The Blurb:
A small princely state in Rajasthan is the last bastion of
resistance against the might of the British Empire. While unrest surrounding
the sudden death of the king of Devangarh grows, young prince Rudra Pratap Chauhan
prepares to ascend the throne.
But the kingdom is in turmoil. The Devangarh army is
outnumbered and the British forces are closing in. To make matters worse, Rudra
discovers the king’s death may not have been accidental after all. The strange
appearance and disappearance of a mysterious hooded stranger and a series of
ritualistic murders in which the bodies have been drained of blood, spread
panic across the realm.
As Rudra struggles to manage his new responsibilities and
investigate his father’s death, dark secrets will be uncovered that will
disrupt life as he knows it.
The Book:
The moment my kiddo looked at the cover, he asked me if I
was reading a ghost story. I smiled and told him that yes it's kind of that. He
innocently told me not to read it before bed or I would have nightmares.
Believe me, I gave it a thought as I read the first few pages.
The book along with mysterious creatures has a little of British
rulers and the Rajput’s. There is one section where the characters discuss
about Bharat being ruled by individual kings in different regions and the Englishmen
being just British. I honestly think that this was the major reason of our
country - despite being filled with brave and smart rulers, was ruled by someone
else. They got it right - divide and rule. And they did it for over a century.
So, there are a few learning here and there in the book about Good VS evil and
a little history of India.
I Liked:
1. The Beginning: The prologue is so well written and truly
sets the mood of reader. The very first pages was the reason I built up high
expectations from the book.
2. Fantasy told simple: The language and flow of writing is
very simple and can be easily understood by new readers as well.
I did not like:
1. Slow Pace: While the prologue set high expectations, I
was disappointed from the first half of the book. Initially I kept my patience
and waited for the actual plot to take shape, but then, half of the book had
passed!
2. Confusing: While nothing much happened in the first half,
the second half had too many revelations and back to back unfolding of various
mysteries. For me, at many times, there was too much to divulge into and I lost
track or to say it better, not able to grasp it all a few times - specially the
end.
I enjoyed reading about the mythological era - and I do not
care to find out if its perfection or true as per mythology. The last chapter
was icing on cake - I was laughing and I am not sure if I found it funny or
amusing, but yes, I liked that part.
At the end, I had mixed feelings towards the book. I liked
it and at the same time, I did not like it enough. So, for me, it was an
average read.
The book is available at amazon from below links:
