Building an Empire (The Empress of Indraprastha #2)-Sonali Raje

Book: Building an Empire (The Empress of Indraprastha #2)
Author: Sonali Raje
Publisher: Vishwakarma Publication

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like reading mythological retellings?

This is the second part of The Empress of Indraprastha series, a fictional recreation of the Mahabharat, and a sequel to hugely popular The Empress of Indraprastha - Entering Kuruvansh. We've heard endless glories of the five brothers. Now discover the sisterhood between the wives of the Paandavs. Follow Draupadi in action, as she devises and implements financial strategies to jumpstart the economy. Tread delicate waters as Draupadi seeks answers from her husbands for causing the death of a Bhil woman and her five sons to save their own skins in the Vaarnavat fire. Watch her probe Krishna for justification about his role in the destruction of an indigenous asura habitat, simply to satiate Agni's hunger. Plunge into the depths of her marriage with Arjun, that hits its nadir when she criticizes him for not protecting Eklavya. Explore her relationship with her sons. The strategist Devika, the epicurean master-chef Valandhara, the mother and devoted wife, Subhadra, the danseuse Karenumati, and the financial analyst, Vijaya unite under Draupadi's leadership as they toil towards a single-minded goal of building their empire.

The book takes on from where the first book ended, and this book explores the Pandavas journey of building up Indraprastha from scratch in a location deemed uninhabitable. Keeping the perspective of Draupadi continued in this book as well, Sonali presents the story of how the empire comes into existence and the hurdles they face while building it up. The book also explores Draupadi’s emotional upheaval as she gets to know of matrimonial alliances that take place, and especially Arjun’s marriages with Uloopi, Subhadra and Chitrangada. The story has been told in an engaging manner that keeps you hooked throughout the story. The age-old story has been written from Draupadi’s perspective in a beautiful manner that captures the essence of the epic in a fictionalized narrative. What worked for me was the detailed description that was made possible by the book’s focus on the building up of Indraprastha as a primary plot point. Sonali also highlights the various aspects of the personal and the professional when it comes to governance, and how, at times it becomes important to choose between the two. The book ends on an interesting note that closes the chapter of the building, yet keeps you curious as to what would happen next, how would it look from Draupadi’s perspective.

The primary character in this book is Draupadi and Sonali has crafted her character to perfection. There are multiple facets of her character that shine through via her interactions with the other characters in the book. Narrating the book through a single-perspective keeps the story flowing, while at the same time highlighting the emotions of the primary character. The other characters do make their mark in the plot, and I am looking forward to Prativindhya’s character development in the upcoming books as he did stand out for me in the book.

A definite recommendation for anyone loves to read mythological fiction. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

Check out my review of Book 1 of the series: Entering Kuruvansh (The Empress of Indraprastha #1)

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.

Garnets Under My Gulmohar-Chetna Keer

Book: Garnets Under My Gulmohar
Author: Chetna Keer
Publisher: Readomania

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What’re the family curse and secret love saga nestling beyond a Purani Dilli kothi’s grand Gulmohar? What’re the mists of a mysterious body in bathtub and bare-all book shrouding a Book Club, huddled in the Himalayas under looming clouds of climate change? Lollita‘s back in a suspense saga. Lollita, the fab-fortyish book influencer, climate warrior, saree-a-holic & Netflix-a-holic. The crumbling kothi catapults into a stage for Lollita’s mission to hunt a mysterious bespoke legacy of her Grande Matriarch. This destination thriller criss-crosses colonial-era Kasauli to the Rajput Ramgarh Fort to the culturescapes of Dilli Haat and Surajkund.  Where will a Turkish tarot reader’s clues lead Lollita? Will the Seventh Bibliophile change the Book Club's face forever? Which ‘masks’ shall slip at the Masquerade?

Garnets Under my Gulmohar is the story of the times gone and times present. Flitting between the past and the present, Chetna sets the tone of the book as her protagonist Lollita gets entangled in the search for a bespoke legacy and simultaneously a seventh member joins the book club who becomes the focus of everyone’s scrutiny for his unique sartorial choices. What I liked about the book was it being quite contemporary with social media influencing, news cycles, brand consciousness etc. find their way into the storytelling and become an integral part of it. Another interesting thing about the book is that it also shows a mirror to today’s generation, their quest for fame on social media. Through the storyline of the Grande Matriarch’s legacy, Chetna shows that you need a good and a unique proposition to make your mark on the world. The plot is simple and easy to comprehend and keeps you turning the pages as you keep pace with the book club moving from the hills to the plains and back. While there are things that make the book a good read, there are a few aspects which bring down the reading experience down a notch. The first and foremost is the flowery language and the excessive use of alliterations which, after a point, add no flavor to the reading experience. Rather than the story, the focus moves on to the complicated words and jargons which derail the flow of the story. While I understand that as a writer, Chetna’s command over it is unparalleled, however, I would prefer not having to look for a word while enjoying the travails of the book club. The masquerade at the end was interestingly written and brings the story to a nice closure.

