The book begins well and does have an innocent charm to it. Crafted as a school romance, the main character of the story “Kumba” is smart and familiar to the public school kids.
Let’s start by briefly discussing two relevant things that immediately increased my interest for these books. For one, I love seeing a new writer coming up with an entirely different story line. There has been a long time in the writing industry where “FRESH WRITERS” were not able to see themselves represented on the page because, 1) the concept would not sell or be attractive or 2) there were not enough writers to produce the content that many categorize as “diverse books for Young Adults.” Books that proudly display these aspect very much earn my support.
Secondly, the title for this trilogy is hilarious, new and entirely refreshing. The characters of the story line are entirely distinct from one another and human to the core. The dialogue contains a fresh and nice balance of comical aspect and seriousness that allows for a gradual flow of plot. There is nothing more that I could ask for from Inba Vignesh’s debut.
At the end, I would like to mention that “Law of Jiluk”, reveals the power of coming together and the tragedy of breaking apart.
“Wolf, Ox, Bear, form the heads, Elephant, Falcon, march ahead, Stag and Salmon, every era, Make the Seven Pillars of DieTerra” – Aermes (The Forbidden God)
About the Author
Coming soon !!!!!! (Live in an interview)
Book Review #24
“The Forbidden God”, in simple words is a story of a young Lord Aermes Dakians and his preparations for the upcoming wars. This books is one of the fascinating and original “YOUNG ADULT” debuts in the recent years. The characters are vividly drawn and intriguing.
I have enjoyed from the start the realism combined with the fairy-tale style, with historically authentic difficulties faced by the main character such as wealth, invasion and social hierarchy. Venu created a great balance of these themes with heroism, tragedy and magic. All the key moments in the novel were wonderfully blended with fantasy in the novel and continued that brilliant aspect of the story.
It may not be quite the masterpiece but it’s still one of the great books of adventurous literature and more than enough to have fans scouring for a series to be produced. Overall, “The Forbidden God” was a pleasurable read specially on a rainy day with a hot chocolate and a blanket.
“The friends were unaware that just a few steps behind them, someone was standing…. rather prying on them.”
About the Author
Coming soon !!!!!! (Live in an interview)
Book Review #23
‘WKTM” has no waffle: it is brutal, baroque and ends with a brilliant last-minute twist. It’s no secret that we like our crime novels dark and disturbing, this one hints at horrific acts of a child who turns into a “Psychopath” and quite gruesome murder scenes. Moitrayee writing style strikes exactly the right balance between too lurid and too nebulously glossing over at the other, so that the scenes can play out vividly without crossing boundaries that would turn suspense into obviousness – and still maintain the shock value I have come to expect from books in this genre.
The main character Shagun, is a twisted psychopath, a pathological liar, and a vicious killer: an intensely and unquestionably brutal woman. At the same time she’s a compelling lady—even as we hate her we feel a kind of pull toward her, even an empathy with her. She’s smarter than everyone around herself.
Detective Ray is the second lead in the story, because the career she had brought her into close contact with many aspects of crime, she strove to understand all the intricacies and facets of criminal behavior. Ray is a perfectionist in her field who works incredibly hard. Without defining her intelligence, imagination, and compassion towards the case the story would have been useless.
Overall, the author was able to balance horrible, dark deeds unflinchingly, with profound moments/messages that serve as emotional underpinnings to her work. It is the author’s gift to make the murders understandable in response to a childhood that should never have been allowed to occur.
“There were certain days when one would expect that thing could be different. It was that day of early December.” – Amitav Ganguly – Her Secrets
About the Author
Coming soon !!!!!! (Live in an interview)
Book Review #22
This amazing book is a collection of twelve not so scary but fresh Paranormal stories. Ganguly offers an appealing blend of cozy mystery with the secret rules and wonders of a group of clever characters.
One thing I really hate in “GHOST” stories are filler characters. You know those characters who are always around but don’t really serve a purpose. Sometimes fillers work and are truly needed for the story to flow but most of the time they seem in the way. These characters are not fillers in anyway. The characters are well written (In almost all the stories).
