Revenge of the Dark Spirits-Namratha Raj

Book: Revenge of the Dark Spirits
Author: Namratha Raj
Publisher: Readomania

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

Do you like reading books with black magic as a plot point?

What happens when humans foolishly meddle with the dark world of black magic? What happens when the dark spirits are denied what they are promised? A child goes missing at a quaint resort situated inside a coffee estate, bordering a jungle. The holiday turns into a nightmare for his family and the other guests, along with the Manager and staff members of the resort when they get to know that a tiger is on the prowl in the vicinity. While everyone at the resort is frantically trying to locate the child, there are powers beyond their control pulling the strings. There is a tussle between the good and the sinister in deciding the plight of the child. Will the child be found? Or rather, will the child be found dead or alive? Revenge of the Dark Spirits is a gripping mystery that will keep you on your toes.

Namratha’s book was interesting to read because of two reasons. Firstly, the book balances the trio of mystery, thrill and paranormal quite nicely. Secondly, the attention to detail while plotting the book is excellent and that keeps you hooked. The primary plot of the book revolves around the idea of black magic and what can happen if it goes wrong. Set in a quaint coffee estate, the detailed description of the location is enough to give you the creeps even without bringing black magic into the fray. The writing is crisp and keeps you engaged with the plot, right from the setting of the plot when the author is describing the cottages and the guests and the pets on the premises, right to the climax where the entire plot unfolds. Another good part of the book was the interconnectedness of events. There are sub-plots in the book which might seem frivolous in the beginning, but all of it starts making sense once the climax is revealed. I also liked the fact that the author spread crumbs across the book but each character in the story was a suspect at one point or the other, and you have to keep your guard up if you wish to play the detective in this book. The climax did stand out for me in the context of poetic justice. I did feel that with all the buildup, the climax could have been a bit more dramatic and it ended quite fast.

Coming to the characters, I loved the manner in which Namratha penned each character in the book. There are layers to most of the characters and as a reader, you start connecting with them as you explore them in the book. Abhayankar’s character was fleshed out in detail and I loved how the author has explored his past to establish the reasons for his actions. Shruthi’s character was quite a surprise and the crumbs the author has left in the story were quite fun to explore once you finish the book. The characters of Karan Nair as well as Ranjan deserve a mention for the wonderful descriptions as well as the critical role they play in the plot.

Overall, this is a book I would highly recommend to anyone who loves reading a thriller with a serving of paranormal on the side. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

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