I received an advance review copy from the author; all opinions are my own and honest.

Mythology is one of my favorite subjects to read about it, especially when the author manages to make it their own as Krishnan has done here! (The author's commentary following each story is a bit reminiscent of [b:Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes|23349901|Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes|Rick Riordan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413406290l/23349901._SX50_.jpg|42907836], but intellectual / philosophical rather than snarky.)

I can only imagine how tricky it is to organize so many conflicting versions of so many interwoven, overlapping stories into a coherent narrative, yet Love, Pride, Virtue, and Fate makes it look simple. The four titular themes are explored in various incarnations, along with comparisons to the Christian Bible and Greek mythology; there are also parallels to the Chinese folktales I grew up with, which further supports the author’s point about the similarities across human history and culture.

Overall, this is an engaging read that I think will appeal to readers of any age and any level of prior knowledge of Hinduism; Krishnan has made these stories really accessible without sugarcoating or oversimplifying the messiness inherent to mythology.