Bookish Indulgences: Hachette India

Showing posts with label Hachette India. Show all posts

09 September, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta September 09, 2017 0

#BookReview :: Here Falls The Shadow by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay

Think of your sins. Prepare to die.

On the edge of the forests of Deoghar, in the sleepy little town of Nimdeora, novelist Sangram Talukdar’s peaceful life is unexpectedly shattered when he receives an anonymous death threat.

At first, he dismisses it as a cruel joke. But when two of the family’s beloved dogs, guardians of the estate, are found killed with a clean, swift arrow to each of their throats, Talukdar calls in the astute detective Janardan Maity to investigate.

To uncover the dark secrets of this quiet town, Maity must dig deep into the past – into the Talukdar family’s bloody history, and a dreaded curse that has haunted the family for generations. But he must act quickly, because someone, or something, is lurking in the shadows of the forest, watching, waiting to claim their prey…

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Sangram Talukdar is a novelist who has moved into his family’s estate at Nimdeora, near Deoghar with hopes of leading a peaceful life. But what he assumes is a practical joke leads to something much deadlier. A death threat note followed by the murder of the two watch dogs of the estate prompts Sangram to hire a detective. Detective Janardan arrives at Nimdeora accompanied by another author by the name of Prakash. As they delve into the threat to Sangram, they discover that there may be more to the fabled curse on the family. Will Janardan and Prakash be able to suss out the perpetrator before it is too late?

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Set in a quaint little town, this mystery required exercising the ‘grey cells’ quite a bit. Janardan is an interesting character to follow even with his similarities to Feluda. He is a calculative person whose investigative methods keep the readers engaged. Prakash on the other hand seemed like an extra; an afterthought. He did not have much to contribute to the core plot. I guess the author wanted to provide Janardan an assistant of sorts; like Topshe or Watson or Hastings. Only the character was not developed well enough to make an impact on the readers. The plot plays out brilliantly as secrets are slowly revealed. Well-paced with just enough information being revealed at regular intervals made the book engaging. The author’s attention to details while setting up the plot really made a difference to the story telling.

Overall, this book is an interesting and fetching read for a mysterious afternoon.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

09 August, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta August 09, 2017 0

#BookReview :: The Mauryan: The Legend of Ashoka by Komal Bhanver

Can Ashoka conquer his enemies or will his own demons get the better of him?

Known in far reaches of the world as a great conqueror, King Bindusara rules over much of India with an iron fist. When a Brahmin prophesies that his wife, the beautiful Subhadragi, will birth a legendary ruler, Bindusara is ecstatic. But when the child is born a frail, ordinary-looking boy, the emperor, filled with disappointment and disgust, leaves him to his mother and turns all attention to grooming Susima, his eldest son, as heir to the Mauryan throne.

Shunned by his father, and bullied and humiliated by Susima, Ashoka learns from a very early age to be the master of his own fate. Under the determined tutelage of his mother and in the company of a few loyal companions, he begins to challenge Susima at every step. When he meets a beautiful and spirited young woman who teaches him the true meaning of courage and changes him forever, he begins to dream of ruling the vast empire.

But kaal has other plans for him, for his ambition and steady rise are being noted by those who want to end the threat to Susima's succession once and for all.

Will Ashoka allow the obstacles in the path of his destiny to overwhelm him, or can he rise above them to become the greatest emperor who ever lived?

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Prophesied to be a legendary ruler, Ashoka disappoints his father Bindusara by being born delicate and ordinary. As Bindusara, shuns him and begins to favour Susima as his successor, rivalry and competition builds up between the two boys. The story focuses on how Ashoka deals with the hand thrown at him by life and how he aspires to overcome everything that stands in his way of becoming a true ruler.

The book has a slow start as it sets up the world for its readers. As this this the first instalment in the series, it is almost expected and as such did not bother me much. It is almost halfway through that the plot starts to pick up and things start to boil down. Once that happens the book turns out to be quite interesting. The various characters depicted in the plot are mostly developed up to the scratch, though I imagine there is much more awaiting to happen to the characters of Ashoka and Susima in the coming books.

What I wanted from this book was a better pace and a tighter narrative. The plot has immense potential as Ashoka is indeed an intriguing character. While some aspects of the world setting have been handled in detail – almost repetitive, some aspects were underdeveloped and undermined.

To round it up, I would still say that the series has some potential. This being the author’s debut, it is quite good and there is still scope of her improving over time.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

14 March, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta March 14, 2017 0

#BookReview :: It Must've Been Something He Wrote by Nikita Deshpande

When obsessive book-lover (ahem, book snob) Amruta – Ruta – Adarkar arrives in Delhi to work as a marketing executive for Parker-Hailey's Publishing, she learns that the world of books is not as cozy as she’d imagined. Her eccentric taskmaster of a boss expects marketing miracles to happen on shoestring budgets and in record time, and surviving the job (and the city) means she’ll have to master the local art of jugaad really fast. Worst of all, she’s stuck being a publicist for Jishnu Guha, protein-shake lover, serial selfie-taker, and bestselling author of seven cheesy romance novels, the kind she wouldn’t be caught dead reading.

As Ruta struggles between work and life in a new city, she finds, much to her annoyance, that she needs Jishnu’s help more than she cares to admit. But with her own parents getting a divorce, can Ruta dare to fall in love, especially with someone who’s so impossibly different?

