Song of Draupadi by Ira Mukhoty

The diversity of the Mahabharata is so vast that you will get narration from almost any character of it. I have read the purpspectives of not just Pandavas & Krishna but Duryodhana, Shakuni, Karna, wives & sisters of these characters. The most touching of these narrations is that of females who played a pivotal role in the story but were always given a smaller platform than their male counterparts in mythological literature. Recently many authors have taken it to next level and have given females their due platform. In all those literature, the story from Draupadi's point presents a more vivid picture of the Kaurava dynasty's family values.

When I selected "Song of Draupadi" I was expecting a story from or of Draupadi. Instead, the book delivered more stories than just Draupadi's. Let's remove magic from the epic and now tell me which characters were landmarks in the story. You may give names like Bhishma, Pandu, Dhritrashtra, Kauravas, Pandavas & Krishna. I am not talking about who fought the war, I am talking about why they turned towards war. Why did Bhishma take auth of celibacy? Why did Shakuni take auth of revenge? What happened during Game of Dice? Why did Pandavas share a common wife? All questions will finally end with one or another female character. Ira has painted that canvas for us. Read the book to know more.

Good points about the book

1. Attractive cover design, one cannot forget such a nicely designed cover.
2. Fluid language for smooth reading
3. Diversity in capturing female issues of that time
4. Strong character building that makes us adore even minutest contributor 

I will give 3.5 stars out of 5 to this book.

Book links - Goodreads and Amazon

Faceless: The Mystery of the Carved Arrow by Ashwin Karthik

I am a big fan of the thriller based on ancient cultures, be it Dan Brown, be it Ashwin Sanghi, or Christopher Doyal. I have read many books in this genre from debut authors as well. That was the read I have "Faceless: The Mystery of the Carved Arrow by Ashwin Karthik"

The story starts just like any of the books in this genre, the murder of a scientist by a mysterious method. This time instead of a researcher we have an inspector chasing the murderer. The protagonist of our story is inspector Abinay Chaturvedi and his subordinate Lance. Abinay was already facing challenging times with this murder case when he came to know about another murder in similar situations. But the second murder brought some actionable clues. He also got help from a lady working on the theory of "unknown nine cult of Ashoka times". Read the book to know more.

My observations

1) Book pace is super duper fast. A line skip may change plot settings for you.

2) When I say fast plot, I mean it. At places, it was difficult to see when the situation shifted our conversation changed.

3) for many such fast paces is a good option, but there should be some space to breathe as well.

4) I found the historical angle shallower than expected. You will not find anything new which is not there in the first 3 pages of Google search of these topics. In my opinion, a little bit of research would have given a boost.

Otherwise a short and quick read. Enjoyable for one-day trips.

I will give 3.5 out of 5 to this book.

Book links - Amazon & Goodreads

BEYOND COVID’S SHADOW: Mapping India’s Economic Resurgence by Sanjaya Baru

I selected this book in the last week of December 2020, hoping that Covid is totally in control. Little did we knew by the end of March it would resurface with vengeance. And I finished the book during the self-isolation period.

The book is not written by one individual, rather written in parts by various domain specialists. It is a collection of articles from different domains affected by Covid. It was not an easy decision to lockdown, but when it was taken Prime minister must have consulted as many experts as possible. The book is designed such that in segments like Economy, Financials, People management during pandemic, trade policies, employment, etc. Each article gives us ground reality and how it was affected. It also covers plans or the possibility of coming out of stress. Whenever possible articles were supported by charts and tabulated results. 

My observations

1) This is not your casual read. It is full of facts and figures.

2) Technical terms are explained so not to worry

3) If you find any chapter heavy you can skip it. No compulsion in reading sequentially

4) Each author has done proper justice to their work and visible in their article.

I liked the book in bits and pieces. I am giving 3.25 out of 5 to this book.

Book links - Goodreads & Amazon

BAAHUBALIS OF INDIAN POLITICS: From Bullet to Ballot by Rajesh Singh

Due to the positive image created by the movie series Bahubali, I was expecting a list of political heroes of Indian politics from "BAAHUBALIS OF INDIAN POLITICS: From Bullet to Ballot" by Rajesh Singh book. But this book gives us 11 real characters of Indian politics who reach on top using the wrong means. And then the actual meaning of the title made more sense to me.

