Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller

The Trial of Summary James (Longman Jones, #1) by C.E. White| Book review

Longman Jones has seen several visions of murders. The problem is that those convicted of the murders are never the killers Longman sees. When Summary James is tried and convicted for a murder he didn’t commit, Longman is determined to rescue him from the nation’s only prison.

The Trial of Summary James is a novella set within an alternative history involving a North America where the United States was never born, because the colonists lost the Revolutionary War, the British freed the slaves, and a massive migration from Africa and the Caribbean empowered Black and Native Americans to help build a nation called the Carolina Union in their image.

Title: The Trial of Summary James (Longman Jones, #1)

Author: C.E. White

Pages:

My review

The Trial of Summary James is a story set in the alternative history of the present-day United States of America. The Britishers won the American Revolutionary war partly with the help of slaves. The slaved are freed in the aftermath and they founded a state in the Carolina coast along with other migrated African and Carribeans. This black state in North America is known as Carolina Union.

Longman Jones is a former journalist who is now working as a freelancer. He has a rare gift of having visions about murders. But in all the cases, someone is wrongly accused and sentenced. He takes this upon himself and rescues the convicts. In one of such trials revolving around Summary James, he met Sonata Holmes, a barrister. She is an empath and senses Longman’s secret talent. He is quickly drawn into her and shares most of his secrets in the very first meeting. But things are getting out of control and this time it will be not easy for Longman to rescue Summary as he did before. As both of them dig deeper in this case, they encounter many dark secrets that is slowly engulfing the society.

Honestly, I had high hopes about this novella, particularly because of its setting. You can easily tell a story without crafting a unique American history. But why the author has gone this far? The answer lies within the story itself. The present-day Carolina Union is not much different from any other developed country in this world. But humanity is essentially flawed. The race for power, money, and authority has been blinded people and they are consumed by greed. It is just like a rabbit-hole. The more you get, the greedier you become.

The author has portrayed every raw emotion of people without losing its intensity. Usually, for a novella, the character development might be not up to the point. But the author has done a good job with this story. It is a gripping thriller with good characterization. He is managed to keep the suspense from beginning to the end. Even the protagonist too, falls in the web of suspicion from time to time.

Altogether, this novella certainly exceeded my hopes.

Rating:5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Memoirs, Motivational Quotes, Self-Help

The Ultimate Love by Sherine Anniruth| Book review

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Title: The Ultimate Love

Author: Sherine Anniruth

Pages: 125

Blurb

A remarkable and inspiring journey of a grieving mother, “The Ultimate Love” will make you shed a few tears. But it’ll also remind you to value every second you have with your loved ones and treasure the memories of those who passed away.
It is about the author’s loss and can serve as a cathartic release for your own grief. As you read about her experience and how she tried to deal with this insurmountable loss, you will discover ways to cope with the grief and pain of losing your child and how to find the inspiring journey to go on with your life.

Grieving is a journey that teaches us how to love in a new way. Let “The Ultimate Love” show you how.

My review

There are not many books that can touch your heart and fill it with emotions after reading. For me, pain is the greatest emotion one can ever felt. Because pain can either lead you to wisdom or destruction. After reading this book, I felt that wisdom. The pure emotions of a grieving mother are flowing through words on every page.

Grief is a very hard emotion to manage. There is almost no single solution to escape from it. But it is also a learning opportunity. It is an opportunity to analyze and understand the root cause of grief. It is a path to our own redemption. Going through this path is very hard, but in the end one will learn to live with our grief. We will learn to love more than ever in the end.