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Amruta Adarkar arrived in Delhi with a dream and a career plan. When she landed a job as a marketing executive at Parker-Hailey's Publishing, she was excited. Being a bookworm (read: book snob) she thought it was a perfect opportunity for her. Little did she expect to be stuck being a publicist for Jishnu Guha, a cheesy romance bestselling author; whose books she wouldn’t be caught dead reading. To top that, her boss expects miracles from her in record time. And then there is the matter of her Crush…

Ruta is an average Jane Doe, who is struggling to balance and make sense of her life. Her struggles and her love for books made it easy for me to relate to her. She is not perfect, in fact she is quite far from it, but her little flaws make her real to the readers. Her adventures and misadventures carry the book forward. However, the plot is simple and straightforward with no surprises at all. Whatever you guess, will happen, which made the story feel bland. The language was pretty simple and the narrative style of the author shines through even though it is average.

The author at least got an appropriate title the book indeed seems to be something that Jishnu Guha, the cheesy romance writer character in the book, would write. This book wasn’t really my cup of tea but it could entice readers who are looking for an easy and light read.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

13 February, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta February 13, 2017 0

#BookReview :: The Edge of Power (The Edge Series #2) by Tuhin A. Sinha

The heinous gang-rape of Nirbhaya has jolted the Indian nation out of its apathy. But rape and violence against women are only symptomatic of a deeper malaise that ails the nation: the total collapse of governance under the weak and vacillating PM, Devender Singh. Ironically, aiding the PM and his Indian Democratic Party (IDP)s cling to power is a casual and largely indifferent Opposition led by the venal Ravi Nehra. A ray of hope finally emerges when ex-journalist and RTI activist Daivik Verma and the gorgeous Catherine Khan, a leading Bollywood film-star with a mysterious lineage, decide to challenge the existing system by floating a new political party. But lack of funds and cadre support thwarts their efforts, their only recourse being Shruti Ranjan, who had sworn off politics three years ago. Will Nirbhayas gruesome rape and her subsequent death bring a disillusioned Shruti Ranjan back into the political fray, dominated by crime lords and bankrolled by industrial barons? Will the trio manage to stage a coup and dethrone Indias worst regime? Will the land of great leaders like Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka and Akbar, finally get a dynamic Prime Minister she so badly needs? A racy political thriller, The Edge of Power is a powerful inquiry into the underbelly of Indian politics. It raises important questions over the funding of Indian political parties, while presenting Shruti Ranjan, the immensely popular protagonist of The Edge of Desire, in a refreshingly new, resurgent avatar.

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When I started reading this book, I was unaware of the fact that this is the second book in the series; Edge of Desire being the first. There are instances with characters, who have been part of the first book, where it is assumed that we know certain things about them. However, I had no trouble reading this as a standalone.

The Edge of Power centers around Devender Singh, Ravi Nehra, Shruti Ranjan, Daivik Verma and the gorgeous Catherine Khan. Devender Singh is the current Prime Minister with Ravi Nehra as his opposition leader. Catherine Khan, a Bollywood actress, along with Daivik Verma floats a new political party. Taking cues from our modern society, the story revolves around the politics of different people in positions of power. How the opposition chooses to raise the only issues that bring them profit; how a new party has to struggle due to the lack of funding; and how a few people in power can manipulate the system.

I absolutely loved the character of Shruti Ranjan. While the other characters were well developed, her character simply shines through the book. I loved her tenacity and her pragmatic approach. Daivik was the other character that I really liked. Honesty is probably what ties Shruti and Daivik in a common thread, but it is their different approaches that brings the colour of individuality. Drawing inspiration from the Nirbhaya case, this book also deals with the grass root reality of our country. Certain parts of the book were not easy to read as it reflected the stark truth of our reality.

The book was deeply engrossing.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

17 January, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta January 17, 2017 0

#BookReview :: Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama, Jonathan Lloyd-Davies (Translator)

For five days in January 1989, the parents of a seven-year-old Tokyo schoolgirl sat and listened to the demands of their daughter's kidnapper. They would never learn his identity. They would never see their daughter again.

For the fourteen years that followed, the Japanese public listened to the police's apologies. They would never forget the botched investigation that became known as 'Six Four'. They would never forgive the authorities their failure.

For one week in late 2002, the press officer attached to the police department in question confronted an anomaly in the case. He could never imagine what he would uncover. He would never have looked if he'd known what he would find.

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‘Six Four’ is the code name for an abduction case that happened in 1968. Young Shoko was kidnapped and her parents received a ransom call. Over the duration of seven days the police and the parents worked together to bring Shoko home. The parents even paid the ransom money, yet the girl was never returned or found. The case remains open and people never let the law officials forget their failure in the case. In 2002, Yoshinobu Mikami, a cop, visits the girl's father with an agenda of his own. With his own daughter on the run and a new kidnapping case with a ransom call happening, Yoshinobu is attracted to this old case. As he discovers a certain incongruity in the case, he digs further. What he discovers surprises him, but can he solve this case and bring his own daughter back home at the same time?

The blurb somehow reminded me of Keigo Higashino’s books. In some ways, the long drawn out case does have a similarity to his books as does the detail oriented treatment of the novel. But that is where the similarities end and Hideo Yokoyama holds his own with this book.

