The Revolutionary’s Cousin by Cindy Davies : Zahra and Karim are back!

Review Copy❤️: Cindy Davies (Author)

Publisher : Odyssey Books.

Date : 12 September 2019.

Book Length : 402.

Format : Ebook.

Price: Rs 471.45

This book is a sequel to The Afghan Wife .

Find the review to the first book in the link above.

The Author has revealed a lot of interesting anecdotes and insights about the books in her earlier interview with me. Its never enough to know more about your favourite book and the brain behind it!. Whether you read the series or not make sure to read her interview. Its very Insightful!!

Zahra and Karim are back and so am I through them as this would be my first review after 2 yrs…….

When I decided to restart blogging this is the first book that came to my mind as its prequel had been one of my best reads back then and the book had a sequel coming.. though the author gave me this copy way back i could only manage to read it now and finish it up in 2 days!

Honestly it has been a longtime since I read the first book so I had only vaguely recalled the story. It took me a while to get a grip but I eventually got it as I realised the story was imprinted in my mind as i loved it a lot back then especially the part where rashid is executed stayed in my head and heart even after such a long period as I could never get over it and nor will ,add more to it the author decided to give me another loss in the second book….. Sniff!!!

To quickly brush up with the the first book “The Afghan Wife” is a romantic thriller set in Iran during the time of the revolution in 1979 and traces the life of the main protagonists Zarah and Karim in an intense political plot.


if you want to know more about the history of iran go for this book and it being a romantic thriller is a cherry on the top and with its wonderful and vivid script and a smooth screenplay it is a must have!

Zarah who finally gets rid of her abusive husband flees to Tehran ,Iran from Afghanistan with her cousin Firzun and son ahmad. She takes shelter with nasim and rashid, friends of Firzun ,who then recommends her for employment with Mrs konari their rich affluent neighbour as a servant ,this is where she meets Karim, son of Mrs konari and the scene where they meet each other face to face first time is SPOT on! ,it is still fresh in my memory though i have read it only once!

They fell in love eventually amidst all the trials and tribulations but they don’t unite in the first book ,with many dramatic turns and a few deaths the first book is continued to a sequel….

The second book in the sequel the revolutionary cousin starts in tehran ,iran again, where zarah is forced to leave Karim and leave for Australia while Karim returns to USA where his rest of his family has fled due to the worsening situation in Tehran ,Iran.

The protagonists are forced to leave one country after another. On introspection It dawns how bitter life of refugees were during war in those days, people had suffered greatly .You feel another level of respect for those survivors! And its just makes you realise that we are so lucky!

As they are seperated because of the cruel fate and the damn war. Their trials and tribulations only worsens in their respective adopted countries. The author traces the life of all the main protagonists in the sequel Karim,zarah and firzun aka the revolutionary cousin each of whom had their own struggles and difficulties to cope with.

The second half had more twists and turns
I literally sobbed the last few chapters crying buckets of tear a whole afternoon when a character died ,already Rashid’s execution had been imprinted in my mind in the first book I never ever got over it …I literally wailed over it and now I went through the same experience again in the sequel.

Their is a long long way before our love birds reunite ,brace yourself for that, but when they eventually unite its all worth it!.

The detailed description of the sceneries now and then is a bit more than necessary especially for an impatient reader like me who is too curious about what next and it becames a hurdle hence I had to skim read it. later i found out some of the detailed sceneries were imperative to the plot and I had to go back and read it carefully again not to miss in any details and furthermore it makes it easy for you to imagine the scene like a movie.
The only disappointment was I have been looking forward to zarah and Karim happily after in the second book. BUT it seems the wait is longer!

The third sequel will roll out soon!

Thanks is not enough to the author who generously sent me the second book.
As always I am looking forward to the next book and this time they will unite!

Would i like to reread it: yes very much though i will skip the part where one of the characters passes away as my heart aches!

Love-o-meter : 4.5🌟

Cindy Davies Books

Click on the Image for more information!

Seduction by Truth by Mukul Kumar

“I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset

Publisher : Bloomsbury India

Publication Date : 18th Oct 2018

Buy : Amazon

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Blurb :

Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi’s poshest suburb, is a
dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment?

Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva’s case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own-but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on?

Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions
than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart-as a woman first and a wife later.

A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dares the modern reader to solve civilization’s oldest puzzle-marriage.

A story of the interplay of sex, trust and love in a marriage, and what happens when attraction dies and a man stands at the crossroads of dharma and desire.