The author has gone through the bitterest days of her life because of the demise of her beloved son. This is a heartfelt essay on how she has managed to control the pain and overcame struggles eventually. I appreciate the author’s effort to pen down a harsh journey in order to help others who are going through the same situation.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Erotic fiction, Fiction

Misty Young Love by Casa Nova|Book review

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Title: Misty Young Love

Author: Casa Nova

Pages: 94

Blurb

It was a brief period of training and she looked forward to isolation and boredom. But then this robust teen came into her life and it became a holiday in paradise. Suddenly she became a trainer playing a role freeing the butterfly from its cocoon.
The birds, the most beautiful creatures of nature, are so colourful and add to the beauty of the world. To see them in all their splendour they need to spread their wings and fly. But what if society clips their wings? Are you also a lovely colourful bird with clipped wings?

My review

Misty Young Love is the story of Jane and Tom who were once lost in their respective paths. Somehow their paths are intervened just like they are meant for each other. Though both are living inside the taboos of society, they found their mutual love unexpectedly. In the beginning, Jane only considered this relationship as a getaway from her boredom but it grew stronger and stronger each day. Both of them were exploring the unexpected pleasures that they can squeeze from one another. They set out a journey of experimenting with their wildest thoughts and desires for a brief course of time. Soon Jane has to assume the role of a mentor to course this young man in the right direction. Her honest efforts molded a clueless teen to a fine young man. But the sincere deeds will always payback, even after a long time. Jane finds the meaning of their connection after many years of parting their ways, which is a befitting climax for a romantic story.

This short romantic fiction is aptly penned, incorporating the pure emotions behind every human being. Though it lacked conversations in the beginning, the author has managed to craft a good drama at the end. This steamy hot romance will hook the readers till the end for sure.

Rating:5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fantacy, Fiction, short story

Lucky the Turtle by Tylin Pratt|Book review

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Title: Lucky the Turtle

Author: Tylin Pratt

Pages: 30

Genre: Children’s fiction

Blurb

Lucky is a kind and happy turtle who lives in a small pond, on a big farm. He has many friends and many aspirations, but doubts he’ll be able to achieve them because he’s a small turtle, living in a big world. Lucky finds the courage to follow his dreams and on that journey, he discovers his inner greatness.

My review

We all have many dreams and goals. But often we are discouraged by the people around us. We lose focus due to this unwanted influence. People who can rise beyond these hurdles can only achieve their dreams. “Lucky the Turtle” illustrates this meaningful concept very well. This is a beautiful story of overcoming challenges and believing in oneself. These beliefs can work magic on your way. The beautiful illustrations certainly add brightness to the story.

Stories like this help our children to not only dream big but also to believe that every dream is achievable, no matter how big it is. But we can only achieve it through the right guidance, meticulous practice, and laser-sharp focus. No matter, how small you are, how slow you are, if you are perseverant enough, nothing can stop you from reaching your goals.

The story also conveys another message about good and bad friendships. How people around you can pull you down and how good friends can turn your mindest quickly. It is important to circle yourself with meaningful and supportive relationships to achieve every goal.

Through this small story, the author has imparted timeless wisdom to budding minds. A must-read for children and adults alike.

Rating:5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Motivational Quotes, non-fiction, Self-Help

Gut healthy by CW Piper|Book review

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Title: Gut Healthy

Author: CW Piper

Pages: 45

Genre: Health and Nutrition

 

They say, Health is wealth and it is absolutely true considering our current worldwide scenario. In these days of self-isolation and home quarantine, we should think more about our health. Developing a good immune system is an absolute necessity for all humans now. We should gain more knowledge about the human body for this. For that, Gut healthy is a good book to know more about our own body.

The author explains all the basic and advanced knowledge about our body in simple and easy to understand terms. It is written as simple as that anybody who is interested to know more about the human body can understand everything in this book easily.

When I saw the title, Gut healthy, I thought that it will only talk about our gut. But he begins with gut and gradually moves to all other sections of general wellbeing. It is quite interesting to know about what is happening inside our system. From the introduction of the book itself, he clarifies that the gut is not an unimportant part of our body as we think. The gut produces more than 20 important hormones that control our appetite to mood swings. The gut microbiome is the single most important thing which maintains the health of skin, brain, weight, ability to absorb nutrients and more. By reading the introduction of this book itself, we can understand that gaining more knowledge about our gut is essential to improve our health.

