Till We Meet Again-Shibaji Bose

Book: Till We Meet Again

Author: Shibaji Bose

Publisher: Srishti Publications

Everyone aims to stand out from the crowd, and in the race to do that, we forget that each decision that we make, each pass that life makes at us, makes the story extraordinary.

Till We Meet Again by Shibaji Bose is the story of Aryan, who has an extraordinary zeal to discover himself. His story begins when is father becomes a victim of political violence. Set in Kolkata, the story is of a sleepy neighborhood which is evolving into a modern-day city and how life of Aryan and his life changes as the times change. It is a story of how life teaches him with experience and in his quest, he meets some very interesting women who change his outlook on life. It is a story of resilience and determination, with a cocktail of familial bonds, hope, deceit, vengeance and love.

Till We Meet Again by Shibaji Bose is told in a linear manner with Aryan’s life in focus. His life is narrated with respect to the sociopolitical changes around him and its impact on his life. The story is also a commentary on the changing political situation in the country and many characters and incidents can be correlated to have been influenced from some very real events. The story is impactful, though I missed a certain zest in the plot. Adverse situations develop but are sorted the very next moment and thus things seem a bit rushed. I personally felt that too much information was presented in a very short period, making things foggy. The book ends on a very abrupt note and a bit more work on the climax would have made the book a bit better.

Talking about the character development, since the book focuses on Aryan, we see a good character curve for him. He moves from an average guy, berated by his family to the man of the house, holding on to the family. This character development is nice though some parts could have been developed further. His relationship with Kavya was very abrupt and I expected something interesting to come out of it. His encounter with Ahana was very sudden and made no sense, special the curve the plot took after that. The story of Raghav was untouched and I was surprised as it was a major plot point in the beginning. Talking about Rhea and Rohan, they have their moments but suffer the same fate as other characters.

Overall, a good read with some really good moments.

The book scores a 3/5.

Invisible Shackles-Anuja Arora

Book: Invisible Shackles

Author: Anuja Arora

Publisher: Jufic Books (Leadstart Publishing)

Indian Society has put a lot of emphasis on marriage and the need for marriages to last. Any relationship that is toxic, is advocated to be sorted out, rather than terminated and that two people, who want to be together, have to assess the impact it would have on their standing in the society before going ahead with it.

Invisible Shackles by Anuja Arora is the story of Naina Oberoi, a rich housewife, who is in an unhappy marriage and decides to take a run away to break away from her shackles of her marriage. Amrithum Raman is a Forest Officer, posted in Charikosia in Odisha but is dutiful to his marriage which is devoid of love and emotions. When Naina’s run takes her to Amrithum’s doorstep in Charikosia, an unprecedented romance starts blooming between the two, but their social obligations become the anchors holding them back. On top of it, Amrithum’s in-laws are a family with good connections in Coimbatore and they are willing to pay any price to save their face in the society.

Invisible Shackles by Anuja Arora is a story that takes up a myriad of issues that we have all seen around us. A love marriage that turned out to be a sham, a loveless marriage that is continuing just because divorce is a taboo in Indian context and most of it all, romance between unmarried consenting adults is seen to be as the work of the devil! The story deals with each of the topics very delicately yet presents the true side of it in an unabashed manner. The story telling is extremely nice and the plot points are very effective. The pace of the story is good, and the tempo rarely drops. I loved the climax and the part towards the end was exhilarating as well.

Talking about the lead protagonists, the story of Naina as well as Amrithum is revealed slowly as the story progresses and it adds a good flavor to the context of Shackles that Anuja has taken up. Each one of them was bound by a social tie and how they deal with it is the development of the character that we see. A special mention to the character of the Mother-in-Law of Amrithum, who surprisingly, comes out as a really rational and nice character towards the end and we see her shades during a couple of early chapters as well.

Overall, the book is an interesting take on the social rules and regulations and the need to revisit some outdated and archaic conventions and mindsets.