The plot is multi layered with multiple angles that it can be looked at from. For instance, there is the old case of Shoko, the new kidnapping case and the case of Ayumi, Mikami’s daughter. As things unfold there are layers of secrets and twists that are uncovered keeping the readers busy guessing what turn the novel may take next. There is a plethora of characters involved and they are developed well in order to assimilate with the plot.

The book, along with telling us of a mystery, also tells us a lot about the Japanese culture and police procedure. The only thing that irked me a bit was the pace. But telling a story in detail can do that to the pacing. As such when I finished reading the book, I found myself pretty happy to have had the patience in the beginning. It is after all a big book.

Recommended to Mystery lovers.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

12 November, 2016

Debdatta Dasgupta November 12, 2016 1

#BookReview :: Immortal by Krishna Udayasankar

'Death is certain for all who are born...or is it?

Professor Bharadvaj is more than just another whisky-loving, gun-toting historian-for-hire. Behind the assumed identity of the cynical academic is a man who has walked the earth for scores of years. He is Asvatthama - the cursed immortal, the man who cannot die.
When Professor Bharadvaj is approached by the enigmatic Maya Jervois to search for a historical artefact unlike any other, he is reluctant to pursue it. The object in question, the Vajra, is rumoured to possess incredible alchemical powers, but the Professor does not believe it exists. After all, he has spent many lifetimes - and identities - searching for it, in a bid to unearth the secret to his unending life.

Yet, as the evidence of its existence becomes increasingly compelling, the Professor is plunged into an adrenaline-fuelled adventure that takes him from the labyrinthine passages beneath the Somnath temple to the legendary home of the siddhas in the Nilgiris, and finally into the deserts of Pakistan to solve a confounding puzzle left behind by the ancients.

But who is behind the dangerous mercenaries trying to thwart his discoveries at every step? And is the Professor - a legendary warrior in a long-ago life – cursed to walk the path of death and bloodshed forever?

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Professor Bharadvaj would have ceased to exist had the call from his assistant, Manohar, had not come the moment that it did.

Being Immortal has its advantages and disadvantages, and nobody knows it better than Asvatthama. He has to shed his identities every few years in order to keep mortals from discovering his true identity. It was time to end the persona of Professor Bharadvaj and cut all ties from that life in order to restart a new life with a new name when Manohar calls with information that could possibly change Asvatthama’s life. Ms.Maya had approached to get in touch with Professor Bharadvaj with regards to a relic which could mean either of two things. First option would be that she wanted to go on a wild goose chase looking for the Vajra, an object with great alchemical powers. Or, she could have traced back his real identity and this could be a trap for him. Not willing to take a chance in case she had any real information, Asvatthama agrees to meet this woman. When she produces real proof about the possibility of Vajra being in existence, and they get attacked immediately after – Professor Bharadwaj embarks upon a journey spanned around the world to hunt this object before he becomes a victim.

The book opens with a scene that establishes the immortal nature of our protagonist and right off the bat we are taken on a journey that takes us from beautiful Dwaraka to intriguing Baluchistan. The story is narrated from the point of view of the protagonist. For a man of the world who has lived through history since the times of Mahabharata, Asvatthama sure has a personality that is both expected and yet surprising. His experiences with life have given him unique perspectives and at the same time brings with certain insecurities that make him human. He is intelligent, he is smart and he is certainly endearing, that is once you get to know him. Maya Jervois was a character I wasn’t very sure about at the beginning… I had my doubts about which side she was really playing on and about her true motives. But her character is shaped up nicely over the storyline and yes, I will leave you to wonder whether she is the heroine or the vamp of the story. There is not a single major character that is indispensable in the story. Each of them has something to contribute and have been developed just right. As for the plot, the author has managed to create a line that keeps the readers intrigued throughout. With the right balance of action and information delivery, the book hardly has a slow patch. It is very apparent that the author has put in quite a bit of research in this story and the fusion of facts with fiction is well delivered. Her language and narrative style only adds positives to the story.

This is book for Mystery, Thriller & Mythology lovers.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

03 November, 2016

Debdatta Dasgupta November 03, 2016 23

Mega #Giveaway Part 1 - Open to Indian Residents ONLY

Hello Folks!

Welcome to my same old blog but with a new home address! Quite a few people have suggested over the years to change my domain name for seo purpose... And I finally took the plunge thanks to quite a few friends who supplied me with info, research and even suggested new domain names. I hope you will find it easier to find and remember www.ddsreviews.in

A lot of people have come forward to help me host this (and a couple more coming up this month) Giveaway. It is only fair that I should thank them. Here are the awesome sponsors of the today's giveaway :

Hachette India

Farah Oomerbhoy

Jatin Kuberkar

Shatrujeet Nath

Ankit Sonthalia

Pavan Kumar Gaja

Now lets get on with the Giveaway!

Prize Pack 1: Two Lucky Winners will get this prize pack of three books each!

Immortal by Krishna Udayasankar

The Sultan of Delhi by Arnab Ray

It Must've Been Something He Wrote by Nikita Deshpande

Prize Pack 2: One Lucky Winner will get this prize pack of two books each!

The Last of the Firedrakes by Farah Oomerbhoy

Cabbing All The Way by Jatin Kuberker

Prize Pack 3: One Lucky Winner will get this prize pack of two books each!

