Thank you Netgalley and publisher for approving my request to read this book.

I am a big fan of fantasy and I like to explore different fantasy worlds. This book has a complex world system which I loved reading. The characters were well written and overall i was hooked from the first chapter. I love Enna and her thirst for knowledge. Overall, it's a perfect read.

Being from India, I was expecting to read some beautiful descriptions of Sri Lanka. This book didn't disappoint me in that aspect. The descriptions were so beautiful it was as if I was in that particular place. But the plot didn't work for me and I can't connect with the characters. Which I think is the major disadvantage of the book. It is a good read but could've been better.

This is the first book where I didn't figure out who is the bad guy halfway through the book. I used to avoid thrillers and mysteries just for the sake of this. I love how the story was weaved. Like she chose 3 normal people and wrote a story about them. Everything about this book was perfection and o thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this book.

Dark Fantastic is a very unique read for me. It is not easy to read a book that is as insightful as this one. But after a multiple reading attempts, I finally finished this book and my God, what an experience it is! The language is rich and I really feel like an academic after finishing this. I will update this review after doing a third reading.

I don't know what to label this story as. A retelling or a coming of age story? Though the beginning was a bit drag,thestory picked up it's pace beautifully. We see different issues that happens in the world and can relate a lot with the book. The sisterhood between the two step sisters made me ache for my own sister who is living far away from me. This book has everything. Magic, mythology, creatures, misogyny, identity and every other thing. A perfect blend of fantasy and realism.

What can I say about this book that you already know without spoilers?

"The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; it's Kindness infinite".

Piranesi lives in a House (as he calls it) which has it's own ecosystem with tides and clouds. It's rooms are infinite. It's corridors are endless and the statues are looming. But Piranesi is not threatened by the House. He is living in harmony with the House and he believes that House in turn provides him with things he need.

Piranesi is a book that has you tongue tied. You want to gush about it all the time but you can't find the proper words. You want to show people how good of a book it is. But when you try to show, it vanishes.

Drawn from the real life inspirations, Piranesi teaches you how to appreciate the nature and it's infinite resources. It teaches you how to be grateful for whatever you are provided with. How important it is to be present in this moment, instead of dwelling on the past and contemplating future.

Of course these are not the main themes of the book, but these are my own observations after finishing it. Piranesi taught me that the destination doesn't matter as long as you enjoy the journey. 

"It does not matter that you do not understand the reason. You are the Beloved Child of the House. Be comforted.
And I am comforted."

I was about to read 'Because of You' but picked it up on an impulse and now I don't know what to make of this book. Consent is a disturbingly satisfying story. As the title suggests, this book revolves mainly around the concept of consent. But it is also about grief, loss, addiction, vulnerability and sisters.

The story revolves around two sets of sisters who are different yet the same. Both pairs are connected by a man who brings tragedy and connects their families.

We think consent is something that is involved only in sexual relations. But in this story consent plays a huge role in day-to-day life. What is consent for developmentally delayed people who are unable to express themselves in the language we understand? What is consent to the people who are brain dead or locked in? What does consent means when we decide on the behalf of these said people? What does consent mean in the type of sexual relationship that we can't understand? 

At first glance, this book is simple enough. But once you start reading, the layers of this story makes you stop reading and think, "Wait! What?". In this story, the sense of smell is a recurring concept that makes me think how granted I took my sense of smell. The smell is always a tricky sense. It triggers a memory that you are not even aware of. It brings stuff from the deepest parts of the brain.

I realized that I have always been wary of certain scents because it was associated with some traumatic events in my life. And for crying out loud, I studied psychology and neurophysiology for a year. I never thought about this concept and it all came in a flash. This book is highly thought-provoking and I constantly found myself in the places of the sisters. I guessed and second-guessed my responses and it was all an exhausting mind game.

The relationship between the sisters is terrifying and realistic. People will always think that you are close to your sister by default. But the bond between the sisters is always complicated. You love and hate her at the same time. You want to hug her one moment and kill her the next. You both trade secrets to get something you want in return. It is not always sunshine and roses. And it is more intimate and complicated than the bond between a mother and child. Between sisters, there are no secrets. When you hide something, she will know. And a loss of one will be like losing your better self. She will always be your special double.