Coming to the characters, Lollita features prominently as the protagonist and her detailing as an influencer has been established in detail. The character eccentricities have been built it beautifully which propel the story forward. Badi Beeji’s character is another one who stood out for me, specially with the way she was blending the past and the present. I feel that the names of the characters should have been simplified and rather than the complicated spellings and the nicknames to make them relatable as well as memorable.

Overall, a decent read that scores a 4/5 for me.

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

The Ex Factor-Harini Srinivasan

Book: The Ex Factor
Author: Harini Srinivasan
Publisher: Om Books International

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think love can thrive in the time of chaos?

Oindrilla Roy, also known by her friends as Oinks among several other nicknames, is having a lousy week. Cook, maid, driver, all (help) have deserted her. At work, her boss, Hawkeye, is making her life miserable. Her cousin Ankita seems to have got involved in some mess at college and needs her intervention. Her best friend Sweety Chopra is running amok with her own set of shenanigans inadvertently involving Oinks. It is then that Vivek Rao makes an unexpected entry back into her life. After years. Even before she has had time to get over the previous heartbreak. But somehow, right now, his presence does not seem to be a bad thing. Vivek is still annoying but how did that scrawny-looking thing become this hunk? One to lust for? He also seems to like her even now (maybe). Or maybe not. Nevertheless, Vivek seems to be helping her by being there. With the many issues that haunt Oinks and demand her attention, and given her penchant for saying and doing just the wrong thing at the most inappropriate time, will this renewed contact blossom into something more? Or will it simply fizzle out?

The Ex Factor is an interesting book that explores a multitude of topics. The story is told through Oinks’ perspective as she tries to balance her personal and professional life, one disaster at a time. The book is written in a first-person perspective and the language Harini has used is easy to read and comprehend. The plot is quite fast paced, and taking you from Delhi to Shillong via Kolkata is a journey you would definitely enjoy. One thing I really enjoyed were the pop culture references and how they tie into the plot beautifully. The book reads almost like a movie and it is quite easy to visualize the scenes as they happen. From the pains of a corporate employee to the travails of a daughter trying to manage a family as well as 2 canines, the emotions run deep in the book. The story will make you laugh at quite a few times with comedy of errors as they happen, especially Vivek meeting Oinks or confusion between Vivek and Viveka. The climax has been beautifully written and brings the story to a close perfectly.

The characters are crafted in detail and there are memorable quirks that Harini has built into her characters. I loved Oindrilla’s character and the strong-willed character that she is. The manner in which she handles situations one after the other is quite commendable. Another character I really liked was that of Oindrilla’s mother. With her ruckus and creating storms in Oinks’ life, we can all see a bit of our parents in her.

Overall, the book is a wonderful read for anyone looking to unwind and have a good time. The book scores a 4.69/5 for me.

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

Happiness Handbook-The Inner Voice-Louie Shalin

Book: Happiness Handbook-The Inner Voice
Author: Louie Shalin
Publisher: Self Published

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Happiness is often understood as something that needs to be reached out to but, on the contrary, it is natural to our sense of being. In the daily rigmarole of life, our happiness tends to get eclipsed. It is only by finding and appreciating The Inner Voice can one align with their inner compass, which guides us to become the best version of ourselves. As you embark on this journey, take this book along as a friend & mentor that will help you achieve your goals, one step at a time.

The book explores the concept of “The Inner Voice” which Louie Shalin has originated. The book is a short read, however the concepts that are explained in detailed. The author has taken care to split the idea into 5 levels and makes it easy to implement in one’s life incrementally. The book carefully explains the concept and provides you with the playbook of how to implement this in your daily routine. Starting with Level 1 of being aware of oneself, we move to Level 2 which talks about addressing your own self. After recognizing your own emotions, comes Level 3 which is about healing and how to find the problems and look for solutions. Level 4 talks about cleansing and how to align your inner voice for a course correction. Finally, we arrive at Level 5 which is about self-realization and how to look within for the answers we seek. The book has been written in an easy-to understand language and format so that the implementation can take precedence over the reading and understanding. Taking the example of a CEO, he beautifully explains the message he wants to send across.

I would recommend the book to anyone who is looking for a guide for self-reflection as well as a way for self-healing. The book scores a 4.25/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.