Mahagauri-Nitya Neelakantan

Book: Mahagauri
Author: Nitya Neelakantan
Publisher: Rupa Publications

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

How would you react if you were to be transported to a different realm suddenly?

The brilliant Gauri Vishwanath is a senior scientist at a top defence lab in Bengaluru. A recurring violent dream sees her transformed into a fierce warrior, wielding weapons and spilling blood on the battlefield. One night, the dream turns into a horrific reality when a freak lab accident transports her to the ancient kingdom of Saptapuri. Saptapuri is under siege—Moishan, the buffalo-demon, and his formidable army of demons are marching towards the kingdom to seize the precious Ajna Chakra. According to legend, the purple jewel, forged from the fire of Shiva’s Third Eye, grants immortality and power to whoever possesses it. Saptapuri’s only hope lies in an age-old prophecy that speaks of one of Goddess Durga’s avatars descending from another world to save them from Moishan. To Gauri’s astonishment, the prophecy points to her. Torn between disbelief and destiny, Gauri must embrace her overnight transformation into Mahagauri, the fierce warrior avatar of Durga. As Saptapuri burns, she must choose between clinging to the modern world she knows or unleashing her power as the divine force destined to change the fate of a seven-hundred-year-old kingdom. Gauri’s journey from an ordinary woman of science to becoming the indomitable Mahagauri makes her confront her own courage and the unyielding power within. Epic in scale, rich in mythology, and driven by a heroine who is at once vulnerable and unstoppable, Mahagauri is a spellbinding saga of the eternal battle between light and darkness.

Mahagauri is a story that explores how sometimes we just need the right nudge and the moment to discover the power that lives inside us. Nitya’s storytelling is gripping and keeps you hooked to the story of Gauri and how she deals with the sudden in her life where everyone feels that she is the one to save an entire kingdom. The plot of the book keeps you engaged through skirmishes in the alternate timeline and there are times where you almost agree with Gauri that she might not be the saviour that they are looking for. I loved the moments where you see the unleashing of Gauri’s powers. Another aspect of the book that I loved was how Nitya shows that while saving the world’s may be one’s destiny, it cannot be fulfilled until everyone comes together, specially in the climax scene. I loved how the plot created a wonderful pairing of Shankar and Gauri. Their interactions across the book were wonderful to read, and added a nice arc to the entire story. The book also has these minute details that make a lot of sense in hindsight, and I loved how there are clues are spread across the book, keeping you intrigued. The climax scene is wonderfully written, and specially after the faceoff with Moishan, Gauri’s actions are nicely penned which show how time can change a person, and help them take decisions which they might not have taken otherwise.

Coming to the characters, I loved the way Gauri’s character arc develops over the course of the book. You start with this scientist who is a bit awkward, and is suddenly thrown into a mix of things she barely understands, to a warrior who faces a demon army. The entire transformation is the foundation of the book, and Nitya pens this in a wonderful fashion. Another character who I really liked was that of Shankar. His role in the entire story is subtle yet powerful, specially how he manages people and reads them to manage the situation at hand. His chemistry with Gauri is something I truly enjoyed reading. Anandmayi was one character in the book I am in awe of, and she was a wonderful character that Nitya has penned.

Overall, Mahagauri is a book that explores the idea of self-discovery, and that sometimes destiny might have plans that might change your life forever. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

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

A Tale of Two Kitchens-Lata Gwalani (Illus: Anitha Rajagopal)

Book: A Tale of Two Kitchens
Author: Lata Gwalani
Illustrator: Anitha Rajagopal
Photographer: Nikhil Bendre
Publisher: Amaryllis Publishing

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

Do you think that food is something that binds us across cultures?

Every recipe here is more than a meal—it is a memory, a bond, a celebration of the love that lingers long after the last bite. Two reigning queens of their kitchens, a Tamilian mother and a Sindhi mother-in-law, turned an exchange of recipes into a lifelong bond. What began with a handful of spices grew into a friendship that transcended language, culture, and geography. A Tale of Two Kitchens is not just a book of recipes—it’s a memoir of love, resilience, and the magic of food. From tangy tamarind rasam to comforting Sindhi kadhi, every dish carries a story, a memory, a moment of laughter shared between two remarkable women. As their daughter and daughter-in-law, Lata Gwalani had the privilege of inheriting both their kitchens—and blending them into her own. These pages are her tribute: a collection of flavours and stories that show how food can unite, heal, and celebrate.

Lata’s book is a wonderful tribute to a cross-cultural household that she lives in. The book explores the idea of how tastes and cooking can be poles apart, as well as almost identical across culinary cultures. Throughout the book, Lata keeps you intrigued with very interesting anecdotes from the household, as well as the dishes she covers in the book. The thing that stands out in the book is the fact that, while the book is non-fiction, it is told as a story and you are hooked enough to keep turning the pages. Another aspect of the book that is appreciable is that some of the anecdotes are relatable because we have also seen similar situations play out in our homes as well. Lata’s cheek and wit is something to be commended, and through out the book, she has these quips hidden in the text that will make you smile. Lata’s memoir is not just a recall of the stories of the kitchens, or some cooking hacks, she presents a heart-warming picture of two women, who came from distinctly different culinary backgrounds, but strived to find a balance and a commonality of flavours that became this kitchen, and Lata got to pick the best of the both worlds.

Apart from the text, what makes the book stand out are its illustrations and the photographs of the food. The wonderful illustrations on each page demonstrating the fruits, vegetables, utensils, and the two mothers were something that is breathtaking and keeps you engaged into the book. The photographs are droolworthy, and would inspire you to try some of the recipes that Lata presents to us.

Overall, the book is an interesting and engaging read, specially if you love food, and stories about food. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

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

I Met A Man Who Wasn’t There-Sakyajit Bhattacharya (Tr. Arunava Sinha)

Book: I Met A Man Who Wasn’t There
Author: Sakyajit Bhattacharya
Translator: Arunava Sinha
Publisher: Speaking Tiger

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

Would you take up a chance to solve a decades old murder mystery?

Tanaya, a journalist who writes on cold cases, arrives in Darjeeling to investigate the decades-old murder of Amitava Mitra, a young poet. The prime accused was Arun Chowdhury, the victim’s best friend. Arun was released for lack of evidence, and Amitava’s murder has remained unsolved for forty years, the case files buried in the police archives. Tanaya’s investigations take her around the famed hill station, sleepy and mist-wrapped in the monsoons. She interviews a whole cast of characters, including the taciturn Arun Chowdhury, who is a best-selling crime novelist now. She reconstructs the sequence of events that led to the murder and in doing this, comes across an unpublished crime novel written by Amitava himself that has eerie parallels with his own subsequent murder. As she digs deeper, and the clues get more and more twisted, Tanaya realises there was a devious killer at work here, who killed with impunity. And when Darjeeling witnesses yet another murder, she is convinced the killer is still alive, and hunting. Published to critical and popular acclaim in Bengali as Shesh Mrito Pakhi, this is crime fiction at its most sophisticated. Weaving in the politics of 1970s Bengal, the lives of poets and the literary scene of the times into a contemporary story of betrayal, murder and revenge, I Met a Man Who Wasn’t There is the work of a compellingly intelligent and entertaining writer.

There are thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, and then there are thrillers that make you get comfortable on the chair and keep turning the pages. Sakyajit’s book firmly falls in the second category. Right from the first page, you are presented this case that seems simple in the first glance, and you are slowly drawn into it from Tanaya’s perspective. As the story moves and you discover the “thriller-inside-a-thriller”, the sleuth inside comes to life and you are suddenly solving both the stories. While Amitava’s novel is revealed slowly, the reader is hungry for it, and honestly, I was in love with Suddhasatwa’s character and how he is presented just like Holmes and Byomkesh, but at the same time there was something very different about him as well. Coming back to the primary novel, the entire story is written beautifully and the mystery is quite complex. Every solution that you come up with turns out to be wrong, and as you journey along with Tanaya, you start feeling complex emotions about the characters, and it is quite difficult to ascertain what is right and what is a misdirect. The storytelling keeps you hooked and the charm of solving the crime keeps you into the book right till the last page. The peak detailing by the author in the book, specially in a few scenes were quite interesting to read. When the reveal happens, I was quite surprised with the cold bloodedness of the crime, and the meticulous nature of the act. The climax is something that is set up perfectly, and it delivers a perfect punch at the end.

Coming to the characters, I liked the way Tanaya’s character has been sketched. The quest for sniffing out the story from the annals of history and the steadfastness has been portrayed perfectly. Arun Chowdhury’s character is layered and I liked that the pendulum between his innocence and guilt keeps swinging to keep you guessing whether he did it or not. Another character that surprised me was that of Siddhartha and how he deals with the entire situation at hand. His eureka moment in the book was something that I really loved, and I link that was executed perfectly.

While we talk about the story and the storytelling, the translation by Arunava is quite well done, and the story does not lose out on the essence and the intent of the author as he would have planned in the original Bengali version. I loved the fact that the language and the storytelling was balanced enough to keep the story intact as well as maintain the language.

The book is a recommendation for anyone looking to pick up a murder mystery and is looking for a book to devour in a single sitting. The book scores a 5/5 for me.

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

Vikram and Betaal: Night of the Blood Moon-Amit Juneja

Book: Vikram and Betaal: Night of the Blood Moon
Author: Amit Juneja
Publisher: Penguin India

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

What would you do if you encountered a real-life Betaal?

Vikram Chauhan, a brilliant fintech entrepreneur with no belief in the supernatural, is at the peak of his Silicon Valley career. But when his wife, Meera, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, his world collapses. He abandons everything to chase a cure at any cost. His desperate search leads him to the whispers of a hidden temple in the remote town of Gresham, Rajasthan, said to perform miraculous healings. But Gresham hides darker truths. On the ominous night of the Blood Moon, Vikram is brought before the temple’s enigmatic high priest, who offers him a single, terrifying bargain: salvation for Meera, in exchange for capturing the ancient pishach―Betaal. Bound by an otherworldly oath to Vikram’s bloodline, the pishach draws him into a harrowing cycle of encounters. Each time Vikram closes in, Betaal tells the story of its current host and poses a riddle that tests his morality, forcing him to confront the limits of love, logic, and faith. As Meera’s time slips away and the curse of his lineage resurfaces, Vikram must face an impossible question: how much of his humanity is he willing to sacrifice to save the woman he loves? Vikram and Betaal: Night of the Blood Moon plunges into a world where ancient folklore collides with modern reason, a haunting tale of love, legacy, and the darkness that binds them both.

Vikram and Betaal is a wonderful take on the original folklore, set in the modern times. Amit presents a story that is rooted in the traditional story of Vikram and Betaal, but at the same time also aligns perfectly with the present times. The storytelling is very vivid and you are drawn into the story as Amit weaves this tale, page after page. Another aspect of the book I really loved was the background to the folklore and how the endless cycle across the ages has been set into the plot. When the book started, I was honestly expecting a conventional retelling of Vikram and Betaal, with sub-plots and Vikram answering questions. I was pleasantly surprised how Amit not just retains the core of the conventional idea of questioning morality through Betaal’s stories, but takes it a step forward by linking the host bodies and the names. As a reader, you are compelled to also think from Vikram’s perspective and try to answer Betaal’s questions, and that is there the newspaper clippings, police report etc. come into picture, which feel that you are living the story in Gresham, and not just reading the book in your room. The climax of the book is not just a moment, but a series of events that was truly not expected and while I was envisaging a climax basis what had happened, Amit did take me by surprise, especially with that one death of which I was certain would not happen (not revealing it here!).

The book reads like the horror shows that used to air on TV some years back with those grainy graphics and questionable costumes, but the horror was real, and the chills were guaranteed. Amit also manages to tease about some other characters that dwell in the forests of Gresham, and with our very home-grown tech billionaire at the helm, I am sure the book is the first of many encounters with the otherworldly creatures.

Coming to the character development, I loved the way in which Vikram’s character has been written. His transformation from a career-driven tech entrepreneur to a family focused person was sketched quickly but quite nicely. His character arc, post his arrival in Gresham, however, was something that really shines out. I was initially concerned that with the current times, Amit might have taken a 180-degree on Vikram, but even with the modern times, the essence of Vikramaditya was written beautifully. Another character I really loved was that of Dushyant. A friend who responds on one phone call is truly precious, and I loved how Amit created this friend in Dushyant. His ability to work around the toughest of the situations was very well written. Meera’s character, while a small part of the book, is one of the most important aspects of storytelling that Amit uses.

Overall, Vikram and Betaal is one of the best pieces of writing I have read recently and I am eager to see more adventures of Vikram and his cohorts. In my opinion, the book deserves 5 Betaals out of the 5 in Gresham forest.

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

Swansong-Vandana Kumari Jena

Book: Swansong
Author: Vandana Kumari Jena
Publisher: Rupa Publications

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

Do you like reading stories that end with a twist?

It begins with a whisper from the pages of a locked diary, a farewell song, a leap into the void. The surface of life trembles and the ripples spread outwards, pulling what is hidden into the light. In Swansong, nothing is what it seems. A birthday marks the beginning of the end, a neighbour hides more than gossip, an ordinary home turns into a stage for a final performance. By turns poignant, chilling and quietly defiant, these twenty-four stories do not soothe. They disturb, provoke and linger. With unflinching honesty and lyrical precision, Vandana Kumari Jena draws you into unexpected depths, where lives fracture, certainties unravel, and revelations arrive in ways both devastating and redemptive. This is not a book of endings. It is a book of reckonings.

The writing in Swansong is quite interesting and as a reader you are presented with stories with endings you would not have guessed at all. Each of the stories is unique and is set in a different setting. While the stories are short, they are precise and deliver the message that they are written to convey. I went into the book expecting a collection of short stories that would have a thriller element, or might also have some bit of twists, but Vandana turns each of the 24 stories into a masterpiece, keeping you turning the pages till you finish the book. It is a page-turner and I can surely attest to the writing prowess of the author, specially with the endings of some of the stories. The very first story, Swansong, presents so many options and opoortunities, yet the author picked the one ending that you would usually not guess at all. Memories of Happier Times is another story that cannot be slotted in any conventional genre, but presents a situation that has become all to common, and the author presents it in a wonderful manner. Angel of Mercy stood out for me for the sheer coldness of the characters and how the author writes the last line of the story, that spine chilling was exhilarating.

Overall, Swansong is a book that I would recommend to anyone looking to read a wonderfully penned book that would surprise you with each of the 24 stories. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or a Bookstore near you.

Creepy Crawlies-Kanika Sharma

Book: Creepy Crawlies
Author: Kanika Sharma
Publisher: Hachette India

What if things were not what they seem?

Something creepy hides in the cracks... It's watching you, waiting to crawl out. In this unsettling anthology of psychological and supernatural horror, the line between the living and the demonic blurs, boundaries between nightmare and reality collapse, and sanity is only a mirage. A boy returns from the asylum after years, and his neighbour's infant goes missing. A reclusive homeowner begins to suspect the spiders in his house aren't intruders, but guardians. In a chilling psychiatric interview, a young girl recounts why her brother had to die. The darkly audacious stories in Creepy Crawlies twist the familiar into the grotesque. Drawing inspiration from ancient folklore, urban legends and the darkest corners of the human mind, this collection dares readers to peek behind the curtain with a fair warning that they may find something sinister watching from the dark.

Creepy Crawlies is written in an interesting concept where Kanika takes 10 paranormal entities across folklores and weaves a story around them in the Indian context. Kanika’s storytelling is interesting and keeps you hooked in the stories one after the other. Another aspect of the book that works is the concept of the book, and how the idea of these paranormal entities has been woven into seemingly normal stories. Kanika’s writing will keep you guessing what is going to happen in the end.  The story about Dybbuk stood out for me for the fact that the author uses the idea of the paranormal entity and a diary in a good manner and while the perpetrator is quite visible, you keep turning the pages to see what happens in the end. Similarly, the story with the Ghoul was another that I liked for the manner in which Kanika treats the concept. What did not work for me in the book, however, was the length of the stories. I think that with the concept that Kanika brought in, and with her storytelling, the characters needed a bit more of space and time for the creep and thrill to blossom. While the stories kept me turning the pages, the spine-chilling fear that I had expected somehow did not materialize completely. That being said, I loved the way each of the stories end.

The book is a recommendation who love reading about paranormal entities and happenings, specially in the Indian context. The book scores a 4/5 for me.

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

The Divine Duel-Pratik Sahay

Book: The Divine Duel
Author: Pratik Sahay
Publisher: Book Leaf Publishing

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

In the peaceful town of New Delhi, a few tragedies befall Anugrah, a devoted family man, a loyal lover and pillar of the friends. Malevolent instances sweep through, leaving his family and friends brutally taken from him. Consumed by grief and fueled by a thirst for justice, Anugrah descends into the shadows, emerging as a vengeful force against the world that betrayed him. Haunted by unanswered questions and a deep-seated anger, Anugrah adopts a new identity – "GOD." Under this dark guise, he seeks answers not from the earthly realm but from the divine. As Anugrah amasses power, his actions draw the attention of a group of heroes called the ATF, determined to stop the spreading darkness. Led by General Daksh and others, the ATF embarks on a journey to save the world from Anugrah’s wrath. The novel unfolds as a gripping exploration of revenge, redemption, and the blurred lines between good and evil. "The Divine Duel" delves into the complexities of loss, the fragility of the human psyche, and the consequences of unchecked power. The novel weaves a tapestry of mysticism, morality, and the indomitable human spirit, as Anugrah navigates the thin line between justice and vengeance while confronting the gods themselves in his quest for answers. Will he find solace in revenge, or will the light of redemption pierce through the veil of darkness shrouding his heart?

Pratik’s attempt to mould mythology and science fiction together is a commendable attempt. He explores the idea of the circle of time in an interesting manner. The book explores the story of Anugrah, a boy with dreams and purity in his heart, forced by the actions of others to turn to the other side and turn evil. Pratik’s idea of showing the entire arc of a good guy turning bad was nicely penned and I liked that the transformation was explored in detail. Another aspect of the book that stands out was the science and how he weaves it into the entire plot of the book. The aspect of friendship, bonds and relationships is also touched upon nicely. What did not work for me in the book was the stark contrast in the first and the second half of the book. The “Too Good” turning “Too Evil”, while ideated nicely, was not executed well in the story. Another aspect of the book that did not work for me was the rushed storytelling, vague codes that seemed like afterthoughts and storylines that did not make sense. The climax, while in line with the theme, could have been explored a bit better and with the build-up, I was expecting a bit more of content.

Overall, the book is a good attempt at mythology and science fiction which could have been treated better. The book scores a 3.75/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.