Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Indian Authors, Thriller

The Red Line by Tanmay Dubey

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Book title: The Red Line

Author: Tanmay Dubey

Language: English

The Red Line by Tanmay Dubey is a thriller story inspired by true events. The story starts with the sudden demise of  Rakesh Kumar at Red line metro station in Delhi. At first, everything seems to be normal about death. But an honest police officer Hanumant became suspicious about the death of his superior officer and starts investigating. The story becomes more curious and twisted when Hanumant finds out that all the fellow passengers in the train are either murdered or attacked. Who is behind all these dreadful crimes. The rest of the story is the journey of Hanumant to unveil the mystery behind all these murders.

From the cover to the last page it is a thriller genre book. The suspicious title and splash of red color in the cover is too good. If you closely look at the cover, you can see all the plot-making factors in the cover. The cover design is apt for this book.

For a 300+ pages book, there should be a gripping tale to make the reader stick. And here it is. The story has every element consciously embedded to create curiosity. You can’t help to think constantly that “what happens next?” every time you turn a page over.

The plot twists were unpredictable. I think that twists were the core of this story. The author has cleverly placed them at appropriate sections. Another highlight of the book is its take on the life of an honest police officer. The author attempted to show to the readers that what are the sacrifices a police officer has to do for keeping his moral and ethical values. The braveness of the protagonist is commendable. He gives first priority to his ethics let alone his family. His sacrifice has to be mentioned.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Highly recommended for the readers. This story will not disappoint you.

Rating: 4/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Indian Authors, Poems

Knots by Deblina Bhattacharya

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Title: Knots

Author: Deblina Bhattacharya

Format: Kindle Edition

Language: English

Blurb

“These knots that do bind
Make thee one of a kind”

Knots is a collection of poetry and prose about love and heartbreak, tragedy and grief, survival and loss. It’s a journey through the numerous knots that we tie in life, and the ones we tangle and untangle with. It explores the realities of mental illness & suicide, social taboos & violence against women, pain & darkness, self love & healing in all its naked glory. The rhythm of Knots resonates directly with the poet’s heart, conveying to the readers that there is a way to untangle every knot in life, but sometimes, some of these knots are what we are made of.

My review

“Knots” is a collection of short poems written by Deblina Bhattacharya. The poems travel through a wide range of topics. The poems are arranged in 7 main sections such as heartbreak, love, fantasia, darkness, pain, lost and healing. I found a smooth flow of words throughout the book. The author starts her writing from heartbreak. The words are much intense at this point. This intensity gets diluted as the pages turns. In the second section, she remembers the various acts of love she experienced in her life. Every reader can relate to one or two poems here. The poems are much realistic in this section. In the Fantasia section, the true creativity of the author emerges. The expression of the magic of an imaginative world is very good. In the next two sections, that is darkness and pain, one can feel the darkness which is engulfing life. In the next section lost, I found a ray of hope. The hope emerges in the route of lost. The healing section is a perfect end for this emotionally high journey. I really loved the poems in the last section. It is really is the healing of a wounded soul.

The poems are written in a simple and lucid language. The arrangement of poems is commendable. Each section in the collection is starting with a  thoughtful quote relevant to the respective topic. This may leave you in thoughts for a few seconds. After you turn the last page, this book will surely give some serious insights into our life. Recommended for all poetry lovers.

Rating: 4/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Thriller

Yes, I Met Maruti by Daxesh Trivedi

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Book Title: Yes, I Met Maruti

Author: Daxesh Trivedi

Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers

Language: English

Blurb: Its a story of Jay Jani from Vadodara, who firmly believes in the power of imagination. During his graduation at the ms University of Vadodara, he falls in love with beautiful Preeti Chauhan. Things become interesting & surprising when Maruti, the God arrived in his dream, Jay asked Maruti that he wants to become a very famous & successful person, Maruti said yes but I will take something in return from you & Maruti disappeared. Jay started his MBA study in Rajkot, where he met gorgeous Deepika. Suddenly zoom tv announced a storytelling competition, where the winner will get an opportunity to work as an assistant director with the living legend Shyam Benegal sir. Jay participates in it. To find what actually happened with Jay Jani, read the entire book.