The Guardians of the Halahala (Vikramaditya Veergatha #1) by Shatrujeet Nath

The Conspiracy at Meru (Vikramaditya Veergatha #2) by Shatrujeet Nath

Prize Pack 4: Three Lucky Winners will get this prize pack of two books each!

Stupid Cupid by Ankit Sonthalia

An Agreement Between Two Hearts by Pavan Kumar Gaja

Here is your chance to win one of the amazing prize pack listed!

Goodluck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am SORRY to have to make this NOTE here, but my previous experience of hosting Giveaways have shown me that some participants fake their entries in the Rafflecopter. It is not fair to the either the Sponsors or to the other participants. So, I will be checking each entry individually & deleting fake entries before selecting the winners so as to keep the odds fair.

23 August, 2016

Debdatta Dasgupta August 23, 2016 0

#BookReview :: Journey Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino, Alexander O. Smith (Translator)

When a man is found murdered in an abandoned building in Osaka in 1973, unflappable detective Sasagaki is assigned to the case. He begins to piece together the connection of two young people who are inextricably linked to the crime; the dark, taciturn son of the victim and the unexpectedly captivating daughter of the main suspect. Over the next twenty years we follow their lives as Sasagaki pursues the case - which remains unsolved - to the point of obsession.

Stark, intriguing and stylish, Journey Under the Midnight Sun is an epic mystery by the bestselling Japanese author.

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I received this book as a review copy from Hachette India quite some time back. And though I quite enjoy Keigo Higashino’s works, I dawdled for as long as I could before picking it up to read it because my prior experience with this author’s works meant that I knew I would have to pay really close attention to every little aspect in the book.

A dead body is discovered at an abandoned building and Detective Sasagaki is assigned the case. The body is identified to be that of a pawnbroker. As the detective investigates the case, he is introduced to two characters - Ryo, the son of the pawnbroker and Yukiho, the daughter of the lady who seemed to have been in a relationship with the pawnbroker. The case remains unsolved through the detective’s career, but it becomes sort of an obsession for the detective. As a result, he continues to keep tabs on Ryo and Yukiho and the book follows the incidents of almost two decades. Does Sasagaki ever get the satisfaction of solving this case? Or are the perpetrators just a bit too clever for him?

As expected, the book doesn’t conform to the general mystery format. Most of the seasoned mystery readers will be certain about the ‘who’ in the plot. But just like ‘The Devotion of Suspect X’ the book is all about the other aspects of the case – the why, where, and how’s of the case. It is a rollercoaster journey and the genius of it just left me amazed. Detective Sasagaki’s dedication towards this case is admirable as is the intelligence of the perpetrators. The plot is multi layered and there is so much going on that it keeps the readers engrossed. The twists and turns keep the readers on their toes. The best part of the book is perhaps its climax when the twisted plot finally unravels to disclose every little secret. The author doesn’t leave anything unanswered.

This is a huge book but I managed to read it within two days lest I forget some important little detail. It is certainly a page turner.

Review Copy from Hachette India

26 July, 2016

Debdatta Dasgupta July 26, 2016 0

#BookReview :: Dark Things by Sukanya Venkatraghavan

Somewhere on Prithvi, a mortal survives a supernatural attack. In the dark realm of Atala, an evil goddess prepares to do the Unspeakable. And a Yakshi finds herself at the heart of an other-worldly storm. Ardra has only known life as a Yakshi, designed to seduce and kill men after drawing out their deepest, darkest secrets for her evil mistress Hera, queen of the forsaken realm of Atala. Then, on one strange blood moon night, her chosen victim, Dwai, survives, and her world spins out of control. Now Ardra must escape the wrath of Hera, who is plotting to throw the universe into chaos. To stop her, Ardra needs to find answers to questions she hasn't dared to ask before. What power does the blood moon hold? Is the sky city of Aakasha as much a myth as its inhabitants - the ethereal and seductive Gandharvas and Apsaras? Who is Dara, the mysterious monster-slayer, and what makes Dwai impervious to her powers? A heady concoction of fantasy and romance, Dark Things conjures up a unique world wrought of love and sacrifice, of shadows and secrets, of evil and those who battle it.

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Ardra is a Yakshi who serves Queen Hera. As a Yakshi, it is her job to find out the deepest and darkest secrets of men and then kill them. She performs this ritual habitually and passes on these secrets to her Queen. That is the life that Ardra knows till one blood moon her supposed victim survives her bewitchment. As if a mortal surviving her bewitchment was not a mystery enough… Dara, a monster slayer, spares her life for some unknown reason. Slowly questions build up in Ardra’s and everything seemed to be connected to the Queen she served and the monster locked away in a tower.

Wow! That was the word on my mind when I finally finished reading this book. First off, the characters are really well done. Ardra is a character who grows on you slowly. She is never painted as this larger than life, always right and ‘I-know-best’ protagonist. Instead she comes off as a character whose world is suddenly turned upside down and yet she emerges strong from it. While there are moments of self-doubt and insecurities, she never comes off as an pansy-irritating character that depends on others to solve her problems. Slowly but steadily she takes on everything that is thrown at her, asks the right questions and eventually does the right thing. On the other hand Queen Hera, in many ways, pushes Ardra to be her best. That is a sign of a well-drawn up antagonist because a protagonist can only be as good as the antagonist. A weak antagonist will never lead to the creation of a great protagonist. Then there is Dara, a character with a past that is hinted at but not clearly spelled out to keep an air of mystery around him. And that certainly worked – who doesn’t like a man of mystery?