The book is based on 11 notorious characters who used their power to the extreme that they reach mainstream politics. Many of these characters started as Robinhood or messiah of poor or Dalits or tribesmen. On another end, few were more deep-rooted in the criminal world. They knew staying mainstream crimes won't be a long-running game, they took use of their power or support of their follower and became MP or MLAs or higher up in political parties.

My observations

1) Author has gathered good information about each Bahubali. Each of them got around 15-25 pages. I knew looking at their life's events this is not even the tip of the iceberg, but the author has done a good job.

2) Language is easy and writing is smooth.

3) You can find many of these characters on Google as well, and probably more in-depth. This book can reduce your efforts of Googling. 

I found the book a one-time read. I will give 3.25 out of 5 to this book.

Book links - Goodreads & Amazon

Book Review - THE MOST NOTORIOUS JAILBREAKERS: Untold Stories of Escaped Convicts by Abeer Kapoor

"THE MOST NOTORIOUS JAILBREAKERS: Untold Stories of Escaped Convicts" how can I say no to this title? I was so intrigued with the title, I took the book within a week of its delivery and finished it in 2-3 sittings. I read it around 6-7 weeks back and unfortunately, I forgot to write a review of the book. So I am trying my best to give you a full review (even though I read 3-4 more books in between)

You may consider this book as a collection of non-fiction short stories. Each dedicated to one notorious jailbreaking. But storytelling is different, it is not mere documentation. Those who have seen the prison break series must have seen the level of planning required to escape from jail. You may think the Indian system is corrupted but most of these prisoners were famous enough to escape just by paying bribes. Each chapter describes how meticulous planning and patience helped them.

Well, those who wanted well-documented articles may find content shallow. But for those who are satisfied with a newspaper like stories or short articles will find the book very entertaining. The language used is simple to follow and easy for the 14+ age group. As the book is hardly 200 pages long and content divided into 16 chapters, the content demands a very very fast pace narration style. If you get bored or dislike any chapter you can easily skip it. You will find many interesting villian's name that you might have heard in movies, for example I thought Natvarlal was a fictitious character only. 

Overall I will give 3.5 out of 5.

So You Had to Build a Time Machine by Jason Offutt

I wanted to listen to something light during the festive season of Diwali, so I selected "So You Had to Build a Time Machine" by Jason Offutt, after checking its blurb. I selected the book based on the title and blurb, as the cover design has only a title with cockroaches (later on, I came to know why cockroaches were portrayed). As per the blurb, the book was a comedy based on time-travel, so I thought of having a different experience this time. 

Though the blurb says about time traveling, it doesn't say much about narration style. There are 5 main characters in the story, four of them are on the good side, and one of them on the bad side. Skid, David, and Brick took a major role, their time-traveling scenes were given in different sequences, initially, I found them too random and haphazard but later on, I understood that it was done to keep the interesting quotient intact.

The author has taken the liberty and used the style of a scary movie to make the book a light-hearted comedy. In the scary movie, you find comic scenes based on different movies, here the author has taken plot-based characters from various fantasy books. You will find dinosaurs, golems, mantis, ogres, giant cockroaches, and whatnot. Things will pop out at unexpected corners and make you laugh. 

An enjoyable book. But it could have been better. 

I am giving 3.25 out of 5 to this book.

By Sea & Sky: An Esowon Story (The Sky Pirate Chronicles #1) by Antoine Bandele

I am reading and following manga since 2008. And my most favorite is "One Piece" a Japanese comic based on a fantasy world where Pirates rule the world. So when I saw "By Sea & Sky: An Esowon Story" I was very excited. I am happy that I got its copy in exchange for an honest review.

"By Sea & Sky" is my second audiobook from Netgalley honest review copies. I was glad that I waited for app updates because, by the time I started this book, the forward/backward option started working.

The book belongs to "The Sky Pirate Chronicles", a fantasy world. Our two major characters are  Karim and Zala. Karim was from the Vaji empire and was stationed on the first-ever sky Shop built by Vaji Empire. They were given tasks to prove the ability of the ship. On their voyage, they apprehended some notorious pirates, one of the key prisoner was Zalani, Zala's husband. Zala and her husband joined pirates to make some quick money so that they can buy the required ingredients for remedies for Zalani's cursed disease. But in that process, they got separated. Zala with 3-4 other members from her crew was stranded on a lone island. Read the book to know whether she was able to reunite with her husband or not.

