17 March, 2015

#BookReview :: Rise of the Grey Prince (Saga of Agni #2) by Arka Chakrabarti


That cursed night at Nisarga had revealed the true reason behind his father's sacrifice and his own dark past. Each revelation now draws Agni into the sublime world of secrets. With Vrish and Guru Sidak by his side, fighting the daggers from the past and winning over the opponents of the present, somewhere deep down, he knows that his journey has just begun. The other scarred prince walks the ashes of his reality. Haunted by the glimpses of truth the same night, Yani had but one choice to survive. His unknowing steps, trapped in cruel games of ancient powers had led him to a truth, a truth which shall mould a good man in the clay of misfortune, hate and lust. Such is the world of Gaya and thus shall be the Rise of the Grey Prince the one torn between the darkness of evil and a lone ray of hope. 


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This is the second installment in the series and has been followed up well. [Check my review of The Secrets of the Dark]

The book begins with a detailed recap of what had happened in the first book which was a real big advantage. I usually re-read the previous book in the series to refresh my memory. So the first chapter really helped me to do that without actually having to read the first book again, though I am not sure if this recap is enough for the people who have not read the first book in the series.

This book takes off right from where the first book ended. Agni, Vrish and Guru Sidak making their way out of Nisarga and trying to get Agni to his home, his country. Meanwhile Yani gets deep into things as he tries to discover things from his own past and take charge of his own destiny. Then there is the secret and mysterious group of people who are tasked with the aim to not let Agni succeed. And then there is Princess Lysandra in her kingdom. Needless to say, a lot of things happen in this book that will keep the readers glued to its pages. There are lots of action and drama to whet the appetite of every kind of reader. I remember thinking Yani as a flaky character in the first book. Well, the author has answered so many things with regards to Yani in this novel. Yani is almost as important a character as Agni in this one and I absolutely loved watching him take shape. However, I wish that Princess Lysandra had a bigger role to play in this book. She seems like a warrior princess who can stand on her own among all the other characters.

The author’s style of narration remains consistent from the first book. It helped me get into the world of Gaya even more easily this time around. This time round though I feel that the plot is at its thickest and as such the different layers of it and the different point of views really helped understanding what was going on. While some of my questions from the previous book got answered, this book gives rise to another set of questions ensuring that any reader who has read one or both the books will pick up the next book in the series.

I also have to mention that I loved this book cover more than the first one.

Overall, this made for an interesting read that I finished reading in one sitting. I will be sure to pick up the next (and hopefully the concluding part) in the series.


Review Copy received from the Author

5 comments:

  1. Seems like an interesting read, will surely try it.. Thank you for the review!

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  2. This is interesting. I should check to see if my library has the first book for digital borrowing. I haven't read many fantasy novels that are set outside of the US/UK, so it'd be cool to check this out. It's especially interesting seeing the cultural differences in how the characters act and to read about their history/mythos. Super cool.

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  3. Good review! This book sounds really interesting. :)

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  4. This sounds like a series I would enjoy. Thanks for the review.

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