A Must Read - Nine - A Gripping Tale of Ila Sharma, The Number Girl

It has been more than 3 years since I last read Dan Brown's book because I started reading more from Indian literature/authors. And it has been more than 2 years since I last read Ashwin Sanghi's book, as in Indian literature I focused more on debut or small authors. But the feeling of losing or not able to read a book by them kept coming to my mind. So it was a wonderful experience when I was reading Nine by Sweta Samota because the plot, storyline, and genre reminded me of Robert Langdon and Bharat Series. 

Book Blurb

Brilliant but stubborn teenage number decoder, Ila Sharma needs to stay low in college.

With her photo flashed across the media, she is being hunted by the notorious to unravel the mysteries.

And with the three scientists going missing, she is on the target by the Indian Intelligence.

Still reeling from the events back home, and with a handsome undercover agent by her side, Ila is not sure whom she can trust any more.

With the scientists missing and father dead, it's her job to bury the powerful secret forever and save it from falling in the wrong hands.

AND IN THE CHASE, SHE HAS NO IDEA HER LIFE IS GOING TO CHANGE 

FOREVER BY THE GROWING PROXIMITY OF THE AGENT AND THE LURKING DANGER.

CAN ILA SAVE HERSELF FROM THE INEVITABLE?

Nine is one such journey that will have you biting your nails or gasping for breath but one that you cannot abandon till all the pieces of the jigsaw fall in place.

Those who read Indian Mythological & Historical genre might be aware of the conspiracy theory of Ashoka and his Nine unknown. We know because we have more than a dozen fictional books around that theory. And still, our hunger for the subject is unsatiated. So when we saw Sweta's post on Instagram about her book and special kindle promotional price of 79 INR we just grabbed the copy for us. 

As I have mentioned the story is around Ashoka and his secret knowledge sect. Ila a math problem solver known as number girl is our protagonist. She got problem-solving skills from her dad who had changed his identity to save his life and country. He advised his daughter not to solve a problem for someone. But she didn't listen to his dad and joined a prestigious college in Pune. Her goal was to get a gold medal in the world puzzle championship. In college she met with Kyra and Aryan both became close to her but always seems mysterious to Ila. Things changed Ila's life when she accidentally solved the problem given by Kyra. She didn't know she was messing up something related to national security and international terrorist group. Read the book to know more.

You will be shocked to find a small role by our dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the book as well. By mentioning codes/math don't worry much even if you are weak at it, Sweta has taken care to explain it to naive readers as well. The flow and pace were smooth and fluid. Not a single moment of unnecessary boring narration. Interesting chemistry between Aryan and Ila. Good mix and match of mystery, thriller, and drama. A perfect pick for a date with a book. I would love to have this book published by well-known publishers and get its copy in our physical book collection.

Ratings 

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Concept - 4.5/5
3. Content - 4.5/5
4. Characters - 4.5/5
5. Overall - 4.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon India & Amazon USA

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads