Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Indian Authors, Poems

To Petrichor: The divine essence of dust by Riddhi Pranay Wagle

 

51ZKSeJNnRL._SX313_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgTitle: To Petrichor: The divine essence of dust

Author: Riddhi Pranay Wagle

Publishers: Blue Rose Publishers

Language: English
“O! Thou symbol of serenity,
That keeps hiding a universe
Of mindful ideas,
Always discussed in the state
Of inebriation of blue rains,
Of dark soil and wet-less water;
That seems more intoxicated
Than all the ideas of Love……”
-To Petrichor (Riddhi Pranay Wagle)
I like poetry above all other forms of literature. It is because a collection of poems is not an expression of one’s creativity, it is the expression of one’s own soul. The poems will touch your heart if and only if it is pure. You cannot write a poem with your brain, it must come from your heart. This is the thought I had when I finished this book. For me, it is so difficult to review a poetry book. Because it is very hard to judge one’s thoughts and memories which forms a poem.

“To Petrichor: The divine essence of dust” by Riddhi Pranay Wagle is a collection of 62 poems. The book is divided into 3 major parts such as “Rotation of the love circle”, “Leaflets of life” and “Odes, to the fables of serendipity”. In the “Rotation of the love circle”, the author includes her thoughts on the most written emotion in the world, love. She tried to explore all the experiences one can possibly have in love. The journey of love from the moment it blossoms to the end when it dies. In “Leaflets of life”, she explored all the minor and major details of human life. This section is covered with the thoughts on dreams, failure, heartbreak, memories and more. The last part includes some of the strongest poems in this collection. We have heard a thousand times that ” a pen is mightier than a sword”, but how often a writer uses that pen to raise his/her voice against injustice. In this small collection, the author has given space to raise her voice along with other works. This kind of dedication has to be appreciated. The poem “To the Daughter of India” speaks volumes.

This is not a book made out of a piece of writings written here and there. This is a serious work. As she said in the preface, she has been framing her poems since grade six. She was dreaming to be an author since then. The dedication of the author is clearly visible when you turn the pages over.

The book is well edited and well framed. A reader can experience a roller-coaster ride when they read this book. Each part of the collection gives you that feeling. As I said earlier, this is because the collection of poetry is the inner voice of the author. This book is raising the bar for debut works.

This short read is recommended for everyone who loves poetry.

Rating:5/5

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, Thriller

ENDURER A Rape Story by Kapil Raj

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“The deepest cuts are given by the people who are nearest to you. Why? Because they can.”

Book title: Endure A rape story

Author: Kapil Raj

Publisher: Write India Publishers

Language: English

Blurb: Life was a fun fed roller coaster: New found love, drugs, cat-fights, patch ups, crushes, night hangouts, and unplanned trips. Like any girl, not in the wildest dream, Palak could imagine that after attending a Rave Party, she will wake up to the horror of finding herself raped.

In traumatic conditions and struggle between sanity and hallucinations, she is compelled by the circumstances to leave her world. Already fighting a war within, her stances takes a toll witnessing horrifying tales of women and girls. Little did she knew that this catastrophe was not enough for one lifetime, and a storm – was just cooling its heels.

Will she be able to carve her path while facing the rapists, her tyrant father, appearances of her passed away mother? Should Palak let her life to be decided by people, society, and taboos? Would justice return her life or revenge lend her peace?

A heart-rending story of a girl, whose beliefs and honor has been battered, stands up to make choices, rediscovering the meaning of life.

My review

A really insightful and gripping tale. A story that has to be told over and over. The biggest power a pen is it holds the capability to bring untold or so-called untouchable stories to the common readers. The author has taken an applaudable initiative to write a very realistic story that we all are heard through mainstream media but refused to discuss openly.

The story follows Palak, a girl who loves to enjoy life. Her life is normal and she goes with all teenage fancies. But her life suddenly takes a twist when she wakes up to the horror of finding herself raped.  Easy to say but a hard or hardest to experience. At this point, we will think that the rest of the story will be around her survival and justice. But really the story speaks more volume than that. This story gives an insight into the life of rape victims and how their life and life of people around them changed after a single incident.

The characters in this story are written quite beautifully. Story with a strong female lead is the type of books I enjoy most. A change of perspective is essential in an ever-changing society. The female characters in this story also convey a positive message and the author has written this story on victims perspective. This will give an overall view of how the society around a single human being changed after an overnight incident. The success of every story lies at one point, whether it will leave you in an emotionally disturbed state or not. This story will make every reader, change their perspective to such incidents.

As an entertainment point of view, I really enjoyed this book. A good story with charismatic writing skill is enough to enjoy this book.

Rating:4.5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Thriller

Done With Her… by Chirasree Bose

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Book title: Done with her…

Publisher: Evincepub Publishing (2019)

Language: English

Blurb: A gripping tale of love, lust, obsession and murder. It’s a kick in the guts. Love that’s raw, lust that’s insane and obsession that’s frantically irresistible. Twists will keep you on the edge while the truth will stab at your subconscious.

Avesh Mathur, a techie stumbles upon the enchanting and sultry Spreeha at work. Every man in his office wants to have her. But he is struck with horror. She happens to resemble a girl from his past. The past that he’d do anything to keep under wraps.

Spreeha lives next door to Avesh. She watches him furtively day and night even though she has a lover. He intrigues her, however, she’s not done with her lover. She wants them both because they remind her of someone.

What tragedy awaits Avesh? Is the girl he’s madly falling for as beautiful on the inside as on the outside? Will he finally have to face the frightening truth that he’s been stashing for two years?

My Review

This is a perfectly concise story which is told through just more than 50 pages. What I like most is the author was not dragging the reader by spending too much time on unnecessary details. Building an environment to tell a story is essential for sometimes, but here this story can stand alone with its own strength.

From the blurb, it is evident that this is a thriller. But this thriller is based on a socially relevant story. A story which has to be told over and over until it reaches everyone’s ear. The execution of the story can be rated as good because the character of protagonists is well built. Main characters are built in a way that they all have a dark past and they don’t know how to deal with it. They are unable to make peace with their past and this directly affects their decision-making skills in the present and future. This touch of realistic characters is always successful in making connections to the storyline. In this story too, these emotions have a large role to play. Hence I can say, the storytelling capability of the author is exceptionally well. Though at a certain point towards the end, the story doesn’t meet my expectations.

A special mention has to be given for the cover. I can simply pass the time by staring at it over and over. The cover is so haunting, perfect for a thriller.  The dark theme of the cover truly expresses the core of the story.

Rating;4/5

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, Indian Authors, Indian Mythology

The Peshwa: War of the Deceivers by Ram Sivasankaran

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The Peshwa: War of the Deceivers
Ram Sivasankaran
Westland Publications
2018. Pages – 474.

Blurb: Seven years have passed since Peshwa Bajirao Bhat annihilated the Nizam’s armies at Fort Mandu. The two forces have been engaged in attacks and skirmishes ever since. Acting on the advice of his right-hand man, the mysterious Anaamik Dabhade, the Peshwa now sets about laying a trap to truly ensnare the Mughals, and break their might.

The Empire, of course, has methods of its own. And Nizam Ul Mulk is itching for an opportunity to exact revenge of the formidable Bajirao. With assassins, saboteurs and criminals infiltrating the Maratha lands, the Mughal Empire scores as many victories in the night as the Peshwa does during the day.

Meanwhile, in the far reaches of the country, set ablaze by the never-ending conflict between these major powers, a Sikh warlord, a Rajput king and a Bundela princess find themselves increasingly tangled up in the endgame that will determine the very course of history. It is a battle of wits and skill, and the greatest deceiver of them all will prevail.

My Review

The Peshwa: War of the Deceivers by Ram Sivasankaran is the second part of the Peshwa series. This is the story of lust for power and cunning inside politics to achieve them. The plot mainly focuses on the character and leadership quality of Peshwa. Also, there is some hint of his famous love story with Mastani in this book, but the story is clearly written to talk about Peshwa, who was he really.

I always loved historical fiction because they are always the perfect blend of creativity and history. This book also never disappoints me. The book is comparatively thick because the author has narrated the story in-depth through these pages. These kinds of large books need a compelling narrative and unputdownable story to successfully lead the reader through these pages. In my opinion, this kind of beautiful narrative alone can drive the story. The blurb itself is written to generate the curiosity and we can expect an action-packed thriller. The war scenes were described so perfectly that a reader can imagine whole drama as if they were watching a movie.

The internal conflicts bother the nation’s integrity rather than any invasions. Any story on the background of lust for power is filled with revenge. This story also has a fierce flow of revenge throughout the pages.

Another highlight of the story is character built-up. Strong characters can only drive the story forward. Here, the characters are created to perfectly blend with the storyline. Each and every character is unique and attention-grabbing. Again the beauty of powerful writing skill.

The illustrations in between the pages completed the creation of the fictional historical world where the story is based.

The story has a perfect climax. A climax which fills the heart of every reader. That’s why I call it a masterpiece.

In a nutshell, it was an enthralling experience to read The Peshwa.

Rating:4/5

 

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

Captain Elephant: The Mystery of the Bomb by Aseem Mahajan

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Book title: Captain Elephant: The Mystery of the Bomb
Author: Aseem Mahajan
Publisher: Petals

Blurb

Mayas Tondlulu is born with a medical condition due to which his parents are extra careful with him. Mayas is precious and they did everything possible to make sure that his health would not suffer because of their carelessness. After living an overly protected life Mayas discovers that he has a special ability and his alter ego “Captain Elephant” is born, but he soon invites trouble for himself and is wanted by the police of Pinzoora city at the tender age of 10! At the same time the dreaded terrorist Popananda escapes from prison and threatens Pinzoora with a nuclear bomb. He warns people against leaving the town. The only clue he gives is a riddle that haunts everyone. Panic grips Pinzoora. Masks fall and hidden skeletons come out. During this adversity when everyone fails, it is upto Captain Elephant to face the ruthless Popananda and unravel the murky mystery that will change the history of mankind and Pinzoora forever. What is the meaning of the riddle? What is the dark mystery looming over Pinzoora?

My Review

The story revolves around the protagonist, Mayas, who was born in the small Indian island Pinzoora, with a physical disorder. Mayas were born with his heart placed at his rear. The story covers the incidents that Mayas has been facing in a certain time. Due to this special condition, Mayas has been restricted by his parents from his childhood. They are always determined to protect him from his condition. But all these restrictions are often mocked by his classmates from time to time. They are also quite jealous of his certain privileges. This makes Mayas to became independent in his life and to live his life according to his terms.

Suddenly he finds out that, his disorder is not a curse like he thinks in most of his life but a boon. Next thing, we saw is how a superhero is born and became useful to the entire city. Mayas, the Captain elephant with supernatural powers, proves his power when there’s a massive terrorist attack in his city Pinzoora.

I believe every children’s book ever written is also for all adults. Because there is always a child within our mind. I often pick up children’s book as a change of genre. In fact I’m quite fond of them. This book also never disappoints me. Because it is all that I expected from the cover, title, and blurb.

The plot is really unique, and the author made a really commendable approach in creating this. Because creating a superhero from nowhere needed a great extent of creativity. Also creating an absolute fiction background demands much more skill than writing in other genres.

The first part of the story revolves around describing the medical condition of Mayas and the difficulties he faces in school and everywhere. After the superhero is born, the story picks up pace and energy and describe the terrorist attack by the dreaded terrorist named Popananda, and how Captain Elephant has saved the city from the bomb attack.

