Book Review : S.O.A.R Success over Adversity Reigns by Abir Mukherjee

Book- S.O.A.R (Success over Adversity Reigns)

Author- Abir Mukherjee

Genre- Fiction

Publisher- Frog Books and Leadstart Publication

Blurb-

Three people, entangled in a web of difficulties are trying to overcome it. The time isn’t favourable for them. People aren’t cooperating with their new ideologies and they themselves are in the midst of collapsing, due to chaos.

Their dreams are bigger than the shells. The world isn’t that compromising and neither is their own will. The gaps can be seen directly but the spectacle for healing is still not in reach.

Will things go the way these aspiring entrepreneurs wanted to be? Where the marathon will end? What consequences will they need to pay? After all the damages, will things go back to normal?

Title-

Suitable and intellect are the required adjectives for pointing the title of the book. It’s catchy and allows you to over-think before the reading begins.

Cover-

The cover is not that appealing. The bright colours settle with the contrasting images over the book but they don’t narrate the required amount of story.

Characters-

The characters are well defined throughout the book. Their images are not altered drastically anywhere. The plot revolves around the three protagonist and their different lives. Sub-plots induce more characters in the backstage.
But you can’t notice everyone everywhere. There are times when they mark an attendance and make you wait till they reveal the required mystery, woven around them.

Narration-

The narration is in third person, suiting the tale in a very radiant manner. It doesn’t get weak during changing scenes, being a plus point. The author has done precise job in making things well understandable. No confusion at any turn can be seen. It is neither beneath nor above the line of equilibrium. The scenes shift within a chapter and the beauty lies in the intact rhythm.

Reviews-

Very often it happens that the start of the book disturbs you but it is certainly a great way to increase the level of curiosity. SOAR also edges ahead with manipulations. The main leads come in your view from the very start. The language is simple and easy to grasp, without much tongue twisters. The story moves tenderly without any bumps. The protagonist collides with one another and the hunt to achieve something begins.

The motive of the book remains clear from the start and the minor questions are answered by the people moving in the story. The main plot has some divisions, giving you a break from the casual conversation and settings. You are provided with many queries in the first half, which make you hold the book with excitement. The minor characters involve you in the story, with no over-exaggeration.

The author shows his good sense of visualizing his proximity and that reflects in the zeal of his writing.  It allows the reader to see the happening through the pages. The story has something new in its every chapter.

The second half moves in a hustle, leaving some characters behind. You miss the suspense related to their stories. The high point arrives when the realities open, some good and some bad. It rushes the blood in your veins. The story wraps up efficiently without any loop holes, giving the reader a beautiful smile, for a soothing showdown.

Eye-catchers-

· “Adhyayan’s stupendous aloofness hadn’t left many words for Shrishti even after the ten months of isolation.”

· “...now my grandchildren take pictures of rain and load them on Facebook.”

· “That antagonism has torn out their soft infancy.”

Turn-On’s-

The best part was the love confession between Raja and Sneha. It was definitely a mesmerizing event. Such love gives you feeling of oneness. Also the way in which the story sways you, is a positive affair. You don’t leave connection with the story, at any point, during the whole journey of SOAR.

Turn-Off’s-

The heavily showered abbreviations hinder your reading. You need to stop and think about the phrase which the author just minimized, taking refrences from the turned pages.
The problem arise when only the main plot is focussed, leaving the other aspects. The different tales then seems just an inclusion for the sake of refreshment in the story.

Recommendations-

People who read simple tale with a defined motive can surely count on this book. It’s a nice entertainer.

Book Review: Hey Dad! Meet My Mom by Sandeep Sharma and Leepi Agrawal

Book- Hey Dad! Meet My Mom

Author- Sandeep Sharma and Leepi Agrawal

Genre- Fiction

Publisher- Gargi Publishers

Blurb-

Some soothing and extraordinary happens in your life when you are at the verge of losing control. Puneet meets Rishi, his future son, to gather some answers, but got more confused on seeing Rishi's changing intentions. There are so many things that are making him fall in the deep dungeons of time.

