Book Review - Table for One (✩✩)

(I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the author.)

When I picked up this book, I was hoping to read something different and something new. However, I was pretty disappointed. And the lack of proofreading and editing only made it even more cumbersome for me to read this book in one flow.

The story is of one Taara Maheshwari, dejected in her love life and not sure about what she wants from her life. On an impulse, she decides to quit her job and take a one-month Euro trip (not in the same sequence). However, she barters the 'permission' to go on this trip with her father on the condition that she will come back to India to marry the boy her parents have zeroed down for her.

Destiny, however, has other plans for her. While on her trip, Taara meets some very interesting people, starting right at the airport when she is about to board her flight from India. All these people, at every given point in the trip, manage to shape her journey in a certain way. How does Taara survive alone in a foreign land? What is in store for her? Will Taara be able to find what she is looking for? The book explores all these ideas in a short, 171 page read.

The thing that I liked was the detailed description of European cities. The vivid imagination of the author almost compelled me to pack my bags and board a flight right now!

The story: The story was not what I expected it to be. The blurb does not give it away, but the book (especially towards the second half) is essentially a cliched romance. 

The protagonist: I can't find words to describe how much I detest the character of Taara. She is not only portrayed to be extremely immature for her age but also seems very superficial in her approach to life. Throughout the book, the reader can see how Taara has always looked for a man to be the anchor of her life. Now, per se, this may not be a bad thing, but this cannot be the only thing that defines a woman and her life, and her life choices and decisions. The constant need to have someone to fulfill you is, in the very least, dangerous to one's emotional character. I see a lot of 'Taara' in many people around me, and my opinion of them is the same. Be your own anchor - that is the advice I would give Taara if I had a chance to meet her. The clinginess is apparent on the face of it. 

I usually like books with the portrayal of a woman as a strong individual. This book, in my opinion, failed to do that. 

The language: The language was alright, but the book has definitely not been proofread before being published. There were glaring grammatical mistakes, punctuation missing, etc. right from the beginning. Even the blurb is not error free.

Also, the constant focus on body image, the reference to 'blacks', the reference to consumption of alcohol as being 'cool', reference to most women being neutral to politics, the shock on discovering someone's orientation, and such typical stereotyping threw me off. (Pretty inappropriate, in my opinion.)

The book, all in all, is an easy breezy, light read and can be finished in one sitting. There is no 'wow' factor in the book. Recommended for those who are looking for a light read between books.



*****
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Book Review - Let You Be My Puppet Once (✩✩✩✩)

I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset.
https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in

Quite a good break from some very poorly written and edited Indian authors I have read recently!
Congratulations to the author for writing a pretty gripping first novel.

Title - The title befits the story-line. Based in India, where every citizen at some point or the other feels manipulated in the hands of the Government, the reference to being a 'puppet' is apt. However, what happens when the tables turn and it is the political leaders that are being puppet-ed by those who have suffered under their reign is reflected well in the title.

Story line - The blurb explains the story perfectly. Unlike many books that I have recently, the blurb is not misleading and the reader knows exactly what they are in for.
The story is of four friends avenging the wrongs done to them by corrupt and criminally motivated political leaders. The backgrounds of the characters have been dealt with beautifully and one can easily connect the pieces and clues included sporadically in every chapter. How the four manage to manipulate the top Government agencies and survive against all odds is something that the reader will know only once they pick up the book. Every chapter leaves the reader on tenterhooks, and that is one of the reasons why I finished the book in one-two sittings.

Language: The language is flowy and gripping. No unnecessary jargon and irrelevant musings (which seems to be the trend these days) has been included, just for the sake of making the prose more flowery, and I am very happy about that! The narrative is easy to understand and is a good, light yet gripping read. 

Editing: The editing, however, much to my disappointment, is poor. The book needs some heavy duty editing before the next edition is out.

Definitely recommended. 
Read it with an open mind, don't expect to be mind-blown and you'll enjoy the book. Hi5 to the author for being an exception to the rule of trashy romance books.



*****
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Book Review - The Secret of the Sculptures (✩✩.5)

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

While I had very high expectations from this book, this one just did not work for me.
The story offers a fresh theme - the theft of an ancient sculpture, embroiling two young girls, a bunch a their friends, a dubious professor, a shifty mentor and a mysterious light-eyed man. However, the freshness was contained in the plot itself and did not manage to translate into the 236 pages.

The characters are immature and very poorly developed. I did not feel connected to any of them. Far from it, it was difficult for me to even imagine any of them. Also, at a point in time, I felt that there were way too many characters without any specific role to play. The numbers just added to the confusion and not to the plot.

The story-line was jumpy and the smooth flow that makes for a good book for me was missing. Also, the narrative was way too feelings-oriented. You will probably have to read the book yourself to know what I mean.

Not recommended. But may work for you.



*****
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Book Review - Seductive Affair (✩✩.5)

(I got the book as a part of the review program by the author.)

What I expected when I read the title and the blurb and saw the cover: An out and out thriller with a touch of seduction and dark romance and a surreptitious affair.
What I got: A light and breezy read with mostly forbidden romance as the highlight.

The blurb: The blurb does not do justice to the book.
The desperation and urgency and the thrill in the blurb does not translate to the pages of the book. Prisha (if I were writing the blurb) is a girl-next door who 'thinks' she is ambitious and career driven, but is more romantic than pragmatic in her approach to life. (How else would explain her risking her first 'dream job' for a supposed investigative story and/or for a fiery romance that sets her loins on fire every time she thinks of it.)

The story that Rajesh is trying to hide from the editor, Priya, is far from investigative. In fact, the entire plot of the book is based around this supposedly front-page shattering story, except there is nothing woah-I-did-not-see-that-coming about it. Also, there is no good explanation offered as to why the protagonist had to hide this story from the editor. None whatsoever. The blurb, again, over-hypes this part as well.

Lastly, the blurb and the title makes reference to a 'seductive affair' that is absent in the entire book. The story is of a typical boy-meets-girl-and-instantly-falls-in-love one. Nothing 'seductive' about it. I can't say for sure whether it qualifies as an 'affair' either, which is often more scandalous.

The story: As I have mentioned before, the book is mostly a romance with a dash of suspense; just a little, almost negligible.

The language: The language is simple, flowy and easy to understand. There is no unnecessary use of jargon, but the author has also not managed to paint a picture with his words. The intimate description failed to incite even a pitiful tingle. Like I said, it is simple.

The characters: The characters are sketched decently, but I failed to form a connection with either of them. I did not find the character of Prisha relatable either. The supporting characters are, well, just mentioned sporadically, and hence it becomes easier for the reader to guess a lot of things in terms of story-line.

There are some things about the book that triggered my OCD and I am hoping the next editions will take care of these:
1. In the blurb, the name of the protagonists is mentioned as Prisha Khatri and Rajesh Lagheri. However, in the book itself, the protagonist introduces herself a Prisha Lagheri. :/
2. The editor informs Rajesh that his co-reporter would be unable to accompany him to Bengaluru. However, Rajesh and Prisha take the flight to Mumbai and the conference actually ends up being there instead. :/

Final views: The book is an ok read. The first 50 pages were quite interesting; there was a lot of build-up that falls flat as you proceed further. There is a love story, there is intimacy, but that is mostly all that there is.

One time read, if at all.



*****
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Book Review - The Last Attractor of Chaos (✩✩✩.5)

I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset. To know more, click: 
https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in

The Last Attractor of Chaos is a sci-fi thriller, very different from what I have usually read and definitely a first in this genre by an Indian author, and I must congratulate the author for doing a good job of it.

In short - The prestigious and supremely powerful Kali.x has gone missing and the prime suspect is Shruti Rathore, an officer with a dark past, who is on a run from the Government agencies for a 'crime' she did not commit. Guiding her on a different dimension is her dead husband, Ashwin Rathore, who was killed in an attempt actually targeted at Shruti. Through a series of twists and turns, the mystery unfolds.

Language: The language of the book is fluid. One can easily read it in one go, if time permits. The scientific theories have been explained in detail and (should be) easily understood by a person with no background in science. (I cannot be completely sure as I have a decent background in physics). Apart from the first chapter, the entire book is from the POV of the deceased husband. However, there were some glaring grammatical mistakes that, hopefully, would be done away with when the next edition is out. 

The characters: The characters have been etched out decently, although I do think a little more background into Ashwin's character was required. Factually, it is all there. Personality wise, a little more detailing would have been good. Shruti's character has a streak of darkness that contributes in creating an aura of mystery to the entire narrative. The supporting characters have been given adequate space to develop and showcase themselves.

The story: The story is unique. The combination of particle physics, thriller and an undercover operation make it a viable option for adaptation and I am hoping to see this book as a movie someday. 