My Review

“Yes, I Met Maruti” is a story written inside a story. The first thing I noticed is the unique name of the book. Second is the cover and blurb. These things are perfectly designed to create curiosity about the story. The blurb itself makes every reader to immediately starts reading to find out what happened for Jay at the end.

As a reader, I always interested to find out new styles used in the storytelling. In this sense, the narration used in this story is quite good and innovated.
The story is essentially based on a wish most of us have, to meet God once and demand something important in our life. This may be the shortcut to happiness. But nothing comes easy and everything has its own prize. What will be that prize? This paves source for wildest imagination and became the backbone of the whole story.

I found this story as quite unique and I’m giving 4 stars for that “power of imagination” alone. Though the book contains numerous typographical mistakes, it narrates a good story amidst them. This clearly shows the potential of the author.

Overall this is a good read with a strong message at the end.

Rating: 4/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Thriller

Divyastra by Nimish Tanna

 

43531831.jpgBook title: Divyastra

Author: Nimish Tanna

Publisher: Become Shakespeare

Blurb: Thousands of years ago, Indian Yogis possessed the knowledge to obtain the weapons of the gods. However, this knowledge could only be transferred from a Guru to his disciple by word of mouth. In today’s world, one mystic, who calls himself Guruji, still possesses this knowledge and is using it to empower an innocent person’s life. Only, this empowerment could be a deception and the innocent person is a thirteen year old boy with a stutter…

In this intertwining tale, an ambitious yet unsuccessful Shankar, in search of his identity, is manipulated to embark on a never-told-before fantasy tale; only to rediscover the father he never knew and unmask the mystical Guruji.

Amidst this confounding concoction of ancient myths, deluding personas and dispersed emotions, will Shankar ever be able to separate fact from fiction and find his true identity?

My review

5 star read

The combination and the story is unique and I’m experiencing this blend for the first time. The tale is based on the mythical period in the beginning. The story talks about the 10-11 different weapons or divyastras used in Hindu mythology. But when the story moves forward, the mythological genre slowly turns into sci-fi. The author has included the sci-fi touch very brilliantly in this tale. Because he justifies the characters of rishis who are not simply mythological but they actually experimented scientifically everything before believed. The story is a combination of emotions and knowledge. But the ending is a cliff-hanger. The author left some things unanswered. Maybe it will be good in that way.

The characters are developed in a manner to drive the story. I really liked Dr. Vyas character in the tale. His ways of explaining things with valid scientific points but infused with mythological references are a very interesting feature to note.

The best thing about this book is, it has an amazing plot but it is written in a simple way without any harder plot twists.  The blending of mythology was very good in the narration because in the halfway its signs totally vanish.  This is a perfect entertainment read because the touch of humor is unlikely in sci-fi or mythological genre books, but the author has incorporated it in the story excellently. The cover is catchy and unique. It is enough to generate curiosity about the story with a single look.

 

 

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Indian Authors, Self-Help

NUMI; The Guarded Loop by Nupur Sandhu

 

44281237Book title: NUMI; The Guarded Loop

Author: Nupur Sandhu

Publishers:  Blue Rose Publishers

Blurb: “NUMI The Guarded Loop” takes us through the mystic, beautiful and intriguing journey of Nuha, a sensitive young girl. She has already hit the quintessential milestones of life, yet continues to look for the oasis, searching within her soulful realms for vistas unknown. Life is seldom all about the crust. It is an inexplicable amalgamation of memories, insights and the miniature droplets of self-realization we conjure on the way. The transcendence she experiences through her journey flips her back to the revered but concealed moments from lives gone by; she morphs from a jovial youngster to an enlightened soul, having inculcated the art of being in sync with the supreme Creator. Her trysts with the mystical lead her to making soul-stirring revelations. Discover how the protagonist’s life takes a 360 degree turn when she meets someone with whom she had spent 7200 life times? Experience how the experiences of her previous lifetimes imprint and control her present? Will Nuha be able to complete the puzzle of her deep-felt connection with the stranger?