What happens when mystery entangles? What happens when things start haunting Puneet? What happen when he is all alone? Where he reach at the end of his quest?

Title-

The title maybe sound amusing but it has a deeper connection when the story moves. But it doesn’t say the whole for sure. It compliments the story in a very tantalizing manner.

Cover-

Radiant and bright, the cover is a perfect synonym to what the story deal with.

Characters-

There are not abundant characters in the novel. It proves to be a plus point because more characters would have created complexity for sure. The characters allow you to explore their ins and outs completely, without missing any detail.
The author succeeds in developing a perfect definition of every individual. Characters also carry the hue of strangeness.

Review-

The prologue is capable of telling you that there would be a lot of imagination, over the horizon tales and incidents in the story. The plot of the story is very fresh. It stands out of the comfort zone and shows newness. It is mixed with some sub-plots and you mustn’t expect their answers in the initial pages.

A little sense of suspense is added as you step forward. It might instigate the need of assuming more than required. You stop somewhere on a random page and smile due to relatable things or laugh due to sarcasm. It’s hard to write comedy and the author has done a superb job to tickle the readers. From normal activities the story takes leap to some weird happenings, making you little anticipated for coming chapters.

The sensations that trouble the protagonist, Puneet are the most noteworthy ones throughout. The touch of suspicion and fear turns out to be comic. The small out of box notes and poetry will sway your mind for sure. It happens very less that you get two kinds of itch in the same situation. Very difficult task for the writer it would have been.

There are strong shifts from one genre to another. The flips in the plot make you blank. The middle portion of the story is not that catchy. The best part of the book is that you can’t guess the story before the end. The start and middle parts shows you completely different aura of whimsical lullaby. Some clues were getting available but some queries were also getting formed.

As the end approach the things start wrapping up quite quickly, without much detail. The sudden rush can leave some questions in mind. Also the narration in it gets a bit complicated. Wait was very quickly levelled. I wished things didn’t appear that way. Till now the story has allowed you to have widened eyes, a teary laughter and moistened eyes.

The end is not near. You think that you know what is going to happen but you are mistaken. An unpredictable end, penned in a very tender way and that’s what maps the closure of Hey Dad! Meet My Mom.

Eye-Catchers-

· “...blood drained out from my face when I found that she had no face.”

· “...I could see my fear in his eyes.”

· “The feeling was meant to be scary but it felt soothing.”

· “...King lost to Nina.” [Took me to my childhood.]

· “...her love never allowed me to forget her.”

Turn-on’s-

The best part of the book is its unique simplicity. It’s like a perfect Hindi Cinema with an intelligent story. It makes you laugh, cry and love, together.
There are some scenes which are unthinkable and some are just so relatable.
Simple language and no painful words are a big plus point.

Turn-off’s-

Big sentences and paragraphs disturb your reading. Cutting short these sentences would have really helped the novel. Some small errors could also be spotted.

Recommendation-

I would like to recommend this book to all those who need some change in their type of reading. If you are willing to experience mood swings through the novel then Hey Dad! Meet My Mom can be an option for you.

Book review: Brutal by Uday Satpathy

Book- Brutal

Author- Uday Satpathy

Genre- Thriller

Publisher- Westland and Bloody Good Books

Blurb –

“You are in real, real danger”
A school teacher gets a creepy warning in his mailbox. Seven days later, he murders eleven of his students. Two months later, he is gunned down in broad daylight by an obscure militant outfit. Justice served. The nation is pacified. Case closed.

But two crime reporters think otherwise. Seeking redemption through this case are Prakash and Seema, ace journalist but broken individuals. As they follow the story, they are led to the ominous wilds of Bandhavgarh where an eerily similar massacre had occurred eight years ago. Little do they know that they have stirred up a hornet’s nest.

One by one their leads start turning up in body bags and they are chased by assassins at every corner.
Soon they realize that they are pitted against evil powers pervading the business and political DNA of the country, with an unbelievably sinister agenda.

Always one step ahead of them, there is no place to hide. The only way forward is to fight back. But to do that, Prakash and Seema will first have to survive.

