Child of the River is not my only book coming out in 2024. I also have a short story in an anthology: ‘Queens in Wonderland’—an LGBTQ+ Alice in Wonderland themed collection.
My short story is set in contemporary California. Don’t worry, though; Medieval India makes a guest appearance. I am looking forward to sharing this story with you next month.
Robin Hobb is my favorite fantasy author, and Jenn Lyons is now a very close second.
The Ruin of Kings is complex, rich, and completely enthralling. What an amazing world this author has built.
Kihrin is the protagonist. At the start of the story, he is a captive. The events leading up to his capture are narrated by his guard and Kihrin. I really enjoyed the alternate timelines between the chapters. And the footnotes by our scribe provide some colorful context, so don’t skip reading those.
When Kihrin goes to rob a mansion, he witnesses two men and a demon torture another. As the demon comes calling, Kihrin has to flee. As his world is upended, Kihrin slowly learns why gods and demons are meddling in his life. And meddle they do. Throw in a few prophecies, and you cannot stop reading.
Brilliant twists and turns, a fantastic magic system, incredible weaving of multiple threads together, and wonderful characters make this a great read.
This book is for fantasy lovers who are not fazed by keeping track of a dozen main characters and a similar number of threads. I am off to read the next book in this series.
Reading is my first love, and I have read 39 books so far this year. I am hoping to read one more to reach 40.
Some of my favorite books of this year in no particular order:
Half Gods by Akil Kumarasamy
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
I read multiple books by Philippa Gregory, Andrzej Sapkowski, and Robin Hobb and thoroughly enjoyed them.
I am excited to share the cover of Book 1 in the Prophesied Prince series: Child of the River. I love this cover. From the tree motif in the crown to the golden-tipped feather swan, this art brings together the elements in my novel in a beautiful way. Please let me know your thoughts on this cover.
Child of the River:
When an exiled prince seeks refuge in their land, Malla dispatches emissaries to Kashgar. In a declaration of war, the men they had sent as envoys to Kashgar returned as corpses on a ship.
Prince Atul travels to Kashgar to route out the rebels and seat the exiled prince on the throne. When he arrives, Prince Atul is prepared to wage war against men. What he encounters are curses and spells. How does he defeat what he does not understand? Especially when he hears voices urging him to protect a girl he has never met. A girl named Sugandha.
I will be publishing this novel in serialized form on Kindle Vella. This will offer an interactive experience for my readers because you will get to read my notes for each episode and comment on them.
For busy readers, Kindle Vella allows you to access stories conveniently, reading episodes in bite-sized portions, perfect for breaks or commutes.
You can provide immediate feedback on each episode, helping me shape the story. You can read the first three episodes for free. Please follow the story so you can get notified when I post the next episodes.
Do you read multiple books at once? I do, and it can feel like feasting at a buffet—a literary one. I am currently reading a non-fiction paperback and a fiction ebook. Since only the fictional novel has characters I need to keep track of, I don’t have to worry about confusing my characters’s dramas. That had happened to me before when I started a new fictional tale while in the middle of another one. I did that because I had borrowed a book from the library and needed to return it soon. It was quite the juggling act, keeping the plots from both books from dancing together. My brain enjoyed the workout.
Usually, I prefer to give each book its moment in the sun. I have read 37 books so far this year. Let us see how many more I can complete before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.
I am excited to share the title of Book 1 in the Prophesied Prince series: Child of the River.
A year ago, a ship arrived on the shores of Magadha. In a declaration of war, the men Magadha had sent as emissaries to Kashgar returned as corpses on that vessel. King Jay sends Prince Atul to route out the rebels and seat Aggabodhi on the throne. Atul is prepared to wage war against men. What he encounters is curses and spells. How does Atul defeat what he does not understand? Especially when he hears voices urging him to protect a girl he has never met. A girl named Sugandha.
On that dreary day, the sea was choppy and gray. Powerful waves crashed against the rocks, spraying water in a mist. The tall and steep cliffs at the ocean’s edge loomed large and dark. All day, her grandfather had seemed weary and distracted. Sugandha had wondered what troubled him. When he cautioned her to stay home and left hurriedly, Sugandha followed her grandfather to the beach and now stood partially hidden behind a sandstone boulder. She wriggled her toes, wishing she could be home, eating her meal. Her fingers grazed the rough edge of the rock. She shifted to one side to view the bumps on the surface and found a carving of a boat. It had weathered in time, but the image remained clear. With the sails fluttering in the wind, she could almost imagine the raft afloat. Did the sculptor use his imagination, or did a real craft loom in front of him like the one before her eyes? A large ship tossed on the waves, and she could see people moving on its deck. The howling wind sounded like a cry for help from the ship’s passengers.