The premise is quite simple. A dysfunctional relationship between a mother and her daughter. It's an everyday thing. Hey! Who didn't love and hate their mother? But then why I have difficulty in what I feel? Why I have this itchy feel about the questions I don't want to answer?
Tara and Antara have a difficult relationship. When Tara starts to develop Alzheimer's disease, Antara has to deal with her feelings for her mother and if she can care for her who have never cared much for her. A mother who always looked at her daughter as the enemy. A mother who resented her daughter. And as a daughter who needs and doesn't need her mother at the same time, Antara is conflicted. As the page turns, your sympathies shifts from mother to daughter to mother. It's like getting whiplash.

There's something deeply unsettling about this story. Maybe we are trained to see mothers as these godly person that we forget that they are also people with all the feelings. Or we are trained to think that our Indian families are this trademark sacred family thing that this story repulses us. And reading about how Tara treats her daughter makes me think about motherhood as a whole.

But this story is highly realistic about one thing. That Indian family can be highly dysfunctional and not all mothers are these saint-like beings. The sharp words of the author pierce our expectations and show us the things we can't accept. 
This book is an organized mess. Controlled chaos. One cannot understand it to the deeper level when you don't have an experience of having a mother like Tara. Tara and Antara are symbiotes. One cannot live without the other. They are different but yet the same.

Detransition, Baby is utterly messy and chaotic. It is also terribly good. This book has the best Trans representation so far if I say so. It has everything. Characters, Transgender sex, identity politics, misconceptions, stereotypes and all that.


With all these concepts swirling around the pages, the concept of motherhood just hits home. After transitioning, Ames found that his boss/lover is pregnant with his child. But he is unsure of being a father and wants to co-parent with his ex Reese. This book documents how they explore this pregnancy in pure wit.


I love this book. I love how funny and honest this book is. Though I don't agree with a few things in this book, it is such a breath of fresh air. I also love how all the characters are unapologetically real. They are flawed, chaotic, messy and also so real. I read this book in instalments to process what I read and also to research them. Though the writing is fluid and the story is good, I couldn't bond with this book with my whole heart.


As I read how Reese and Ames are struggling with everything (transition and detransition), I am constantly reminded of Trans people in my own country. It's a known fact that in India, Trans rights are not established properly. If you are from where I am, Transgender people are always discriminated against and faces a lot of violence and abuse. And all these happen to the people who are only identified as Trans woman or hijras (it consists of transgender persons who are biologically male but identify as women or “neither man nor woman” nor “not man.”)


We are taught at a tender age to fear them, despise them and admonish them. And I am constantly reminded of how it is for them while reading this book. I love this book. But I can't enjoy it fully because of my thoughts. Maybe I should read this book another time just for the sheer joy of reading. 

I am afraid of opening to someone. Just a sliver of intimacy makes me flee. When I sense people getting closer to me, I end up panicking and sabotage that relationship. I am messy but I am also real. When Ava in Exciting Times was excited that neither of the people she liked had her secrets, I felt that in my bones.


I think self-sabotage is a major millennial trait. The books that I have been reading lately can be categorized as millennial fiction. And one of the common things among them is self-sabotage. You know whenever some characters call out the protagonists on their self-sabotaging habits, I feel personally attacked. It's like we are okay with ruining a good relationship just because it reaches a close intimate point.


As a person who has struggled with these issues, I can tell you how vulnerable it gets. Sometimes I do it willingly just to avoid any form of intimacy. Then I wallow in my guilt. Because I am so done with having to feel safe that I have to hurt others. Oh well, the joy of self-sabotage is addicting than heroin.


The moment I finished Exciting Times, I sat there not knowing what to do. To be honest, I didn't enjoy this book that much. But the sheer intensity of the writing made me flinch. Exciting Times is unapologetically millennial. It explores sex, being a queer, privilege and my favourite trope, self-sabotage.


I can't vouch for Dolan being Rooney-esque, since I have not read any of Rooney's books. But in her choppy sentences with punctuated similes, I find comfort. The characters are a mix of unlikeable mess. They are a perfect blend of nihilistic, cynic, narcissistic and hypocritical traits. Though the book is not an exceptional one for me, it made me realize my toxic tendencies which I conceal with a smile.


With that being said, I didn't like the characters a bit. The books were problematic at different levels. It feels like the setting was included just the stake of having a diverse location. I do relate with the characters but they sure do some questionable things and I don't know whether to slap them or comfort them. But hey, that's the charm of this book I guess. You don't love it but you don't hate it either. At the end of the day, we all do questionable things to get through life. So who am I to judge?