Sukanya Venkatraghavan can sure weave a good tale. The book gets you hooked from the very beginning and before you know it you will be turning the last page! Her narrative is spot on in every aspect. She kept up the pace of the plot while building the world and its characters. She has provided just enough background information on each character and revealed secrets at the right moment to have the maximum impact. Even I did not see one of the twists coming! The world building has been done well enough. If I absolutely had to crib about one thing in the book, it would be the world building. I am a girl who loves details and while the world building would seem sufficient enough to most people, I want more. I always want more when I like something.

It is not often enough that I love a fantasy book written by an Indian author so much. Exceptions have been there, but the only other fantasy book that I have liked more than this is Shatrujeet Nath’s Vikramaditya Veergatha Series. Though these books are not comparable to each other for many reasons, the common thread between the two is the fantasy genre and the care taken to build the worlds with enigmatic characters. Dark Things is now my second favourite fantasy book written by an Indian Author and I would recommend it to all fantasy lovers.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

21 July, 2016

Debdatta Dasgupta July 21, 2016 0

#BookReview :: The Scandal (Theodore Boone #6) by John Grisham

Thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone knows every judge, police officer, and court clerk in Strattenburg. He has even helped bring a fugitive to justice. But even a future star lawyer like Theo has to deal with statewide standardized testing.

When an anonymous tip leads the school board to investigate a suspicious increase in scores at another local middle school, Theo finds himself thrust in the middle of a cheating scandal. With insider knowledge and his future on the line, Theo must follow his keen instincts to do what’s right in the newest case for clever kid lawyer Theo Boone.

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Theodore Boone hasn’t ever been my favourite character nor have I ever felt that this was the best John Grisham can do. However, I have to admit that this is the first book in this series that I actually enjoyed reading thoroughly.

Theodore Boone may be a whiz kid and have a number of connections in the judicial world, but even he cannot escape the standardized tests no matter how much he dislikes them. Not only does he have to take the tests, but these tests also determine if he can take honor classes in High school. After all the preparations and grueling testing sessions, when the results are out, Theo is surprised and heartbroken to find out that he hasn’t made the cut for honor classes. That is when he hears about the scandal involving cheating the standardized tests. Theo brings in his mother to help when fraud charges are made against those who were involved when he realizes that he cannot be just a bystander in this case.

Like all John Grisham novels, this too is a fast paced and engaging book. I finished reading this book in one sitting. What I liked about this book was the questions and issues raised and discussed in this book, particularly about the standardized testing system that rules the lives of the students. The storyline is narrated in such a manner that those who have never spared a moment to think about it will be forced to stop and take notice. I never knew about how the standardized test results affect the teachers in turn as well. As such I found this book educative in other ways rather than just the courtroom procedures. I found Theo to be a bit more likeable in this book and April plays a big part in it all.

This was, I feel, the best Theodore Boone book so far and could interest not only young adults but also adults as well.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

26 June, 2016

Debdatta Dasgupta June 26, 2016 0

#BookReview :: The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

Miss Ona Vitkus has - aside from three months in the summer of 1914 - lived unobtrusively, her secrets fiercely protected.

The boy, with his passion for world records, changes all that. He is eleven. She is one hundred and four years, one hundred and thirty three days old (they are counting). And he makes her feel like she might be really special after all. Better late than never...

Only it's been two weeks now since he last visited, and she's starting to think he's not so different from all the rest.

Then the boy's father comes, for some reason determined to finish his son's good deed. And Ona must show this new stranger that not only are there odd jobs to be done, but a life's ambition to complete . . .

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This is one of those books that are bound to make you cry. The blurb was enough to realize that and so I sat down to read the book with tissues ready at hand.

The book is about the friendship between two very unlikely people and how it affects the people around them. When an 11 year old boy scout comes to Ona for odd jobs so that he can earn another scouting badge, Ona thinks very little of it. After all at the age of 104, Ona has seen and experienced enough of life. She never expected the boy to stick around or to form a relationship with him. But when he stops coming over, Ona assumes the worst. After a while, the boy’s father turns up and explains that the boy had died and that he was there to finish his work. As the parents of the boy and Ona get to know each other, they learn a lot about not only the boy, but also about themselves and life.

Beautifully written, this is a completely engaging book. The language and narrative used are both very eloquent and as such it added much to the plot. The characters are all very different from each other and have all been fleshed out quite well. They have their own quirks and flaws making them human and easy to relate to. The theme of loss is very strong in the book. With the boy’s death each person deals with the loss of his absence in their life. They each have their own take on it and their own process of dealing with it. At the same time there is this feeling that the author wanted to take a look at the aspects of love as well. I have to admit that the ending bugged me a lot. Without giving any spoilers, all I can say that the way the author wrapped up everything was all too neat for me. Real life is messy and not everything ties up so neatly no matter how much we want or try.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

24 June, 2016

Debdatta Dasgupta June 24, 2016 0

#BookReview :: Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.
That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.
But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...

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Special Powers - Oppressed People - A Prince - A Heroine from the working class.

