The Book Critiques

BOOK – Ruin of Scarred
AUTHOR – Medha Nagur
GENRE – Fiction
PAGES – 230
REVIEW – Set in the British era, Ruin of Scarred is the first part of the duology ‘Sting of Love’ where the story revolves around a young woman, Bidisha Maitra. Born out of wedlock, Bidisha was ready to avenge the humiliation faced by her mother, Mokshita, who was accused of killing a British officer and her lover.
Bidisha through luck got an opportunity to join the royal palace as a maid and to free her mother from the false charges she took that opportunity readily. However, things didn’t work in her favour as she was placed by Rani Maa in the palace to keep a watch on Prince Prabir and no matter how hard she tried, she failed to execute her plans.
But even after all the challenges Bidisha was adamant to pursue her goal but a blunder snatched away a lot from her and led her along with Prabir’s most loyal servant Debesh Das to the land of Britishers.
And from there the plot takes an unexpected turn making readers to not leave the book for a second.
The story ends with a cliffhanger and what happens with Bidisha and Debesh will be revealed in the second part.

With the slow start, the story picked up speed as the second half approached and make this book more intriguing.

The character of Bidisha is well portrayed, a young lady, fierce and strong headed ready to take down the whole world for her mother and not only hers but other characters too are well crafted and help readers to understand the story better.

The narration is smooth and the language is crisp and easy which makes this book a perfect entertainment combo.

If you are someone who likes to read romance and drama then do give this book a try.

RATING – 4⭐

BOOK – After Life: Reborn of Love
AUTHOR – Nikhilanshu Janwa
PUBLISHER – Paper Towns Publishing
GENRE – Fiction (Fantasy)
PAGES – 294
REVIEW – Have you ever wondered what happens to us once we die? Do places like hell or heaven exist? Or our soul lands up in another world just like earth?

In his debut novel ‘After Life’ Nikhilanshu Janwa tries to portray his perspective on the topic through his fictional character Nikhil.

Nikhil, a teenager entered Sanbri-Lok after his sudden demise. At first, he was in shock, it was hard for him to digest the facts thrown at him by Mayank, a Meinus. Mayank told him everything about Sanbri-lok, what it exactly is, how things work here, etc. Nikhil gets to know about the only temple of Sanbri-lok where if a person prays then the gods fulfil his/her wish. Sounds easy, no? But it isn’t. Prayer in Sanbri-Lok means that a person has to enter the temple and have to open all fifteen gates of the temple to complete the prayer and then only the god will grant him a wish.
With the new information, Nikhil made up his mind to pray in the temple so that he can reunite with his love Vaishnavi.
When I started reading the book, I was sure that I will be dnfing it soon as at that moment the story didn’t appear as it actually was. After reading the initial chapters I get the idea that it’s romance fiction and the title and the cover are irrelevant however I didn’t lose hope and continued reading. I am glad that I didn’t DNF the book as the second part was a blow for me, I was not expecting the story to take such a turn.
Kudos to the author for his imagination and creative skills, what seems like a young adult cliche romance fiction turned out to be an unexpected fantasy.

I recommend this book to young readers as they will find the story entertaining.

RATING – 4⭐

BOOK – The Empress of Indraprastha: Entering Kuruvansh
AUTHOR – Sonali Raje
PUBLISHER – Vishwakarma
REVIEW – Draupadi, the pivotal character in the Mahabharata or you can say the regal Queen was one of the main reasons behind the epic war of Mahabharata.
From time immemorial, several authors have tried their hands at giving life to this magnanimous character through their words. There are so many books written only on her, sharing her story from different perspectives.
I too had read so many books about her even recently got a chance to read ‘The Empress of Indraprastha’ where Sonali Raje has brought Draupadi’s character to life through her own point of view.

The book starts from a day before the swayamvar of Draupadi where the readers get to witness Draupadi’s anxiety about her would-be husband as the conditions set by her brothers and father were difficult to fulfil.
The author takes the story further from her Swayamvar where she insulted Karna for being a sutaputra and finally marry Arjuna.

