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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Her Resurrection by Soumyadeep Koley

About The Author:
Soumyadeep Koley is a graduate with Chemitry Honours and currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Psychology. Read more about him and his work at his Good reads profile.

The Blurb:
What is it like to be an unwanted girl-child in India? What is it like to be sexually harassed at a tender age of five? After being tricked and forced into prostitution, can such a woman fight back to emancipate herself from the unyielding shackles of that life, and intermingle with the ‘society?’ Or would she get lost in the sands of time like the ephemeral existence of a sand dune beset by a sandstorm?
So begins Maya’s story in the picturesque countryside of Maharashtra, where she grows up amidst cruelty and domestic violence, being an unwanted girl-child. Yet, like a lonesome beacon beset by sinister wilderness, she pursues her dreams of reaching the stars with her tiny wings. One night, a twist of fate triggers a series of incidents, when she loses everything she had—even her virginity.
Severely traumatized after her father’s death, her mother’s imprisonment, and her own gang-rape, Maya finds herself all alone in the streets of Mumbai, with wolves lurking around for raw flesh. She’s weary, but not wary. She has no sense of the fate that awaits her. What follows, would change her life forever, as also yours, as her heart wrenching, yet inspiring story echoes through time.
Inspired by true stories of survivors and real life events, ‘Her Resurrection’ bravely paints an appalling picture of the society. Heartbreaking, hopeful and immensely healing at the same time, this emotional roller-coaster through dreams, tragedy and triumph is a moving tribute to womankind. Are you ready to embark on a transformational journey with Maya?

The Cover:
The cover page is very colourful and has done full justice to the plot. I would definitely pick it up atleast once if I see it in a bookshelf. 

About The Book:
 It's unfortunate and sad for any part of the world to have a fact that 'we have to fight for the rights of a girl child'. It's actually sad to fight for rights of any child irrespective of it's gender. The book takes the reader to a depressing but real world of cruel fate and tearful facts.
Her Resurrection took me straight inside the heart of a an innocent child, a mother, a teenager, a victim, a survivor and the Winner

Imagine a child telling her dream - "...I want to go to school and speak English like Gavaskar".

I was all smiles on reading this.  Its was such an innocent yet realistic dream. A dream which subsequently led Maya to dream more.

The story is so tragic and Maya is constantly failing with her luck. Yet the human nature to wish and  pray for better is very well visible in the story line.

What I Liked About The Book:
1.    The End: though some parts of book were predictable, yet I so loved the end. It was well constructed and beautifully written.
2.    The little dreams: The small dreams in the eyes of different characters were so real. Dream to speak English, dream to buy a SLR camera, the dream to own a Camera etc.

What I Did Not Like:
Only flaw I found was that some parts were just left behind without any conclusion. For example the so called court case and something which Maya's mother wanted to tell her someday.

Other than this, I was absolutely glued to the book till end.


 There were few gems which can be written anywhere in bold for motivational aura and some for their candid nature:

When a man is here having sex with us, you know, somewhere in a city, a girl is saved from being raped

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

 No matter how much life gets tough, stand up, pick up all your broken pieces and move on as the best is yet to come.

 No matter what else you do, put yourself first, and love yourself more than anyone else.

It’s never too late to realize your dreams.

 If you slap a lion, will it remain silent and un-aggressive? Go and stand at the back of a horse and slap its butt. Try to tickle an alley cat and see what happens. See, nothing in nature remains silent if you constantly hurt it, unless it's created defenceless.

...all problems in life are temporary, but suicide is permanent. It can never be a solution.

...a woman is never alone. When she is born, there is born with her a veritable, indomitable warrior. Together, they see, fight and endure so much—periods, childbirth, abortion, miscarriage, eve-teasing, rape, domestic violence, social stigma, breast cancer, trafficked into prostitution, being forced to renounce her dreams… Still why do we stereotype and say that men are stronger than women?

The book can be brought via following links:
Amazon Paperback                         Amazon Kindle Edition                       Her Resurrection (English)

Note: A PDF copy was sent to be for honest review

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Secretly Yours by Vikrant Khanna

Image source
About The Author: Vikrant Khanna  is a caption with merchant Navy. He has the best seller – “Love Lasts Forver” to his credit. Head on to his website to know more about him - http://www.vikrantkhanna.com/

The Blurb:
Everyone has secrets but is hers the most shocking? Orphaned at birth, seventeen-year-old Sahil has always blamed himself for his parents' death. He has little interest in life until he meets the enigmatic Anya in a chance encounter during the Shimla fest. Soon he falls head over heels in love with her, but Anya doesn't reciprocate his feelings.
 An accident leaves him in a coma and when he wakes up he makes a startling discovery-he can read minds! Now he can find out what goes on in Anya's mind and maybe, just maybe, make her fall in love with him. But is Anya all she seems? Or is she hiding something? Deliciously plotted, full of morbid secrets and startling revelations, Secretly Yours will make you question what you see and who you trust."

The Cover:
The cover page has a beautiful girl lost in her own reflection which looks foggy. Would I pick the book from the shelf by looking at the cover? Well, may be yes. But the, wait for the complete review…

The Book:
Secretly Yours is the story of an unfortunate orphan who is in his teenage, has knowledge of music, plays guitar, loves reading and what more – Writing a book. Wait, I am not done yet. It’s also a thrilling murder mystery along with the element of supernatural power. Phew!
Yes, I book has so much to offer and to some extent, It did justice to some of the plots. I so wish, the other plots were also taken good care of.

What I liked about the Book:
1. Teenage - All of us love the time which has passed. Teenage is one of the best times of our lives. I was happy to relive some of my own teenage moments through this book.
2. Short Chapters - Chapters with the range of 5 pages are always a good pick.
3. Drugs, Self Harm – I never understand the concept of self-harm and suicides. I must refrain from stating my views on the topic especially on a public platform. The cutting of own body and delving into alcohol and drugs is depicted quite sensibly in the book from teenage point of perspective.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:
1. Poor Crime Scene Plotting - The depiction of gruesome murders could have been so much better. I have read books where a simple crime scene is written in such a way that they gave me shivers. The author chooses to write about horrible murders with an equally horrible scene explanation. I felt so unfortunate for the author. There was so much scope in those spine chilling plots. I did not think about them even once after reading.
2. Fading Thrill - The moment a murder is described, the context gets lost completely in the very next chapter. I actually waited for the next reference of the crime in true sense. This is definitely not a sign of any thriller.


There were a very few lines which did caught my attention;
"...apologies have an expiry date. If you wait long enough they lose their magic."

“Writing is about pouring your heart and soul onto a paper and feeling light after it.”



If I have to give a final opinion to the book, I would say, ”Secretly Yours does look a promising read by the cover page. The story and plot is an all-time hit. But, I would only prefer reading it on a boing flight or on my iPhone while I try to keep my eyelids open in some meaningless meeting. Go ahead and read it but do not expect any eye-popping thrilling experience.”

The book can be brought from following links:

Amazon Paperback                           Amazon Kindle Edition                                    flipkart Paperback



This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program  for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

The Soft Target by Kalyan Nanda

The Blurb:
Is God good? Or is He a manipulative villain who plays with the lives of his creations in the name of karma? As far as Mohan Mishra is concerned, God is a villain. Mohan is God's soft target, for He 'blesses' him with a strange mental problem and kills his support system when he needed it the most. The Soft Target is the story of a boy's journey into manhood, as he takes on God with his mental prowess, defeating Him at every stage, thus making God his soft target. Supported by great friends and a loving wife, Mohan fights an epic battle against the murderous society, the conniving legal system and ultimately God himself, with remarkable courage and spirit.


The Cover:
Personally, I did not like the cover. The cover image gives the book some technical image. So, for the fiction and plot, i did not find it appropriate.

The Book:
The very first thought which came to my mind once the main three characters were introduces was "another 5 point someone" or 'three idiots"! But to my pleasant surprise, the story and narration did not go in that direction.

The language used is quite simple yet attractive. Author has been successful in keeping the reader glued to the story till the end. The end - Yes, It was the only part which was un-predictable.

What I Liked:
1. Good mix of humour and emotions: I absolutely loved the character of Brij. These must be hardly any scene with him which did not make me smile. The hate love romance was icing on cake.
2. Amazing one liners: The one liners have won over me. I absolutely loved them

What I Did Not Like:
1. Predictability: The book is so much predictable right from the beginning to the end (except the final ending) that it leaves no element of surprise for the reader. But then, it did not stop me from reading further.
2. Unnecessary explanation of emotions and situations: The author has used sentences like - "Dear reader...", to throw more light on various subjects and his own state of mind. I strongly feel this must be done without letting the reader read it.

Below are some one lines which made an entry to my notes:

Sometimes, God gives you a peek into what's going to happen to your life but you never realise it.

The worst performer I have ever seen is God.

Hope brings happiness and pushes even a man with limited resources to try harder.

Sometimes I think we carry burdens that are invented by us, sometimes they are thrust on us by others. But the trig is it's He, the man sitting above, popularly known as God, who makes us all suffer.

Success is my only mother fucking option. Failure is not.

I can select my friend but I can't select my destiny. Destiny decides my action.

Whoever said time heals everything must have led a rather cozy and painless life.

Overall, soft target is an amazing book for anyone who wants to "fell good" despite all odds in life.

The Book can be brought via following Links:
Amazon Paperback                            Amazon Kindle Edition                               Flipkart Paperback
Note: I received a PDF copy of the book for an honest review