The world of Red Queen is set in a fantastical dystopian world where people are divided into two classes; Silvers – the ruling class and the Reds – the servants and soldiers. It is not that simple really, but that is the general outlook of the world in which Mare Barrow lives. Close to her conscription date, Mare is offered a job in the royal palace. What seems to be a relief from a life in the army, soon turns into something much more. The Silvers have always had powers and the Red don’t – Mare seems to be an exception to it! She is a Red with powers and she is discovered smack middle of an event at the palace. She soon finds herself betrothed to the young Silver Prince as there is a revolution brewing and the Silver Court wants to use her as a pawn in the game.

Red Queen was interesting and disappointing at the same time. This book has some very interesting characters. Mare, our protagonist, is a rebel from the very beginning. From stealing to help out her family to try and save her friend from being drafted to the army, Mare does what she feels needs to be done. The Crown Prince Cal is my sweetheart in the book. He is the kind of a person I would like to see in the leadership position. He genuinely cares for the people of his kingdom and is not afraid to get down and dirty to root out the problems. Prince Maven was a character who surprised me – while I felt that something was off about him through the story, I just didn’t expect him to turn out the way he did. And the Evil Queen… Well, she is an antagonist that I dare not cross – especially with her special powers.

I loved the way the author has set up her dystopian world that is quite different yet familiar at the same time. It has a few elements that we have already seen in some books before – the inherent good vs evil feel and the love triangle that I feel is overused in most plots. But the narrative style holds attention through the book, making it a page turner.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

09 June, 2016

Debdatta Dasgupta June 09, 2016 0

#BookReview :: Passenger (Passenger #1) by Alexandra Bracken

Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

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I have read Darkest Mind by the author already and have enjoyed her writing style quite a bit. While I haven’t had a chance to finish the series yet, I couldn’t let go of the chance to read this new series either. From the blurb, the story promises scifi with romance and a touch of history and it felt like an odd but intriguing combination.

Henrietta Spencer, a.k.a Etta is an aspiring violinist with a case of stage fright. She has been working hard all her life to prepare for her solo debut. But when the day comes, something goes terribly wrong and she finds herself on board of a pirate ship with Sophia and Nicholas for company. Soon she discovers secrets regarding her heritage and her abilities that her mother kept from her. Now that she has discovered it for herself, she has to race against time to find an artifact that could do much damage in the wrong hands. Will she be able to outwit the Ironwoods? And what is Nicholas’s role in the story?

I loved Etta… She has no warning about how her life is about to be turned upside down. Yet she is a character to behold from the moment things start to change. The situations that she is put in were enough to test even the strongest of men and yet, Etta is steadfast. From witnessing the death of a person close to her to time travelling to handling being on a pirate ship to handling the antagonist – Etta really shines through. She certainly has had her share of follies but it is absolutely impossible to not like her. Nicholas on the other hand had me confused. On one hand he felt like an upstanding character to me. On the other hand some of his decisions indicated otherwise. He is one of those flawed characters who manage to make a space for themselves in the readers’ hearts irrespective of everything. The fact that the two main characters were from two completely different eras, their dynamic was interesting to read about. The beginning of their romance felt a bit abrupt to me. However, it soon grew on me. To travel to different timelines with them turned out to be an interesting experience on the whole. The plot seems simple at the beginning but soon we discover there is much more to it. The author manages to keep the attention of the readers throughout the book by divulging information slowly and steadily as the plot progresses. I loved the narrative of this book a bit more than Darkest Mind and sincerely feel that Alexandra Bracken is an author who is growing with her books.

Time travel is an interesting topic because we all have wished to be able to do so at some point of our lives. It has been presented in a beautiful manner in this world setting by Alexandra Bracken. Since our protagonist Etta knew little about time traveling before being thrown headfirst into the adventure of her life, we had the opportunity to discover all about it as and when Etta discovers and learns things. I loved the concept of time travel as it is presented in this book.

SciFi and Time Travel enthusiasts should definitely give this book a try.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

12 November, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta November 12, 2015 0

#BookReview :: See Me by Nicholas Sparks

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. At 28, he's focused only on walking a straight line -- getting his teaching degree, working out at the gym religiously, and avoiding all the places and people that proved so destructive in his earlier life. The last thing he's looking for is a serious relationship. But when Maria Sanchez crosses paths with him on a rainswept night in North Carolina, his plans are upended in a way that will rattle the foundations of his carefully structured life. As for Maria, the hardworking lawyer and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Colin will challenge every notion she's ever had about herself and her future, making her question what truly makes her happy.
Before the couple has a chance to envision what a life together might look like, however, menacing reminders of events in Maria's past begin to surface. And as the threat of violence begins to shadow her every step, she and Colin will be tested in increasingly terrifying ways. Will demons from their past destroy the tentative bonds they have forged, or will their love protect them, even in the darkest hour?
See Me is a story of obsession, reinvention and a love that defies every expectation, reminding us that destiny often rests in our own hands-even in matters of the heart.

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Colin Hancock has been a very bad boy in the past. But those days are behind him now as he works hard at college to earn his teaching degree. He has turned over a new leaf who intends on being on the right side of the law not only because one wrong move could land him back in jail but also because he fully intends to become a teacher to be able to guide young minds and keep them from going down the road he is now recovering from. He is pretty sure that things are on track for him until he meets Maria Sanchez one rainy night. As their paths cross again, they cannot help but feel the attraction between them. But the new and still fragile relationship that starts to grow between them has to stand the tests of time. Maria is from a completely different background. She is the daughter of Mexican Immigrants and has worked very hard to get where she is. She is a hard working lawyer with her eye on being made a partner. Her parents’ disapproval of Colin is a small problem compared to what they have to face when Maria’s dark past rears its ugly head. Can Colin take the risk of trying to save her when it could easily land him in jail again? Can they stand together and still love each other after everything?

