Skyfire by Aroon Raman: a review

You know what’s the first thing that comes in your mind once you see Aroon Raman’s latest book, Skyfire? That one line by Hindustan Times on the cover that says “India’s answer to Robert Ludlum.” And then you know that no matter what, this book is a must read. Privileged at being one of the very first people who could get their hands on the book, I couldn’t stop myself from liking it after I had my eyes on it for the first time. Upon turning the book, the blurb of course made me want to read the book right away. So before turning on what do I have to say about the book, here is the blurb of the book for you to read.

According to the blurb- May 2012. India is hit by a series of freak weather disturbances and startling epidemics that threaten to bring the country to its knees. At the same time, children are disappearing from the slums in the capital and nobody seems to care. Stumbling upon these strange and seemingly unrelated incidents, journalist Chandrasekhar, historian Meenakshi Pirzada and intelligence operative Syed Ali Hassan start upon a trail that leads them into the drawing rooms of Delhi’s glittering high society before reaching a terrifying climax in Bhutan, where they come face to face with a force of unspeakable power and evil. Bestselling author Aroon Raman’s third novel, Skyfire, is a heart stopping thriller that will chill you to the bone.

Now that you’ve read the blurb I am sure that you are thinking what I was when I first read it. I’ll first talk about the characters. Chandrasekhar, Meenakshi, Hassan; the main protagonists of the novel deal with a spine chilling incident that lead them to places that are shown only in films. I loved the way the author has dealt with the characters and has given them the shape and sturd that they much needed. The intricacies of their relationships, the chemistry, the love and the bonding between the trio is so strong that you cannot help but be jealous of them. That apart, there are many other characters in the book who come and go at their respective times and who bring with themselves the much needed twists and turns in the book.

The story. A typical thriller as you might feel from the blurb, this novel is something that you would not even expect it to be. You can feel that from the beginning that this is not an average thriller that you would read on an everyday basis. The way the “freak weather disturbances” and the sightings that have been described in this book is something that I feel is what the author’s speciality. Being the first ever read of the author by me, this book didn’t disappoint me at all. Is this even imaginable that change in weather and missing children can be interrelated (or related at all?) Aroon Raman in this book shows just that and how wonderfully does he do that. I am not giving up much of the story because that would mean saying a lot of things which I don’t want the readers to be left off from reading.

The narration has been done wonderfully but somewhere down the line I felt that the book has been a bit too fast paced and crisp. After one point, even a few set of readers might feel the end was expected. The details have been written and the experience of reading this book is almost equivalent to that of watching a film but hey! Isn’t that supposed to be what a book should be about? There were no grammatical errors in the book and I felt that having said all the good things, this book could’ve been a bit more stretched which it didn’t. Of course, whenever you have a good book in hand, satisfaction cannot be achieved anyhow and we always expect something or the other. For me, expecting and looking forward to more books from the author, this is 4 out of 5.

PS- This book was given to me a part of the Flipkart Book Reviews Programme.

When love finds you by Yashodhara Lal: a review

Yashodhara Lal has been known to be one of the most quirky writers of today's time. Starting from her first book to her latest, When love finds you, the authoress has done her best in making all her books worth the time that we spend in reading it. So when I found her latest and switched over to the blurb, I couldn't help but give in to the temptation of reading this book. The cover of the book tells a lot about the book and thus, I had to see what the blurb says.

According to the blurb- Natasha is a badass boss. Just how badass? She can make a grown man cry, whip a team into shape, meet her targets- and she won't take any bullshit, period. Of course, getting the job done is never enough for a woman in a man's world. When it's time for her promotion, she's passed over for Rishabh- a smarmy rake who apparently has 'people skills'. He knows just how to push her buttons and it's driving her up the wall. Then there's the very desirable Nikhil, whose quiet self-assurance and distracting dimple only seem to complicate things at the office. With a crotchety old neighbour, an unrelenting friend and a tumultuous family history in the mix, Natasha is suddenly beginning to find that everything she's ignored in the pursuit of success is coming back to haunt her. But don't worry. She's bringing her A- game. She always does.

Now, having read the blurb I am sure that you are having the same thoughts as I am. Aren't you? A fun read with a sassy female boss and male characters who might be drool worthy but there are many layers to it. I had the same idea with the book. So I had to pick up the book and surf through the chapters.

The first chapter had it all. The introduction of the main protagonist, the kind of a person she is, her ambitions etc and as the book progressed, this went on higher and higher. With every chapter we get to know Natasha and her life. Everything was fine but then enter Rishabh. The man who is desired by most women in the office other than her, the person with super 'people skills' is a wonder to read. Being a girl I totally understood what Rishabh is all about. And of course, then there is Nikhil.

Since I have already named the 3 most important characters, let me come to the description that has been put forth for them. Natasha, being the main protagonist was given 100% attention. Rishabh was given 70% attention and what I felt was even though Nikhil was given a lot of attention, again around 70%, still his character was underdeveloped. Similar to Natasha, Nikhil has a lot of curves in his life and thus what I felt was, he could've been developed with a lot more time than was given to him.

There are many other characters in the book and one of my favorites was Mrs.Chopra, about whom you really need to find out from the book. Coming to the story. Well, I have a lot to say about it. The story was well thought of and a good one time read over a cup of cuppa but what I felt lacking was the portrayal of the moral of the story. Of course the story has a moral and that is there in the last line of the book (That doesn't mean you'll read the last line first) but I somehow had a lot of expectations from the portrayal of the story which didn't happen.

The way the story has been written was nice and I really liked the narration. If I have to speak about the cons, I would want to say that this book wants to say and promises a lot but somewhere down the line, fails to deliver. Having said that, no. I'm not disappointed with the book but then I'm not satisfied either. But being a reader who reads a lot, I expected at least a bit more from the book which I found missing. No grammatical errors and a smooth ride makes this book worth the time it takes to finish. For me, expecting so much more from the authoress with the next book, this book was 3.5 out of 5.

PS- This book was given to me as a part of the Flipkart Book reviews programme.

The Girl Who Chose by Devdutt Pattanaik: a review

We all have grown up listening to the story of Ramayana and even today when we are given the story of Indian mythology, we end up going back to our childhood and listening to all of them with as much eagerness as we did back then. What I feel glad about is in today’s time we have authors like Devdutt Pattanaik who strive to present a more interesting take on the mythology for people of all ages. His latest offering “The Girl Who Chose” is an illustrative version of the Ramayana. How could I just not read it?

According to the blurb- ‘You are bound by rules, but not I. I am free to choose.’ Two thousand years ago, the poet-sage Valmiki wrote the Ramayana. It is the tale of Ram, the sun-prince of Ayodhya, who is obliged to follow family rules and makes no choices. And of Ravana, king of Lanka, who does not respect anybody’s rules or other people’s choices. Over the centuries, hundreds have retold the tale, in different languages, adding new twists and turns. But few have noticed that the tale always depends on the five choices made by Sita. What were Sita’s five choices? India’s favourite mythologist brings to you this charmingly illustrated retelling of the Ramayana that is sure to empower and entertain a new generation of readers.

The moment I received the book (and I am not exaggerating!) I had a smile on my face. It wasn’t just a smile, it was a huge grin. The illustration of “Sita” and the fonts used for the title of the book is something that made me go back to my childhood. Since the author has himself made the illustrations, I couldn’t have been happier. Kudos to the author for doing so! As I always do with every book I receive, I flipped through the pages and immediately got drawn to the illustrations that are made there. This book is written in such a way that you are easily able to relive the epic story through the illustrations that are done in the book.

I would be true here, currently I am having a lot of pressure at work and everything is going as per schedule but when I was flipping through the pages, I ended up reading the whole book at one go. A very quick read, I finished it in almost 1 hour and here I am, writing what I felt about the book. The favourite mythologist of today’s time retells the epic Ramayana in such a way that you feel like this is the best way through which you would be able to tell your children or younger siblings who are new to Indian mythology, about the story.

We had grandparents who used to tell us tell-tale stories about these epics and we would always want our children to know those stories so why not find a good way for them to read it? The illustrations of the book actually made me feel like bringing up my crayons and then colouring them. Just imagine that if I felt to do it then what would the children feel when they are given the book? Oh by the way, now that I have finished reading it, my mother is reading it too!

Now, coming to the way the story has been written. When we speak about the retelling of the Ramayana, we somehow do not think about it being told from Sita’s perspective but to think of it, why not? The author has answered that very question and has narrated the epic through the perspective of the girl who chose. It is not many of us who notice that the story was basically woven around the five choices made by Sita. If those choices weren’t what they were, probably we wouldn’t have had the story the way it has been told.

Along with the five choices made by Sita, the author also enlightens us about the minute details of the Ramayana which we usually tend to overlook. A smooth read, the book comes with a very strong message. The choices that we make, the fact that we all have a Sita within us make or break us. We always have a choice and we should be aware of the fact that every choice of ours has consequences which we should accept with grace. For the cons of the book, there weren’t any or rather, I couldn’t find any. The conclusive moral of the book made me forget about everything else and I could only get lost in the book. Surely a must read and a much recommended book for people who love to read mythology. I will surely be looking forward to reading more books from the author in the future. For me, the book was 5 out of 5. I would end it with the dedication and opening lines of the book-

For those who choose.

“Within infinite myths lies an eternal truth

Who knows it all?

Varuna has but a thousand eyes

Indra, a hundred

You and I, only two.”

PS- This book has been sent to Vanya’s Notebook from the Flipkart Blogger Book Review Program.