There were a limited number of characters and the author builds every character beautifully. The narration is really good. The author also gives a touch of humor from time to time. This also makes the narration really interesting.

The climax was a little disappointed in nature because it was abrupt and lacks explanation at some points.

Altogether, this is a good superhero novel which is built excellently.

Rating: 4/5

 

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Indian Authors

Something I Never Told You by Shravya Bhinder

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Book title: Something I Never Told You

Author: Shravya Bhinder

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: Penguin Publishers

Blurb

“ She was gone, again; and I failed again and could not tell her how much I loved her.” 
Ronnie’s fate gives him a second chance with Adira. His one-sided love story moves at a faster pace this time but instead of becoming his lover; she chooses to become his friend instead. 
He needs a mentor and Rajbir steps in just in time. 
Something I never told you is a transforming tale of love, determination, belief and finding one’s strengths. 

My Review

‘Something I Never Told You’ is the love story of Raunak and Adira. The plot is very simple and quite predictable. But despite this predictability, the narrative skill of the author is playing a huge role throughout the book.  This is a story of a one-sided love of protagonist Raunak, who is unable to express his feelings to Adira. They are separated at some point but destiny gives him a second chance to pursue his love. This plot is thickened using some other characters, some with villainous nature and a love guru.

“Sometimes I wonder if you and I are the same person. We are a little broken, quite messed up and in love with the idea of love.”

The language is simple and the story is well written. A simple story, but written to connect the present and past of Raunak. This style is impressed me a lot. The author has developed all characters really well by giving adequate depth to them. Each of them has a quite unique personality. This helps to provide an extension of freshness to the plot.

The story is not quite fresh, as it feels like a Bollywood movie after some time. But in my experience, it is natural. Every romance story is predictable and always have a touch of Bollywood. Because that’s how romance films are weaved in and around our daily life. Every romance lover will like this book because everyone has some secret crush at some or another point in their life and most of us are failed to express our feelings. This reality is mixed with the story very well.

“True love never dies. It sleeps Silently in aching hearts and wakes up on lonely nights”

I like the cover very much because it gives a perfect background for a love story. The title is also something which describes the story in one line.

Altogether, this is a very quick and easy read and anyone who need a quick way-out of daily life, this is the best option.

Rating: 3.5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Indian Authors

Have You Stopped LOVING? by Cauveri

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Title: Have you stopped loving?

Author: Cauveri

Paperback: 209 pages

Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers

Language: English

Blurb

One of the greatest titles in the world is to be called a ‘parent’ and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents whom we call ‘MOM ’and DAD’. It gives me immense bliss to present you an entirely personal, emotional, heart melting and successful journey of Sharda. As the name suggests she is neither a master’s degree holder nor a Ph.D. holder but again as the name suggests she has reached out as a Doctorate holder for her tremendous achievements throughout her life. She gives an urgent message of her eternal strength to raise her voice against the provocation women face. But the way she was betrayed, deceived, cheated emotionally by her own kids is actually the pulse of this book. Lady of letters, Cauveri gauges the substandard and unacceptable state of affairs and circumstances which leads our society towards anguish and dejection of the holy and immortal souls called parents in her debut novel. She tried to hold tight the missing link between parents and their progeny.

My review

Have you stopped loving? is an emotional journey of the protagonist  Sharda from an ambitious small-town girl to a strong-willed woman who diminishes her obstacles with her hard work. The story gives the limelight to a not-so-discussed issue among the parents and their children. Here Sharda is a self-made woman who is highly respected in the society because of her commendable hard work. Despite her professional success, her children questions her ways, owing to the luring of some others.

I always think that the relationship and emotional connection between every mother and their children are immortal and beyond the description. Being a mother is the most challenging job because this status never lost even after you die. This unexplainable connection between every mother and her child is built upon trust and unconditional love. Woman are lucky because they can experience this state from their mother and also can set an example to their children by becoming a mother herself. With all these responsibilities, being a working woman is not easy.

