Review of Shadow Princess by Indu Sundaresan

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This is a story about two sisters, Jahanara and Roshanara daughters of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and how their lives are influenced by the death of their mother Mumtaz and the construction of her tomb, the world renowned Taj Mahal.

After reading the “the Twentieth Wife”, I was hooked onto historical fiction and Indu Sundaresan’s writing. The next book, “The Feast of Roses” has got me waiting again for the next one and sure enough “Shadow Princess” exceeded my expectations. The Mughal Empire is not just names of kings and dates to me anymore.

The “Shadow Princess” has everything. It is a love story of Jahanara and Najabat Khan; a story of sibling rivalry to the extremes which can only be seen in rich and powerful families and an architectural digest in its description of the Taj Mahal and why and how it took place.

Indu Sundaresan through her writing takes us into the Mughal Empire. We travel trough the palaces, zenenas and the streets and listen in on conversations first hand. We experience a husband’s love for his wife, a father’s love for his daughter, sibling dynamics in a very powerful family, the intensity of a young love and how all these influence the empire.

All in all, a wonderful read which I did not want to put down and savored every word of.

A must read for everyone who likes a good story.