Nicholas Sparks was starting to become too predictable. I mean romance in itself is a genre where things are basically always predictable, but in his case even the flow was starting to become unsurprising. So when I found out that ‘See Me’ is a Romantic Suspense, I was ready for a new reading experience.

As always, the author has built up his characters beautifully. With most of the background of both Colin and Maria being shared at the beginning, it was easy to get close to the characters. Their growth over the novel is immense. Colin is handsome and can be charming when he wants to be. He tends to get on people’s nerve with his too frank and straightforward nature that he has started to adopt. Maria is a beauty with brains – a girl I enjoyed rooting for. The best part though was the Sanchez family dynamics. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their each and every interaction. The plot had a twist of mystery. While it was again quite predictable for me, I have to admit that the mystery part was good enough for a romantic suspense. My only quandary with the book is that it failed to deliver on the sizzling chemistry and mushy romantic elements that I automatically associate with the name of Nicholas Sparks. While the protagonists did have a good relationship quotient, I missed the Nicholas Sparks touch to it.

In the end, I have to admit that sizzling chemistry or not, I like the way the book played out and did enjoy it quite a bit. I liked Nicholas Sparks 2.0 as an author as well :)

Review Copy received from Hachette India

15 October, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta October 15, 2015 1

#BookReview :: Close Your Eyes (Joseph O'Loughlin #8) by Michael Robotham

I close my eyes and feel my heart begin racing
Someone is coming

They're going to find me

A mother and her teenage daughter are found brutally murdered in a remote farmhouse, one defiled by multiple stab wounds and the other left lying like Sleeping Beauty waiting for her Prince. Reluctantly, clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin is drawn into the investigation when a former student, calling himself the 'Mindhunter', trading on Joe's name, has jeopardised the police inquiry by leaking details to the media and stirring up public anger.

With no shortage of suspects and tempers beginning to fray, Joe discover links between these murders to a series of brutal attacks where the men and women are choked unconscious and the letter 'A' is carved into their foreheads.

As the case becomes ever more complex, nothing is quite what it seems and soon Joe's fate, and that of those closest to him, become intertwined with a merciless, unpredictable killer . . .

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Every now and then I discover a new book / series / author that makes me go ‘How did I not know of this before?’ and make me feel like I live under a rock… This time it was Hachette India, who introduced me to Joseph O’Loughlin when they sent me a review copy of Close Your Eyes.

Joseph O'Loughlin, our protagonist, is a clinical psychologist. He is estranged from his wife and two daughters. He gets involved in a case when a former student uses his name to get details of the case and then leak it. The case is not a simple one – a mother and daughter duo has been found murdered. The former’s body has been ruined with multiple stab wounds and the latter has been left staged as sleeping beauty. As he progresses on the case, he makes a shocking discovery –some previous attacks may have been connected to this case. Along with Ruiz, a detective, Joe is hot on the trail of the perpetrator, all the while tackling his own personal life. Will he be able to catch up or will this case prove to be too much for him?

This book can certainly be read as a standalone. Having said that, I really wish I had read the series from the beginning as it would have made it easier to understand the protagonist at certain levels. I liked Joseph O’Loughlin… a lot. Being a clinical psychologist he has such clear ideas about a person’s mind works and that helps a lot in tracking the perpetrator. On the other hand, having his personal life laid out in front of the readers make him more human and easy to connect with. A flawed characterization somehow makes it easier to accept the character. After all, aren’t all of us a bit flawed somewhere?

The plot is engaging and has quite a few red herrings to lure the readers into thinking things in a completely wrong direction. With a fast pace and appealing narrative, the book is a complete entertainer. Some seasoned mystery readers may be able to guess things right towards the end, but that will not take away anything from the reading experience.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

07 October, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta October 07, 2015 1

#BookReview :: The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra (Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation #1) by Vaseem Khan

In this Indian-set mystery, Inspector Chopra inherits an elephant and an unsolved murder on his last day at work. A joyful, charming read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Rachel Joyce.
Mumbai, murder and a baby elephant combine in a charming, joyful mystery for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Rachel Joyce.
On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra inherits two unexpected mysteries.
The first is the case of a drowned boy, whose suspicious death no one seems to want solved.
And the second is a baby elephant.
As his search for clues takes him across the teeming city of Mumbai, from its grand high rises to its sprawling slums and deep into its murky underworld, Chopra begins to suspect that there may be a great deal more to both his last case and his new ward than he thought.
And he soon learns that when the going gets tough, a determined elephant may be exactly what an honest man needs...

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The story begins with Inspector Ashwin Chopra retiring the police force and settling in the life of a regular retired civilian. After eating, living and breathing for his career for such a long time, the transition is difficult for him. However, with the help of his wife, he tries to settle in when he is left in charge of an elephant who has bequeathed is to him. On the other hand, there’s a case of a boy who had drowned and yet no one seems to be taking any action for it. As a result, the retired life of ex-Inspector Chopra is no longer so quiet as he takes on to investigate the case himself, all the while trying to ‘manage’ his elephant.