My review

I have come across only a handful of books which leaves me with a longlasting impression after reading. Numi is one of them. This book is unique in its own unique way. I have seen many reviews on this book and always impressed by its gorgeous cover whenever I saw. When I finally get my hands on this book, the first thing which mesmerized me is its blurb. This book belongs to the genre which is rarely touched and one can really feel its pristine nature once you begin to absorb the story.

The plot revolves around Nuha, who is an uncommon protagonist. The weirdness which one can feel in the initial stages of her introduction will gradually fade away once the story progressed. Nuha is a middle-aged married woman but she always feels a void deeply inside her. One day she meets a guy who eventually introduced her to a mentor of spiritual healing. In an attempt to explore herself through spirituality, she finds herself deeply attached to her mentor, Minha. She is very eager to find out her strange, deep and soulful connection with Minha. She constantly connects herself with her past through the meditation. She later finds out that she had spent 7200 lives with Minha. The adventurous and mystic spiritual journey of Nuha starts here. The element of suspense is aligned perfectly in the plot without losing the true essence of the storyline.

The story has many surprising twists and in a way, I can say that these twists are leading the story forward. The title is uncommon and it is enough to generate curiosity. The moment when the title makes sense, precious. This is not a story which one can easily skim through. You have to really involve in the process of reading. You have to be someone who walks beside the characters to capture the story. This book indeed gives me a new experience in reading.

Rating: 5/5

 

 

 

 

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Thriller

Day of Reckoning by Jack Higgins

 

51D5WNG1NYL._SX293_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgSynopsis: A death in Brooklyn sends reverberations around the world in Jack Higgins’s thrilling new adventure.

Higgins’s novels of honor, bravery, and irresistible intrigue delight millions of readers every year, but few of his books pack the sheer narrative power of Day of Reckoning.

Journalist Katherine Johnson made the mistake of getting too close to the secrets of international crime boss Jack Fox — but Fox made the mistake of killing her. Katherine’s ex-husband is Blake Johnson, head of the clandestine White House department known as The Basement, and with the President’s permission, the former FBI agent is about to take revenge. Wherever the money trail leads — New York, England, Ireland, the Middle East — Johnson and his Irish colleague, Sean Dillon, plan to hit Fox where it hurts the most, by cutting his illegal businesses to shreds, until Fox stands defenseless before his enemies.

But Fox did not become powerful by letting his enemies get that close. If Johnson and Dillon want to take him on, they will have to face his own brand of revenge. And it is a revenge every bit as deadly as their own.

Day of Reckoning is brilliant suspense — the master working truly at the height of his powers.

Mini Review

Jack Higgins is a master craftsman of crime thrillers. But often his many plot-lines are found to be repeating. This book is also a creative crime thriller with a suspense twist. The climax has a very good twist and the action-packed narrative makes this book a good entertainment. The backbone of this story is strong characters. Since this is a character-driven book, he made the plot so. Overall it is a good weekend read.

Rating; 4/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Indian Authors, Indian Mythology, Science Fiction

The Code Of Manavas: Beyond The Realm by Arpit Bakshi

512dOyPtlmL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgBlurb

“The earth and the human race as we knew it have ceased to exist.
Bhoomidium, discovered by Krishna, healed the unstable core of Bhoomi during the last apocalypse. It has transformed Man to Manavas and Kali-Yug into Swarnim-Yug.
The year is 2050.2.0000001 and the Manavas are divided into two states, Madhavpur and Ayudhpur.
Krishna sees another apocalypse around the corner and he has a way out – an alternate universe, which can be reached by travelling through Omechta realm.
Can he save his race this time?”

My review

The Code of Manavas: Beyond The Realm is the first book of the Maha Vishnu trilogy written by Arpit Bakshi. The plot of this book is crafted in the combination of two unlikely genres, Indian Mythology, and Science fiction. Often the stories written on these genres are perfect entertainers because it is very difficult to build a story compared to other genres. The difficulty is because it demands much more research and knowledge along with creativity. Also without good storytelling skills, the plot may slip away or become weak. This story is the best example of the fusion of these genres. The author has done a commendable job to create a story with a strong backbone.

