Neela Nagar is a town stuck in tradition and the past, where women are socialized into subservience and oppression, bereft of any autonomy or sense of worth outside of a life orientated around a man. It was here, at the age of nine, that Kumud Kuthiyala witnessed the horrific ritual of suttee, self-immolation of the widow on her husband's pyre, of her aunt Sau Massi. The very same town she would escape years later when she faces the same fate herself. Since leaving Neela Nagar, Kumud works at the orphanage in Ambayu, the Save Girls Souls Orphanage, where she has dedicated her life to empowering young women while still carrying deep wounds of her past in Neela Nagar. So when she gets a call from her old teacher in Neela Nagar about an imminent suttee, Kumud takes the opportunity to redeem herself by doing what she wasn't able to do at age nine, which was to save her aunt from suttee. She is determined to make her aunt's suttee the last one.

Madhu Bazaz Wangu does a good job of bringing India to the reader. The settings in The Last Suttee and the people who populate them are vivid and vibrant, accentuated through an exploration of their lifestyles, culture, economy and amenities. This exploration and the characterization offer insight into the traditions, the culture and beliefs that inform and shape the minds of people and the communities that condone suttee. In this way, The Last Suttee has tremendous anthropological value. The Last Suttee is vivid, insightful and powerful, handling themes of social justice versus tradition meticulously. A literary work worth reading.

Author Madhu Bazaz Wangu's diligently researched, and expertly crafted, The Last Suttee, is a story that is fictional but exposes readers to a real-life, antiquated suttee ritual, and transports them into the Indian towns as they visually feast on vivid descriptions of beautiful scenery following along with the main character's journey from a traumatic childhood event to her present-day quest to change the treatment of all girls and women. At the core of this gripping read is the continued need for education and equality for females everywhere.
The author writes, "education is the flame that can enlighten a whole town if its inhabitants allow it," and it is with this power that the protagonist, Kumud, attempts to change the current beliefs of the townspeople, and that of the soon-to-be widow. The Last Suttee is a thought-provoking story that is both inspirational and thrilling for readers as they follow along the path of the strong characters in hopes of a positive outcome.
(Excerpt from Feathered Quill Book Reviews)