trapped in human form and having to birth children because she is cursed by a sage uh because her like little godling Spirits hung up by her River did something bad there's like stuff around that where that's like not entirely accurate but she has to do that so there's a lot of like dark themes here there are trigger warnings for like infant death and um infanticide partner abuse and misogyny but through that experience she experiences some like mortality and then there are ramifications of all of that too like of choices that she makes during her time as a human and how people like respond to her and then you get her going you know back into being a goddess because she has a very again big part of this Hindu epic and you also later in the book follow one of her children and involvement in like history and you in this epic and things so I love these books like if you really enjoy like meline Miller what meline Miller does for Greek mythology vishav Patel is doing that for Hindu mythology she fleshes out these characters she fleshes out this world it is all very magical and there's a lot of like political machinations and things particularly in these books but like as far as the World building I always get a good sense of like the gods and mythology and stuff again this is a culture that I'm not like deeply familiar with but I have some cultural reference points and like media reference points for some of these things but she really like flushes all that out without you feeling like you have to go on Wikipedia everything even though I do after because I'm like oh my gosh what's the actual story here and what did she change what did she not but like that's really fun I always like following these kinds of Godlike characters um and the way it's translated and like the way in which her character Arc and things go is really interesting which I'll get to in the character part but like the minations and like the political machinations and how all that is set up is pretty easy to follow as far as like characters and stuff which I'll Segway into in a second but there are Parts in the second part of the book that there are so many names and so many people that that got a little bit muddled for me but that's probably because I just am not as familiar with the cultural reference point of the Epic but there were just like a lot of people in the second half it's very political heavy as far as our characters gunga obsessed with her I love her so much this is really a story at its core about boy moms but not in a toxic way like boy moms that are trying um and just like the influence of mothers on society in a way that people might not fully understand the full ramification and mothers trying to do their best in a world that is very much driven by men uh and what do they do in the choices that they make and how do those then impact the men that are making these big decisions but like gunga goes through so much from being like a newer God to um being sort of like an Angry God to being a human and wrestling with the go like God versus human like IM mortality idea I don't know if you can hear that banging I'm pretty sure that's my neighbors playing with their dog and they're like bouncing a ball on the floor it happens like every day I really loved her and I did like a lot of the side characters that kind of come in and out there are some that are more fleshed out than others but I enjoyed some of like the interweaving of her with like their stories and I really just enjoy in general when people retell myths and they pull like other parts in that maybe weren't exactly in that order although these characters maybe didn't meet but like making them uh meet in this way and cross paths is like so much more interesting and compelling from a narrative aspect so I really enjoyed that as well so yeah like plot-wise I enjoyed like all how all those elements were woven together I think vishav Patel's writing is very beautiful as well I listen to the audiobook and the audiobook narrator is really good and yeah I feel like I heard a lot about Kai k and then I didn't really hear a lot about this one and this one is just as good these are both very good Kai k was one of my favorite books of last year this is one my favorite books of this year definitely five out of five stars if you enjoy mythology retellings of any type you will definitely enjoy this one so comment down below let me know what you thought of goddess of the river thank you all for watching and I'll see you guys soon byehey guys it's Sam and this is my spoiler Freeview of goddess of the river by Vish naavi Patel this is a standalone adult mythology retelling this is from the same author who wrote Kai uh which she is doing retellings of Hindu epics so I am not super familiar with these epics there are a few things that I am familiar with from like pop culture references and things but not as much so I cannot speak to like what things she's using and and changing and the ways in which she makes it unique but she does have notes at the back of the book for like here's which uh translations I used and which things I changed and which things I didn't and like why I did that which I think is a really cool reference point as well for the things that she's pulling from so this book primarily follows a goddess this is the river gunga she is a river goddess and she at the very beginning of the book is basically like called Down to Earth by people but then one of the other gods basically is like you can't do that because you're going to destroy the world if you do that and like traps her in a river and then things go from there she ends up um eventually being trapped in human form and having to birth children because she is cursed by a sage uh because her like little godling Spirits hung up by her River did something bad there's like stuff around that where that's like not entirely accurate but she has to do that so there's a lot of like dark themes here there are trigger warnings for like infant death and um infanticide partner abuse and misogyny but through that experience she experiences some like mortality and then there are ramifications of all of that too like of choices that she makes during her time as a human and how people like respond to her and then you get her going you know back into being a goddess because she has a very again big part of this Hindu epic and you also later in the book follow one of her children and involvement in like history and you in this epic and things so I love these books like if you really enjoy like meline Miller what meline Miller does for Greek mythology vishav Patel is doing that for Hindu mythology she fleshes out these characters she fleshes out this world it is all very magical and there's a lot of like political machinations and things particularly in these books but like as far as the World building I always get a good sense of like the gods and mythology and stuff again this is a culture that I'm not like deeply familiar with but I have some cultural reference points and like media reference points for some of these things but she really like flushes all that out without you feeling like you have to go on Wikipedia everything even though I do after because I'm like oh my gosh what's the actual story here and what did she change what did she not but like that's really fun I always like following these kinds of Godlike characters um and the way it's translated and like the way in which her character Arc and things go is really interesting which I'll get to in the character part but like the minations and like the political machinations and how all that is set up is pretty easy to follow as far as like characters and stuff which I'll Segway into in a second but there are Parts in the second part of the book that there are so many names and so many people that that got a little bit muddled for me but that's probably because I just am not as familiar with the cultural reference point of the Epic but there were just like a lot of people in the second half it's very political heavy as far as our characters gunga obsessed with her I love her so much this is really a story at its core about boy moms but not in a toxic way like boy moms that are trying um and just like the influence of mothers on society in a way that people might not fully understand the full ramification and mothers trying to do their best in a world that is very much driven by men uh and what do they do in the choices that they make and how do those then impact the men that are making these big decisions but like gunga goes through so much from being like a newer God to um being sort of like an Angry God to being a human and wrestling with the go like God versus human like IM mortality idea I don't know if you can hear that banging I'm pretty sure that's my neighbors playing with their dog and they're like bouncing a ball on the floor it happens like every day I really loved her and I did like a lot of the side characters that kind of come in and out there are some that are more fleshed out than others but I enjoyed some of like the interweaving of her with like their stories and I really just enjoy in general when people retell myths and they pull like other parts in that maybe weren't exactly in that order although these characters maybe didn't meet but like making them uh meet in this way and cross paths is like so much more interesting and compelling from a narrative aspect so I really enjoyed that as well so yeah like plot-wise I enjoyed like all how all those elements were woven together I think vishav Patel's writing is very beautiful as well I listen to the audiobook and the audiobook narrator is really good and yeah I feel like I heard a lot about Kai k and then I didn't really hear a lot about this one and this one is just as good these are both very good Kai k was one of my favorite books of last year this is one my favorite books of this year definitely five out of five stars if you enjoy mythology retellings of any type you will definitely enjoy this one so comment down below let me know what you thought of goddess of the river thank you all for watching and I'll see you guys soon bye\n"