Book Review : The Speaking Stone

Book Review : The Speaking Stone

Title - The Speaking Stone
Author - Ratnadip Acharya
Publisher - Aksora Publications LLP
Genre - Historical thriller/fiction
Pages - 296
Format - Paperback
.
.
Plot - The story revolves around the protagonist Saikat from Mumbai who gets a rare stone which has images engraved on it and is vertically cut into half. A quest to know the origin of the stone brought him to Tripura. On the other hand, Shuvashini, the female protagonist who is a research scholar finds an old book which has many interesting facts about Tripura's history. Then she decides to visit that place to know more the stone. Eventually they both meets and their search begins. But in the process of unearthing old secrets their lives were also in danger.

To know more grab the book.
.
.
Review :-

1) The cover of the book is intriguing and the title of the book is enigmatic same as the story.
2) The plot of the story is unique and captivating. It is a perfect blend of history, mystery, thrill and suspense.
3) The story is set in two time periods of 1900 and 2016 and the flow between past and present is maintained well.
4) Depiction of the places are done well and minute details are also provided.
5) Pictures and illustrations given in the book are reader's friendly.
6) The narration is smooth but sometimes I felt the story is dragged too much.
7) The language used by the author is simple and lucid.
8) Characters are well developed and described by the author that one can easily visualise them.
9) The flow of the book is fast paced and climax of the book is admirable.
10) Hats off to the author for his research work on inscriptions and images.
11) Overall, a well crafted historical mystery.
.
.
Rating - 4.3/5
.
.
I recommend this book to all specially to historical fiction lovers.
.
.
About the author :-

Ratnadip Acharya is the author of two successful novels, Life is Always Aimless... Unless you love it and Paradise Lost & Regained. He is a columnist for the Speaking Tree in The Times of India. He contributed many write-ups in different collections of Chicken Soup for the Soul. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Sophia and son, Akash.

Thanks for reading.

Book Review : Trinity by the Horns - A Tale of Gods and Bots

Book Review : Trinity by the Horns - A
                            Tale of Gods and Bots

Title - Trinity by the Horns - A Tale of Gods
            and Bots
Author - Prana Natarajan
Genre - scifi/mythology/fiction
Pages - 182
Format - kindle
.
.
Plot - The story revolves around three nifty youngters, Brammy, Bala and Shivpal who start up a collaborative enterprise that creates bots for a space exploration mission. But after sometimes, the board, which manages their funds looses trust in them. The board tie up with a new CEO, Miss Shakti Tandon who tries to take on the Trinity by Horns.
Does she emerge successful?
Grab the book to find out.
.
.
Review -

1) The cover of the book is eye catchy and seems to be a mythological book but it is totally distinct.
2)The title of the book is very much appropriate.
3) The plot of the story is fresh, unique and unpredictable. It is a perfect blend of science, mythology,entertainment and fiction with lots of twist and turns. Author has narrated the pain and trouble during the start-ups very smoothly.
4) The book is divided into 24 chapters with appropriate titles. I liked -
a) Awaken the Beast within
b) Wild Card Entry
c) Enter the Planet
5) The language used by the author is simple and easily understandable.
6) The writing style of the author is amazing and conversational filled with humor.
7) The characters are very well developed and described by the author. There are so many characters in the story with mythological names as Narad, Shukra, Indra, Yama Bharamanand etc.
8) The flow of the book is well paced but it is slow at some places.
9) Overall, a fun filled sci fi read.
.
.
Rating - 4/5
.
.
I recommend this book to all.

Thanks for reading. 

Book Review : With Love, Forever

Book Review : With Love,Forever

Title - With Love, Forever
Author - Kavya Janani U.
Genre - romance/fiction
Pages - 403
Format - kindle

Plot - The story revolves around the vibrant teenager Bhavana, a Tamil girl from a privileged background falls in love with a Marwari textile shopkeeper, Jairam, a stranger to her. But before Bhavana's love story has a chance to develop into a full fledged relationship ,Jairam disappears without a trace. Bhavana has no clue about his whereabouts and well-being. After six years she embarks on a journey to the pink city, Jaipur, in search of Jairam with five love letters and no personal identification details.

