Kavithri is the first book in the historical inspired grimdark fantasy series Ghost of Ethuram, written by Aman J. Bedi, and published by Gollancz. A South-Asian inspired fantasy which is not afraid to portray the grittiest aspects, telling us the story of Kavi, our heroine, an outcast and underdog that will fight against a system rigged against her people, the Taemu, and that will be punished for trying to thrive.

The Taemu were once feared berserkers and the spearhead of the continent-invasion; but now they are at the bottom of Rayaan society, their spirits crushed and their story erased. However, Kavi has a dream and a plan, as she wants to earn a place in the secretive mage academy; face the Jinn and gain the power and the position that will allow her to take her people outside of the darkness, breaking that cycle of abuse they are experience. Soon, it gets clear that getting this power has a price; but the world soon makes clear they don't want a Taemu rising. They will try to break her and make her bleed, but she's full of determination, and won't back down even if that means eventually let her rage reach the surface.

In my opinion, the biggest success of Bedi is how well fleshed is Kavi; a girl with a dream, but also who eventually will become the hope of the hopeless Taemu. She is not allowed to fail, the weight of her self-impossed mission is a heavy one; and through her eyes, we will experience the grittiest aspects of Rayaan society, how they try to bring her down. It's difficult to not cheer for her, because we all want her to bring down the Goliat that is Rayaan's caste system; but in the process, she will experience much pain.
However, despite a great part of the secondary cast is against Kavi, we are also allowed to experience some kindness among the suffering; especially among the Taemu, the found family feeling is strong. Some of them will play key roles in her journey, and definitely win a place in her heart.

You can guess the Indian inspiration in this setting, accompanied by interesting steampunk details; Bedi decides to keep many of the original terms without translating, providing an extra layer of immersion to the reader. He's not afraid of portraying the mud and the dirt, the worst aspects of the world, especially as Kavi belongs to one of the lowest castes in the Rayaan society.
I found Bedi's prose to be excellent at depicting the action scenes, especially with Kavithri's progression, creating really vivid combat scenes. The pacing is relatively fast, without dull moments, nailing perfectly what you can expect from a novel of this length.

Kavithri is an excellent debut, an explosive story about a character fighting against a stacked deck; you will cheer for her, but will also suffer for Kavi. If you are looking for a different setting, an authentic underdog story, Aman J. Bedi's has the perfect hit for you!