The story breaks away 4 links out of 5 in the chain.

Get the book from here

A Starfish Forgets Its Sea-Anish Francis

Book: A Starfish Forgets Its Sea

Author: Anish Francis

Publisher: Self Published

A Starfish Forgets its Sea by Anish Francis is a collection of 1 novelette and 2 short stories. The first story, A Starfish Forgets its Sea is the story of Geevarghese Christuraj, who is cooped up in a mental institution. He says that he is the only sane person in there and that at every checkup he pleads the doctors to let him go. Since his pleas were going unheard, he decides to make a run for it. What happens after that forms the novelette. The second story in the book is The Blue Planet of the Red Starfish. This story deals with the underlying theme of schizophrenia and how that can affect a person as a whole. The third and the last story in the book is Blue Eyed Strangers which is a short story about a doctor and a patient who has problem sleeping and comes to him for help. Curious about his actions, he decides to tail him and is shocked by what happens afterwards.

A Starfish Forgets its Sea by Anish Francis carries the undercurrent theme of mental illness in all the 3 stories that we read in the book. Each of the story takes up a different concept and builds up on it. The storytelling is nice and I enjoyed reading the book. The chapter numbers in the novelette are a bit confusing and I would have preferred a note in the beginning of the story clarifying the same.

The book manages to take away 3/5 from me.

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Grays of Life-Pooja Ankitha Ivaturi

Book: Grays of Life

Author: Pooja Ankitha Ivaturi

Publisher: Fanatixx Publishers

Grays of Life by Pooja Ankitha Ivaturi is a collection of 200 short stories, poems and musings on various themes of life such as love, self-awareness, love for self, maternal emotions etc. Each of the musing varies in length. At times, it is a long poem of 3-4 verses with a verse being 3-4 lines long, and at times, it is just a phrase. Nonetheless, the author has conveyed the message she wanted to convey through those lines very effectively.

It is not a very long read, but at the same time, it is not just a casual read either. Some of the lines in the book are provoking and will make you stop and ponder before moving ahead in the book. I suggest to savor the book and read a couple of entries at a time and let it sink in.

Though there are some minor errors in the book, but those can be edited in the future editions.

Overall, the book gets a decent 2.5/5 from me.

Raavanputr Meghnad-Prince of Lanka-Kevin Missal

Book: Raavanputr Meghnad-Prince of Lanka

Author: Kevin Missal

Publisher: Simon and Schuster India

Every story is told from someone’s point of view, and generally the storyteller is the protagonist and more often than not, it the hero of the story.

Raavanputr Meghnad-Prince of Lanka is the story of the greatest warrior in the Ramayana. Meghnad was the perfect son of a tyrant, and he learnt being ruthless from his father, Raavan. Taught by the best and mentored by the most skilled, Meghnad was a ferocious warrior who battled Lod Indra and defeated him, earning him the title of Indrajit. But then, things took a turn, he fell in love with Prameela, a Naga princess who was initially nothing more than an alliance to gain allies, a pawn to be used by Raavan. Things change quickly when she reveals what she knew about Sita’s abduction, a truth that could change the course of events drastically. Was Meghnad fighting for honor, or was he a pawn himself, being played on the board?

Raavanputr Meghnad-Prince of Lanka is a book that is not completely based on the Ramayana. As Kevin mentions in the disclaimer before the book begins, it is a story from the POV of Meghnad and is not completely faithful to the original historical source. The plot of the book traces the character development of Meghnad in 450 days and how various incidents throughout the story change his life and his understanding of the world. The plot of the book is crisp and at no point does the narrative seem rushed or a lull is sensed. Alternating the POV between Meghnad, Prameela, Laxman and Meenakshi, Kevin keeps the spark of the story alive. Teasing the prime reason behind the entire plot throughout the story, he keeps the reader guessing till the very end as to what the motivation behind the happenings in Lanka and the lives of the characters was. The climax of the plot is interesting and unexpected. It has the capability to actually surprise the reader with the twist that the story takes. The underlying love story (-ies) are the true soul of the story.

