Navapashanam: The Quest for the Nine Magical Poisons-Nitya Neelakantan

Book: Navapashanam: The Quest for the Nine Magical Poisons
Author: Nitya Neelakantan
Publisher: Readomania

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

Do you have any family heirlooms with an interesting story?

Two women...two hundred years apart. A story of magical healing, hidden treasure, betrayal, and murder. Mookambikai, the secret keeper of the Navapashanam, is being hunted and persecuted by nefarious factions until her trail goes cold after a confrontation with the vilest Aghora who wants the Navapashanam. 200 years later, Mookambika's great grandniece, Manimeghalai aka Megha, finds herself entangled in a maelstrom of events involving dark elements who are still on the hunt for the Navapashanam. Amidst near fatal accidents, an increasing count of dead bodies, and a missing fiancé, Megha, is pushed into looking for the lost Navapashanam. Will she find what she desperately seeks? Are Mookambikai's and Megha's destiny entwined? Will Megha save the day? Navapashanam takes you on a fascinating journey of passion and intrigue.

Nitya pens an interesting blend of mythology and thriller in this book where the genres do seem to blur. The plot is very well planned and as a reader, you are given hints of what might happen in the book, but you can never be too sure of the events that would unfold. The storytelling is gripping and fast-paced, especially considering the detailing done in the plot. The parallel timelines, running almost 200 years apart are coherent, and in both the timelines the reveal is slow and deliberate which keeps the interest alive in the story. Another interesting aspect of the book that stood out for me was that the clues for the reveal are hidden in plain sight, but just like a jigsaw, you don’t get the context until all the other pieces are in place. Using similar names for the characters and the part of the secret was quite ingenious and it added a good flavour into the story. While the general feeling was quite good, I did feel that the climax was a bit rushed, considering the build up to it. I do feel that a bit more of detailing in the latter part of the book could have done wonders for it. That said, the poetic justice in the climax was quite satisfying.

Coming to the characters, there are just the right number of characters in the story. Each character has been carefully plotted and placed into the story, entering and exiting just at the right time. I loved Megha’s character for her resilience, as well as her emotional quotient that drives the story forward. It was her grit that leads the story to the climax. Linking her name to the heirloom was a wonderful way of maintaining connection between the timelines and showing the importance to the reader. Mookambikai’s character was another which was written beautifully and with such devotion to her cause. I do feel that some of the characters, had they been provided more time, could have added more richness to the story. Saravanan was one such character that I felt could have added a bit of more complexity into the storytelling.

Overall, Navapashanam was a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading, and I must say that this sort of storytelling I have read either in a Dan Brown or an Ashwin Sanghi book. The book scores a 4.75/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you.