Durga (Devi Duology #1)-Kevin Missal

Book: Durga (Devi Duology #1)
Author: Kevin Missal
Publisher: Simon & Schuster India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

One king. A group of incorrigible women. Nine nights. The demon-king, Manisha, rules Jambudvipa with an iron fist. He wears the horns of a buffalo and has the will of a bull. With allies far and wide, his kingdom—usurped from the Aryas—is prosperous. All seems aboveboard. But Jambudvipa’s underbelly rots. Teeming with crime, sin, and greed, the city and its people are not what they seem. Most of all, Manisha himself. With his iron fist comes immense cruelty, horrific violence… He must be stopped. A girl wronged never forgets. Especially one made to witness her parents’ murder. And revenge, cold and sweet, will be taken. But Durga’s fight is far greater. And she needs allies. Luckily for her, women across professions are willing to fight the fight—a princess’ companion, a maid, a mercenary, a pirate. Alongside her. For her. For themselves. And they have nine nights. For men and women in this ruthless world, salvation lies in this plan.

Kevin has reimagined this story of victory of good over evil in his unique manner. The storytelling is imaginative, and even though the plot moves at multiple places, the reader never loses the storyline. The story written wonderfully with brilliant spy craft, double agents and assassinations being just a small part of the story. I liked how the author has woven the idea of Navratri into the story and how that forms the core of the story. Kevin also beautifully incorporates the symbols of the Devi into the story. Kevin has created some powerful characters in this story and the idea of the oppressed rising up once empowered has been wonderfully built into the story. My favorite part of the story was how the first scene of the story and the last came together. The climax of the story was been written beautifully and brings the story to a wonderful close, specially leaving with just enough for the sequel.

The characters in the story have been created with nice depth and each of the characters has a wonderful nuance that reflects in the story. Right from Shaila to Airavati, the nine women had their own stories and each of them had an independent story arc that culminated into this detailed storyline. Kevin’s characters have a fire in them that shines out of the depths of the chaos that reigns in Mahisha’s kingdom once the women lit the match. Kevin’s image of Manisha is very similar to the epics, but he still recreates him in his own unique manner that impresses you.

Overall, this story is quite interesting and with the symbols of power recreated, it is a wonderful beginning to the duology. The book scores a 4.69/5 for me.

Get your copy of the book from your nearest bookstore or Amazon India.