Will her subsequent heart breaks have changed her as a person?
Was her love towards Jairam going to be changed?
Will Bhavana be able to find Jairam?
Grab the book to find out.

Review - 

1) The cover of the book is simple and the title of the book is totally apt to the content.
2) The plot of the story is unique and emotional that would last in your memory as a moving and stirring read. It is a perfect blend of love,heartbreak,family,friendship etc.
3) All the emotions of a teenager girl are very well narrated by the author.
4) Language used in this book is simple and lucid with no grammatical mistakes.
5) The writing style of the author is simple and impressive.
6) The book is divided into many chapters and at the beginning of each chapter heart touching quotes by well known personalities are given which I liked the most.
7) The characters are very well developed and described by the author. I liked the character of Swapna, Bhavana's best friend.
8) The flow of the book is well paced which makes it easy to read and the mystery aspect keeps the readers glued to their seat.
9) Overall, an emotional and heart touching read.

Rating - 4.45/5

I recommend this book to all romance lovers out there.

Thanks for reading.

Not Worth Living For

Book Review : Not Worth Living For

Title - Not Worth Living For
Author - Shreyan Laha
Publisher - Bigfoot publications
Genre - sci fi thriller/fiction
Pages - 172
Format - paperback

Plot - The story revolves around our protagonists Ishita Singh, a student of St. Pierce's college, Mumbai who was living a pretty normal life with her friends and Shweta, who wakes up all of a sudden in the unknown planet of Isthenope.
Underlying the lives of the two completely different worlds, there lies a dark secret.
Will they every come to know about the secret? Or will it be so chilling that it won't be worth living for? Grab the book to find out.

Review -
1) The cover and the title of the book could have been better.
2) The plot of the story is unique and interesting. It is a perfect blend of sci fi, mystery and thriller with a tinge of romance. This book talks about social issues like stalking, rape and honour killing which is very well narrated by the author.
3) The language used by the author is simple and lucid.
4) Hats off to the author for his superb imagination and research work.
5) The writing style is commendable.
6) The author has set up three scenes simultaneously in India, Russia and another planet : Isthenope which he managed very well.
7) The story is focused mainly on events rather than characters.
8) Editing part of the book is quiet weak though.
9)The flow of the book is well paced and engaging making the readers wait for the sequel. 10)Overall, a refreshing read.

Rating - 4/5

I recommend this book to all sci fi and thriller lovers out there.

About the author -
Shreyan Laha is currently a management trainee in Samunnati Financial Intermediation and Services. He has been an alumnus of Xavier School of Rural Management. He hails from Jamshedpur has two novels, 'The Adventures Beyond Existence ' and 'Never Shaun's, and half a dozen short stories to his credit. He has been the winner of Rajiv Gandhi Youth Literary Award, 2014 and apart from writing,Shreyan loves watching football and learning foreign languages.

Thanks for reading.

Book Review : One Precious Moment

Book Review : One Precious Moment

'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the PRECIOUS MOMENTS that take out breaths away.'
.
.
Title - One Precious Moment
Author - Ritu Kakar
Genre - romance/fiction
Pages - 144
Format - PDF
.
.
Blurb -
One Precious Moment is a poignant and beautiful story of love and loss. It’s a story that teaches us that we are puppets in the hands of time being played at it’s will. Mira Singh, discovers her ability to re- bulid her life on her own terms after being played with by time. This is a story that will tug at your heart, and hopefully make you feel thankful for the life you lead.

The story revolves around protagonist Mira, first year college student who accidently met Rahul, an intern while boarding a local train. Both of them fell in love with each other and got married. They were living a happy life and suddenly it went upside down. Mira's life changed forever.
What happened with Mira and Rahul?
What was in their destiny?
Grab the book to find out.
.
.
Review -
1) The cover of the book could have been better but the title of the book is apt to the content.
2) The plot of the story is simple with lots of twist and turns. All the human emotions like love, lust, happiness, sorrow, pain, uncertainty etc are described very well by the author.
3) The language used by the author is simple and easy to understand which makes the readers very much comfortable.
4) The narrative style of the author is commendable. Dialogues make the book even more interesting.
5) The characters are very well developed and described by the author. I liked the character of Mira - strong,brave and how she rebuilds herself.
6) The flow of the book is well paced and engaging which makes this book a page turner.
7) Overall, a sentimental read. Grab a box of tissue while reading it.
.
.
Rating - 4/5
.
.
I highly recommend this book to those who love reading romantic and emotional books.
.
.
Thanks for reading.

