Book Review : Alchemist of the East by Aporva Kala

Book- Alchemist of the East “A timeless tale of love and adventure”

Author- Aporva Kala

Genre- Fiction

Publisher- Musk Deer Publishing

Blurb-

Sushyo’s life is completely changed after the demise of his mother, whom he loved above all. But then it felt that somehow things were destined that way.

Sushyo a toy maker is on a thrilling journey, where he finds immense talents residing in him. He finds a whole new world in different forms.

But there is a need for complete realization of peace, duty and love. What lies ahead? How things will become hard for him? Where he is headed and where he ends his quest?

Title-

The title is an important part of the novel and the mainframe always suits the title. So it’s an apt one and no substitute works here for it. It gives a one way direction to the readers and the weight of the name can make people curious for the story.

Cover-

The cover is equally magnificent as the title. It shows rage and blood. It shows the correct proportions of story, in a balanced way. The contrast is perfect and so are the two figures, a knight and a horse. What better combination could have been drawn for the front?

Characters-

Oh there are so many characters in the novel that one really thinks of an epic saga, told in a fewer pages. Every stage that the main lead crosses has new faces. Some people are with him and some are against him. That’s what needed, isn’t it? The best part of the novel is the end. And that is the phase where the characters are explained with much vigour and responsibility.

No character is confused and thus everything remains clear.
The best part were the hidden characters. The way everything opens up and the reality comes in front is really chilling. There was no such person whose importance was exaggerated or lowered.
Out of all, Sushyo, Yatrayamini, Queen Kassandrra were penned the best. Especially the queen, she was the real mixture of two sides of coins.

Narration-

The third person narration was well suited for this book. There were so many turns that anything else wouldn’t have produced desired output. On one hand, when the shifts in scene are sudden, the narration didn’t help much to enhance the story. And on the other hand, when the story was going down, it was the description, images and conversation that did wonders in making things so wonderful.

When an author is showing a battlefield, where there is not much conversation, the real test is carried. And this is what this book excelled in. The war that happened between people was one great masterpiece.

Reviews-

The story starts at an unusual turn. Such grief of loneliness in the life of Sushyo is quite sad. The venture is on the toes and thus he pops up in the middle of some boat-men. The way the descriptions are given seems highly complex. What one needs to interpret is really hard. But that didn’t stay for long.

As soon as the setting change, the whole face of novel gets delightful. The introduction of Yatrayamini and Guru Kalarth marks excitement. There are some instances where the author has penned such beautiful lessons that one gets carried off. The meaning of sentences is very deep. Yatrayamini is a really interesting character in the novel. She has so much to do and so much to say that every hint of her tells something new about her. She is the one who catches attention the most just because she has so much to deliver.

Story moves ahead and when Sushyo understands that what his worth is, he starts getting excited about everything new he learns. It’s such a nice part of novel, teaching the reader that when one has certain responsibilities, he/she needs to notice the minute details to carry on with the work they are assigned, because the best teachers for us can be us. There comes a time when Sushyo has to answer some questions and if one reads it carefully then they can be of great use. The author has used all his experience from life to tell the readers things which are so easy yet not so general.

Battlefield is always bloody but sometimes it teaches a lot more then required. Sushyo and Yatrayamini are together in the whole battle. There comes a time when Sushyo is bleak. It's then when the lady guides him. The whole scene was very alluring. It was so alike the tale of Mahabharata where Arjun is getting lessons from Sri Krishna. Yatrayamini is a figure of strength and virtue. Everything she says to Sushyo makes sense and it has helped Sushyo to come out of trouble.

The final knockdown is breathtaking just like the previous chapter. There are just ten pages left and the results are still due. The blood is boiling and at the same time mind is praying for a happy end.

Alchemist of the east did wonders in explaining the truths about life. It helps in understanding ones value. It explains the role of destiny and it makes the faith on God stronger than ever. The book was a nice treat and a different plot added cherry on the top.

Eye-catchers-

· “It is important to be in tune with the happiness within.”

· “You all have learnt to laugh at your misery, my friends, that is the first step towards repairing anything.”

· “Thinking doesn’t take anyone anywhere. Action does”

· “If we are to work with people, we should be good listeners.”

· “...love is the soul and hence Immortal.”

Turn-on’s-

The ending chapters were the saviour of the book. There were some places in the book that can stay back in your memory forever. The best one's- the Vimaan, the appearance of Shivling and the epic battle between the two armies. They had real passion hidden in them.

It happens very less that the story teaches.

Turn-off’s-

There were some editing errors in the book. And the major flaw was in such confusing starting. The story often switches in between and so many details might sound irrational. But that just happens in the start.

Recommendation-

Need a different story to read? Alchemist of the East can be your answer.

Connect with the author-

· aporvakala@ymail.com

· Twitter handle- @aporvakala1

Book Blitz : Hope We Never Meet Again by Srinath Krishnamoorthy

Book Blitz 

Hope We Never Meet Again

by

Srinath Krishnamoorthy

Blurb 

A girl gets divorced just before her wedding!

A widow seeks answers for the deaths of her husband and son.

A mysterious man follows a convicted rape victim.

A stranger scribbles a number in a train.

Two hearts part ways with a final wish: Hope we never meet again.

Then, there is a phone call...

Varun Diwakar is your average, happy-go-lucky young lad with many a dream that most middle class youth harbour. But, he has a peculiar predicament. An accident changes his life forever and he discovers that he can travel into the minds and dreams of people - and in that journey, he discovers many untold stories, painful narratives and surprising twists. What triggers it all, is the death of a dear friend that Varun decides to avenge. What happens in the end? How are all these stories connected? Does love outlast death and time, the two great levellers, and become the greatest leveller, of all? Find out, as bodies keep falling and many a lives are at stake!

Grab your copy @

amazon.com | amazon.in 

Excerpt 

“Dreams are to be lived, not chased.”

“Sometimes you need to walk alone to be together with yourself…”

“Timeless love stories just have beginnings…”

“If you make your every today as safe as your yesterday’s… your dream of a better tomorrow will always remain a dream.”

“Well, history is more about heroes who rebelled and flourished than heroes who rebelled and perished. The ones that flourish became the songs and the ones that perished became the anthems. I strangely felt like a song that once craved to be an anthem.”

About the Author 

Srinath Krishnamoorthy was born in Palakkad, Kerala. He holds a B. Tech degree from Government Engineering College, Palakkad and an M. Tech from MA College of Engineering, Kothamangalam. He is an avid reader, blogger and a traveler. This is his first novel and marks his transformation from a software engineer to a story engineer.

Facebook Link : https://www.facebook.com/hopewenevermeetagain

Author's blog : https://srinathkrishnamoorthy.wordpress.com/

Media Mention

Book Review : Love Forever @ Rajpath by Kalpana Mishra

Book- Love forever @ Rajpath: approved... as proposed

Author- Kalpana Mishra

Genre- Fiction (Romance-Social)

Publisher- Srishti Publishers and Distributors

Blurb-

Two personalities, find a companion in each other inside a government building. Though they hail from very different backgrounds, somehow they manage to maintain the bond.

What’s hard in India? Certainly marrying your loved one. The hurdles are crossed one after other but still the race to win is still on.

If you fight parents, society comes in front. Kartik is gone. An ill-practice takes him in the cage. But will love surrender so easily? Would Shalini allow this void? Will an ill-practice omit this love story from the society?

Title and Cover-

The title comprises of an important part of the lives of leads, Shalini and Kartik. And anything that revolves around the main people, sound suitable. But no doubt, alternatives could have been possible, if speaking in literary terms. As apart from being important, no such relatable significance it has in the novel.
Cover of the book is better then the title. It has the power to take a look at it for once. The title and cover goes hand in hand.

Characters-

The characters in the novel are enough. But were they appropriate?
Well, there were situations which had enough people to let it move. And many such situations were those which had some personal initiation but a bigger part of novel has outer setting. It really had some loss of connection in it. Some characters build up enthusiasm for some possible turns but in vain. If to mention then, Aman and Shyamlal were the two characters which lit the hope of some more spice but nothing happened.

Many characters did what they were supposed to. And sad part is the involvement of maximum positive characters. Where are the villains? Some do emerge as negative ones but for a short time span. Thus they were not able to pull up their sock to do justice. Picking some favourites then, Shalini was the only one who stuck to one corner, with consistency.

Narration-

The narration is what proved to be the ultimate downfall. There is no distinction between dialogues and setting. While narrating the extra images the author has added the conversation, that too in a narrative manner. It created a real glitch. The story held the novel otherwise the framed parts were not helping in any terms to lift the book in a positive manner.