The plot and storyline have good potential but the portrayal was shallow. The author had sprinkled every bit of things he had in mind for this fantasy. Many of those bits were used or referred to just one time. For the first book in the series, it would be too much for a reader to attach so deeply. I was expecting more details if possible for a few topics. 

Coming to characters, though Zala might be the protagonist of the story, I found Karim more interesting. Zala's character was part selfish and filled with folly. Usually, in this kind of book, the author portrays such that the reader gets attached to one side either pirate or marine. But here the author has used an unbiased approach, when I was listening to Karim's part I wanted marine to win, and when I was listening to Zala I wanted pirate to outsmart.

Coming to the audio book, the narrator has done a good job, voice modulation and tone were proper. In many places, background music is also given.

Overall an okay book still deserves 3 out 5.

Manmatha Nath Dutt: Translator Extraordinaire by Bibek Debroy

There were three main reasons why I selected "Manmatha Nath Dutt: Translator Extraordinaire" by Bibek Debroy

1. The author Bibek Debroy 

2. Wonderful cover design in a hardcover edition

3. Wanted to read a biography as the last I read was around a year back.

Due to a positive case in the family, reading of the book was delayed. I am happy to share the review now.

As I mentioned, it is a kind of biography, of Manmatha. But the author had not personally met or interviewed Manmatha to write the memoir-style biography. It is more of documentations-based biography, I mean, the author has taken various references and cross-references related to Manmatha and given the shape to this book. Taking just an example of how biography started, the author has taken a reference from Manmatha's grand daughter's autobiography. The tone of the book is neutral, you may feel like following a documentary. The author has tried to stick only and only the professional life of Manmatha. It is like reading a complete work-life journal of a translator. Bibek had taken all major and minor references when Manmatha's is mentioned. 

Coming to the overall feeling, for me, the book is more of historic records than a biography. You will find an exhaustive list of books translated or written by Manmatha. It also covers a list of patronage for some of his major works. The language used in the book is pretty simple. You can easily read it within 1 day of the subject interests you.

Not completely up to my expectations, but I liked to know about this forgotten personality. Overall I will give 2.75 out of 5 to this book.

Book links - Goodreads & Amazon

 

Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura

 I was checking out available books on Netgalley when I saw an upcoming book from the Star Wars series. I haven't read comics or previous books in the series. My only exposure to Star Wars was 6 movies under the Skywalker saga. I know for Star Wars fan it is a crime but for me, that's the fact. Since 2016 I have reduced my visual content consumption very very low, I am spending maximum free time in reading. So when I saw this book, I thought of taking Star Wars in my reading experiences. Here I am discussing the book "Poe Dameron: Free Fall" by Alex Segura 

Don't get confused between Dameron & Doremon. It's is the first non-cartoon character.

Jokes apart, Poe Dameron is our protagonist. He is living with his father on Yavin 4. Both of Poe's parents had an adventurous life, they have participated in the war against the Empire. His mother, Sarah, wanted Poe to become a pilot like her, but after she died his father wanted Poe to stay close to him. But Poe wanted to travel, to visit new places, and to get an adventure. His rebellious nature made his join a notorious group called spice runner of Kijimi. His good upbringing made him stick to his basic values. But his attachment to Zorri may lead him to danger. Read the book to know more.

Talking about the story built up, I found the plot plan. Expected few more turns but from point, Poe joined spice runner to his capture, things were in bits and part, and before I realize half the book was done. Narration and language usage is simple and to-the-point. Basic knowledge of Star Wars is recommended. Overall a nice content for Star Wars fan. Even non-follower can have a good one-time read.

I will give 3.5 out of 5 to this book.

A Light Read - An Uneasy Alliance by Kyra Radcliffe - Book Review

I have been reading thriller and crime novels lately. Many of them were of a psychological thriller. Reading them during lockdown was actually made my mind very very serious. So I decided to lighten my mood, that's when I saw a romantic cover of "An Uneasy Alliance" by Kyra Radcliffe. The cover reminded my Mills & Boons series. The book was available in Kindle Unlimited so I took the chance and read the sample chapter. The sample chapters gave me confidence that the book is good to go. So here I am discussing my observations about the book.

