3.2 Stars

Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas 

A seventeen-year-old Dovie comes from a long line of women who could hear the dead bones sing. She doesn’t believe in magic until she begins to hear the songs. In the last three years, many people have gone missing from the trials in the Ozark Mountains. 

Some think it’s the Ozark howler snatching people, though Dovie doesn’t agree. She doesn’t listen when her best friend Lo says he is haunted by shadows. Her only focus is on leading the local sheriff to the dead bones. However, Lo knows the shadows belong to the dead people, and they want justice. Can Dovie and Lo find the killer before more deaths occur? 

The story comes in Dovie’s first-person POV in the present tense. 

The book starts with a bang. We see Dovie hearing the ‘song of the bones’ and follow her. Right away, we also see the superstition and bias against ‘witches’ though even the police seem to wait for the bones to sing to her instead of actually doing their job. 

Dovie is your typical seventeen-year-old, meaning she thinks she knows the best, her emotions are intenseeeee, she is dramatic, and well… you get the gist. Despite the repetition, it wasn’t too bad being in her head. Though I initially sympathized with her, the constant ‘I don’t believe in magic’ got boring. After the initial quarter, I could increase my reading pace.That made the book quite enjoyable. 

I admit I liked Lo a lot more, though we don’t get a lot about him. There are only a few things the FMC has to say about him and those tend to go on a loop. The other guy is… I don’t know. He’s just there. 

The atmosphere is the biggest strength of the book. It is amazing! I could feel the dark forest, the stinky Lucifer Creek, the humidity, the weight of uncertainty and fear, and the presence of the howler. Still, I wish we got a wee bit more of the supernatural element. The setting is ripe for a proper horror mystery. 

Coming to the mystery, it is okay. Rather strange that the most important question doesn’t even occur to the FMC until someone points it out. Or maybe it aligns with her teen personality where she is the center of the universe. Anyhoo! 

The reveal is rather underwhelming. The topic is great. No doubts there. There’s even some foreshadowing but the focus is on the sub-mystery. The main one needs a bit more detailing and an extra touch of darkness to drive home the point. 

However, I did like the execution of Brother T’s role. It is quite stereotypical what with the Christian brother intent on converting ‘witches’ and ‘hill people’ but given how extensively such events occurred (and occur) around the world, I don’t mind it being shown in books. That said, he gets a lot more limelight than necessary. Maybe he was used as a smoke screen but not really needed. 

I would have rated this higher if not for the supposed ‘love triangle’ that had no place in the book. It is nothing more than exotification on one side and silly curiosity on the other. Imagine being surrounded by death and you prioritize kissing someone. How romantic (not)! Remove this attraction/ complication from the plot and nothing changes. My rating would have been higher. 

There’s an epilogue which I do like. It ties up the loose ends. Since mine is an ARC, there wasn’t an author’s note. I’d have liked to know about the forest and its local lore. 

To summarize, When the Bones Sing has a great premise and starts well but meanders into an average YA mystery with drama, romance, and a touch of supernatural. 

Thank you, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #WhenTheBonesSing 

in 3 Stars

Emma Rini doesn’t remember the last time she took a break or did what she wanted. Her younger sister is having her first baby and her parents are busy holidaying and planning retirement. Emma is too busy and single, managing the family bookstore with little to no help. 

When her parents assume she will take over the shop, Emma decides she needs to get away. She books a six-week vacation at a manor, a place where her favorite poet, Emily Dickinson, spent her time. Turns out, she isn’t too great with managing the manor and needs help from the grumbling architect. 

What does this vacation have in store for Emma? 

The story comes in Emma’s first-person POV. 

While Emma wants love and HEA, the book focuses more on her growth, which I liked. 

The character arc is realistic enough as the FMC tries to copy her role model (Emily Dickinson) and realizes that’s not how things are done. 

Also, no one is bad or evil. No Reddit stories here though it starts like one (you can tell I’ve been spending too much time on that platform). Everyone is flawed and makes assumptions, something they finally discuss openly. Still, I like that the FMC’s family loved her as much as she loved them. 

