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

Queen of Hearts by P.G. Van

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  • Title: Queen of Hearts
  • Author: P.G. Van
  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • Print Length: 223 pages
  • Buy now: Amazon

Blurb

Waking up in a strange place and not remembering anything, not even her name, she remembers him, not as her husband as she is told, but something about him seems familiar!

Why does her mind remember only him and nothing else?

In an unexpected change of circumstances, he has to bring her home as his wife. She becomes vital for him to close a deal, and he needs to make her believe she is his wife until the contract is finalized on his dream project.

What happens when the temporary set-up starts to seem real for him?

When she realizes what he had done, will he still be able to hold on to her?

My review

“Queen of Hearts: An Indian billionaire romance” by P.G Van is a typical romance story with the pinch of suspense throughout. From the title of the book, it is evident that, the story will be something filled with cheesy and steamy romance. But the blurb truly excites me to dive right into the book. It is because they’ve given a good blurb with a hint of suspense. I really liked it. The strength of this story is it is woven on the strong plot. The plot is somewhat seen in typical Bollywood films but I felt this plot is strong. The characters are framed well for a romance story. The usual anti-hero image at the beginning for the protagonist. His character changes to a good one because of the influence of female lead so and so. Every romance novel is filled with a turn and twist towards the end of the story and here also no escape from that. But overall, this novel gives a good reading experience. Altogether it is an easy to read and recommended for all romance lovers.

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

The Last Avatar (Age of Kalki #1) by Vishwas Mudagal

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  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins India
  • Language: English
  • Buy here: Amazon

Blurb

In the not-so-distant future, India has fallen, and the world is on the brink of an apocalyptic war. An attack by the terrorist group Invisible Hand has brutally eliminated the Indian Prime Minister and the union cabinet. As a national emergency is declared, chaos, destruction and terror reign supreme. From the ashes of this falling world, rises an unconventional hero – a vigilante known only as Kalki. Backed by a secret society called The Rudras, Kalki, along with Nushen, the Chinese superhuman spy, must do the impossible to save his country, and the world. But who is Kalki? A flesh and blood crusader with a mysterious past? Or the Messiah the world has been waiting for? The future of human survival depends on a single man. Will he become the living God prophesied as the last avatar of Lord Vishnu, or will he fade away as an outlaw?

My take

Kalki is a topic which is overused over time by many prominent writers in India. Still, it is a good subject to let your imagination build on. Mainly because of the mythological and modern background of the character. That’s why this topic never goes off the style.

First things first. Iwas really intrigued by the cover of the book at first sight. The depiction of Kalki with the touch of Lord Hanuman wielding a mysterious but seemingly powerful weapon. The curiosity built by the cover alone deserves an honorable mention.

Coming to the story, this one has everything for every kind of readers. I was absolutely fascinated by the plot and sub-plots in the story. The subplots are the main highlight. Because the author has woven many stories in a single string and connected them well to build an absolutely massive plot. This plot holds together every character in the story. This is also a well-built foundation for his upcoming books in this series.

The world is on the edge of an apocalyptic war. An attack by the terrorist group Invisible Hand in the Indian parliament has eliminated the Prime Minister, Union ministry and cabinet. The national emergency is declared and the subsequent chaos paved the way for destruction and terror. From this total terror, an unconventional hero has risen who is know as The Kalki. The protagonist Kalki, who has a double life as Neel who leads the Astra Group which manufactures most modern technological types of equipment. He is backed by a secret society known as Rudras.

What is the intention of this terrorist group led by Master Zar and what is his hidden motive to attack Indian parliament in one go? Who is Kalki and what is his intention behind saving the world? Who is the secret society known as Rudras and are they have some hidden agenda?

There are many more questions are arising from each page of the story. Every page creates suspense. There are too many different characters and the imaginary world which the author bought to the reader is absolutely magical. This suspense along with twists and addressing the geopolitical situation of India and China, the author never leaves any stones unturned.

The protagonist has no flaws. He has superhuman strength and abilities makes him the reincarnation of God. But I felt the character of the villain is slightly underdeveloped. The strength of the villain has a huge part in making a hero.

Altogether, it is a very good story and worth your time. Every mythological-historical fiction reader ought to try this book.

Rating:4/5

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

“Where Will Man Take Us?: The bold story of the man technology is creating” by Atul Jalan

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  • Title: Where Will Man Take Us?: The bold story of the man technology is creating
  • Author: Atul Jalan
  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Portfolio

There are not so many books that I love to re-read or gift others. But this book is above all praises….

As evident from the title, this is a non-fiction work. The brilliant yellow cover of the book is perfect for this category book.

I can guarantee you, this is a 100 percent money worth and time worth read you can find.

The narration skills of the author are mind-blowing. From prologue itself, he ignites the interest and energy that a reader needs to complete this 300+ page book. The curiosity he made in the prologue itself points out the craft of the author. This is one of the best prologues I have ever come across in non-fiction category.

Usually, non-fiction books are subject-centric. They are purchased and read purely for academic purpose. But this book is clearly an innovation in this category. The presentation of each and every topic is fascinating.

The book is divided into 5 sections mainly. In the first section which is named as the ‘Drivers of change’, the author talks about 6 subjects ranging from Alan Turing to Genetics. It is a perfect introduction of technology from its past to the future. It gives a clear idea about the future technologies. In the second section, he talks about everything in societal life ranges from matchmaking and democracy to Artificial intelligence. The power of data is explained elaborately and it is something that everyone has to be educated. The third part is all about the magic of math. For me, the fourth section was most enjoyable because it deals with astrophysics and extraterrestrial life. The author has tried to answer some of the great mysteries of all the time. The fifth and last section is all about the future. The predictions and future technologies are elaborated here. The book is concluded perfectly. It has a beginning and an end.

A reader has to spend some considerable amount of time to complete this book but each and every minute will be worth it. If you are a person who has the slightest interest in science, then this is a treasure for you.

Honestly, I don’t know how to rate this book. The effort and knowledge that has been poured through these 300+ pages worth no less than a 5-star rating.

Rating:5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Indian Authors, short story

The Untold Stories by Maheshwar Narayan Sinha

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  • Title: The Untold Stories
  • Author: Maheshwar Narayan Sinha
  • Paperback: 164 pages
  • Publisher: 24by7Publishing

The Untold Stories is a collection of 6 short stories and one long story. The stories included are:
1. The Genius
2. The Deal
3. Kaala Dupatta
4. God in Chain
5. A word of Silence
6. The Guest

and the Long story is “The Untold Stories”

The variety in the themes used in each story is the main highlight. The author has explored many themes such as love, sorrow, education system, child abuse, unemployment, etc. The similarity of the themes of the stories with real-life will help the reader to connect with them.

Among the stories, I liked God in Chain most. The subject which is taken by the author for narration is absolutely good.  There is no similarity between the stories which is a good trait of short story collections. This will help a reader to read smoothly without the fear of getting lost if you take a break in reading.

The language used to express the plots are largely good except some typos here and there. Though the author has tried to tell a new plot in each story, some may fall in already written subjects. The effort taken by the author to innovate his writing style through these plots is appreciable.

The design of the cover is something that has to be appreciated. The unique design in the shade of green is perfect for this book. Altogether, it is a good short story collection for a weekend reading.

Rating:3.5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Indian Authors, Motivational Quotes, Poems, Self-Help

Rhythm of Spiritual Beats by Srinivasan Panchanadam Nathan

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Book name:- Rhythm of Spiritual Beats
Author:-  Srinivasan Panchanadam Nathan
Publisher:- Educreation Publishing
Language:- English
Book length:- 140 pages

“…Stretch your wings and fly high
the cage is open, you need not sigh
build yourself as beautiful as you want,
pain your inner self deep till the dawn…”
– Rhythm of Spiritual beats ( Srinivasan Panchanadam Nathan)

This an elegant collection of short poems. I’m impressed with the empowering nature of the poems. Usually, the subject of poems is somewhat around the deepest emotions of humans such as love and grief. But in this collection, I have seen many poems with hope and faith. This is surely the rhythm of spirits which keeps saying not to quit. I felt that poems are well built because they are gazing into the soul and not wandering through outside life.

The language used was elegant, lucid enough to convey and powerful enough to trigger hope in readers.
Many poems in this collection are so memorable. I’m sure that, I will remember them for a long time.
The illustration given along with the poems are very nice. They are appropriate and breaks the monotonous nature of poems. I really liked some illustrations. This is actually a good trend these days. Two different sides of art in one bunch is appreciable.

Altogether it is a nice collection of short poems. Recommended to every poetry lovers out there…

Rating:3.5/5

Buy here: Amazon

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Indian Authors, Memoirs

A Lot Like Love & Other Short Stories by Nidra Naik

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Title: A Lot Like Love & Other Short Stories

Author: Nidra Naik

Pages:218

Publisher: Become Shakespeare

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

From America, New Delhi, Balasore, Cuttack and even at the barren land of Nabarangpur; unearth sagas of demands, indecisiveness, struggle, intensity, love and longing! A Lot Like Love & Other Short Stories reveals the human side of survival called Hope; hope on which every living being thrives, hope, which at times is also lost.
Stories travelling the test of time, characters infusing a blood of fire, this book brings to the readers, how deep and passionate life’s purpose can be, how in an insipid land of imagination, can connect with the most fertile of hearts.
Love adorns life!

My review

This is a collection of six short stories written by Nidra Naik. The stories are:

(1) A Lot Like Love

(2) Second Chance

(3) The Bestseller

(4) The Visit

(5) The Black Idol

(6) What Was Not Said

I always liked short stories more than novels. Because it is a true test of authors storytelling capabilities. The short stories become perfect only if you crafted them well. From beginning to end the story should have every element of a novel but in limited words. Overall in this book, the author has done a very commendable job.

The first story itself is a roller coaster ride of emotions and at the end, you will be heart-broken. The impact of that heartbreak is enough to make me a feeling that I don’t want to read the rest of them. But somehow I ended up finishing it in two days. This effect is purely dedicated to the author’s capability of crafting and storytelling. In less than 45 pages, she gives a story that you will remember a lifetime.

Every story is different and the characters in all stories do not have any similarities. It’s like you have to jump from one plot to another even after a highly emotional journey offered in each story. I really liked how the author incorporated her Odia cultural heritage in the stories. They are like adding spices in a dish to make them more enjoyable.

Among stories, I personally liked ‘Bestseller’ most. Purnendu who is a small town girl but she dreams to be a best seller author one day. Her struggling in many difficult circumstances was heart-breaking. In the end, only a few tears are left.

I often amazed by the freshness of the plot each story have. The characters are portrayed as very livelily along with a good plot.

I often like the black and white cover in books. Because it is the expression of the black and white side of human lives. But for this, it will be better if they choose some other cover design.

I liked this structure of the book very much because you can read this book in small leisure intervals. This is a must-read for every short-story lovers.