Talking about the characters now, the book opens with a scene where Meghnad is in Swarglok on a nefarious mission and we see a ruthless fighter, who is a master of tricks as well as an expert in wielding weapons. As the story progresses, we see that different shades of Meghnad have come out. A serial womanizer and a hardcore patriarch, he looks down upon women and that is evident from his multiple references he makes to women across the narrative. How that changes once he falls in love is quite interesting and we see that a person has a very good chance of redeeming himself, if he has the right motivation. Moving on to the second important character, Meenakshi, Raavan’s sister and Meghnad’s Aunt, her character is quite essential to the plot and how she influences the lives of those around it. Her character arc has been crafted really nicely. The development of the secondary characters is interesting as well.

Overall, Raavanputr Meghnad-Prince of Lanka is a wonderful experience and should be given a definite read.

The book takes away 4.5 rubies out of 5 from my mine.

To buy the book, head over to Amazon

The Crossfire of Love-Dhiren Tiwari

Book: The Crossfire of Love

Author: Dhiren Tiwari

Publisher: Srishti Publications

Some stories are meant to stay in the past and if brought out now, can cause havoc in the lives of all the people today.

The Crossfire of Love by Dhiren Tiwari is a story of Amaan, who has come back to his Kingdom of Attanooga, to fulfill his mother’s last wish of a hometown funeral. He runs into Saira, an old girlfriend who’s making a documentary on the late queen. Strangely, her memories are like an incomplete puzzle with her estranged mother, or her broken heart from her break up with Amaan all those years ago.  Saira gets a chance to resurrect her relationship as well as her save her flailing career from going down in the dumps. What happens when Saira, Amaan and the people around them get caught in The Crossfire of Love.

The plot of The Crossfire of Love by Dhiren Tiwari revolves around the backstory of Amaan, Ria and what happened 10 years ago in the cottage in the jungle. The story in the current times is quite jumbled up and it creates a lot of confusion as the threads are quite loose in the story telling. The change of POVs between Amaan and Saira is confusing at times and it becomes a challenge to keep track of the story that is coming along. with multiple elements coming in, things get foggier to a point where nothing seems coherent anymore. Towards the end of the book, as the stories unravel, the story of what happened comes out and that truly confuses the reader as to what had actually happened to Saira, Amaan and King Rudra Pratap Singh 10 years ago.

Talking about the characters, the character profiles of the protagonists, Saira and Amaan are not very substantial as things are mixed up and at times the characters’ personas seem to conflict with each other. The role of Mrs. Gaina is still not very clear till then end of the story. The story is wrapped up, but the reason and the logic behind what happened and why it happened is still foggy, at least for me.

The book gets a 2.5/5 from me.

She- Screw Silence-Reecha Agarwal Goyal

Book: She- Screw Silence

Author: Reecha Agarwal Goyal

Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing

Fiercely Patriarchal, our society has assigned a gender role to almost everything and women are portrayed as someone who are not capable of doing things on their own. We have created a glass ceiling for them and it is time women break that ceiling and rise beyond the skies.

She by Reecha Agarwal Goyal is a collection of short yet impactful snippets that convey a deep message to the reader. Taking up issues such as motherhood, household duties, gender roles etc., Reecha has conveyed a strong woman through the stories. Each of the stories will make the reader pause and introspect on how we treat the women in our lives, our mothers, wives, sisters, friends, and the other myriad hats that a woman dons. I liked many of the stories he has penned and I would certainly encourage everyone to give this book a read, for this is a true mirror to the woman she is, and not how the society tries to mould her to be.

This book is extremely impactful and walks away with a 3.5/5.

Hold That Breath-Abhirup Dhar

Book: Hold That Breath

Author: Abhirup Dhar

Publisher: Redgrab Books

Is horror a genre that has been ignored for a long time, or maybe we haven’t figured out how spooky is spooky enough?