The setting is lovely as it should be. I like the descriptions of the place and the house. There’s something about old stone buildings, right? Even if you end up freezing in the middle of the night! 

There’s quite a bit of detail about Emily Dickinson, though at times I felt it got a bit too much. But then, she’s not my favorite as such, so maybe I didn’t feel that interested. Still, it’s not a deal breaker. 

The side characters (especially Cecily) were interesting. I wish Grace had a bigger role, though. 

So, my main issue is with the love track or the romance. I don’t know what tropes to mention. Grumpy vs. sunshine maybe but I didn’t vibe with it. Heck, I didn’t feel anything except a truckload of annoyance whenever the romantic track appeared. 

This leans heavily on miscommunication tropes, lies, secrets, etc. Seeing the FMC excited about some developments feels weird. I still don’t see the connection the lead pair is supposed to have. It was just… all over the place. 

The ending is nice enough but I wasn’t interested in HEA by then. I still got it, though! 

To summarize, Not Quite by the Book has a worthy premise and some of it is really good. I might have liked it more if the romance had been better handled. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #NotQuiteByTheBook 

 2 Stars

One Liner: Didn’t work for me

1970, Florida

Catherine and her taciturn husband, Dr. Frank Overbrook, arrive at the tiny island of Paradiso for Frank to take over the local practice from a friend. The couple attends a welcome party arranged in their honor, only for Frank to end up dead by the next morning.

Detective Quentin Jones is assigned to the case and immediately realizes that nothing is as it seems. Everyone is hiding a secret and could have a motive. He has to find them all to identify the killer.
The story comes in the third-person POV of multiple characters.

My Thoughts:

This is my first book by the author, and maybe I didn’t pick the right one.

Since I’m new to the writing style, I took my time to settle into it. Of course, the pacing was also slooow, so it’s not as if I could rush anyway. However, the narration didn’t improve as the story progressed.

While the characters were rather distinct and colorful, none of them made much impact. I could feel sad for Mariam for a while, but even that didn’t last. Sylvia was annoying when she should have been inspiring. Something about her cheerfulness seemed fake and forced.

Catherine had potential like David. She did manage to make a better impression in the last quarter, but it was too late by then.

The inspector, Jones, was so darn annoying. For all the talk about him being good at his job, the dude was pretty clueless and hormonal like a teenager. Though the book was set in the 70s when the police didn’t have a lot of modern technology, the mystery was pretty boring. Given that he was trained for the job, much of it sounded like amateur sleuthing.

I did like the various backstories and the setting. But that’s it, I guess. It’s not often that I debate on DNFing a book multiple times. I would have if this wasn't an ARC.

The detailed author’s note was quite informative and helped me understand why the book ended up the way it was. As much as I admire and respect the emotions and hard work that went into the project, I can’t say I enjoyed the end product. Sorry!

To summarize, The Secrets of Good People is a slow-burn mystery with an interesting premise. A lot about the book didn’t work for me, but it may give better results for you. Check out the other reviews too.

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

#NetGalley #TheSecretsOfGoodPeople 

 4.2 Stars

As one of the oldest religions in the world, Hinduism has countless scriptures, notes, studies, philosophies, and frameworks. We have Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ithihasas, Shastras, etc., each dealing with diverse topics, themes, stories, guidelines, and much more. There is no single standardized rule book we are supposed to follow. So, what do you do if you want to know about Hinduism? Where do you start? 

A tricky question indeed! 

This short book attempts to present a comprehensive overview of Hindu scriptures without going into extensive detail. It aims to sort and categorize the content while briefly explaining what they mean. 

Let’s be honest. This is no small feat. Kudos to the author for attempting such a complex task.  

The book starts with a short author’s note and an introduction. Both more or less say the same, though the author’s note touches upon her experience in the field. 