Review-

When girls get education they get power to move in the race. Shalini is a new recruit in the group. The story from the very start makes clear the dominance of the leads. Kartik and Shalini are present on every page, with certain supporters, coming in front from time to time. Like every other story, the girl takes time to understand what the bond between them is. One can’t deduce that as to why some characters are involved in the story. They don't make any difference.

The next part of the novel is the plainest one. The couple is in the middle of the stream. No one wants to get back and crossing the river is a hard affair. As the author wanted to show a strong woman through her novel, she was able to put that in this part too. It was really likeable to see such strong steps taken by a lady, who is so sure about what are her likes. It brings smile on your face to see such happenings. Finally, the fate is written and the doomsday is around the corner.

Though the novel has feministic dominance, still there are the cases where the ill-practices like dowry still have a strong hold. The rural areas are still behind from urban to around fifty to sixty years. And then we see the chaos. It’s a new term that is the highlight of the novel “Zabaria Shaadi”. When the novel has something to teach you, then it is remembered for a long time. Case settles at very heart-breaking turn. And here arrives the high point. The author has done proper hard work in bringing out something worthy from the best part of the novel.

All in all, the novel delights you due to the story but not due to the writing. It teaches you something and shows you the unknown facts. The book shows a different woman of the present scenario. A woman who doesn’t compromise, no matter what is in front. The book has small messages, if one open eyes to learn. And that’s the beauty of Love forever @ Rajpath.

Eye-catchers-

· “She saw him only as good company, he was falling for her.”

· “My days and nights are not good without you now.”

· “...the fact that I am in love is far more lovable.”

· “...Politics is in the veins of Biharis, whether young or old, literate or illiterate.”

Turn-on’s-

As the author has mentioned, the two foremost topics which she wanted to bring to notice, urinals and a different form of marriage still prevalent in some areas of India. They were really a new thing. And that’s what a reader wants to find in a book, something new, and something which fills the treasure of wisdom in one way or the other.

Apart from this, the book has shown certain facts which a girl has to go through. How can it be painful? And how can one leave aside everything if she has support? Everything is mentioned with some relatable instances. An extremist is shown in the form of the leading protagonist, Shalini.

Turn-off’s-

The biggest disappointment was the main point to be put so late in the novel and that too so plainly. It ended very soon that a reader can never drown in the misery and if the reader cannot be in misery fully then how can he or she feel the bliss (when things are sorted) properly. If more chapters regarding that could have been added then maybe some adventure could have been served.

Recommendation-

In habit of reading new writers? Then the book can be of use.

Reach the author-

· Twitter handle- @AuthorKalpanaMishra

· https://www.facebook.com/authorKalpanaM

· https://about.me/KalpanaMishra

Cover Reveal : An Autograph For Anjali by Sundari Venkatraman

Releasing on March 7, 2016

Cover Reveal:

AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI

#AAFA : a Romantic Suspense

by 

Sundari Venkatraman

Sneak Peek

     Jayant Mathur is found murdered in his bed, shot at point-blank range with his own revolver. Though she’s extremely disturbed by his death, Jayant’s wife Anjali is way more upset about something else. Who stands to gain by killing the multi-millionaire businessman?

     Parth Bhardwaj is a friend and neighbour of the Mathurs. Parth is an author who goes by a pseudonym. He appears more than a friend to Anjali; while he’s also on good terms with her son Arjun who lives and studies in the UK. What role does he play in Anjali’s life? Jayant’s relatives are curious to know.

     Jayant’s brother-in-law Rana is convinced that Parth and Anjali are the murderers. But Inspector Phadke has his own doubts about this theory. In comes Samrat, the private detective who appears as quiet as a mouse. Will he be able to find the murderer?

     Will Anjali find happiness and peace? 

About the author

An Autograph For Anjali is the sixth book authored by Sundari Venkatraman. This book is a romantic suspense. Other published novels by the author are The Malhotra Bride, Meghna, The Runaway Bridegroom and The Madras Affair – all romances. She has also published a collection of romantic short stories called Matches Made In Heaven. All of Sundari Venkatraman's books have been on Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers in India, USA, UK & Australia, many times over. 

Sundari Venkatraman would love to hear from you @

Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | LinkedIn | Website | Google+ | Pinterest

Other books by the author

The Malhotra Bride

Meghna

The Runaway Bridegroom

Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set)

Matches Made In Heaven

The Madras Affair

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Book Review : Voices of the Silent Creek by Vikkas Arun Pareek

Book- Voices of the Silent Creek

Author- Vikkas Arun Pareek

Genre- Fiction (Feministic tale)

Publisher- Nivasini Publishers

Blurb-

Shanti and Bhano are from a small village of Rajasthan. Shanti is calm and composed as expected from an elder daughter. She is married soon and her fate is written. But what makes her married life so hard?

