Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar
Publisher’s Summary: Plant-loving Ridhi Kapadia and popular Nilesh Batra were friends once.
Now, seventeen and alone, Ridhi blends natural perfumes, wears flower crowns, and wanders her local woods, listening for the leafy whispers of her beloved trees. Pleading for the yakshas to admit her into their enchanted forest kingdom, where she knows she truly belongs.
After learning his parents’ perfect marriage is a sham and getting suspended from school, a heartsick Nilesh lands at Ridhi’s doorstep—the last thing either of them wants. So when a pretty yakshini offers him the distraction of magic, the same magic he mocked Ridhi for believing in, he jumps at it.
Furious, Ridhi strikes a bargain with a noblewoman of the yaksha court. In exchange for helping restore her reputation, Lady Sulochana will turn Ridhi into the yakshini she yearns to be—and teach her to divine the trees’ murmurs.
But when Nilesh ends up trapped in the yakshas’ realm, Ridhi realizes the leaves might be telling a disturbing story about the forest her heart is rooted in—one that, even if the two of them band together, threatens to shred the future like so many thorns.
My Thoughts: If anyone is ever asking for a book that is perfect for the beginning of spring, this one is what I will hand them. Divining the Leaves leads the reader into and through a lush forest and you can almost smell the scents as they’re described. In that aspect, it brought to mind The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee. In both novels scent and magic play a big role and the main characters in both are creating aromas that I want to be able to experience.
This is a book chock full of enchantment in the natural world. It opens with portions of two different poems that allude to the outdoors. The plants, weather, and air are vividly described. The poems are followed by a tale about an interaction between a child and a yakshini that began a connection that lasted into adulthood. The child was a dreamer that noticed the magical aspects of the trees and was drawn to the yakshini and the gems in the forest over the years. There are a few more storytelling moments like this later in the book.
Following these short pieces, the current day story with Ridhi and Nilesh begins. Their story is typical daily life, but glimmers of the magical realm keep appearing. Is it a trick of the light or is the forest truly alive with magic? I enjoyed those glimpses of the otherworldly spaces throughout the story.
There are many elements and words that were new to me like garba, which is a cultural dance as I learned in this video. But while reading the acknowledgments, I also had to look up the word cottagecore. So obviously, this book was a learning experience in more than one way.
I labeled this a fantasy, but hesitated with the romance designation. There is some romance in the story, but that isn’t the focus. There’s a lot going on and in fact the machinations of some of the characters were a little more convoluted than I could follow sometimes. It all eventually made sense, but it’s definitely not a fluffy rom-com to breeze through without a lot of thought.
I had a strong preference for Ridhi’s storyline. Her character seems to be more developed and she has more time on the page. I also appreciated the many ways that she was connected to the forest and the beings there.
Recommendation: If you are in the mood for a refreshing spring tale full of blossoms and dark forests, grab this one as soon as you can. The magic is seeping all around the very realistic family and identity issues that the main characters are dealing with in their own unique ways. If slightly twisty intrigue is not your jam though you may not be in such a rush.
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 416
Availability: On shelves now
Review copy: Final copy provided by publisher