Continue reading the prologue.
(Mis)quoting Hermoine, if anyone thinks all men have the emotional range of a teaspoon, they have not read a book by Fredrik Backman.
Anxious people took me on a fantastic journey of human emotions. Like a lunatic, I laughed and cried over imaginary characters, never feeling better.
How does this author tug our hearts with simple words?
Some of my favorites without revealing any spoilers:
We never got past the first flush of infatuation
my heart broke into a dance at reading this line
The dialogue ending with “But she was your mom.”
encapsulates the wonderful family ties.
Jack and Jim, the two police officers: every scene between them was brilliant.
I wrote about two characters who plan to take their own lives in the War of the Three Kings. One does jump off a balcony, and the other doesn’t. Both their actions create ripples that touch all who have come in contact with them. Writing about suicide is hard, and Fredrik does it with a gentle touch while not shying away from digging deep into how it affects the living.
Go read this book. Fall in love with these characters. Let them break your heart and put it back together. All within the same paragraph.
I finished reading Unearthing Idyll, debut SciFi novel by Dhara Parekh, and my first question is, when is book two coming out? I cannot wait to read what happens next.
I met the author at a local book event. After hearing about her book, I purchased a signed copy, excited to read a SciFi novel by a fellow desi author.
The story unfolds in the future. About 7,000 human beings live on an asteroid orbiting Earth. One of them, Lyra, wants to escape her home, where she feels caged in the small society.
Aryabh, a man born on Earth who finds no future on the planet, thwarts her efforts to travel there. The author serves a gourmet meal, one that should be savored slowly.
I loved Kenai and Sagan, able sidekicks to our main protagonists. The way Aryabh’s email to Lyra is spread throughout the chapters is a nice touch. Don’t miss the Earthler news sprinkled under the chapter heading.
The author explores what it means to be part of a community and how it shapes us. Most importantly, she has created a fantastic world and realistic characters. Looking forward to spending more time in her world.
This is the first book I am reading by S. M. Gaither, and I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy novel.
Protagonist Cas survived fading sickness, an illness that killed nearly everyone else. The reason for her survival is a mystery, though the disease leaves its mark on her with her colorless hair and eyes.
She and her outlaw friends are returning from a mission when she meets Elander. Sparks fly between them.
Elander is the king’s captain and captures her in another encounter and seems intent on protecting her from the king. Cas, who is plenty capable of protecting herself, agrees to help the king find a way to cure fading sickness.
I loved all the world-building and the magic system. Powerful and mysterious God and Goddess are always a draw, and the author paints a dark and intricate picture of this empire.
The author peels the layer of mystery one by one, leaving the readers wanting more. The ending was a nice twist.
I enjoyed this book and looking forward to reading the other four books in the Shadows and Crown series.
Kudos to the author for tackling the hard subject of race. Her light-hearted novel appears to be the perfect vehicle for introspection.
Emira is a black nanny for a white family. The story starts with an urgent call from her employer. The wife, Alix, wants Emira to babysit Briar late at night. Emira leaves the party she is at to take the toddler to a grocery store. At the store, a security guard detains Emira, concerned for the child. While Emira explains her side, Kelley, a white guy, films the encounter.
After setting the stage with this brilliant start, the book explores Emira and Alix’s story through the lens of race and class differences. I appreciate that there are several women of color in this tale, all with distinct characteristics.
Emira is content to babysit Bri, whom she adores. Bri, likewise, is attached to Emira. But Emira is fast approaching the age where she will lose health insurance through her parents, so she is worried about finding another job. However, Emira is not doing much beyond worrying. Tamra, a black superwoman with perfect children, is a perfect foil for our laid-back protagonist.
Alix, missing her life in NY as a self-help guru, decides to help Emira, though Emira never asks for it. Their dynamics is a great read.
Kelley befriends Emira and becomes her boyfriend. Nothing black and white about his motivations.
All the little moments in this story paint a vivid portrait of life in America.
The story is about our hidden prejudices and biases. Though we all have them, the biases of people in power affect us the most. I would definitely recommend this debut novel by Kiley Reid.
Anna Bushi 