Children of the Hidden Land-Mandira Shah

Book: Children of the Hidden Land
Author: Mandira Shah
Publisher: Speaking Tiger

What do you look for in a good YA book?

Children of the Hidden Land by Mandira Shah is the story of fifteen-year-old April, who lives in Imphal valley and has grown up learning to save herself from tear-gas shells and hearing stories about children disappearing. But when her best friend Henthoiba goes missing, she is determined to find him. April finds an unlikely ally in Shalini Gupta, her new schoolmate and the daughter of an army man recently posted in Imphal. With no real leads except for a bag with some of Henthoiba’s belongings and sharp deduction and combat skills, the two set out to find him. As they get sucked into the investigation, they stumble upon a dangerous, unknown world—where children disappear and are trafficked and trained to be soldiers. Unflinching, tender and action-packed, Children of the Hidden Land is a story about two girls who overcome their prejudices to question their existing ideas about nation, friendship and ambition. Above all, it is a story of hope and courage.

This book was something quite different from what I had expected from the blurb. I had expected more of a YA spy thriller, whilst it turned out to be much more than that. The book explores the troubles faced by people in the northeast, especially with the security forces being present and the troubles with the locals. Mandira has taken the local geopolitical situation and woven it into this narrative where everyone is a suspect and seems innocent, all at the same time. The plot is quite engaging, and the storytelling is riveting. The plot moves at a comfortable pace, and I loved how the author has used the context to identify with the issues that are actually present on the ground. The descriptions are quite vivid and specially like the way the story began. The climax is equally interesting, and I liked the way the author brings the story to a close.

Coming to the characters, I was impressed with the fact that the author decided to pair up Shalini and April, two characters who could have been more different. Mandira uses this unique pairing to drive the plot forward and uses it to highlight the very issue that has become a part of the life in Manipur. Another interesting aspect of the characters is that the difference between the good and the bad is quite hazy and this is the gray area that Mandira explores.

Overall, this is an interesting book that I would recommend for anyone who likes to read a well written YA story. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

This review is in collaboration with Speaking Tiger, and a copy of the book was provided to me in exchange of an honest review.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or your local bookstore!