The writer’s writing style here is smooth and interesting, and manages to make this a natural part of the narrative without seemingly like an armchair psychologist or paranormal expert.
Overall, It’s eminently readable and made for a wonderful night on the couch during a weekend.
“Only men know what what this 50% vs. 50% struggle means to them. It is the clash of the angel and the demon within an individual.” – Inba Vignesh from the Law of Jiluk
About the Author
Coming soon !!!!!! (Live in an interview)
Book Review #21
The first thing that pops in your head at picking up this book is “What exactly is Jiluk” ? So, to answer your question, “Julik is anything and everything that excites you”. From eating Rajma Chawal to Stair at your Crush, everything is Julik. “Law of Julik” is dramatic, multicultural, and steamy. Inba excels at writing about physical and emotional attraction, and that way that it can evolve into love.
It would definitely take you to the memories of your school days. Made it seem like the right thing for a hot summer weekend. I read it in one day, and am glad that I picked it up. However, at the same time it felt like the book has aimed the younger audience. The more sensual scenes are toned down and aren’t quite as descriptive which does make it feel more appropriate for the YA category. I also liked how the main characters are teens in high school and because of this their parents are a feature in the book!
Overall the book has everything including, romance, family drama and heartfelt moments, this book has it all. Inba did a great job in his first account.
“I sat for what seemed like forever with my back against everyone crying, it was beautiful” – Gracie Jayne (From the book, My Grandpa’s Secret, Chapter 15 #Freedom)
About the Author
Gracie was born on September 26th, at Houston Texas, and soon moved to Seattle, Washington with her mother and two brothers when she was still an infant. When she was 4, her mother lost the custody of all the three children, and they had to move in with their grand parents. Jayne, graduated in the year 2005, and soon after that became a motivational speaker. Jayne was recognized for her services, for the disabled children.
Book Review #20
This book “My Grandpa’s Secret” is an autobiography of the author Gracie Jayne. When Gracie was about to send me a copy of her book, she warned me saying “Richa, if you’re sensitive in nature, I wouldn’t recommend you reading my book”, and I being super confident, grabbed the opportunity. I am glad that I did!
For the first time ever I thought, I wouldn’t be able to do the justice by writing about this book. Hence, asked Gracie if she was up for narrating everything she has written, and she agreed happily.
I would request everyone to please watch the videos attached below, to know what is there in the book and how deeply it effects you.
This book contains a comprehensive chain of the past experience of the writer being a victim of child abuse. To begin with let’s take a fair look on what exactly a child abuse is, “Sexual Child Abuse involves a physical forcing of sexual act or non-consensual touching. Rape falls under sexual assault and includes acts like the penetration of a penis, any object or any part of the body to any extent, into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of another person; or making another person do so. Any sexual activity, irrespective of consent with a girl or a boy below the age of 18, constitutes statutory rape.”
Now imagine a child of 4 living the above definition, everyday and for years. There were incidences where Gracie was covered in blood, having cut her forehead, and smeared the blood over her face. With courageous honesty, the writer reveals details of her abuse at the hands of her grand parents specially her grand father and others.
A truly harrowing read that made me cry. I could not put this book down until I finished it. Every page revealed more about the horrendous abuse author had to live through. I had to know if she was alright at the end. It is a heart-wrenching story, but one that is true for so many children. Anger raged through me as I was reading the book. Every page I read, I hoped that I was there at the moment and could save her.
A must read for everyone including parents, children, readers and non readers.
Thank you Gracie, for finding me capable enough to read and review this book. Everything that’s mentioned in your account will remain with me for a very long time. Love- Richa!
King is an American Author born on September 21st, 1947 in Portland Maine. Stephen and his younger brother, have been bought up by a single mother. He graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maine in 1970.