Book Review : Sneaks in the Meadows

Book Review : Sneaks in the Meadows

.
.
Title - Snakes in the Meadows
Author - Ayaz Kohli
Publisher - Rupa Publication
Genre - fiction
Format - paperback
.
.
The book Sneaks in the Meadows  sets in Pathri Aali,Jammu and Kashmir,1987. Our protagonist Aslam and Ashwar falls in love with each other and want to get married but get separated due to their family rivalry. Unable to cope, Aslam leaves Pathri Ali forever.
Years later, as men migrate to Saudi Arabia for employment, Pathri Ali is populated mostly by women and children. Soon they realize the Mujahideen, who guise themselves as their liberators, are the worst perpetrators, and misery seems inescapable. Ashwar refuses to be cowed down by this reign of terror and is determined not to let it devastate the once-peaceful village. She calls out Aslam across the distance of time and space,to return and live up to the legends of their village. .
.
Grab the saga of the onset of militancy, the suffering and the resilience of Pir Panjal - the 'and'of Jammu and Kashmir.
.
.
Review :


1) The cover of the book is good and could be better. The title of the book is attractive which made me buy this book.
2) The plot of the story is strong and powerful. In this book, the author picked up serious and sensitive issues like family rivalry, terrorist attacks, mass murders, molestation etc and narrated very well. It is a perfect blend of fiction and reality.
 3) Various human emotions like love, courage, bravery,hatred etc have been described very beautifully.
4) In this book, the author represents the injustice and brutal actions faced by the local people so well that can touch readers heart.
5) The language used by the author is simple and easy to understand.
6) The characters are very well developed and described by the author. Each and every character has been given equal importance.  I liked the character of Ashwar the most.
7)The writing style of the author is impressive that one can visualize the scenes clearly.
8) The flow of the book is well paced but went slow in the middle half.
 9) Overall, an eye opening read.
.
.
Rating - 4/5
.
.
I recommend this book to all Indians.
.
.
Thanks for reading. 

Book Review - The Curse of Anuganga

Review : The Curse Of Anuganga

Ssshh,softly,the walls have ears too.


Title - The Curse of Anuganga
Author - Harini Srinivasan
Publisher - Tree Shade Books
Genre - historical thriller/fiction
Pages - 280
Format - paperback


Plot - The Curse of Anuganga is a historical thriller sets up in 403 C.E. based in the thriving city of Nandivardhana where lives our protagonist Shaunaka,a young man(jeweller's son). His life changes when he ends up helping the local police solve a murder he accidentally stumbles upon. The deceased man, Vinayashura,is an affluent trader with mysterious links to the royal family in Nandivardhana. The rest of the story is about how Shaunaka helps the police figure out who killed Vinayashura and why?
And what's the curse of Anuganga?


"If you want to get on a time machine and travel back into the haunting mysteries and intrigues of the places of Ancient India,you cannot miss The Curse of Anuganga".


Review -
1)The cover of the book is impressive and clearly depicts that it is about historical mystery and the title of the book is totally apt.
2) The plot of the story is unique and intriguing. It is a perfect blend of history,mystery and thrill which is very well narrated by the author. Hats off to her for brilliant research work.
3) The language used by the author is simple and lucid with a tinge of Sanskrit and Hindi words but glossary is given at the end of the book for better understanding.
4)The book is divided into 12 chapters with prologue and epilogue which is reader's friendly.
5) Characters are very well developed and described by the author. I liked Shaunaka and Tanirika 's character the most.
6) It is a story of curse and revenge with lots of twists and turns. One can easily visualise the scenes and places described in this book.
7) The flow of the book is well paced but looses its grip  in the middle.
8)Overall, a fantastic read.


Rating - 4/5


I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves reading historical thrillers.

Thanks for reading!