Title-

Brutal is an apt title for the book. I couldn’t think of anything else after reading it. The antagonists and the story define the title in the most perfect way.

Cover-

Very subtle and intelligent cover the book has. The colours soothe your eyes and allow you to imagine what you are going to experience inside.

Characters-

There are many characters in the novel and I must say that I didn’t find any useless person roving around just like that without any motive. There is a perfect blend of positive and negative leads, making their character legendary due to their activities. There is no hint of exaggeration. The characters keep crossing your eyes again and again and you don’t feel that all the focus has set to one person or one kind of setting.
The way their personal lives are connected to the main story is appreciable. It makes sense as one move ahead in story and the two things collide.

Narration-

The story is narrated in third person and it opens the range of explanations. It is smooth and well versed. The magic resides in the power with which the words grip you and the flow is serene, allowing you to see the happenings in front of your eyes.

Reviews –

The prologue itself assures you that you are not going to read another simple tale which hit the bookstores these days. The ride to newness starts from the start and there is no stoppage in this journey. The sudden twists and turns don’t allow you to yawn. Every chapter showcase a new aspect to the readers.

The sub-plots make your reading experience exquisite because it happens very less that things are not entangled but woven. Every link gets a meaning as you move ahead on this venture. The male protagonist, Prakash, gets him in a lot of topsy-turvy situations. The spirit in him was on fire during the whole novel. But it’s not just him to move ahead in solving the complicated mystery. The female lead Seema can also be seen, scratching her toes in the whole intertwined aura.

The writer hasn’t left any stone unturned in making you hold the book till the last. The delight was in the freshness that every chapter’s end was providing. The book reminds you of Sidney Sheldon’s “The sands of time”, a very smart approach to keep your reader busy and imaginative as well. The high point arrives when the perfect suspense is built up due to the collision between the connections made in the start and the middle. Your head swing due to appropriate proportions of mystery.

The way people investigate the truth ignites the spark inside you and it seems you are with them when they are visiting places, dealing with the puzzles or getting into troubles.
The second part of the book opens with completely different arena and people. It is a sudden shift which gives a blissful turn. The story is at the same pace as it was in the first part. We get some answers but they are not enough yet. The thrill sends chill in your body and the goose-bumps become a normal affair. The want to know more kills you completely. Some notions are cleared but new ones are created around the same circumference.

In the third part blood is all over in one form or the other and with every bullet that fires, you feel a hole inside your stomach and that’s the beauty of suspense that author created. The involvement level grows bigger and bigger. At one point of time you feel that fate is helping people and at other point it seems that it will devastate the opportunities. The story wraps up beautifully and you can’t think of any question that might have left behind in the race.

The approaching climax doesn’t seem to twitch your nerves because the whole book is full of such surprises. It’s like a series that has reached an end. The closing chapter answers some more questions at the most perfect time. All in all it was a really enchanting read.

Eye-catchers-

· “....he had remarked that he looked 60, he was only 35.”

· “The more I know him the lesser I know him.”

· “She shook her head again, but to no effect. A dark dream began to envelop her.”

· “He gazed at his enemy with bulging eyes, I am you.”

Turn-on’s-

The way the chapters are divided is really commendable. One gets prepared for a new happening as the chapter starts. Also, the interconnections are worth mentioning, the toughest task of all it might have been for the author. Another noteworthy thing is the ability of the author to stick to one thing only. There were chances that the genre might get split in various others but the expectations didn’t meet the end. The author was clear in what he was presenting.
Sentences were short and precise.

Turn-off’s-

A lot of F word is used without any necessity. The story itself was enough to demand attention and the narration was powerful to show the frustration and other emotions in a character’s mind. Its omission wouldn’t have affected anything for sure.
Some editing errors are there too but they are very less and minute.

Recommendation-

I would like to recommend this book to all those who are not thriller fans. This story can make you love this genre. And those who like suspense shouldn’t think before reading this. It’s a must to know tale.

P.S. I won this book in a giveaway organized on Nimi Vashi’s blog.