Hold That Breath by Abhirup Dhar is a collection of 6 stories that will chill the reader to the bone. Ominous is a tale which narrates what happens when a school reunion turns awry and realize that the urban legend of a headless boy in Kurseong might just be true. The Elevator Game narrates the story of Saachi who finds out what happens when you are too curious to reach the other world. The Stairway to Hell takes us through the experience that Barry Bandeira has when he puts up at a fort hotel one night and unearths a secret. Seeing Ghosts is the story of Abhay Kumar and his tryst with the supernatural. She is written from the POV of Jeevika who tells the tale of a true ghost story that haunts the Delhi-Jaipur Highway while enroute with her boyfriend, Ojas. The Final Act takes us all the way to Mumbai where Abhay, a struggling scriptwriter meets Raman Chhabra, a film producer in a dilapidated cinema hall and we realize that maybe the ghosts of the past may not always go away. The catch, one of these stories, connects all the others.

Hold That Breath by Abhirup Dhar is a spooky rollercoaster that takes the reader on a journey of fear, thrill and intrigue throughout the book. Each of the stories stand out on their own and yet when the connect comes up in the climax, it is something that brings out the master that Abhirup is. I loved each of the stories individually and choosing one that stood out for me is difficult, but Ominous takes the game away with the layers of storytelling. Seeing Ghosts didn’t work out for me much, but when the curtain drops, the story makes sense.

Being a horror story with interlinked short stories, more than characters, the settings and the buildup of the story comes to the fore and Abhirup has managed to create an excellent setting for each of the stories. I specially loved the way that the moonless night was a feature that I found cropping up every now and then. The book is well researched, and he has used some of the real rumors and integrated them in the story. Saying anything more will spoil the suspense of the book.

If you like getting spooked, go for the book.

The book successfully scares me out of my wits and walks away with 4.25 spooky points.

A Steaming Cup of Tea-Krusha Sahjwani Malkani

Book: A Steaming Cup of Tea

Author: Krusha Sahjwani Malkani

Publisher: Amazon Ebooks

A Steaming Cup of Tea by Krusha Sahjwani Malkani is a story of a homemaker, Anju, who’s been married for 25 years and is living a life that most of has seen around. She has a loving and caring husband, 2 daughters and her in-laws living with her, her usual daily routine changes when she comes to know that her neighbor and a friend, Varsha tells her shat she’s getting a divorce and soon after, she goes on a vacation with her daughter. Soon after that, Anju starts having episodes of elevated heart rate and anxiety. Though she gets examined medically and it is found out nothing is wrong with her. How she deals with her demons is the story.

A Steaming Cup of Tea by Krusha Sahjwani Malkani is a short read and a wonderful take on how monotony sets in our lives once we become comfortable. More so in the Indian context, where the wife is expected to shoulder the household chores and forget about herself. This story shows how one day of rest of a home maker can turn the house upside down. The major theme of the book, though, is mental illness and anxiety and the social stigma around it. With everything happening around her, we can understand that Anju is suffering from anxiety and needed a therapist to sort it out and that is what is suggested by the family doctor, but the husband gets outraged. This one incident is what sets the tone of the book. The ending of the story is beautiful and shows how things that are meant for us, do reach us.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it for everyone to give it a go.

For me, it scores a 4/5.

Sattva Rajas Tamas-Vivek Wagle

Book: Sattva Rajas Tamas 

Author: Vivek Wagle

Publisher: Platinum Press (Leadstart Publishing)

Is being born a king more important than being fit to be one?

Is the throne so dear to some people that they’ll go to any length to save it?

