Lotus Land (Konark Secret Book 1)-Bhuban Patra

Book: Lotus Land (Konark Secret Book 1)
Author: Bhuban Patra
Publisher: Leadstart Inkstate

Have you even wondered about the secrets many monuments hold?

Lotus Land by Bhuban Patra is the first book in the Konark Secret Duology which is a fictionalized account set in 1200 CE when a small kingdom in the Eastern part of India was entering its golden period. While being a maritime superpower, Kalinga remained secluded and reclusive to the other nations in the subcontinent. The book tells us the tale of Bishnu Maharana, the chief architect of the Konark Temple. The story traces his journey as he became a master architect, and the various hurdles he had to overcome. Not a simple take of creation, but the story explores the idea that behind the temple. The techniques used in the construction were not that were not common, and this raises a number of questions. Was Bishnu Maharana just an architect, or was he something more, and what is the secret that hide behind the walls of the temple?

The book is an interesting tale which chronicles the mythology of one of the most famed temples of India. Bhuban has taken the story and penned a plot that is rife with secrets, one that can interest people who love mythological retellings as well as people who have a keen interest in the field of architecture. The details in the book, be it human or structural, are well crafted and explained and that helps in visualizing the scenes as they unfold. The element of mystery in the book has been well preserved, and the things revealed are quite interesting as well, with enough left over for the second book. however, this detailing also became a negative aspect of the book, as a lot of details seemed irrelevant in the context of this book and could have been reduced. There are a couple of places where the plot actually lost pace because of the details. The grammar also needs one round of editing as there were issues, though nothing that cannot be sorted after a round of proofreading. The climax is interesting, and I would wait to read the second part of this duology.

Coming to the characters, Bishnu’s character is quite interesting in the manner it is told. I loved the aura of mystery that he carries, and how various aspects of his character, both strengths and weaknesses, are shown. Another character I admired was of Guru Silpy, and I hope to see more of him in the second book as he presented an interesting character in terms of plotline. Nara was a surprise element for me and the way his arc panned out was quite interesting and specially the reveal in the end was astounding!

Overall, a book with a potential to be more, and I await the second part of the book to unravel the mystery! This book scores a 3.69/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book here.