Sajni Patel charts a new course for the Rick Riordan Presents imprint with her latest book A Drop of Venom. Using the mythology story of Medusa and combining it with Indian folklore, Patel has created a masterful story about violence and trauma and how the lead characters recover and continue in life. In the novel, readers meet two protagonists, Manisha who is training to be a high priestess, and Pratyush who is the last slayer of the kingdom and protector against all monsters.
Manisha is an orphan from her family and taken in to be a temple priestess. She knows nothing about what happened to her relatives, but she plans to use her setting as a place to succeed. Following the rules and hoping to make the best of her placement, Manisha has adapted well.
Pratyush is the last of the slayers. His father was a slayer before him, and after watching him die saving the family, Pratyush has become a ward of the king. The monarch has less than ideal plans for the young boy, and trains him to accept his fate and to slay the monsters who threaten the kingdom. Not knowing what else to do, Pratyush grows into his role.
When he and Manisha meet, his love for her is instant. Manisha is amazed by how different Pratyush is from every other man who has come to the floating mountains for a retreat. Their paths cross many times. Being the slayer allows Pratyush many visits, but that doesn’t mean they end up happily ever after.
Being a smart and capable character makes Manisha a threat. In an act of violence, Manisha is raped by the General of the king and then thrown from the mountains to die, but she lives. Her power, the strength in her blood, and a desire to find her family keep her alive. A little help from some mythological snakes helps as well.
While Manisha escapes and befriends a giant serpent named Noni, Pratyush must once again meet his obligations to the king and hunt down a new monster that has the power to turn men to stone. Manisha and Pratyush will meet again, and their choices will decide if they will be friends or foes.
Sajni Patel creates a wholly new story with an existing tale of Medusa as a chance to reexamine what we know about the myth of the famed snake headed monster. Episode 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians has started a conversation of how Medusa has been viewed through the ages, and how she is more than just a hideous monster, but instead a victim of the whims of more powerful people.
A Drop of Venom blends the Greek myth with Indian folklore so well, that at times it will feel like readers are in the middle of Medusa’s story. Patel has brilliantly mixed the myth with her incredible narrative to create something new and noteworthy.
Manisha’s story is Medusa’s story, and the story of many others who have experienced sexual violence. Though the setting may involve mythological monsters and epic battles, the reality of Manisha’s rape is something many readers could have experienced. When it happens, the rape is brutal, and detailed in such a way that readers will want to throw the book across the wall in anger for the violation that Manisha has suffered. It doesn’t matter that this is a book, the act is real. How does the main character survive? That’s where a reader will have to pick the book back up and continue reading.
Pratyush experiences his own horror. He is a child soldier. Taken from his home, conditioned to fight and not question, this boy knows nothing but battles, blood, and misery. Even though he lives a life of luxury and would never have to worry about the personal violence that Manisha has experienced, Pratyush is far from free.
How does one recover from violence done upon them? I thought it was a great choice of Patel to only name the king, King, and the general who rapes Manisha as General. These titles of people with power are a great stand in for specific names. The focus of the story is not about a person who abuses their power or harms others, rather it is the people who have power despite what their names are that inflict suffering on others.
The Rick Riordan Presents imprint always had real world issues in their stories. From finding your place in society, feeling abandoned and neglected, to parental loss, previous books from this literary world never shied away from dealing with tough issues. A Drop of Venom opens a significant new route of stories within the Rick Riordan Presents banner because it is willing to confront the issue of sexual violence.
Some may question why a young adult fantasy novel would focus the narrative on sexual violence and the aftermath of such abuse. My response is, why wouldn’t a young adult fantasy novel address such issues for its readers.
Our literature reflects the truth of the world around us. In fantasy stories where giant snakes can communicate with humans, or a band of smaller hobbits tries to fight the evil of the land, real issues permeate throughout our texts. Sajni Patel has not only written a dynamic and compelling action-adventure story about a heroic lead character named Manisha, but the book itself is a tale of violence and healing, and how to reconcile the two.
A Drop of Venom is the story of Medusa, the young character of Greek mythology who was punished for her affair with Poseidon by a vengeful Athena, and it isn’t. What makes this novel so important, so unique to a world of mythology-based stories is that despite the fact we are faced with monsters and mythic lands, the world is real because it reflects the world that readers live in.
Should teens who read young adult fantasy novels read about the rape of a temple priestess and how she gets her revenge on the monster who harmed her? Of course. Sadly, there are many young adult readers who have faced sexual violence. Perhaps A Drop of Venom will do more than just entertain readers but will be the catalyst for a reader who has experienced such a heinous act to seek help, and to find a way to heal.
Good books will entertain, and great books will make you think. A Drop of Venom is an important step for Rick Riordan Presents as it continues to evolve in the types of stories being published. A Drop of Venom will entertain with its beautifully painted word canvas of a story, amuse thanks to the loveable and protective massive serpent named Noni who befriends Manisha and inspire with the devotion of Pratyush’s lieutenant and friend Dev. Mostly I hope that this book will help readers who need help to find it, and for others to change for the better.