Sattva Rajas Tamas by Vivek Wagle is a story of a Kingdom torn between meritocracy and dynastic monarchy. Circa 800 B.C., King Sarthak of Manukeshwar decided to break away from the tradition and choose a King based on his talents, and not on the basis of his birth. For this, he organizes a series of tests and Kanishka, the son of a learned Rishi wins the Throne and is appointed as the King. After the demise of king Sarthak, Prince Jaivant, his firstborn uses treachery to usurp the throne for himself. What he fails to foresee is Kanishka’s resolve and his vow to uphold the law laid down by King Sarthak and his love for the people of the Kingdom. Through a maze od storytelling, we see the life of Kanishka, and how he fights for truth and justice and it has uncanny parallels in our current times.

Sattva Rajas Tamas by Vivek Wagle is written in a crisp narrative with each point being described in detail. Be it the symbol of self during the tests or the life in the forests, Vivek has taken each aspect of the story and described it in detail so that one not only reads the story but lives the tale. The journey of Kanishka is shown beautifully and his transformation is something that holds the plot together. The fight and skirmishes between Jaivant and Kanishka have also been taken into detail and there are multiple red herrings throughout the book that are a pleasure to find. One thing that I found odd in the book was at few places, the language seemed to have been changed using a thesaurus because the words didn’t seem to fit, but that was a very miniscule part of the book.

Talking about the characters, Kanishka has been created as a righteous person, who has a pure soul. His story has been detailed enough so that se get to understand why he does, what he does. The characters of Rishi Chaitanya and Rishi Siddhanatha have been crafted wonderfully, so much so, that one almost starts sympathizing with all that happens with them in the book. The character of Jaivant has been created in the Mirror Image of Kanishka and that shines out brightly from the plot. I specially loved the characters of Devanshi and Vaishali, for even they had smaller space in the book, they were 2 of the strongest characters in the story.

All in all, Sattva Rajas Tamas wins the battle by taking over 3.5 kingdoms out of my 5.

Spies, Lies & Red Tape-Amit Bagaria

Book: Spies, Lies & Red Tape

Author: Amit Bagaria

Publisher: Notion Press

What would happen if the Armed Forces of a country were made a slave to one person’s personal whims and fancies, that too someone who focuses more on her home state rather than the national interest as a whole?

Spies, Lies and Red Tape by Amit Bagaria is set in the year 2019-2020 when a coalition government comes up, cobbled up due to the inability of the incumbent to secure the majority in the General Elections. Despite Winning only 35 seats in the elections, the Neelima Gupta is chosen as the Prime Minister because she refused to support the government otherwise. Known to be loyal to her state and her vote bank, she takes some decisions that are merely a part of appeasement politics and nothing else. On the other side of the border, Imran Ul-Haq, Special Secretary-China and Far East-Ministry of Foreign Affairs befriends the newly appointed Minister in the Chinese embassy at Islamabad-Wang Li. He gets close to her and things start getting comfortable. While in the north, Brigadier Farooq Hussain, Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Pakistan in Moscow comes across a beautiful Katya Petrov, an agent of the FSB. Things take a turn when Indian defence camps get attacked by terrorists and instead if responding, Neelima Gupta decides to extend an olive branch to our neighbor and goes to sign a treaty. Her aircraft takes off from Islamabad at 7.45 am PKT and was expected to land in India at 9.10 am IST. Slowly, it changes routes and is suddenly diverted towards south and the Air Traffic Controller at IGIA, New Delhi contacts the Air Force, but gets no response. In other tun of events, soldiers of the Indian Army and tanks start arriving at important government offices in New Delhi. What was happening? Was the plane carrying the Indian cabinet hijacked? Was it a military Coup?

Spies, Lies and Red Tape by Amit Bagaria is written in a very crisp and no-nonsense manner. The plot is nicely crafted, and the title does full justice to the plot as we see that Spies, Lies and red tape are the backbone of the happenings of the story. The story outlines how political will is something that forms an important aspect of the defence mechanism of a country. The book also shows how important does intelligence and the spy network of a country is in order to either save it or to create havoc in another. Lastly, it brings out the fact that no matter now powerful the Legislature might become, it should always put the national interest first or it will surely be put to task by the patriots. Though a fictional story, the plot looks relatable at many points. The thrill is maintained till the end and the politics of it all just amazed me.