Review :

The plot revolves around shiva, a rich businessman living in a posh apartment with his wife akriti and son ankur. Though life has given him everything right from a succesful career, a posh house in delhi, a beautiful wife and a son he is unhappy and discontent.. reason??.. his wife’s infidelity. His own bad temper at the slightest provocation and his being busy always are the reasons behind his wife’s affair but instead of trying to make things right he decides to stray just like her, to take revenge and in order to prove himself his worthiness or his desirability, he takes on his secretary sana first, he seduces her with his intellectual talks since she’s already going through a turbulent marriage herself she decides to play along with him inspite of her having a college going daughter, even with sana he goes for another colleague of his who is again in an unhappy marriage, next women he seduces is a foreigner Mary.

The story is Part real, Part legend as the author puts it.

Maybe this book was not my cup of tea. The book was gripping initially but i started losing interest afterwards.
Though Shiva went through pangs of guilt he still went pursuing other women though he remained a good husband and a great father which was the one thing i liked.

Yes there were many intellectual debates and dialogues in the book, they happen between shiva and the many women when he was trying to shake their beliefs on adultery, which all three thought was a sin. With his immense knowledge on mythology and other topics he breaks the women’s beliefs that they can pursue relationship outside marriage especially when they are unhappy in their marriage. now this ‘the breaking the belief then seduce them’ is something that didn’t go down well with me.

I liked the debate stuff, few like the polygamy part where the author throws light at the time when polygamy actually started and the reason behind it and how people are misusing it now.

Akriti’s character was decent and dignified but her character timeline seemed incomplete, Shiva as a person was beyond my understanding.

I would rate the language and writing style be 3.5/5. This is entirely my opinion maybe others would like it. This is just my perspective of the book and not of the author. My opinion on the story comes from deep rooted beliefs and values in me, Having said that this book is courageous and brave in many ways.

The author’s take and knowledge on varied topics was very enlightening. It is always a privilege to read a fresh perspective.

Love-O-Meter : 3🌟

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review :Tarikshir by Khayaal Patel

“I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset

“Just as a single grain of rice can tip the scale, a single man may be the difference between victory and defeat.”

Publisher : Westland.

Date : 20 Aug 2018.

Book Length : 358

Buy : Amazon

“To every lock ever made, a key is made simultaneously. So whenever we come across a problem, there’s already a solution existing.. we just have to look for it.”

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Blurb :

A small princely state in Rajasthan is the last bastion of resistance against the might of the British Empire. While unrest surrounding the sudden death of the king of Devangarh grows, young prince Rudra Pratap Chauhan prepares to ascend the throne.

But the kingdom is in turmoil. The Devangarh army is outnumbered and the British forces are closing in. To make matters worse, Rudra discovers the king’s death may not have been accidental after all. The strange appearance and disappearance of a mysterious hooded stranger and a series of ritualistic murders in which the bodies have been drained of blood, spread panic across the realm.

As Rudra struggles to manage his new responsibilities and investigate his father’s death, dark secrets will be uncovered that will disrupt life as he knows it.

Quotes i loved :

“A little understanding can go a long way. God has given us, his most cherished creature – man – the ability to feel for others, to feel their pain and joy and the power for us to share ours.”

Words are like arrows. Once shot, they cannot be called back.

We cannot let the past cloud our thoughts and in turn affect our future. Rather than the past, we must channel our energies into the future. Else we risk foregoing our future.

We must have faith in god, for he sees all and knows all. This is all for greater good. Faith in him makes any pain bearable.

Review :

The story starts with a prologue where a certain monkey valikesh dies in mysterious circumstances while trying to get hold of a precious gem.

Then the story proceeds to a small princely state of rajasthan whose ruler Raja Ravindra is threatened with war by the britishers. Though the raja seems to be proud, impudent and thoughtless, his son, the young prince Rudra is shown as someone who is wise and peace loving. Though in order to make his father happy he gets ready for war but things takes a nasty turn when the raja is found dead amidst the onset of war. Rudra is made to believe that there is more to his father’s death than it seems, it might not be an accident.
Suddenly there are gruesome murders happening around him, his investigations and his grandfather’s diary all leads his suspicions towards the dangerous creature tarikshir’s awakening.

The writing style and the language was the one thing i liked the most especially the humorous part. The undead coming alive was so real and scary i suppose it was the description that made the visions come alive in front of me. There are lots of unexpected twists and turns which keeps you hooked.

I think no one can stop themselves from liking Rudra, I also liked the characters of Nafisa and Duryadatta. Her abrupt exit was disappointing, I still think there is more to nafisa’s character. The language was good but the plot i didn’t quite understand what was happening,  I suppose it was the ramayana stuff that made it a little difficult for me to comprehend, even then i feel it was the thrill and mystery of the plot that prevented me from giving less than 4 stars.

I loved the sons of hanuman’s part of the story, particularly their monkey fight sequences, to have imagined a group like that to restore peace and justice on earth was quite cool. Again, a work of this sort from a debut author is remarkable and promising.

