Review: Divyastra

Author: Nimish Tanna.

Genre: Fiction,  Suspense. 

Rating: 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍬

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?

Cover Review:

The cover is simple, yet a bit intriguing. I like the abstractness of it.

Book Review:

Divyastra was so deceptively good. I knew the moment I finished the first chapter that I was going to like it. It had all the elements you look for in a good book.

I started reading this book yesterday and finished it this morning,  because it was one of those books that you just can't stop reading. 

I loved how the storyline was divided into two threads and then intricately woven back together. It felt like such an adventure,  especially the ending when you start realising what the story was all about.

The only thing I could find lacking was character development. The characters in Shankar's grandpa's stories were well developed but his own character seemed pretty hollow to me.

Other than that minor setback though, Divyastra proved to be one of the best of the Indian literature I've ever read. So I wholeheartedly recommend you to go check this book out. You'll love it, especially the ending.

(P.S. I don't think the blurb does justice to the book.)

Add To Goodreads .

Buy Divyastra now:

Amazon India  | Amazon US

Review: Song of Life

Author: Anuradha Singh.

Genre: Poetry, Mythology. 

Rating: 🍫🍫🍫🍫

Blurb:

Mahabharata, India’s legacy, longest written poetry, stories interlinked into each other, with so many characters, events and places. Each character has a role to play, which is vital for the story to go ahead. This Mahakavya, which is written by Krishnadwaipayana Vyasa is imprinted on Indian mind. It has been translated world wide, every region of India has its own narration, interpretation and connection with Mahabharata. In song of life the author has created poetry which can be read and understood easily by young generation who have not read or heard of Mahabharata much. Along with the young even the elders can read and relish the easy flowing poetry of the verve.

Cover Review:

The cover is pretty simple and not too intriguing. I'd have preferred something livelier. 

Book Review:

Song of Life was the story of Mahabharata told in the form of modern verses. I say modern because the writing style did not include any of the words you'd usually expect in an Indian mythology. Simply put, the language was really easy to understand. 

Reading it, I felt as if I was doing a crash course on the Mahabharata. It was a feat, boiling down such a long saga into the few pages, and even those in the form of verses.

Song of Life was a delight to read, and it focused on almost all of the major events of the saga. 

My favourite thing about the book was its simple language. I loved the fact that the English was mostly modern, and though it reflected the richness of the story, it was also new enough to feel refreshing.  

Overall, Song of Life was a quick, enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to know the story of Mahabharata but doesn't have the time/resources to read the whole saga.

Add To Goodreads .

Buy Song of Life now:

Amazon India  |Amazon US

Author Interview: Kevin Missal, Author of Kalki Trilogy

Hey everyone!

Today, I'm here with a short interview I did with Kevin Missal, author of the well known Kalki Trilogy!

1. Mythology is one of the most common genres written in by Indian authors. How does Kalki stand out among all the other mythological books?

   
   
   Because it has heart. 
   
   
2. Did you have to research a lot in order to write Kalki? 

   
   
   Yeah I did but it was very general. Most of it was fantasy. 
   
   
3. Do you write in genres other than Mythology? Why/why not?

   
   
   I want to but I like mythology than other genre is because you get to twist stories, ground them and show your interpretation. 
   
   
4. What book are you currently working on?

   
   
   Narasimha. 
   
   
5. Your top five all time favourite reads?

   
   
   1) Godfather 
   2) Alchemist 
   3) Devotion of Suspect X 
   4) Percy Jackson (any book) 
   5) Hobbit 

Thank you for your time! I wish you all the good luck with your books!

Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an upsurge in unrighteousness, at that time, I take birth again. 

- LORD GOVIND. 

Born in the quiet village of Shambala, Kalki Hari, son of Vishnuyath and Sumati, has no idea about his heritage until he is pitted against tragedies and battles. 

Whisked into the province of Keekatpur, which is under the fist of Lord Kali, Kalki sees the ignominy of death trumping life all around him. He learns that he has been born to cleanse the world he lives in, for which he must journey to the North and learn the ways of Lord Vishnu’s Avatar; from an immortal who wields an axe. 

But trapped in the midst of betrayals, political intrigue and forces that seek to decimate him, will he be able to follow his destiny before the Kaliyug begins?

Add To Goodreads.