Here in this story, we can see a woman who is the mother of three children and after their birth, she actually started chasing her dreams. Just like everyone, she also has a dream to be an educated and successful woman and obviously, she is disappointed when they are denied. But when she got a small chance she woke up and worked for it. She has done everything possible to balance her job and motherhood and even became successful in both.

But even though upbringing has certain effects on one’s mentality, it never is enough to predict a person completely. Time to time, people became puppets, in the hands of some other cunning people because of their delusions of love towards them. This is the true evil and this makes everyone forget their past and forcing them to live in the present and future. But the total dismissal of one’s past will eventually lead them to ultimate failure.

This story is a light-hearted family drama. It is not a story revolves around a single challenge but around numerous small problems facing by a family. This gives a touch of reality to this plot. The plot is snitched through numerous daily-life problems faced by Sharda and her family over the years.

The number of characters is low which is perfect for a small family drama. The author focused on these limited characters and their development.

I liked the way the author incorporated her view on woman-empowerment and education from the first page to the last. Often the work-place became the hide-out of Sharda from her personal problems. The way, the author encourages girl child to take their education seriously is worth mentioning.

The author has also given space to discuss dowry, low-income and practically all other problems faced by a woman. This is a good initiative.

I always love black and white covers and this cover also never disappoints me. From the title, it is evident that it is a woman-drama.

I liked the character of Abha and how she turns thing around at the climax. Her self-made personality is a good example. She made mistakes and she paid them. But with her confidence, she rectifies her life.

The language is simple and easily complete the reading within two sitting.

Overall, this is a good weekend read with a powerful message.

Rating: 4/5

 

 

 

Amina Thajudeen Book Tour, Fiction, Thriller

[Book Tour] The Sanctity of Sloth by Greta Boris

About the Book

Title: The Sanctity of Sloth

Author: Greta Boris

Genre: Suspense, Mystery

Series: The Seven Deadly Sins

There’s one thing more dangerous than testifying to a crime—staying silent.
Locked in the ruins of a California Mission, Abby Travers watches helplessly as a girl dies outside her window. As she struggles between her moral obligation to come forward as a witness, and her commitment to a Medieval religious practice that requires her to retreat from the world, the situation spins out of control.
Abby’s hesitation starts a series of catastrophes. She finds herself at the center of a deadly cover up where every minute counts and indecision could be fatal. She questions all her beliefs and everyone she knows becomes suspect. To save herself and those she loves, she must break free from her self-imposed prisons of stone and fear.
The Sanctity of Sloth is a taut, psychological thriller that answers the question: What happens when a good woman does nothing? Fans of Paula Hawkins and A.J. Finn will enjoy this third book in Greta Boris’s Seven Deadly Sins Series.

Purchase from Amazon

Excerpt 

The irony of her position struck her. She had willingly shut herself into a room with much the same dimensions as this one. It had only one small window, like this one. It had no door, however. But even without a door, sheʹd had freedom. The anchorites of old willingly consigned themselves to a cell which would eventually become their grave. They had a funeral service before they entered. Yet, they were freer than Abby was now, because it was their choice.

Would this room become her grave?

Autonomy. Sheʹd never realized before how beautiful that word was. When one was stripped of the ability to rule themselves, to determine their own fate, didnʹt they cease to exist in some way?

Sunlight streaked the gray floor with gold. By its slant, she guessed it was at least 1:30. She still had one hour of freedom, one hour to be Abby. She wanted to experience every moment she had left. When the sun reached her and warmed her skin, that would signal the end of her time in this new anchorhold. But she couldnʹt bear to watch the minutes move across the floor. She closed her eyes.

Author Bio

Greta Boris was raised in Greenwich Village, New York by an opera singing, piano playing, voice coach and a magazine publisher. Her original life plan was to be a famous Broadway actor, singer, and dancer, but when she moved to Laguna Beach, California, she changed her plans due to the commute. Today she writes to inspire, entertain, motivate, and so she can afford nice wine.

Links

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