Talking about the characters, Amit has created some very amazing characters in the book. Though completely fictional, one can wonder if they have seen shades of these characters in the world around us. Talking in detail about them is a spoiler so I’ll suggest one reads the book in the manner it is written, specially some of the pronunciations and I am sure you’ll get the hang of the book.

For me, Spies, Lies and Red Tape was a wonderful experience and I’ll really like another book of this sort to be penned by the author.

The book managed to pry out 4 knowledge points out of 5 before my Spy decided to shut up!

The Sinners-Sourabh Mukherjee

Book: The Sinners

Author: Sourabh Mukherjee

Publisher: Srishti Publications

Most of us have heard about the seven sins that are usually talked about-Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. As humans, each of us exhibit at least one of these during our lifetimes.

The Sinners by Sourabh Mukherjee is the story of Vikram Oberoi, who is found dead in his penthouse. A few hours ago, news channel were talking about him and a sex scandal in the company he was heading, NexGen Technologies. Was it someone inside the firm vying for his position, or was it some competitor trying to edge him out? The Sinners is a fast-paced thriller that moves around Mumbai to Japan and back to unravel some very complicated stories and bringing out a tale filled with corporate warfare, illicit relationships and ruthless seduction games.

The Sinners by Sourabh Mukherjee explores the seven sins in a very different manner that creates a good story. With each character having a motive and a deep back story, each page in the story is a plot twister and manages to keep the thrill moving along. Sourabh has taken up the main plotline of corporate warfare and created a world where anything that can go wrong with the protagonist, does. The plot is strong, and I loved the way the story was treated, and no loose ends were found. The climax of the book was a bit turn down but moving on, slowly it made sense.

The Sinners by works because of the strong characters that Sourabh has created. With each character sublimely attached to one of the seven cardinal sins, the character development is really good. The protagonist, Vikram Oberoi, flushed with Lust, Pride and Greed, creates a path to his own doom. The way he treats his life, it becomes difficult to sympathize with him as a reader. His Boss, Dev, was full off Pride and we see how he creates situations for Vikram to do what he does. Talking about other characters and their association with the other sins is a classic spoiler and hence, I would prefer if you read the story and draw your own conclusions. Overall, character development is what makes this book, what it is.

I can surely say that the title of the book, The Sinners, is extremely apt and describes the story in the most concise manner.

Giving this book anything less than 4/5 would certainly be a sin.

Bridges and Crossings-Meera Sundararajan

Book: Bridges and Crossings

Author: Meera Sundararajan

Publisher: Notion Press

Each one us who has travelled in India has at least one memory of travelling in the train. Indian Railways is not just a mode of transport, but a lifeline of the country that connects people more than places. Travelling on the side lower seat in the 3AC compartment, with a book in the hand is something that gives a sort of bliss that no other place might give me.

Bridges and Crossings by Meera Sundararajan is a collection of 11 short stories, with the railways being a common thread in all the stories. Each of the story is unique in its genre and storytelling. From Off Track being the story where 2 people, who had interacted online have a chance encounter, yet stay oblivious to it, to Forgiving where we see 2 friends meeting each other after a long time when they broke apart due to betrayal. Vada Pav was a story that puts up such a relevant question to the society that it almost made me emotional. With Breaking the fast, Meera shattered the religious biases that we tend to have and how humanity is the religion that pervades all boundaries.

Each of the 11 stories has a wonderful message imprinted in it, which is quite subtle yet enforced. We meet our characters in Express trains and Local trains, travelling with reservations and some without, some of them travel in unreserved classes, while others travel in First Class. Meera has taken the best and the worst of our travel journey stories and woven them into a seamless narrative that will compel the reader to turn the page and go on to the next story.

