Vaishnavi Patel
American author
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vaishnavi Patel (born 1995 or 1996[1]) is an American novelist and lawyer. She is best known for her fantasy novel Kaikeyi (2022)[2]
Vaishnavi Patel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995/1996 (age 29–30) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Alma mater | Yale Law School |
| Occupations | Novelist and lawyer |
| Years active | 2022–present |
| Notable work | |
| Website | vaishnavipatel |
Writing career
In 2022, Patel's debut novel Kaikeyi, an adult fantasy reimagining of the life of Kaikeyi from the Hindu epic Ramayana, was published by Redhook.[3] Kaikeyi was met with positive reviews, including praise for its depictions of justice[4] and its faithfulness to the source text.[2] It was nominated for both the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy[5] and Debut novel,[6] and the 2023 Ignyte Award for Best Novel: Adult.[7] It reached number 14 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction.[8]
Patel's second novel for adults, Goddess of the River, was released by Orbit Books in 2024.[9] The novel, described as a feminist retelling of the story of the goddess Ganga,[10] was nominated for the 2025 Audie Award for Fantasy.[11] In 2025, Patel released her third novel, Ten Incarnations of Rebellion, through Ballantine Books. The book, set in an alternative version of India still colonised by the United Kingdom, was described as "an epic and frighteningly plausible work of historical fiction" in a Kirkus Starred Review.[12]
Patel's fourth novel, We Dance Upon Demons, described as a "fantasy spin" on the reproductive rights movement, is set to be released by Saga Press in May 2026.[13]
Legal career
Patel is also a lawyer, having graduated from Yale Law School and taken the bar exam in 2022.[4][1] In 2023, she worked as a law clerk in the District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston.[1] She works as a lawyer focusing on constitutional law and civil rights.[14]