Book Review – Page 6

Book Review: SciFi novel by a desi author

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.

Book Review: The Song of the Marked

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.

Book review: Such a Fun Age

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.

Book Review – Fool’s Fate

Fool’s Fate concludes the Tawny Man series, drawing in threads from the Farseer and Liveship Traders trilogy. I loved the book for the emotional roller coaster and the very satisfying end to Fitz’s story.

The best character out of this series is the Fool. From his riddles to his love for Fitz, the author draws him in such bright colors. He jumped out of the pages into my heart. I loved the poem he penned.

In that last dance of chances I shall partner you no more.
Fool

Chade, another character from the Farseer Trilogy, plays a prominent role in this series. The ease with which Fitz fits into his life at Buckkeep after a decade of absence is mainly due to his old mentor. I loved all the scenes between the master and the student, though their roles were reversed at times.

To quote Fitz: It pleased me that the author accorded Lady Patience the storytime she deserved.

The magic, while well thought out, does allow the author to get her characters out of tough situations without paying for their foolishness. In that one way, this series differs from the Farseer Trilogy. In that earlier series, folks paid a steep price for their mistakes. This series is all about second chances.

I loved the Keppet easter egg.

Robin Hobb is a master storyteller, and she did not disappoint me.

Book Review – Golden Fool

Golden Fool is better than Book 1 of the Tawny Man trilogy. I felt like a skill user drawn into the skill current, forgetting food and sleep. Only in my case, Robin Hobb’s magical storytelling pulled me into the book, and I could not rest till I finished it.

So far, Nettle has only appeared in Fitz’s dreams, and yet, the author paints her in beautiful colors in each scene.

Fitz and the Fool – their relationship is portrayed beautifully. The author squeezed my heart with this line:

I set no boundaries on my love.
Fool

And this line at the end broke me:

Beloved, I have missed your company.
Fitz

Dutiful and Fitz – The boy’s longing for a father and Fitz’s yearning to tell him the truth is sheer poetry. This line is a perfect illustration of that:

he spoke as a prince speaks to a servant, not as a boy would address his father.
Fitz

Robin Hobb is a master in character-driven fantasy. I cannot wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy.

Book Review: Fool’s Errand

After two years, I returned to the magic world crafted by Robin Hobb. You can read my reviews of the Liveships Traders here. She is one of my favorite fantasy authors, and I read Fool’s Errand, no I gobbled this book in less than a week. Once I started reading, I could not stop wanting to know what happened to Fitz, Fool, and other beloved characters.

The story starts a decade or so after the Farseer Trilogy. Fitz leads a life of isolation, but not for long. Beloved characters from that trilogy, Chade, Starling, and Fool, appear in consecutive chapters to help us readers reorient with the story and offer a glimpse of what is to come.

Before long, Fitz is back in the action, looking for Prince Dutiful, and what an adventure it is. I loved how real all the magic feels. Best of all is the characters and how they leaped out of the pages into my heart.

Robin is a master at her craft. And I could happily live in the world of her imagination. I am off to read book two.

Book Review: Talk to Me

The greatest thing a writer can do is to make you care deeply for fictional characters appearing on the page. Author John Kenney achieves that from page one. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew Ted, Claire, and Fran. I could feel their emotions and pain.

Ted, a TV news anchor, has a bad day. His marriage was falling apart. He has no relationship with his daughter. A young immigrant faces the brunt of his anger, and she did nothing to deserve it. Unfortunately for Ted, his verbal abuse is caught on camera.

How we use social media to communicate forms the backdrop for this novel. When our faults are captured for eternity and displayed for the world to consume and comment—anonymously, then there is no room for heroes in the real world. Because who among us is perfect every moment in our lives?

That is why we seek heroes in our books and movies. Legends shaped by our imagination and untouched by reality become our escape.

This is a very human story about marriage and parenthood and how sometimes we lose sight of what is precious.

Book Review: Cassandra in Reverse

I devoured the first half of this book like a book-hungry ravenous monster. It was so good.

The story that unfolds within this book is applicable to all of us. Humans are hard. We don’t say what we mean. We smile when we want to cry. We have a hard time understanding our own emotions, let alone someone else’s. And how many times have I said the wrong thing and wished I could time travel back to erase that mistake.

Cassandra, our delightful protagonist, can time travel by just shutting her eyes and tries to fix her mistakes, not always successfully. The middle does sag in repetition, but the pace picks up in the end.

Heartwarming story of how our words can hurt others, and why forgiving ones we love is the hardest. If you enjoyed The Rosie Project, this book is for you.

Book Review: Euphoria

Loved this story from start to finish. The author had performed some writing magic to turn Nell, Fen, and Bankson into real humans. As I read the book, I could almost picture myself in the room with them.

Three anthropologists in the 1930s are thrown together while studying tribes in Papua, New Guinea. I am not crazy about how the anthropologists invaded these tribes to learn about them as if these human beings were some exotic sea creatures. But the story stayed true to what happened in real life, so I am not holding that against this novel.

The setting is painted almost like a background score in a movie.

“He had broken her glasses by then, so she didn’t know if he was joking.”
The character dynamic is also unraveled slowly, like this sentence by Nell

I loved learning parts of the story through Nell’s notes. Each character leaped through the pages and caught hold of my attention. When I reached halfway through the book, I had to continue reading till I got to the end.

I cannot wait to read other books by this author.

Book Review: The Last Queen

While writing historical fiction, one of the hardest things is to ensure the voice of the characters stays true to their times. Author Chitra Divakaruni achieves that with The Last Queen.

Rani Jindan is a poor girl thrust into the role of the queen because she happens to catch the eyes of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. She is not a college-educated woman of modern times. Her thoughts and actions reflect that reality in the book. Rani Jindan is irrational and swayed by her emotions and desire for vengeance, which makes her a relatable human figure.

Another aspect of historical fiction based on true events is the plot and pacing of the story. While Author Chitra keeps the story engaging for her audience, readers looking for a fast-paced novel might be disappointed.

Having read this book, I am intrigued by Duleep Singh and hoping to read more about the last king of Punjab. I recommend this book for fans of historical fiction set in pre-independence India.