Let me give you a brief of the story first. The central characters of our story are Katherine and Tate. One fine day Katherine, the mayor of Blissmore, got to know that her younger brother Keith was in jail. On meeting Keith, Katherine came to know Keith was framed by his girlfriend, Samantha's brother Tate for frame charged. Katherine wanted Keith to fight the case but Keith wanted the blessing of Tate for his wedding with Samantha. Katherine met with Tate, who was under impression that Katherine was unemployed. At the same time, he found her attractive, he thought of having a good time with Katherine by making Her work as social secretary for his work. There was unspoken chemistry between Tate and Katherine but same time there was a sweet enmity between them. The period of 2 weeks decided between them when eventful and Katherine went back to her town with tearful eyes. Read the book to know whether Katherine-Tate or Keith-Samantha finally meet or not.

Coming to the writing style, the story is written with a minimalistic approach. You will not find complexity in plot narration. There are hardly 7-8 characters in the story, which means you can easily keep track of characters as well. The language is easy to follow, I would recommend it for beginners. Due to a slight sexual touch, I would suggest it keep away from under 14. 

Some critical observations. Though the book is written more like a love story a few parts I found written like erotica, well the language of those narratives were tender compare to plain erotica, which was a slight relief. 

Overall a good light mood read. You may read it in 3-4 sittings. I finished it in 3 and enjoyed it.

I would give 3.5 out of 5 to this story.

Book links - Goodreads, Amazon UK and Amazon India

Book Review - 13 Worlds by J.J. Hair

The author J. J. Hair approached me 15 days back to have my feedback about his latest book "13 World's". As the book was available on Amazon Kindle Unlimited, I checked cover, blurb, and a few chapters, I found details interesting. So here I am sharing my feedback after finishing it.

"13 Worlds" is a sci-fi story written around the destruction of 13 planets in different galaxies by a super-intelligent character called Guide & his aid Emperor Malek. These 13 planets' people were about to discover a unique technology of DNA editing which was currently known to Genius. Though the book is merely 100 pages, the story is written in multiple segments. The author has shown 4-5 subplots in such a short storyline connecting the central theme. I don't want to share more about the story to give away spoilers. So to know more do read it.

13 Worlds by J J Hair

Coming to story development, I found the development bit jumpy, and before a character is matured it was changing. I have read some books where such jumping plots are used, but in the long run, those books give more information. But due to the length of this book that justification was missing. The most interesting subplot I found was actual action in the spaceship crew. I found the ending interesting. It left me thinking about what will happen next, I'll be waiting for the next part.

On an overall note, simple language usage, and fluid writing. Recommended for any age group. 

I found pace extremely fast, which ended up missing information here or there, which regularly sticks the reader till the last page. Another thing that I found lacking is the cover design, it could have been better.

I'll give 3.5 out of 5 to the book.

Book links Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review - Banker's Game by Ashutosh Mishra

"Banker's Game" is my second read from Ashutosh. Though it is the first fiction from Ashutosh, as the previous one was self-help. As Ashutosh is acquainted with me on Whatsapp, I have seen his posts about this book 3 months previous to its scheduled release. I was very excited to read it. I got it just before lockdown. And during the lockdown, I got myself into BookTube videos which delayed this book's review. But normal life after unlock has brought this book to my hands again.

Banker's Game - Cover Photo

The reason I selected this book was my liking to Ashutosh's previous book. I was expecting indirect self-help content in this book. Another reason was familiarity with the subject and environment. Though I don't have the first-hand experience in financial banking but heard the first-hand experience from many of my classmates, plus the recession of 2008 with Lehman brothers, so I wanted to read what was the situation of bankers in those dire times.

The story revolves around 4 guys whose silhouette is given in the backdrop of the cover. As the blurb suggests Rekha, Amit, Satya, and Nitin are the central characters. All of them are working in a reputed financial bank. The first three are working under Nitin and called by Nitin as schmucks. The plot covers the professional life of these four and partially covers how their work-life affects their personal life. Though they are paying very high, it is like their life is bought by the company and each minute of their lives are owned by their bosses. On top of that things became more troublesome when Lehman brothers scam took the financial market down with it. Read the book to know how our characters fare.

The book talks about the worst work culture practices happening in some Indian establishments. I think people working in financial services might be able to relate to the experience of schmucks. Office politics, sexual exploitations, and back bickering all compiled in one place for the reader.

