Queen of Water – A Tale of Power, Deceit and Sacrifice [Review]

Title: Queen of Water
Written by: Devika Rangachari
Cover illustration by: Tejashree Ingawale
Published by: Duckbill Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
Length: 224 pages
Type: Paperback
Age recommendation: 13 years and above (Young Adult)

Award winning author Dr. Devika Rangachari takes us headlong into an immersive and intriguing historical tale where ambition, power, love and deceit reign supreme.

At the heart of the story, is the proverbial ‘Queen of Water’, Princess Kundavai. She is the daughter of a mighty Chola king and grows up along the banks of the holy river Kaveri. As she learns to swim in the river, she also learns to navigate the choppy waters of the power games between the feuding kings. Kundavai keenly observes the Cholas, Cheras and the Pandyas, who are constantly locked in battle to establish supremacy in the South.

Kundavai was a trail blazer in the true sense – she refused to be restricted to learning only the womanly fine arts. She mentored her younger brother, the mighty Rajarajendra Chola and patronised the construction of a hospital and temples (including the legendary Brihadeshwara temple).

The author’s detailed descriptions give us an idea about the medieval Tamil Chola kingdom. Her words capture the emotional turmoil of the characters.

Dr. Devika is a master story teller and she tells a tale that has love, sacrifice, power and treachery woven into it. What she creates is a masterpiece that will leave you in awe of this magnificent Chola princess who put her natal kingdom’s needs before her own.

What really awestruck me was the in-depth research by the author as well as the fantastic story telling to transform historical facts into a spell-binding story.

It’s truly unfortunate that most of us (including me) are ignorant about this segment of history. I was beyond amazed to learn about this incredible Princess who contributed so richly to her kingdom but was say forgotten in the pages of history, up until now.

Thanks to the writing of Dr. Devika Rangachari, may the glory of Ilavrasi Kundavai be known for many more aeons! I would highly recommend this book – prepare to be swept away into a whirlpool of medieval Tamil history .

ADDED BY ASHA: There are other books in the Queen Series by Devika Rangachari and we have some reviews on our website as well:
QUEEN OF EARTH
QUEEN OF FIRE
Other books by this author can be found here.

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Disclaimer: Sowmya is a part of the #kbcReviewerSquad and received this book as a review copy from the publisher via kbc.