Bhano is quirky and energetic. She finds the wrong and tries to mend things. But is that easy enough for her?

Arti is a city girl. She is away from the chaos of mad village life. Her life is nothing less than a fairy tale. Then why she is in deep despair, which makes her helpless?

What happens when the three leading ladies collide in life? Will they bring good fate for each other? Or does destiny has some different tales to be penned beneath their veil?

Title-

Ok so the title is literary having little connection with the real story. There is a strong part in the story that revolves around the natural ambience. You can’t judge from the name what’s the story is about. A good start for sure.

Cover-

The cover is very unique as it represents the naive outlook towards everything. The story and the images produced for the first click goes hand in hand. Also the dark side in the lives of people is well balanced with the two extreme colours of the frequency band.

Characters-

The book has abundant characters, suiting things perfectly. Every protagonist has a complete set of supporters and antagonist around it. The narrator has tried his best to take out the best from everyone. If we talk about the leading ladies, Bhano, Shanti and Arti, they have ruled every page, every chapter and every turn. But the good part relies in raising the antagonists. To point out some, we have, Bheem Singh, Parshuram and in some way, Mohan Lal. Picking up some favourites, Shanti, Bheem Singh and Bhano surely gets the top ranking.

Narration-

The narration being in third person suited the novel very well. The chapters were divided perfectly, no hitches. Easy narration made the novel a quick read, without much thoughts and extra queries arriving in mind. But on second thoughts, it can be termed as plain. Readers who like complexities while going through the story might consider it as a setback. There were times when you could predict and the author gave the readers full power to get in his head. If strongly weaved, the story could have been a little less “heard”.

Review-

The story starts at a very beautiful point. It leaves you spellbound, making you stick to the deep end. The girl, Shanti is all set to leave the house of her parents. What she experience nearby and how she takes her life is really pretty to notice. The author has done a wonderful job in making things so imperishable. But then things start drifting, in an expected manner. You wait for some turn to be new and unique but sadly things turn to that old corner.

The chapters shift setting. What luck that Bhano, Shanti’s sister is trapped too. The author has tried to show the distinction in these two sisters from the very start. But do things really fall according to one’s own self. That’s where the newness falls in the story. It’s almost half book when the incidents seem a little fresh. The violence reaches a new mark. Through a reader’s point of view, the tale of pain is really refreshing because it gave a new fragrance.

Extra efforts if would have been given then there were chances of more subtlety. For example, the vision of creek follows the path but it just vanishes after few chapters. You can spot it later only, that too with limited part but surely a strong one.

The part that is unlikeable is the unequal share of the leading characters in the story. Bhano gets the maximum share and Arti gets the least. Also, Arti’s part is really ill-treated. It seems its added just coz it was necessary to mend the end. It didn’t seem that convincing. The story catches pace only in the ending chapters, as the suspense relies on them.

So in total, the novel can hold you only at the end and a bit in the start. The middle portion is bleak and plain. The story is written in a nice way but the incidents are not that convincing. They seem heard. But yeah, feministic novels do have such incidents which sound heard, so it wouldn’t be fair to judge the story completely on that basis. The best part is the characters which do wonders in making the chapters seem so real. All in all, a nice and light read.

Eye-catchers-

· “Only if she knew... This was just the beginning.”

· “I see strength, I see it belong to me and I belong here.”

· “...he seemed so close as if he lived inside her head.”

Turn-on’s-

The part that Shanti’s father plays is really the best one. His character can’t be judged. What he needed from his daughters is really unknown. And I found in him a really infected father of today’s Indian family who wants to support their daughters but something holds him back, strongly. It really seemed relatable.

Also, the likeable thing of novel is that it showed three very different ladies. In the story we have a lady who doesn’t have a strong spine, a lady who has a spine but couldn’t do anything and a lady who have enough guts to let things happen.

Turn-off’s-

The blurb, cover and title sound very promising but...
Editing errors were easily noticeable.

Recommendation-

Love feminist novels? Then Voices of the Silent Creek can be in your reading list of this year. It is quick read so if you have started reading and looking for an easy pick then this can be in your shelf.

You can contact the author by using these links-

· vapbooksfeedback@gmail.com

· Twitter handle- @vapmail16