Though the author mentions tentative dates, she emphasizes that those are not definite. I too won’t talk about the dates unless necessary. For example, she says Mahabharata was about 5000 years ago, which puts it around 3000 BCE. This doesn’t align with the (1700-1850 BCE) dates proposed by Jijith Nadumuri Ravi (a scientist and a researcher), who used multiple parameters to arrive at a more realistic time frame. Instead of getting into a debate about this, I will focus on the actual content. 

Right at the beginning, the author says Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) is not just a religion but a way of life. Many of you may have heard this statement. While it is true, it’s important to remember that this doesn’t give others a right to say Hinduism is not a religion. 

The author starts with Vedas, which are divided into four parts that align with the four stages of life – brahmacharya (student), grihastya (householder), vanaprastha (forest life, renouncing materialistic pleasures), and sanyasa (renouncing everything). 

The author also highlights character-based varna, the role of a guru, and numerous Upanishads that explain yoga. Giving it exotic names and calling yourself a yogi doesn’t make you one. What’s being taught today is not yoga. 

I like we get the significance of three lines of ash applied to the forehead (upper arms and wrists) and the context behind using the sacred ash (vibhuti) as bottu. Typically in our households, when kids cry or get cranky and refuse to settle down, an elder applies vibhuti to their forehead with a small prayer (it can even be a request to your favorite god to clear the negative energies around the child). And yeah, it works. Little ones do settle down and start to feel better. 

In the Puranas, the author provides an overview of what they are and a summary of each Puranam. For example, Garuda Puranam deals with death, last rites, and the concepts of the afterlife. Usually, when someone in the family dies, they play/ recite Garuda Puranam during the eleven-day mourning period. The Bhagavatha Purana is all about Vishnu and his ten avatars with a major focus on Krishna avatar (his childhood, etc.). 

Then, there are Vendangas, Upa Vedas, Vendata Sutras, Smritis/ Dharma Shastras, Agamas, etc. These include detailed instructions and frameworks about science, math, fine arts, behavioral science, language, magic, sports, law, warfare, medicine, gemology, geography, astrology, astronomy, architecture, sculpture, cooking, animal husbandry, farming, meteorology, transportation, etc. 

The Agamas are broadly divided into three – Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta. Depending on which sampradaya you belong to, you refer to the relevant texts in Vedas, Upa Vedas, Shastras, Puranas, etc. 

Despite the extensive nature of the texts, quite a few themes repeat – Brahaman, the importance of correct pronunciation of mantra, the union of divine masculine and divine feminine as the core of the universe, and how the five elements of nature are integral to everything and can be found everywhere. Most importantly, even when the texts seem like they contradict each other, they actually don’t. The ideas co-exist and complement each other. That’s why even atheism comes under the same umbrella (not the distorted ego-centric version but the actual concept).  

Needless to say, this is not a book you read in a go and forget on your bookshelf. It works as a great reference or beginner’s guide. It’s useful to check which Veda or Smriti talks about the topic you want to learn so that you can go and find the full-length materials. 

To summarize, A Comprehensive Guide to Indian Scriptures is indeed a well-structured, compact, and reliable guide to getting an idea about Hindu scriptures. This can be your starting point. 

My thanks to the publisher Readomania for a copy of the book. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions. 

 4.5 Stars

We have the next book in the Maddie and Mabel series. This time, they make a friend but things aren’t always that simple. 

Little Mabel and her older sister Maddie have been besties forever. They do everything together and wearing matching bunny slippers. When they spy on the arrival of a new neighbor, they make a welcome gift and try to make a new friend. As you can guess, three is a crowd, so it needs some adjustment and assurance to soothe the insecurities. 

I love the illustrations. They are simple but detailed too! For example, we see the sisters wearing bunny slippers and shoes that match their dress colors. Mabel’s curls are pretty much always messy even in pigtails. The cookie crumbs, the plush bunny (reminds me of mine), and the expressions on their faces are so, so good! I always love focusing on Mabel’s expressions. 

The book ends with three questions that make kids think about how to handle their relationships with their dear ones. Adults can discuss these to explain things that may not be apparent to littles (though I’ll say kids are more aware than adults these days). 

To summarize, Maddie and Mabel Make a Friend is an adorable book with an important message. The simple writing is easy for kiddos to read. 

Thank you, NetGalley, Kind World Publishing and Consulting, and IBPA, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #MaddieAndMabelMakeAFriend 

Eleven-year-old Vanya lives with her parents above their bookshop. As a British Indian with ADHD and an ability to converse with books, Vanya knows she cannot fit in at school or anywhere else. 

However, when her family is attacked by a monster, Vanya finds out she has special powers like her parents. She is sent to Auramere, a magical academy for training kids like her. But with The Wild Hunt on the prowl and mounting danger, Vanya has to find the master and stop the monsters before they destroy everything she holds dear. 

The story comes in Vanya’s first-person POV. 

I’ve read the author’s adult fiction, but this is my first MG book by her. 

Though the MC is a British Indian, her Indian identity is limited to skin color since she was born and brought up in Norwich. This plays an interesting role in her character arc (those one-liners are funny). On a side note, the illustrations make her look very much Indian (which I love). 

Vanya’s (Lavanya is a lovely name!) voice is quite authentic and a combination of sass, vulnerability, wonder, fear, curiosity, and recklessness. Yeah, she is stubborn too but it is necessary. Her ADHD is presented well alongside the insecurities it creates. All in all, we have a great narrator who can make us laugh and roll our eyes in the same paragraph. Her hair… my god! The long and thick braid reminded me of mine when I was the same age. Now? Don’t even ask! I’m grateful to have some hair left on my head. 

The author blends various folklore narratives and uses mythical creatures from different cultures. The more knowledge you have about these, the greater your enjoyment. I enjoyed this salad bowl since I knew many of them (including the ones from Hindu Puranas). 

The setting of Auramere is terrific. It has the potential to sustain a series (at least a trilogy). Heck, I hoped it would be a series until I realized (too late) that it is one. Moreover, the book ends on a cliffhanger! It would have been nice to know this in advance. I prefer starting a book with the right expectations. Wonder why there’s no mention of the series on Amazon, Goodreads, or NetGalley? 

The pacing is slow in the first 35% but picks up momentum and sustains it afterward. This works to establish the plot and the characters. The sprinkling of B&W pencil illustrations adds a nice visual touch. The illustrations are wonderful. Apart from Vanya’s hair, my favorite is that of Reya. It was just wow! 

The side characters are cool – diverse and inclusive. Some stand out more than others (not uncommon). The parents and adults do have a role though limited in some instances. Given the genre, you can expect kids to get into trouble by rebelling or doing things that put them in harm’s way. 

I love the nicknames Vanya’s dad uses. He rarely repeats the same thing! At one point, he calls her 'little Aardvark' and my desi brain read it as adrak (ginger), lol. Not the same at all! 

To summarize, Vanya and the Wild Hunt is an exciting and adventurous story with elaborate world-building and interesting characters. What with the cliffhanger, I can’t wait for the next installment and hope to get the ARC whenever it is available! 

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #VanyaAndTheWildHunt 

 3.7 Stars 

One Liner: A bit slow but nice
 

Charlotte is an astronomy archivist used to spending most of her time alone in old buildings, trying to digitize records and save them for the future. She accepts another such job in the Somerset village of Lower Brambleton to archive an old observatory before its demolition. It’s just another place for her, though quite a few locals are more than happy for the building to be razed so that they can move on. 

Tristan Ashcombe is one such man. While the first impressions weren’t great, Tristan and Charlotte soon find themselves drawn to each other. As Charlotte finds something unusual in the old records, it presents a possibility of something significant for her and Tristan, but not without some risk. 

The story comes in Charlotte (more %) and Tristan’s third-person POVs. 

The story started slow and had the same pace almost throughout. However, I did like the descriptions of the place so it wasn’t boring. Locals might find it excessive but I like it when I can visualize a new setting. 

The FMC’s career and her approach to it are well-presented. I like that she tries to balance between documenting and digitizing the past but not getting too attached to it. 