You have to admit that getting an elephant of all the things in the world, seemed a bit odd and made me curious about the book at the same time. The character of Ashwin Chopra is quite likeable and I did like his open view of the world that is so sanguine. His wife does have her moments in the book too. And the elephant… What does he add to the book you ask? Well you have to read to find out. Let’s just say, it’s an addition that I enjoyed completely. The characters are all well etched up and they feel complete on their own. The plot however was quite simple and easy to see through. Also, there some typical Bollywood cliché moments in the book that made me shake my head while reading. The climax was so much like a movie where the villain just doesn’t know when to shut up and inadvertently confesses all the gory details of his crimes. It was bit too dramatic and disappointing.

So while this book was not the BIG entrance to the literary world that one wishes to make, the book still is actually quite nice at the end of the day. As a reader, I have become attached to Baby Ganesh and Ashwin Chopra and I can see all the possibilities that lay ahead of them. I will be sure to pick up the next instalment to see this relationship develop.

Review Copy received from Hachette India

02 October, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta October 02, 2015 1

#BookReview :: The Girl in the Spider's Web (Millennium Trilogy #4) by David Lagercrantz & George Goulding

This fall, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist return in the highly anticipated follow-up to Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

In this adrenaline-charged thriller, genius-hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist face a dangerous new threat and must again join forces.
Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a trusted source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female super hacker—a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering.
Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Lisbeth for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda. In The Girl in the Spider's Web, the duo who thrilled 80 million readers in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest meet again in an extraordinary and uniquely of-the-moment thriller.

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Unlike most people who had read the Millennium Trilogy when it released originally, I just finished reading the series for the first time. As a result the first three books are fresh in my mind. I knew that there would be some natural difference in the characters sketches and narration as The Girl in the Spider’s Web is written by David Lagercrantz, carrying on the legacy that was originally created by Stieg Larsson.

Mikael and Lisbeth are back! Their paths seem to be at crossroads every time they take a turn. This time around, we find out that Millennium has been taken over by another group and do not want Mikael to be around. So, Mikael is once again on the lookout for a good story that can give a boost to his crumbling career and trying to help a scientist seems like a promising step towards it. But soon Mikael is entangled in a new web of murder and intrigue with some mention of Lisbeth being involved as well. Where will a simple phone call lead Mikael to? And when their paths cross, how will Lisbeth react? Will their partnership work like a charm again?

What I loved the most about this book was that while David Lagercrantz kept the essence of the repeating characters intact, he has taken his own liberties with the narration at places. I was surprised to see (read about) Lisbeth’s interaction with a kid – while it was quite endearing, I couldn’t but help wonder about it. She did feel out of her character at times in this book and that I found a bit bitter to swallow. After all, I love Lisbeth for how she has been developed over the three books and the slight changes did not sit well. The detail oriented plot with many things happening at the same time felt familiar yet there was hint of something new as well. This time around though, the change is for good and I did enjoy it for most part.

At the end of the day, the question on everybody’s mind is whether this book is as good as any of Stieg Larsson’s books. And the answer is Hell No! When an author creates hype with a particular book / plot / character set, sometimes even he himself has trouble keeping up to the expectations. So it is highly unfair to expect something equally good from a completely different person. However, I have to admit that David Lagercrantz has done a good job and while I would never compare this (or its successors) with the original three books, I have no problem in continuing to read this series. It has a quality in its pages that is not easy to come by and I for one am not going to let something good go by, for whatever reason.

Giveaway

There will be seven (7) winners. Each winner will win a copy of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo , The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest , The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl in the Spider's Web and one book from the titles listed below:

1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

2. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

4. Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

5. The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy

6. An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy

7. Rescue by Nicolas Sparks

8. Under the Dome by Stephen King

9. Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

10. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

11. The Elephant Catchers: Key Lessons for Breakthrough Growth by Subroto Bagchi

12. In Spite of the Gods by Edward Luce

13. Living History by Hillary Clinton

14. To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

15. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

16. Theodore Boone,Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

17. One Day by David Nicholls

18. The Devotion Of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

19. Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult, Samantha van Leer and Yvonne Gilbert

20. The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R.Carey

Guidelines:

• The giveaway prizes will be provided by Hachette India, subject to availability.

• Hachette India is not responsible for prizes that are lost in the mail.

• The giveaway will be in India ONLY.

• Any disputes arising from this contest are subject to jurisdiction in Delhi.

• Winners will be determined by the management of Hachette India. The decision of the management will be final and no queries will be entertained in this regard.

• The entries may be screened for defamatory content/language .Hachette India reserves the right for last minute cancellation and change in terms and conditions.

• Participants should be Indian residents.

• The contest will start on 17th September, 2015 at midnight and end on 16th October, 2015 at midnight. No late entries will be accepted.

• Spam entries or entries that are not valid will be immediately disqualified

• Each winner will get a total of five books, subject to availability.

• All entries that are only entered in the Rafflecopter widget will be valid.

• Number of entries for each task has been provided in the Rafflecopter widget. Every person who enters the giveaway needs to do at least one task that is listed above for their entry to be valid.

• Winner has 48 hrs to respond to intimation by Hachette India before another winner is chosen.

• Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway.

• Blog Tour hosts cannot enter the giveaway.

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