Review Diaries (Tarikshir The Awakening by Khayaal Patel)

Question of the day - Stand alone or Series ?
When I read a book I read, eat, breathe and even sleep it. I imagine it all happening in front on me, not literally infront more like actively happening in my mind. And #Tarikshir takes the cake. Like OH MY GAWD (full Janice voice). The descriptions were amazing. Every single character was well thought out and very well established. It has everything that one expects in an epic. There is a King and Queen and a Prince and a kingdom big and strong. There are villains both living and undead. There are super powered allys and evil magical masters and a little bit of romance too.  I have read my share of modern day twist to old mythological stories of past but this one is the one that everyone should watch out for. A fast paced-page turner, this book will give you a taste of thriller mixed with folk stories and healthy dose of horror.
Nothing will be as it seems and good grief there is a major cliff hanger. Incidentally I finished this on on Halloween. Cue in the scary music.
Personally I loved the book, I enjoyed every single moment I spent with it. But I wanna talk about something IMPORTANT. Like the pros and cons of series VS stand alones with reference to #Tarikshir
Pros- Series are nice. They enlighten and entertain you with a lot if cool news, views and stories.
Cons- There are cliffhangers that make you wanna punch people in the face.
Arghs !!!
In simple words I loved the book and am excited for the next one. Hopefully it will be out soon. #fingerscrossed
So I, Manali Dey, will love to give Tarikshir The Awakening by Khayaal Patel a big 5 on 5 and big bribe of chocolates. Please write the next book soon or at least tell me what happens next.

Review Diaries (The Love Curse or Arrow Heart by Rebecca Sky)

Have you ever been in love?

Wait! I take that back, stupid question.

Of course you have been in love, sometimes it works out while at other times its DISASTROUS. And many a times it's one sided or as I call it first stages of being a masochistic person. And boy oh boy, if you grew up in India with Bollywood blaring it's head off on how wonderful your love is if you suffer for or from or the best of it all have it both. Yeah, if you detect heavy sarcasm there you are right or else I am loosing my sarcastic touch. Darn it!

Anyhu so when you see the love of your life- your lobster- your one and only (at least that's what it felt like for me) not give you much attention, you hope for a miracle so that they too fall for you. You hope for a day when your grandkids would ask him about your love affair, your crush turned husband would proudly say with a coy smile 'Your grandma made me fall for her. One moment I was dating this other chick and then poof! I see your grandma and it was like magic.' and then you two happily live together... forever!

Yeah, happened to you too, right?

So imagine if someone could actually do it. Now broaden your mind and imagine that an all girls' school teaches its special students this art form of making any guy dance to your tunes, quite literally with a kiss of love. *wink wink*

But your protagonist isn't like you and me. She believes that love that comes out of magic isn't real. She wants true love. 

Arrow Heart or The Love Curse by Rebecca Sky was a wonderful read. And I am eagerly waiting for book 2 in the series. I must add this that when I bought the book, it was known as Arrow Heart. So searching for part 2 I came across The Love Curse only to find it was the same book with a different name. Needless to say I was a little disappointed but eagerly awaiting for the next one.

And I, Manali Dey, would proudly give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Love you Rebecca Sky, please finish the next book fast... Pretty please!

Review Diaries (Men And Dreams In The Dhauladhar by Kochery C. Shibu)

One of the key reasons I love reading is cause I get to us my imagination to decide how I wanna see a particular situation. How red the rose really was or how warm the first rays of the sun felt. The reader gets to have a say in all these. It's like seeing a movie in your mind and that's what is the best part about Men And Dreams In The Dhauladhar by Kochery C. Shibu.
This book is like a big movie one gets to enjoy in their mind. One gets to travel different places, experience a variety of emotions and the best part... It's a happy ending for all.
The author introduces one character after another in consecutive chapters. And in these chapters many a times we get a feel about their current situation and then back story about how the character came to be in the 'current situation' that we are seeing the said character in. When I started reading it felt like a series of short stories were vividly described. But as I kept on reading I realized that the author has deftly brought forward all the characters together in a way which did not feel forced at all. They worked together hand in hand and resulted in a story that gave insight on human emotions and on cultures of different regions and cultures. And be it the vivid descriptions of the places that the characters went to or the emotions that they felt.
From finding true love to 'night-shift' adultery, from hard working people to greed and then it's illegal effects, we get a glimpse of everything.
I personally loved it. And the cover too is very eye soothing.
But I have a confession the technical parts which were very necessary, went a bit over my head.
So I, Manali Dey, will give Men And Dreams In The Dhauladhar by Kochery C. Shibu 4.5 out of 5 stars.
It was a wonderful read.