The ending/climax: I was a little disappointed with the ending. The climax seems to be a little rushed and the author could've spared a couple of more chapters to satisfactorily tie all the loose ends. The ending seemed abrupt and that took away the charm of the climax.

One glaring problem I had with the book (which also is the reason why I finished the book in two sittings, instead of one) was the portrayal of romance between the two main characters. Not only did it seem ill-founded, whatever little bit of detailing that was given to their relationship only made matters worse. (Vague here to avoid spoiler.) The description of the approach of the male protagonist towards the female protagonist seems too bollywood-ish (and I do not say that in a good way). 

Also, there is a part where the author has described the female protagonist having a 'masculine confidence'. This description actually threw me off. Physical traits defined by gender, I can understand. But to deal with a non-physical intangible trait in terms of gender stinks of misogyny at some level, whether conscious or not. A big no-no!

Final thoughts: Recommended read. If one takes the above two points with a pinch of salt, the book is engaging. The USP is that the premise is new and refreshing.

Book Review - A Closetful of Skeletons (✩✩.5)

Two stars: It was ok.

The book is not bad. It is a decent one time read. But the entire onus of making a thriller/murder mystery a good one is on the climax, which failed to satisfy me. The end comes as a surprise, and I do not say that in a good way.

The story revolves around the murder of Ramola, a yesteryear's star, who decided to ruffle feathers of a bunch of (crooks) people from her extremely dramatic and tabloid-worthy past by announcing her autobiography in their presence on her 40th birthday. 

I'll go over the things that worked for me first:

1. The plot: It is simple yet interesting. The locked-room whodunit mystery with a bunch of characters related to the victim in convoluted ways added a flavour of drama to the book, and I quite liked it.
2. The treatment of characters: Most of the characters, in my opinion, were well sketched. I am particularly happy with the author's decision of placing the murder much after the initial character-building of the book has taken place. The clever placement gives the reader an insight to the protagonist's relationship with the various other characters, both in the present time as well as throwing light on the dynamics of their shared past.
3. The flow: The language was mostly flowy and the book seemed to move as one fluid and racy narrative, even though there were plenty of characters to be dealt with, each having an independent backgrounds. (I will come to the negatives later.) 
4. The build-up/suspense: When everyone has a motive, the whodunit becomes even more gripping. This book was definitely one of those that kept you on your toes (albeit only till the climax is revealed).

What did not work for me:

1. The climax: Big disappointment. (view spoiler)
2. The editing: I am extremely disappointed to report that like most Indian authors (I detest stereotyping but it holds true), even this book has not been edited properly. Problems with formatting, grammar, spacing - the book is riddled with one at least every ten pages. Being published by Harper Black, I expected the editing team to do a better job. 
3. Use of large words: Random big words, not used colloquially, are dropped in dialogues for no good reason. I am not a fan of big-word dropping in an otherwise simply written book. Cankerous, shindig, kowtow? Not my idea of sprucing up a narrative.
4. Use of brackets: To expand acronyms, to explain some remark - they just seemed very ill-placed. A dialogue is not spoken in brackets. I don't see why it should be written in that way either.

Recommended for the writing, not for the suspense.
Just about alright.
(This book could have easily been a 4-4.5 star for me had the climax managed to excite me even a tad bit.)


*****
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Book Review - The Last Chai (✩✩✩✩✩)

I seldom give books five stars, but this one deserves a six!

The story is set in 2019 India, right before the elections. The author has named the main political leaders inspired by our leaders today, making the story more relatable.
The book is an eye-opener for everyone, and makes you question everything you know and wonder how much of it is it that you have absolutely no idea about.
Ripe with conspiracy theories that make so much sense, I read most of this book in one sitting, unable to keep it down once I was 50 pages into it.
At times, the book gave me a very 'Ek tha Tiger' feel, but I say that in the best way possible. The missions, the plans, the foiling of plans and overthrowing downright selfish aspirations of other countries and the role played by 'Rohingyas' (you'll know why I have put this in quotes once you read the book) are the highlights of the book.
For most part, I was curious about the character of Poorvi Acharya, the ruthless journalist out to get the government, and did not really understand her significance in the entire plot. But the last few pages summed up her role so perfectly, I almost wanted to hoot and clap for the author.

Take a bow, Author Varun. 
I am extremely impressed with this tight, crisp and ripe with conspiracy theories narratives.

Highly recommended.
You are missing out on a lot if you haven't read this yet. And there is absolutely no way you should think of skipping it!

*****
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