The characters are very nicely crafted with enough space given for them to establish themselves even in a short story, I loved the fact that each of them is a unique person and that we see a myriad of personalities from a Single Mother to a successful businessman and to an old, religious couple.

Overall, Bridges and Crossings is an amazing storytelling of travel stories which would connect with us at some level or the other.

The book reserves 4 seats out of 5 in the coach.

Krishna’s Sister (Chronicles of Kuru Woman Vol.1)-Priyanka Bhuyan

Book: Krishna’s Sister (Chronicles of Kuru Woman Vol.1)

Author: Priyanka Bhuyan

Publisher: Invincible Publishers & Marketers

Being such a vast epic, Mahabharata has been retold many times and from many different points of views. However, there are still many characters who have not yet got their due recognition in the part they played in the Great War.

Krishna’s Sister (Chronicles of Kuru Woman Vol.1) by Priyanka Bhuyan takes up the story from the Point of View of Subhadra, Krishna’s Sister & Arjuna’s Wife. The story traces the journey of Subhadra from being a fierce warrior and a princess of Dwarka to the wife of Arjuna and how the actions of the Kuru Dynasty that led to Mahabharata affected her. It also brings out to fore the role she played in the war and how her decisions also changed the course of history. Being a rebellious princess, she refuses her matrimonial alliance with Duryodhana, choosing Arjuna over him. The book deals with her choices, sometimes from the head, sometimes from the heart and how each of them had an impact. This is the story of a woman who had everything one could wish for yet who lost everything but eventually went on to lead the empire of Bharatvarsha.

Krishna’s Sister has a solid plotline in which the journey of the protagonist, that is, Subhadra, can be seen from being a Princess to a Warrior and a Queen and finally to a Goddess. The story has been crafted nicely with the nuances of each character coming to the forefront. Priyanka has beautifully changed the perspective of Mahabharata and we get to know how she, along with Arjuna changed the events of the war. The book also explores her relationships with Draupadi, Krishna, Balarama and Arjuna.

The primary character for the story is Subhadra and she has been crafted in a very detailed manner. We get to see various facets of her life and a deeper understanding of the characters of Mahabharata from her perspective also come to light. Her transformation from a princess to a warrior queen and finally to a goddess is treated nicely.

Overall, a decent read and I would love to see how the author treats other characters in the series.

For me, it scores a 3.5/5.  

Nothing to Regret-Tanya Dias

Book: Nothing to Regret

Author: Tanya Dias

Publisher: Jufic Books (Leadstart Corp)

There are somethings in the past that each one of us regrets. It might be a relationship gone wrong, might be a reaction or for that matter anything. As humans, we are prone to afterthought and regret.

Nothing to Regret by Tanya Dias is a story that tackles this regret. The protagonist is Ananya, who is a recent college graduate, struggling to find happiness in her life. When news comes to her that her grandmother, Ajji is terminally ill, she visits her and suddenly she is entrusted with fulfilling Ajji’s last wish. She sends Ananya on a three-city tour of Italy, France and London to unravel a family secret that had been buried for years. Running against time, she zooms across the 3 cities that enrich her experience and provide her with context and meaning of various things in life.

Nothing to Regret has a decent plotline that starts with the depression that Ananya is facing and how her grandmother senses her feelings and gives her the opportunity to travel to 3 of the most wonderful places in the world. With flashbacks of Ajji’s life adding more meaning and context to the plotlines, it becomes understandable why she did what she did. However, the story feels a bit rushed. Understanding the point that Ajji was terminally ill, the plot could have been fleshed out a bit more to provide more context to Ananya’s travels. The travelogue seems to be left with loose ends and I would have preferred a bit more of content on that part. The climax of the book is interesting.

Moving on to characters, the backstory of Ajji has been dealt with in necessary detail. This has provided the required background for the plot to work. The other characters are not that detailed, and I would have preferred if we could have had some more information about Ananya’s background in order to connect with her.

Overall, it is a light and decent read.

I definitely do not regret reading it and giving it 3/5.