Review Diaries (Prelude by Swarup Talukdar)

Aptly named Prelude, cause duh it is a prelude to the stories that are about to come out to play soon, this short apetiser has the capability to make you hungry for more.
Five different stories, each unique and interesting in their own way make this mini-book so worth your while. It took me roughly 2 hours to finish but the after effects are still there. Amazing penmanship, this book can be called the perfect teaser to the upcoming book cause it ticks all the boxes in the teaser department. It's short, to the point, gives you enough to pique your interest but the whole story. For that you gotta wait for the book to come out.
I had a real nice time reading this one.
You have horror, from petty everyday ghosts to mythical evil ones, you have romance and heart break, you have friendship and betrayal and you have a unique take on things. Each story gives you a clear understanding of what wonders are waiting for you when you finally get it.
So I, Manali Dey, will love to give Swarup Talukdar a big shout out.... These teeny miney teasers have been amazing. Really looking forward to the book called The Sign of Five cause the Prelude was an all stars.

Review Diaries (Horse Town by Moshank Relia)

Remember the time when life was simpler?
When the villains of the stories we heard were put down with magic?
When things were all black and white and no gray could be seen?
That's what this story will remind you of.
That family is not made by blood or by being related to. It's what is in your heart.
It's about caring for the other person without any thought for our own well being. And when you have this kind of blind devotion for someone, many a times one tends to take a miss step or two. Even though their heart is in the right place and they do it out of the goodness of their soul and keeping in mind the greater good. It's hard to not hold this against them.
But what as grown ups we tend to forget is that family is everything and when you make someone your family, your own, you make a promise to accept them with all their warts and boils and big heart. You have to forgive them and love them as you did before, but that doesn't mean you don't make them understand what they did wrong in the first place.
Horse Town which is written and illustrated by Moshank Relia is beautiful in all the ways that count. It's a book that can and should be read by kids and grown ups alike. Kids so that they learn a few good qualities like selfless behavior and putting your loved one's needs before you at times, while the grown-ups will enjoy a sense of nostalgia and realize that sometimes the best way to learn something right is to get it wrong the first time around.
I for one loved it. It was sweet and absolutely beautiful.
I will be gifting my nephew one soon and one for my Mom too. So if that doesn't tell you how much I loved it, here's me Manali Dey giving Horse Town a perfect 5 stars out of 5 stars and a big box of chocolates and a warm hug. Thanks for bringing back a big part of my childhood.

Review Diaries (Sin Is The New Love by Abir Mukherjee)

Have you ever read a book that takes you on a journey?
Like you are not reading and imagining the situations described in the book but it's all actually happening to you?
That's what I felt while reading this goosebumps inducing thriller. Like OMG!!! There have been times in this book while I got so upset about a certain incident or a decision by a character I wanted to get inside the book and shake them back to their senses or simply slap their heads off.
Fortunately and unfortunately (fortunately for me and unfortunately for the author) I follow the said author on social media and I am pretty sure I turned him into my buddy-reading partner. Poor guy was bombarded by questions about the characters and he was kind enough to answer them. But then I being me took things too far and asked him to tell me what happens in the book. Just imagine, Me-I-Myself, Manali Dey was asking for spoilers. Fortunately the author made me see my fault and then I went through the book like a hot knife through butter. And boy was I happy that I didn't read the last page(yeah I am guilty of reading the last page at times when the suspense gets too much, so sue me... We all have some vices)
Another important thing about this book is that when I started reading it, the protagonist was a bong girl whose father is in the police force and the incidents that were happening was just before Durga Puja. So I was taken aback cause I too was reading about her just before the pujas and my father's a cop too. Cue in the goosebumps... Furthermore the way the author describes any incident be it big or small is amazing. There were times when I had to put the book down and look over my shoulder cause I was sure I heard a footstep or two.
So overall this one is a winner and anyone who enjoys a good thriller should give it a read.
So here's me, Manali Dey, giving Abir Mukherjee's Sin Is The New Love 4.9 stars out of 5 and a big round of applause... Kudos to you for such a wonderful gift of a book.