I loved the plot very much purely because of its uniqueness. How often you can see the mythological characters blended in the science world?

The creativity of the author has to be mentioned. For the first 40 pages, the author took his time to explain the new world, he crafted. Then only the true struggle was started. This is very much an unlikely skill because often the story becomes weak because it will lack the details of the background at the beginning. This is carefully avoided by explaining the new world at first. Through this, the author can take the reader their present to the future which he created rather smoothly.

The cover is excellently designed giving the glimpse of the story. The characters are uniquely named after many prominent mythological characters such as Krishna, Raghav, Gopal, Meera, Mohan, Vasu, Shyam etc. This is a very unique thought that I found interesting. From the title, it is evident that this is a Maha Vishnu trilogy, so the author named the characters according to that.

Being the first book of a trilogy, this book has an important role. It has to set a stage for crafting the remaining two stories. The Code of Manavas leaves the reader in a cliffhanger giving a perfect opportunity to the remaining two books.

I like the science fiction genre because they always offer something new to learn along with a beautiful story. This story also never disappointed me on this.

Overall, this is a nice read and takes away the reader from our present to the future for some time.

Rating: 4.5/5

I received a copy of this book through the BOOK GENIE REVIEW PROGRAM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Indian Authors, Poems

Unlocked Silences by Mukhpreet Khurana

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Title: Unlocked Silences

Author: Mukhpreet Khurana

Publishers: Notion press

Blurb: Unlocked Silences is a collection of abstracts, poems and excerpts written on tissue papers over a couple of years. It is a dive deep into the circles of emotion, empathy, acceptance, healing and insights into a different perspective towards life. In the voice of a budding adolescent, the book cascades into day-to day-shortcomings, carved into poetry and at the same time, embraces you in silence and stillness of thought. The book is an attempt to connect with the reader, to reflect upon them, unbiased and together and embrace a new beginning. With simplified use of grammar and vocabulary, this book seeks nothing but the companionship of all. With this debut book, the author aims to connect to one and to all in the message and purpose of existence, the aid of spirituality and an ode to a beautiful journey called life.

My Review

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“…Take the fall, for once and for all…

Know that you need nothing,

You need no one;

Lay in peace, sometimes

Lay in endless pain,

Celebrate every gain, dear one,

Thank every effort that went in vain….

I remember my flaws by a dominating perfection,

I remember life as a journey to be celebrated…”

 -The journey (Unlocked Silences) Mukhpreet Khurana

Unlocked Silences is a collection of poems, abstracts, and excerpts by Mukhpreet Khurana. I can’t start this review without praising the cover. It is unique and beautiful. Black and white combination is one of my favorite because it basically represents the tantrums of our own minds.  A book should be like that, bringing whiteness in the darkness. This color combination makes perfect sense with the title.

Every writer has struggled with their creativity. The unanswered questions and turmoil of emotions will be the cause to sprout creativity. So this is the breaking of silences. But this is not a mere breaking, it is unlocking. The author may have thought that this is an unlocking of his thoughts and he has to spread them in this world. Like that, this collection contains his thoughts ranging from healing, motivation, positivity to embracing fears.

This is actually like a rollercoaster ride, sometimes high, sometimes low. I think this is purely a reflection of the human mind including all our lives. All the lines are written with a meaning to reinstate belief in oneself and the rest will follow.

These deeper ideas are expressed through simple and smooth language but yet succeeded in producing an influence on one’s own mind. This book offers a path of healing, from hatred to peace.

Somehow, some lines are seem to be repeated, but it is aligned with the flow, so it never bothers the reader much. I felt this is like a walk of all the ill-emotions in our mind which keeps inner peace away, to the wisdom of our own mind.
I think this is a book for everyone because it is a collection of thought-provoking, light, and easy lines written to address one’s inner-self.

Rating 4/5

I received a copy of this book through the BOOK GENIE REVIEW PROGRAM

 

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