As a child, King apparently witnessed one of his friends being struck and killed by a train, though he has no memory of the event. His family told him that after leaving home to play with the boy, King returned, speechless and seemingly in shock. Only later did the family learn of the friend’s death. Some commentators have suggested that this event may have psychologically inspired some of King’s darker works.
He is famous for writing the world class Horror, Supernatural Fiction, Fantasy and Suspense. One of those few writers who sold more that a million copies, many of which have been adapted as movies, television series or featured films.
During his writing career King, has won many awards, few of those were “Bram Stoker Award, World Fantasy Award, World Fantasy Award for the life time fiction etc.
Book Review #19
To begin with it took me three weeks to read this novel. I was scared to bits and I still am. NOT recommending this book for the weak hearts!
The book begins with the introduction of the “Torrance family” that has Jack, Wendy and their five year-old son Danny. Jack is talented but not successful as a writer. His alcoholism and temper made him lose his job and has nearly destroyed an ability he had to earn a living. He gets his last chance, through the offices of an old friend, which is to work as a caretaker in the “Outlook Hotel”.
During the winter months, the hotel gets covered in snow and is inaccessible, Jack and his family sign the four months contract of complete isolation. As an added warning by one of the employees, Jack was told that the previous caretaker Grady had gone crazy with cabin fever and killed his wife and two daughters and then himself. Knowing that he has no other options, Jack agrees to take the job in the hopes that when spring comes, his play will be completed and the family will be able to make a fresh start.
A famous horror novel, “The Shining” has the ability to scare its readers. The book is not very violent, but there are many jump scares and disturbing accounts, many of which may be too frightening for the fresh readers. It deals with themes of demonic possession and maintains an unsettling atmosphere throughout.
Lastly, I’m a big fan of horror movies and novels, but this is quite possibly the scariest I’ve ever read. This is not a gory, jump-scare heavy, fright fest, it’s a slow burn movie that doesn’t need those things to scare you.
#A Great Masterpiece! No wonder Stephen King is a “PRO” in horror writing!
Anuja is a Bachelor in Psychology from the “Women’s Christian College, Chennai”, and a Master in English. Her works often feature protagonists from Indian Mythology.
Her debut novel Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior Prince was published in 2012. In 2013 it was named as one of the top 5 books in the Indian Writing category by Amazon.in. Her 2017 book “The Burning Queen” was based on the life of Rani Padmavati. It was published during the time when the Bollywood director “Sanjay Leela Bandsali” had launched a controversial trailer of his movie, Padmaavat.
In 2018, Chandramouli came up with a new book “Ganga: The Constant Goddess.
Anuja, is not only a talented writer, but is also a great human as I realized after an exchange of constant emails. From giving an opportunity to a fresh Book Reviewer like me, to following all my emails and responding on them, means a lot to me.
THANK YOU ANUJA :*
Book Review #18
The Tughlaq Dynasty of north India started in 1321 in Delhi when Ghazi Tughlaq assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. The Tughluqs were a Muslim family of Turkic origin. Their rule relied on their alliances with Turkic, Afghan, and other Muslim warriors from outside South Asia. The empire grew under his son and successor Muhammad bin Tughlaq, but the latter became notorious for ill-advised policy experiments such as shifting the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad and introducing copper coins without effective regulation against forgery.
Muhammad Bin Tughlaq introduced copper currency when there was a shortage of gold and silver. He well understood the importance of token currency, and therefore appointed a minister to ensure no counterfeiting took place. However, this scheme proved problematic as the coins bore no royal seals and only inscriptions of new coin usage. Copper currency was wiped out by 1334, when the world-renowned traveller Ibn Battuta came to the Sultanate. The inscription on the obverse translates to, ‘Struck as a current tanka in the time of the servant hopeful of Divine Mercy Muhammad Tughlaq’. On the reverse, ‘he who obeys the sovereign truly, he obeys the merciful one’ and in the margin the mint name: Takhtgah
Anuja has shown him to be clever man who anticipates his opponents’ moves and easily thwarts them. The learned Tughlaq is also ruthless in having his way, having no qualms in getting people killed. Having the capital in the center of the country rather than in Delhi might have worked if Tughlaq hadn’t insisted on everyone in Delhi moving to Daulatabad.