Comet, the cocker spaniel is adorable! Cute dogs are always a plus in books. There are cute kids too, though we don’t meet them much. 

The MMC is a grump with a golden heart and past trauma. It doesn’t take long for him to show his softer side. 

However, the romance between the couple doesn’t feel organic. It’s too fast, with not enough chemistry to create the impact it should. Maybe they felt it but I couldn’t see it. Also, this should have been a slow burn. 

The sort of mystery about the past had my attention coz it seemed like it had better potential than the love track. Do note that the mystery is not in the thriller sense but in the family drama vibe. 

While there is a third-act breakup, it makes sense here. The message that it’s not our responsibility to ‘heal others’ but they should make an effort for themselves is spot on. 

We get an epilogue too, which gives us a nice HEA. Another aspect I like is how development is not always damaging. Here, it creates the required infrastructure and housing without damaging the surroundings. It’s all about finding the right balance. 

To summarize, A Sky Full of Stars is an entertaining story though the romance could have been better. The family dynamics are well done, though! 

Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley 

Nothing much to say. I enjoyed it as much as I did when I read it the first and second time. Nicholaa's antics are hilarious and Royce eventually learns that's how he likes her. 
No change in the rating. :) 

 3.7 Stars

Drumila, the king of daityas, wants nothing more than to kill the Creator to avenge his mother’s death. He needs to find a way to breach the wall protecting svarga to gain reach the Creator. However, Drumila should first deal with the attacks by Nagas. 

Arundathi, the daughter of the Creator, is chosen for a mission to weaken Drumila, which would lead to his demise. She is ready for her mission despite what she has to do to achieve it. However, when she gets to know her target, Arundathi is surprised. When there’s another attack on the kingdom by the Nagas, will she stand by him or use it to fulfill her mission? 

The story comes in the third-person POVs of Shukracharya, Drumila, Arundathi/ Nandini, Ramishka, Havi, 

Well, this has been my year so far for reading Indic fiction (#touchwood and hoping it continues). When the author contacted me for a review, I was a bit hesitant but curious. Indie Indic authors need support, so once I confirmed the book wouldn’t have anti-Hindu content, I was happy to read it. 

The book is fairly big (446 pages including the multi-page glossary at the end) and has a slow start. This makes sense since we are introduced to the setting and the characters. However, it’s far from boring. We have a short battle scene right in the beginning. There’s intrigue, danger, and drama! 

The heroine’s entry takes a while. She enters in the second part once the MMC’s story is fully established. The shift to her setting presents a good contract (and comparison) between the regions of the daityas and devas. Yet, we see similar underlying emotions and feelings. 

There’s much opulence with mentions of lavish gold, gemstones, and riches that can your head swim. Watching our pauranic movies has prepared me for all this, so it was easy to imagine the descriptions. 

A sudden shift to the earthly locations, especially the modern-day world, was unexpected. It pulled me out of the story for a while but I decided to go with the flow. The setting changed from full fantasy to a sort of urban fantasy a few times. I was prepared for it, so the subsequent shifts were seamless. 

While I liked the mentions of the delicious food, the word ‘chai-tea’ caught unawares. I mean, it’s the last thing I expected in a book by an Indian author. Also, I’m not sure why ‘u’ was used in place of ‘a’ in words like Maya and kanya. It sounds a bit off, TBH. 

The characterization is quite good. You can create a checklist of tropes as well – forbidden love, a sort of grumpy vs. sunshine, brooding alpha male who is gentle with his lady love, and so on! 

Though things are tense, I ended up chuckling at unexpected moments. This random sprinkling of humor makes the book more enjoyable. The writing is decent, though I feel an experienced editor or a woman editor would have made a difference. While physical attraction is a big part of the plot, the descriptions of the FMC are borderline comical (I can’t help but laugh and cringe at the mention of melon-like breasts). In short, you can tell this has been written by a man. At least the steamy scenes are not too descriptive. 