The Empress of Indraprastha is the first part of the series ‘Entering Kuruvansh’ and in this whole series, the author has decided to divide Draupadi’s tale into parts according to the events that occurred in her life.
The first part ends with the partition of Hastinapur where Khandava Pradesh was given to the Pandavas.
And then the Pandavas decided to build an empire vast and more prosperous than Hastinapur and from here will begin the second part of the series.

Now coming to the writing style, narration and language. The author has used easy yet effective words to share her story. The character of Draupadi is shown as actually was, strong, regal and fierce. Even the author has done justice with other characters also.

As this is mythological fiction and the author has the liberty to mould the story as she desired which she utilised fully and efficiently yet she didn’t fail to inculcate the important events that shaped Draupadi’s life.
For a mytho fiction lover like me, this book was nothing less than a treat and am eagerly waiting to read the next part.
You too should definitely give this book a read.
RATING – 4.3⭐

BOOK – Hakka & Bukka: Dawn of the Vijayanagara Empire
AUTHOR – Kamal Niranjan
GRNRE – Fiction (Historical)
PAGES – 333
REVIEW – Every time the name of the Vijayanagara Empire comes, the image of Raja Krishnadeva Raya pops up in my brain but do we know who was behind building this vast empire in the south?

Kamal Niranjan bring the heroes of the past to share their story with the world. The five sons of Bhavana Sangama, the Chieftain of Kakatiya were compelled to vacate their homes when the kingdom was attacked by the army of Alauddin Khalji.
The five brothers took refuge under Hosalaya King and proceeded with their lives but destiny played once again its cruel game with them. When the five brothers stood side by side to save the land of Kampili from the Tughluqs they lost three of them. Out of the war only Harihara and Bukka came alive.
The Sangama brothers started their lives afresh with the help of the fisher community of Anegundi. During their stay they got a chance to meet Swami Vidyaranya.
The encounter with the holy one changed the course of the lives of the Sangama brothers. What started with wiping out the evil and reinstatement of Sanatana Dharma in the Dakshina Bharatha ended up with the establishment of the largest empire of South.
Kamal Niranjan through his writing brings the Sangama brothers into life. He brilliantly mixes history with fiction without changing important facts.
The author has not only focused on the lead characters but has also given equivalent importance to various other characters. He has also described vital events, wars, and political upliftments in a chronological manner which helps those who do not have enough knowledge about the struggles and battles that occurred in the 14th century.

This book is the proof of hard work and research done by the author. You might have read about Hakka and Bukla in your history books yet you will find so many astounding facts in this book.

The only drawback for me in this book was the descriptive narration which made the story slow at certain points.

There is no doubt that this book is a treat for historical fiction lovers.

RATING – 4⭐

BOOK – The Missing Tile & Other Stories
AUTHOR – Saeed Ibrahim
PUBLISHER – Notion Press
GENRE – Short Stories
PAGES – 211
REVIEW – As the name indicates “The Missing Tile & Other Stories” is a collection of stories where the author has compiled 15 short fables. All these tales present a piece of life where the characters come from our surroundings only. The author with his acute observation has caught little moments of life and weaved some beautiful and heart-touching stories.
There’s no doubt that you will find magic in these short tales and will be taken into the world of different characters. What touched me the most was the portrayal of all the characters, as this is a short story collection hence the author was bound to finish his tales in limited words yet he succeeded in describing all of his characters gorgeously and as if his words were not enough, the illustrations inside the book by Danish Bharucha bring all the characters and their stories alive.
Among these 15 stories, you will get doses of laughter, love and despair. One such story is “Pesi’s Pastime” which made me laugh my heart out. It’s a story of a man in his mid-sixties who like to play pranks frequently and the author has shared one of Pesi’s prank.

The story that touched my heart is ‘Dalit life matters’ where the author has touched on the hot topic of the cast system prevalent in our country.

With his witty and precise narration, the author surely succeeds in entertaining his readers. However, I feel that the author has not only narrated some stories to entertain you rather all these tales have a deep message which we all need to learn and think about.

