‘I learnt to love like a man—to love without feelings. And I shall never forget this lesson.’ Blurb from the book: Matsyagandha, Daseyi, Yojanagandha — the queen of Hastinapur, Satyavati. Abandoned as a baby, preyed on by a rishi, she hardens herself, determined that the next time she is with a man, she will be the one to win. And win she does: the throne of Hastinapur for herself, and the promise that her sons will be heirs to the kingdom. But at what cost? In a palace where she is disdained and scorned, Satyavati must set aside her own loss and pain if she is to play the game of politics. She learns to be ruthless, unscrupulous — traits that estrange her from everyone around. Everyone, except the man she cheated of his birthright. A piercing, insightful look at the grand matriarch of the Kuru family, the woman who set off the sequence of events that ended in the bloody battle of Kurukshetra, The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty will re-align your reading of the Mahabharata. My Review Satyavati, Matsyagandha, Daseyi and Kali, one character many names. I have always been fascinated with the genre of mythology. Mahabharata is an epic story with many characters, some of them well known and few others with less prominence. Who is Satyavati? What is her role in this magnum opus? How did she become the Queen of Hastinapur? Did she sow the early seeds of war? Like her other mythological fictions this too brings to light many characters that have been lesser known. To start with, the title of the book seemed like a perfect fit for the plot. To complement the title was the beautiful cover page.  The Plot in the book is about a woman who is a twin born to a King. Who abandons her, one because she is born out of his illegitimate affair and two because she was dark skinned. Her story will fill you both with hatred and empathy. Denied of her birthright Satyavati feels the pain of being left to lead an ordinary life.  Kavita Kane has well described the emotions she goes through from being leading an ordinary life, when being pursued by a Rishi for sexual pleasures and then being the wife of King Shantanu. A woman with ambitions can go to any length. She could never forgive her biological father, she was always driven by revenge. Her step father helped her become the queen she always wished to be.  A strong woman, with grave ambitions, defeated by fate. That was Satyavati.  I enjoyed the reading the book, the language was simple, easy to grasp, i was glued to the book all the time. Although there was more scope of exploring Satyavati’s character. Nonetheless it is a great pick.  Disclaimer: I received this book as a part of a review program by Writersmelon and Westland Books in exchange of an honest review. About the Author: Kavita Kané is the best-selling author of four books, all based on Indian mythology: Karna’s Wife (2013), Sita’s Sister (2014), Menaka’s Choice (2015) and Lanka’s Princess (2016). A senior journalist with a career of over two decades, she quit her job to write books. With a post-graduate degree in English Literature and Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Pune, the only skill she has, she confesses, is writing. Born in Mumbai, with a childhood spent largely in Patna and Delhi, she lives in Pune with her mariner husband Prakash, two daughters, Kimaya and Amiya, two dogs, Beau and Chic, and the uncurious cat Cotton.