The romance is obviously insta attraction because it is the core of the plot. The FMC’s mission is to weaken the MMC through excessive lovemaking. Interestingly, this is a known concept in Hinduism. In Mahabharata, Vichitrariya was said to have died due to the same reason (but alas, without either of his wives conceiving). Bhyrappa used it to present a pattern in Parva (retelling of Mahabharata). 

By choosing to present the story from the daityas POVs, the author does a good job of creating the difference between good daityas and the unruly ones and providing a voice to those who often get clubbed together. Since we get the FMC and MMC’s POVs, we see both their sides and how they come to understand each other. 

Puranic war scenes have always been a favorite what with those powerful astras and the twangs of the bows. This book too details the scenes well. I love the mention of the various astras and how they work. These are easily the best parts of the book. 

However, the book ends on a cliffhanger. Yeah, something I figured out a bit too late. Hopefully, the sequel is in the works (I asked the author about it). 

Due to the large cast, I suggest adding a list of characters (and their roles) at the beginning. It would be easier to track them and refer them when necessary. 

To summarize, The Red Fiend is an entertaining debut novel presenting the conflict between daityas, devas, and nagas with a good rose of romance. Despite the flaws, the book would make an interesting read for those into this genre (desi readers are the target audiences). 

My thanks to the author for a copy of the book. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions. 

 3.7 Stars 

One Liner: An engaging read despite the flaws 

Elisa cannot stay in one place for longer than ten months. If she does, she’ll turn into a tree. It’s a curse that made her mother and her travel all over the US, taking new identities and leaving without a backward glance. 

After yet another move, Elisa is tired. She has been trying to break the curse but the first step is to find out more about her family. When she makes an impulsive decision to stay in Greensborough for the next ten months, Elisa is hopeful yet hesitant. After all, this small town in Massachusetts is a place where people cannot leave! 

As Elisa stays back and might be turning into a tree, she desperately needs to uncover the secrets of the past and break free of the curse. 

The story comes in Elisa’s first-person POV and third-person POVs of Rose and Lori. 

Did you think I could resist a premise like that? No chance! 

Well, the beginning is strong but then we get into a sort of uncertainty where the FMC seems to be repetitive. The chapters from the past helped a lot by providing backstories and preventing the current track from dragging (it still did). 

The writing is pretty good even if the narration tends to go on and on at times. I didn’t need it to be that lyrical but okay. I was interested to know more, so it’s not too bad. Another round of editing would have sorted the issue and removed the repetition (especially about those kohl-rimmed eyes). 

I think the issue is that the reader knows a few things before the FMC and has to wait for her to catch up. This works in some plotlines. Here, I don’t think it fully helped. When the reader wants Elisa to catch up fast and it doesn’t happen, we are bound to be a bit irritated. 

Magic realism is an integral part of the storyline but I admit to being disappointed in this aspect. There’s a good atmosphere but the surreal part could have been stronger and a bit more prominent. Another scene with the three blue-haired ladies would have also helped. 

The side characters, though not fully developed, are interesting and add their share of intrigue and drama to the plot. I do wish the men were a little more developed to match the women, but this is quite common in this genre (women’s fiction). 

Since there is no romance as such, we have only one main lead, the FMC. This keeps the story within the required frame instead of adding unwanted tangents. That said, there are love and relationships and some of them play important roles. The focus is not on ‘lovey-dovey romance’. 

The book deals with many themes but the central one is choice. It shows various facets of choice and how giving someone a choice should not result in disregarding their choice. The book also deals with mother-daughter relationships, female friendships, expectations and acceptance. 

I guessed a good portion of the mystery at 45%. However, the author managed to give it a few twists in the last quarter. These align with the plotline and fit neatly, even if we don’t get detailed explanations for every question. 

There’s an epilogue of sorts, and I’d have liked it to be longer. Still, I can see why it ended at that point. It works for the book’s vibe. 

To summarize, The Warbler is a thoughtful read about choices, freedom, and mother-daughter relationships with a touch of magical realism. It has its flaws but it is still an engaging book. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #TheWarbler