This book is surely a perfect gift to give your young ones (precisely kids above 10 years) but these stories can also be read by adults as there are lots of things which we adults need to reflect on.

RATINGS -5⭐

“Shoot for the moon, even if you fail, you’ll land among the stars.”

BOOK – PS, I Love You
AUTHOR – Cecelia Ahern
PUBLISHER – HarperCollins
GENRE – Fiction (Romance)
PAGES – 511

“Don’t be afraid to fall in love again. Open your heart and follow where it leads you…and remember, shoot for the moon.”

REVIEW – We all know that nothing and no one is permanent on this earth but saying goodbye to our loved ones is the hardest thing we could ever do that too way before time.
Death is the cruellest thing that can ever happen to our beloved but what if I tell you that they come back in your life? No! Not as a ghost but in the form of some letters?

PS, I Love You is set on a similar plot. Holly lost her husband Gerry to a brain tumour and was devastated by his untimely death. When her life was going nowhere she received an envelope full of letters written by Gerry for her.
Gerry wrote one letter each for every month till the year ends and in those letters were some tasks which Gerry wanted Holly to do.

Holly religiously followed Gerry’s commands, be it singing in a karaoke competition or finding a dream job.

Gerry intended to help Holly heal and cope up with his death. But is it this easy to forget the man of life?

“She couldn’t remember the last time she hugged someone, really hugged someone.”

PS, I Love You is not only a story of a couple who were separated by death but also of the different relationships they shared with others. In this book, you will get to witness friendship, siblings’ love, heartbreak and family drama. The way Holly’s family supported and helped her in healing and the way Holly’s best friends Sharon and Denise stood beside her will definitely move you.

“what a luxury it was for people to hold their loved ones whenever they wanted.”

It’s super easy to get attached to the character of Holly, you will feel her pain and suffering when she read Gerry’s letters, and her enviousness when she heard about the good things transpiring in her best friend’s life.

Some might take Holly’s healing story as unrealistic but keep in mind while reading this book that everyone has their own way to cope with such a loss.

The author has immaculately portrayed the characters of certain people who showed fake sympathy to Holly but at the same time back bitched about her.

This is my first book by the author and I am totally mesmerized by her writing and looking forward to reading the next part soon.

The book will take you on a roller coaster ride full of emotions, you will laugh at the antics of girls in ‘Girl & the City’ and cry with Holly in her loneliness.

PS, I love you is a heart-touching story that will remain with you for a long time even after finishing the book. If you love reading romance fiction then do give this book a read but if you are way too emotional then try to avoid it.

RATINGS – 5⭐

BOOK – The Broken Egg of Legacy
AUTHOR – Tushar Parashar
GENRE – Fiction (Contemporary)
PAGES – 453
REVIEW – In this world, thriving to succeed and forging one’s identity isn’t a catwalk, especially when, throughout your life, you were recognised because of your family’s legacy.
But there was a guy who decided not to follow the path chosen by his forefathers and mark his name in history through his deeds only. And The Brocken Egg of Legacy is the story of his dreams.

Raghav chooses engineering by breaking the age-old family tradition of making a career in law. He joins IIVP to make his own name but there also his family legacy came ahead of him, no matter how hard he tried.
Despite all this, he made some friends who loved him not because of his family’s name but for the person he was and it was only in college he met Aarushi, the love of his life.

During his college life, Raghav got the chance to brace his inbuilt leadership skills by participating in the college elections. He used his skills again for the betterment of the Bheel Community and helped his friend, Om to bring the required transitions in his tribal area.

The Brocken Egg of Legacy is a story of love, brotherhood, friendship, heartbreak, issues of tribal community and finding one’s destiny. The author blends all this immaculately and presents you with a story full and emotional rollercoaster rides.

Here you will not only witness the love story of the protagonist but also of his friends among which Om and Chaitrya’s became my instant favourite.

The author not only shares Raghav’s journey to find his destiny but also makes its readers aware of a community which has all the potential to grow but is neglected by the government.

There are quite many characters but with the pristine narration of the author, no one can get confused. All the characters seem real.

This book will definitely motivate many youngsters.

However, I must admit, the story is a bit long and it took me more than usual to finish this book. Also, I felt that the author could have explored the Bheel Community part a little more but at the same time, he may write a second part focusing more on the other characters of the book.

RATING – 4.5 ⭐

#qotd – You last thriller read?

BOOK- The Seventh Cup

AUTHOR- Nitesh Kumar Jain

GENRE – Fiction

PAGES – 311

REVIEW – The main protagonist “Avinash” is sitting in a Cafe on a Saturday evening who is simply enjoying the company of his love “Verona” along with a coffee but then he suddenly got a call from a detective agency who were asking about “Verona” who is missing from past 8 months. Avinash said that she was sitting right in front of him & it was a mistake.

The detective wants to reassure the whole scenario so they visit them but no one was there except “Avinash”. The detectives enquire everyone in the cafe. Even the waitress “Jane” said something is not ok with “Avinash” he always sits alone in that Cafe. While on the other hand, “Avinash” claims that he was actually meeting “Verona” regularly.

So who is lying & who is telling the truth? Is “Avinash” lying? Or the waitress “Jane” wants to frame “Avinash” for some personal enmity? Is “Verona” really missing or its really a mistake by the detectives?

The conspiracy is much more complex than it seems. I admit that the starting of the book is a little bit confusing & slow but after page number 48 everything is going to change and you will be forced to finish this book in one go.

This book will shake your world upside down. This book is a complete package of Suspense, the law of attraction, crime, Thriller, Unexpected Plot, Mind-Bending Story & whatnot to keep the reader engaged.

All the characters have played their role gracefully and the writing style of the book is lucid.

I am glad that I got a chance to read this thriller fiction.

RATING- 4.5⭐

BOOK – It’s Too Big To Grab
AUTHOR- Rex Jovakim Joseph
GENRE – Fiction
PAGES – 52
REVIEW – ‘It’s Too Big To Grab’ is the first part of The story of unsung S.U.L.T.A.N. of Arab where the author starts the story with introducing two lead characters of the saga. David Mathew, CEO of Ocean Blend Media was traveling to Dubai and in the flight he met a very odd guy, Alexander Joseph, an engineering graduate who was traveling to Dubai to study Master’s in law at Dubai MDX.
Alexander’s appearance ignited a curiosity in David and he asked Alexander to tell everything about himself and from there begins the story of Alexander.
The author ends the first part with lots of unanswered questions to pique the interest of the readers.
Life story of Alexander is full of emotions that easily connect the readers to him.
The narration is to the point and I like how the things unfolded. The author instead of presenting a simple story, blend it gracefully with quotes and poems which is the USP of this book.
The short read of 50 pages took me hardly an hour to finish but left me to think about the next part. I am eagerly waiting to know more about Alexander and other characters of this saga.

RATINGS – 5⭐

BOOK- Dear Augustus: Before I let go
AUTHOR- Pooja Pathak
GENRE- Fiction (YA Romance)
PAGES- 98
REVIEW- Dear Augustus is a story of a teenager Violet who poured her heart out in letters dedicated to Augustus whom she loved dearly but her fate didn’t want her to be with him. Violet in these letters narrates all the incidents from the day when just because of peer pressure she called Augustus, a complete stranger, to go on a date with her and to her surprise, he accepted the invite.
Their first date changed Violet’s life. Till then she believed that she had a crush on her best friend, Adrian, but that one date opened a new life for her.

What does a YA romance fiction needs? An engaging plot, with some romance, care and jealousy in it. These ingredients are this crucial that they can make or break any YA romance fiction. I was not anticipating all these elements to be present in this novella, as I have never read as flawless YA as this by any Indian author so far. The story kept me hooked till the last page and even after that urged me to imagine the next part. I can’t tell you how badly I want to read the second part of the ‘Dear Augustus’ series.
Lyrical narration, well-sketched characters, rich vocabulary, and lucid language are in abundance in this novella and also enough to entertain anyone till the end.

The title and the cover of the novella too are in sync with the story and can effortlessly force anybody to pick this novella.

RATING – 5⭐

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