After the introduction, the author unravels everything about the gut in a systematic manner. First, he introduces digestion in general and then the role of the microbiome. After he explains all the facts about a healthy gut and its abnormalities. After giving a basic knowledge about the gut he then concentrates on the diet that we can adopt for improving our gut microbiome. It includes what to include and what not. After that, he gives a brief idea about the diseases we may encounter due to an unhealthy gut too. This is an amazing guide for a beginner to understand and modify their system for better health and lives.

The standout in this book is indeed the writing style. A structured, well crafted with accurate information conveyed through simple language. This is a must-read for all because it deals with the single most important thing in our life, health. The valuable information provided in the book will help every reader to understand and modify their gut microbiome for better health.

Rating:5/5

 

 

 

Amina Thajudeen Fiction, Indian Authors

Amma and I by Trishna Damodar

 

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Title: Amma and I
Author: Trishna Damodar
Pages: 204
Genre: Family Drama
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing

Blurb: You are unique in your own existence Kripa and Maya live in a small town in Kerala. Surrounded by greenery, streams, a vast rubber estate and a palatial home, they had it all. Maya enjoys listening to the radio and reading books and magazines as it offers her a chance to connect to the world outside. She wanted to do so much more in her life, but a sudden marriage proposal from a man based in France gets her anxious at the possibility of her dreams fading away like smoke.

Kripa has been the dutiful daughter, wife and mother. All she knew was her life and family in Kuttiadi. But she wants more for her daughter, Maya. So, when a proposal from someone in France came along, she jumped at the opportunity, hoping that this would give her
daughter a chance at a bigger and better life.

Maya, so lost in her own world, was unaware of certain shadows that lurked in her own backyard. What hides behind the constant smile on Kripa’s face? Read the journey of Kripa and Maya, set in the 1970’s, as they struggle to be heard in a society that is fixed in its norms.

 

My review

Amma and I is a heartfelt story of beautiful love and affection between a mother and daughter. I cannot begin this review without saying a few words about the beautiful and yet adorable cover of this book. It is one of the best covers I have ever seen. The adorable representation of mother and child with the touch of the iconic boat race of Kerala gives me goosebumps at the very first site. Also, the representation of the boat race gives a hint of the background of the story.

Like the title suggests, this is a story of a mother, Kripa and her daughter Maya set in the ’70s at a small town in Kerala. Maya is an ambitious girl in her 20’s and she wants to live her life in her own terms. Her parents start finding a suitable groom for her as they think she is at the marriageable age. The story goes very smooth until this stage with a perfect detailing of the dreamy life of Maya. The author introduces only one side of every main character until this stage. A clever introduction of twist at this point changes the lives of Maya and Kripa drastically from here onwards. This is where the story picks up pace and intensity.

The characters are gradually developed from the beginning to the end. The character of Maya was evolved from a small town girl with ambitious dreams to a stronger, confident, career-oriented woman at the end. Also, the character of Kripa was developed over time. The author never loosed the lovable nature of Kripa when she was developing this character throughout the story.

Basically, I always liked the story revolving around the strong female characters. Also being someone from Kerala, I felt the emotional attachment at the very first moment when I started the reading.

I will always think that the most emotionally bound relationship in every person’s life is with their own mothers. The care and selflessness of every mother are surely unreplaceable. We all got the first sight of true love from our own mothers. Because of this delicate nature, I think the portrayal emotions related to motherhood will be so difficult. Throughout the story, I felt the true emotion of the affectionate love between a mother and daughter. This is because of the immense command of the author on her storytelling skill.

The language used is simple, yet it is powerful to express all emotions of characters. This is a well-constructed plot from that point of view. This is a must read for everyone who loves a family drama.

Rating: 4/5