On the personal front, I was expecting more stories around the tragedy of Lehman brothers but the major portion covers office politics. Maybe I had higher expectations and which were not fulfilled up to the mark.

I will give 3.5 out of 5 to the book.

Book links Goodreads and Amazon

The Cliffhangers - a Novel by Sabin Iqbal - a book review

I know I mostly read light books but once in a while, I take challenging work. When I saw cover and blurb of cliffhangers by Sabin Iqbal published by Aleph books, I know the book will belong to a critically acclaimed book world, the ones I read once in a quarter. The topic covered one of the sensitive issues that India faces in the current time.

From the book blurb, I thought the book would be a murder mystery, but it was a completely different material. Though the story was based on a murder mystery, most of the parts cover the cultural and social background of that village/town. I know even I am writing the plot in a mysterious style. Let me give you a clear idea. The Cliffhangers that title mentioned are our 4 core characters, who belonged to a Muslim community. Their village has reached a limit where small mischief from either Hindu or Muslim community can bring violence & riots. Cliffhangers were notorious but not aligned to Muslim radicals that were prevailing in their area. They understood that religion was there the biggest problem in their area. 

The book covers various characters that interacted with Cliffhangers. It shows how each character had affected these teenagers' life in good or bad ways. There was a village where people considered taking a job in gulf countries or marine business was the ultimate goal in life. But cliffhangers wanted to change that same destiny. Read the book to know more.

Coming to the writing style, it is a descriptive narration. The story is not the case mentioned in the blurb but the life of the Cliffhangers. The pace of the story is slow to medium. The author has taken the time to develop characters and sub-characters. The sub-characters kept spawning until the last chapter, which makes you read until the last page. There are multiple sub-stories giving details of those areas and their people. It correctly shows the delicate religious matter that India is facing today.

The books may not be the best choice for beginners. But book lovers will love it. 

I am giving 3.5 out of 5 to the book.

Book Links - Goodreads & Amazon

Book Review - Done with Love by Shuchi Singh

Exactly 6 weeks back we posted our last text review. The book that I am going to discuss today is "Done with Love" by Shuchi Singh Kalra. I admit that I have received this book before quarantine but I postponed review. Because we are busy with our YouTube work if you'd like to see our YouTube videos you may visit the below link.

Youtube Channel

"Done with Love" this is my first read from Shuchi. I haven't read her previous books, so I was not aware of her writing style. Before we discuss the other aspects of the book let's discuss the plot in brief. The protagonist of our story is Kairavi, throughout the story referred to as Kay. She was in a relationship with Vivian, an orthopedic surgeon. Her life was going great when she decided to go to the Maldives to surprise her boyfriend on his birthday. When she reached there she found that her boyfriend's ex was also present there attending the same seminar that her boyfriend was attending. Things became a little bit confusing with the couple and then they fought. The later part of the story covers how they came together.

Now coming to the writing style, the story is written in medium to fast pace. I finished it in a single day in two sittings. Throughout the story, The mental state (or I would say a mental verbal) of Kay will keep you entertained and engaged. Why I am saying this because when you read it will find that how throughout the story she enters into a mental dilemma and she debates with herself. Personally, I find a character like Kay troublesome & confused not just for themselves but for whole humanity who comes in connect with them. I am saying this because when you read will come to know that no matter how many times Vivian tried to explain his points, she was adamant. She could not go away on what she has seen. 

And when I thought the climax will be as per title "Done with Love", the author has given a twist. I am not used to such type of emotional stories. I found the book an average read. Still, the book gave me a company for a day.

I will give 3/5 to the book.

Book Link - GoodReads & Amazon

An Inspiration Book Read - Be Your Own Sunshine by James Allen - Book Review

"Be Your Own Sunshine - Towards a Better Tomorrow" is another book I have been gifted by one of my friends in the publishing industry. It became my companion for almost one and a half-day during the lockdown. The book is written by James Allen one of the Pioneers in the field of motivation.

Talking about the content, the book is an amalgamation of four booklets. You may read these sections independently or in a sequence of your own. These four segments are: 

• As a man thinketh 
• From passion to peace
• Man: King of mind, body, and circumstance
• Foundation stones to happiness and success

Each of the segments starts with a nice pair of lines that you can ponder upon followed by the foreword of that segment. Then comes 5 to 8 chapters of each of the segments. Topics covered in these segments are passion, happiness, power of thinking & visualization, mental stability, habits, spiritual quest. 