The book must be observed as an extraordinary brilliant visionary, by Chandramouli. She has always moved on to look out fresh and avoided topics. The author tends to keep focus and concentrate on minor details. The aim to show her subjects as human beings instead of merely providing their core ideas is interesting and welcome the end result is detailed for someone interested in biographic information and overly simplistic for those seeking to further their knowledge of philosophical ideas.
With well-researched introductions to each aspect of the life of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq , Anuja recreates his court in all its grandeur and vitality. The book is both amusing and thought-provoking, both historical and timeless.
“Books want to burn, they go up like that because- they ‘re unstable, memories don’t want to stay”
About the Author
Collins was born on 18th August, 1981 in England (United Kingdom). After school, Bridget went to the King’s College and completely her studies in English.
Followed by her degree, she joined the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art to learn acting. She is the author of several novels for young adults. Her first book, The Traitor Game, won the 2009 Branford Boase Award and her second, A Trick of the Dark (2009), was shortlisted for the Coventry Inspiration Prize.Tyme’s End, a psychological thriller, was published in 2011.Followed by her degree, she joined the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art to learn acting.
Gamerunner (2011) and its sequel, Mazecheat (2012), are thrillers set in a future world of computer gaming. 2012 also saw the publication of her novel, The Broken Road, a historical novel based on the Children’s Crusade of 1212.
Book Review #17
The book begins with a young farmer “Emmett” working in the fields, when a strange letter arrives summoning him away from his family. He is to begin an apprenticeship as a Bookbinder—a vocation that arouses fear, superstition, and prejudice among their small community but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.
For as long as he can recall, Emmett has been drawn to books, even though they are strictly forbidden. Bookbinding is a sacred calling, Seredith informs her new apprentice, and he is a binder born. Under the old woman’s watchful eye, Emmett learns to hand-craft the elegant leather-bound volumes. Within each one they will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, a binder can help. If there’s something you need to erase, they can assist. Within the pages of the books they create, secrets are concealed and the past is locked away. In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, rows upon rows of books are meticulously stored.
But while Seredith is an artisan, there are others of their kind, avaricious and amoral tradesman who use their talents for dark ends—and just as Emmett begins to settle into his new circumstances, he makes an astonishing discovery: one of the books has his name on it. Soon, everything he thought he understood about his life will be dramatically rewritten.
The Binding in the beginning is extremely slow, however eventually you develop a sense of interest. This is a fabulous book, but make sure you keep patience. Overall this was an incredible work and I cannot recommend this book enough. Luxuriously detailed yet briskly suspenseful . . . a striking literary fantasy informed by Bridget’s deep knowledge.
Born in Viakom, Kerala, Varma graduated as Masters in Computer Application. For the 16 years he has been working as an IT professional from the down south of India.
Nipun in most of his interviews has mentioned that he considers himself a “wannabe” writer. The book I am going to review today is his first work and an absolute delight.
An Interview with the writer :-
Book Review #16
To begin with, I would like to thank Nipun for finding me capable enough to review his first book, it means a lot to me. However, keeping aside the soft corner I will try to be as honest as I am in my other book reviews.
Humor is a difficult genre, but for those who have a desire to read something lighter with words this book is for them. The techniques of a techie mentioned in this account will touch the funny bones and will win fans easily.
The book is about the timeless techniques a Techie uses at work and the people around himself. Varma’s recent performance has helped me discover the real time situations a professional goes through in the office and among his relatives.
A great combination of wit and sensibility. It will give the readers a giggle, chuckle, or even an old fashioned, snorting belly laugh. Surely deserves a room in your bookshelf. I would want to read more of Nipun’s work for his writing abilities and not to forget his humor.
Readavorous (Dastan-e-Kitaab) 