I hope there is a sequel coming as i am eagerly waiting to meet rudra again…very very much ❤️❤️❤️

Love – O – Meter : 4🌟

 

Book Review : Let you be my puppet once by Preetika Mehra.

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Publisher : Notion Press.

Published on : 21st April 2018.

Book Length : 326.

Format : Paperback, Kindle.

“I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset

As i started with the book i thought of it as just another “good and then turned worse” friends waala story but as the story progressed i realised it was more than that. The plot was indepth, well thought of and carefully written.

Saima, Josh, vedica and karan are four friends working in mumbai. Everything goes well until an unfortunate incident shackles the very foundation of their peaceful lives. This provokes them to go on an avenging spree.

The plot thickens in the latter part of story, with the four friends trying to escape. The tricks used in the escapade was innovative, smart and new to me, it was the best way of setting this story standout from others or otherwise it would have felt very filmy.

I loved the detailed characterisation of each and everyone in the plot however miniscule part they played in the story. Though it was good to see such clarity in the author’s mind about her characters, it was like a speed breaker in an otherwise flowing plot, understandably it was necessary to throw light on some of their backgrounds which would help us understand the character better, i would have preferred a much shorter introduction.

I rate a book on how much addictive it was to me, leaving the first half, i was hooked to the last part towards the end especially.

My favourite character was hands down whitney, Jay’s lawyer. The part where she handles jay’s interrogators was intellectually amazing. my curiosity has upped multifold as to where did the author got the inspiration for whitney’s character. It absolutely deserves to be a part of some movie.

Narration was flowy, language was perfect. For a debut author it was quite impressive.

The End was unexpected and i am mighty curious about what happened next.

Final verdict:

its not the usual story of friends you come across. It has something which is imperative to a story – ‘Plot’.. well executed one!

Love – O- Meter : 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Spotlight : The Heart of Mist by Helen Scheuerer.

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Heart of Mist

SYNOPSIS
 

In a realm where toxic mist sweeps the lands and magic is forbidden, all Bleak wants is a cure for her power.

Still grieving the death of her guardian and dangerously self-medicating with alcohol, Bleak is snatched from her home by the Commander of the King’s Army, and summoned to the capital.

But the king isn’t the only one interested in Bleak’s powers.

The leader of an infamous society of warriors, the Valia Kindred, lays claim to her as well, and Bleak finds herself in the middle of a much bigger battle than she anticipated.

Heart of Mist is the gripping first book in The Oremere Chronicles, a fantasy series of epic proportions.

 
Praise for HEART OF MIST
 
“I fell in love with the world Scheuerer has built…” ―Book Series Recaps

“Scheuerer has crafted a vibrant world shrouded in magic, mystery and deadly mist, slowly revealing a back story that has the reader clamouring to know more. Heart of Mist ends on the promise of future adventure, and I for one can’t wait to go!” ―the AU review

“A brilliant, absorbing read – I absolutely loved it. The dark, rich characterisation, the wonderful world building, the breathtaking plot and the beautiful writing make the whole experience a joy from start to finish.” ―Alexandra Nahlous

“Heart of Mist is captivating in its world-building and brilliant character development. Scheuerer is a true master at weaving together magic, mystery, passion and politics in her standout debut.” ―The Literary Casanova 

“Heart of Mist is an incredible fantasy novel: magic, hints of romance, friendship, betrayal, secrets and deeply rooted plot twists abound… A unique fantasy series that I can see easily becoming one of my all-time favourite fantasy novels.” ―The Book Tweeter

“Scheuerer’s tale is intense, filled with details of scenes of action, despair and danger. Well-defined characters will leap off the pages as Bleak and the rest come to life. Scheuerer has done a fabulous job of pulling me into her story and her world. A wonderful fantasy series with a very firm foundation to build upon!” ―Tome Tender

 

 

Helen Scheuerer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 

Helen Scheuerer is a YA fantasy author from Sydney, Australia. Heart of Mist is the first book in her high fantasy trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles. It explores themes of identity, belonging, loyalty, addiction, loss, and responsibility.

Helen is also the Founding Editor of Writer’s Edit (www.writersedit.com), an online literary magazine and learning platform for emerging writers. It’s now one of the largest writers’ platforms in the world.

Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a Bachelor of Creative Arts, majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong and a Masters of Publishing at the University of Sydney.

Helen is now a full-time author living by the beach.

PHOTO CONTENT FROM HELEN SCHEUERER

WEBSITE: http://helenscheuerer.com/
TWITTER:  @HelenScheuerer
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9898249.Helen_Scheuerer
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/helenscheuererauthor/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/helenscheuerer/

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