If you are looking for a dose of positivity or some inspirational read supported by a proper field expert than this is the book for you. 160 pages of this book are more than enough for a reader to give a good company. If you are reading for self-improvement then I suggest take a notepad & a pen and start noting down the important points given in the book. I am sure that will help you greatly. The language used in the book is simple, even a beginner can read it without any problem. You will find a proper mix of examples and theory (or I would say philosophy) in the book which can entertain you or keep your interest quotient till the last page

I'll give 3.5 out of 5 to this wonderful book.

Book Links - GoodReads & Amazon

Book Review - World's Most Popular Short Stories by Maupassant, Anton Chekhov, Saki, O.Henry

Just before the lockdown, I have been gifted this wonderful book by one of my friends in the publishing industry. I am considering this as a gift because I have not been subscribed to it. And it turned out to be a wonderful present in these trying times of quarantine. "World's Most Popular Short Stories" by Srishti publishers is a collection of classic short stories that have accompanied me for two days in the quarantine period

The book covers short stories by four classical authors, each of these stories captures different human emotions. From each of these classic authors, 5-7 different stories have been selected and a total of 25 stories have been delivered to readers. The stories are as short as 5 to 20 pages long. Authors have been assigned a proper segment in the book, which starts with their short introduction followed by stories written by them.

My favorite stories are

1. From Maupassant The diamond necklace
2. From Anton Chekhov the beggar
3. From O Henry the last leaf
4. From Saki the saint and the goblin a bread and butter miss

Good points about the book

• It captures human nature and its complexity with the simplest of word usage. I think that is why they are considered classics
• The best part about the short stories are you me always keeps you if you don't like it
• The best companion for your travel for vacation for me it was for a quarantine

My only complaint is a simple cover. It could have been better.

I will give 3.5 out of 5 to this book.

Book Links - Goodreads & Amazon

The Winning Sixer: Leadership Lessons to Master by W.V. Raman

Things that I observed when I saw "The Winning Sixer: Leadership Lessons to Master".

1. A title based on sports but subtitle based on management lessons

2. A round table conference

3. A cricket ground has drawn on a round table

I was excited to read the book. I would like to apologize to cricket fans, as I am not a big cricket fan and lacks cricket facts, I was not aware of W V Raman. It was after reading the first chapter and encountering the environment in which the discussion of the chapter started I search about the author. And then it became clear to me that the author is the coach of the Indian Women Cricket team. 

Coming to the content part, I was expecting a self-help book with examples from the authors' cricket career. Surprisingly, the author has destined an interactive content, covering the 5 Cs (credibility, clarity, connect, control and conviction), and 5Ts (Truth, Time, Tango, Thrift, and Theatrics) of leadership. These concepts are not given only for management guys but for people from every domain, be it sports person, student, salaried or small business owners. I liked the way things have been conveyed in the form of questions answers & conversation. Well, the author is a sportsman himself so content has taken good support from various exemplary Indian sports icons personalities covered are not just from cricket domain but from badminton, tennis and other sports as well.

The language is simple and easy to read for any age group. You can read it in a few sittings. This 175-page long book is designed in such a way that you may revise it every year. A short read to remind you pointers that keep your mind on better leadership practices. 

I would give 3.5 out of 5 to this compact book. 

Book links - Goodreads, Amazon and Flipkart

A Book Review - The Brahmin Warrior by R. Durgadoss

I have read the first 2 books by Dr. Durgadoss in the Indus Valley Series. His books are just like Tollywood movies, which contain action, drama, mystery & super fast storyline. As given in prologue there are predecided numbers of books in the series and in each book the cursed warrior will be born with unique capabilities at the time of great need. 

This book covers the era of the unjust rule of Islamic Kings over India. These were trying times where mass killing or conversions of Hindus to Muslims were common things. The resident Hindus needed a force that can stop these atrocities. That is when our protagonist Aditya was born. In this reincarnation, he was born with powers to control earth. Raised in Muslim rakhi-brother of his mother, Aditya got an education in Hindu & Muslim religion along with solder training from Mughals and Parshurama. He went on a mission to establish a Hindu Rashtra for his maternal Uncle Hemu. Read the book to know how he fought 22 great battles for his uncle.

As usual, Durgadoss's books are super fast-paced. You will find no extra lines in the story. Every word is tightly around the story. Language is easy, ideal for beginners. You will learn multiple historical facts as well, but you need some serious books to know the actual strategies used during wars. The author has tried best to tie knots of history with mythology & fantasy. This multi-genre books can accompany you on your vacations. 

I am not sure which era would be taken in the sequel. Any guess?

- Aurangzeb-Shivaji times

- Bajirao-Nizam times

- Goan Portuguese

- Keralites Portuguese times

- British era. 

Overall I will give 3.5 out of 5 to this book. 

Book links - Goodreads, Amazon & Flipkart

Our Love Story by Rohit Sharma - Book Review

The month was February and Valentine was approaching. When Goodreads dedicate a month to romantic read, how can a core bookworm like us ignore it? So we also decided to read a love story. But the question was which one to take?  Rohit Sharma is in our Instagram timeline and we were seeing his posts for the last 1-2 months about his latest book “Our Love Story”. I checked reviews by other reviewers in my network and found it good to venture into. 

My first impression of book & cover was that of a typical Mills&Boons. But my impression changed when I read the book. The main characters of the story are Veronica & Aditya. Their first meet was just like another Bollywood love story. The defeated Veronica was on verge of suicide when Aditya saved her. Veronica was a model who had faced many difficult phases during her modeling career, whereas Aditya was a super-rich kid who was not kind at heart. They started finding solace in each other's company. There were difficulties in their party, for example, opposition from Aditya's dad, their pasts, emotional gaps. Read the book to know how will they survive the tides.

It was a valentine's week and surge to read a romance novel was high. So I finished it in just a few sittings. The book is written for a larger audience. It shows the importance of selflessness, care-for-loved-one, emotional support and many more things about the relationship. An ideal read for romance lovers. Language is simple and can be read even by beginners. In many places, you will find good lines and poems. If you love to make notes then do take your pen and papers before you take the book, you will find ample lines of your likings. Overall a nice read.

I will give 3.5 out of 5 to the book.

Book links - Goodreads & Amazon

Review of Book Series - The Sullied Warrior Duology

I have seen the first part about "God of the Sullied" 3 months back and I was really impressed by cover and title. The blurb was equally interesting. I wanted to know what the book is all about. I was expecting it to be a Mythological or historical fiction. Luckily by the time I decided to go for the book, there a second part of the sequel "Long live Sullied" was also out. So my expectations went high because I have seen only successful books get a chance for the sequel to get released. And one fine day I found such an attractive combo deal on duology that I could not refuse. I simply grabbed them. I know I am supposed to review both books separately but looking at content I think I will go with a single review.

The story is simple. In a small village in the border region of Rudraputra lived a family of Vyasa. His son Eklavya is our protagonist. As per his birth charts & Kundali, he was destined to be a great person. But that unfortunate child lost his mother when he was born. He was raised by his father and a caretaker lady (Amma). After marveling first 3 years in Gurukul when Eklavya came back for a vacation, he received a shock. From there he left for a journey to find the truth. Read the book to know more.

The reason why I am writing a combined review of duology - after reading 2nd part I found that 40-50% of the content is repeated only POVs were changed. Remaining 50% can be clubbed in 50-70 pages and clubbed with part one, thus removing the necessity of two parts. Well, that's my feeling.

Talking about meeting expectations it was not even half of the hype I created in my perception. I found the story dull. The author has written a story in historical age but it was not leveraged greatly. The only interesting part was a few philosophical dialogs. There were many shortcomings in a plot that could have been taken care of. The author has given the rushed ending of part one and ended up giving sluggish part two. Also, I cannot correlate why the Ikshvaku dynasty mentioned when there is no such significance found in the story. He could have named it Gupta, Maurya, Yadavas as clan name was irrelevant.

The good part it language is easy and you can read both books in less than 5 hours if you read at stretch.

I will give 3 it off 5 to "God of Sullied", 2 out of 5 to "Long Lived the Sullied" and 2.5 its of 5 to duology.

Link of "God of the Sullied" - Goodreads & Amazon

Link of "Long Lived the Sullied" - GoodReads & Amazon