Wonder, by R. J. Palacio - Review

Wonder, by RJ Palacio

(Amazon, Flipkart)

I don’t remember when I first read this book. All I remember is reading it again and again, at least five to six times each year, and sometimes rereading the book back-to-back and never getting bored. It was another one of those books my father asked me to read hoping to improve my reading habits. As much as I hate to say this, parents do know best (sometimes) which can clearly be seen by my obsessive reading of ‘Wonder’. It hadn’t seemed like my type of book at the start specifically because it sounded a little sad, and knowing how emotional I can get at times, I tend to stay away from such books. 

Harry Potter Series - Review

Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling

(Amazon IN)

My earliest memories of Harry Potter are from when I was around six. My father would read me one chapter of the book every day at night with me cuddled up in the blankets, hanging on to every word. This way, the two of us went though the first three books of the series, and soon after he decided to show me the movies. The movies resulted in a whole lot of nightmares after which I would try to wiggle my way in-between my parents when the nightmares got too bad, Voldemort's pale face burned in the back of my head. 

The Harry Potter series written by J.K Rowling revolves around a world where unbeknownst to humans, popularly called muggles in the book, a world of magic with actual wizards and witches exists. Harry Potter is an eleven year old boy who has lived with his aunt and uncle and their son Dudley for as long as he can remember, as his parents had died in a "car accident". His aunt and uncle truly despise him and their son doesn't leave any opportunity to make Harry's life miserable. A few weeks before his eleventh birthday, he starts receiving letters with a peculiar red stamp that seem to leave his aunt and uncle so shaken that his uncle drags him to different places to stave off the sender of the letters, but to no avail. However, on the eve of his eleventh birthday, a humongous man barges into Harry's life and shatters his reality by telling him that he in fact is a wizard, a very famous one at that. Both this parents were wizards as well but were killed by an evil, dark wizard called Voldemort. The curious fact being that when Voldemort tried killing Harry, he was unable to and that very night lost is powers. 

The Hospital

The smell. The smell. Make it go away. Please. The whole world was full of white, green and blue. She struggled to get up but was immediately pushed down. Pipes and wires were taped to her and her body seemed to ache as if someone had smashed it with a hammer. Particularly her legs. She couldn’t feel them. Strange. The previous day they’d been just fine. Wait. She thought hard. The previous day seemed like a dream. Surprisingly she couldn’t remember it. 

Operation Jinnah, by Shiv Aroor

Operation Jinnah, by Shiv Aroor

A girl is kidnapped in Pahalgam, Kashmir, her two friends shot dead. This kidnapping would have been no different from others, had it not been for the girl - Varuna Rana, the daughter of the famously infamous Admiral Nirbhay Rana. Whispers of his name had surfaced when people talked about a mission from the past which was shrouded in a cloak of secrecy so thick that it had become more of an urban legend or myth. When his daughter goes missing, and a ghost from his past comes to haunt him, Admiral Rana must assemble the same team that helped him on a mission seven years ago in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, this time with his daughter and the reputation of his beloved motherland, India, at stake. With less than nine hours to deliver, the whole team – Lieutenant Commander Akeela Thomas, Lt. Vikramaditya Singh and Lt. Saraswati Subramaniam, dive into a mission with no way out. Will they succeed, and save the face of India, and more importantly, will they come back alive?

Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta review

Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta (Ram Chandra Series - Book 3)

Paperback, Kindle e-book, Audiobook

So, after reading and reviewing both of Amish’s previous books, I have decided to do so for the third book as well. I expected a lot from it, and it gave that and a lot more. This, in my opinion, is by far the best amongst the three. What I liked about it best are the plot twists, which are numerous and quite unexpected at that. Before I go into my experience about it, I would like to give you a short summary of the story, as this is about Raavan’s past, something not most of you will be familiar with.
The story does have elements of the author’s creativity, but the approach is very different and takes a shot at justifying the cruel behaviour of Ravana.

Raavan, the eldest son of Rishi Vishrava and his first wife Kaikesi, was perfect at everything he did, except one thing - compassion. With ups come the downs, and this was Raavan’s - compassion. Despite being the best, he was never actually loved by his father, but instead was an embarrassment. All because he was a naga. A naga was a being who had outgrowths which would continuously hurt, and sometimes bleed, and if not treated, could lead to death. Raavan had an outgrowth at his navel, and Rishi Vishrava blamed this on Kaikesi, saying that he was paying for her bad karma. On Kumbhakarana’s birth, when Rishi Vishrava realised that the baby was a naga too, he sent a woman to go and kill the baby. However, Raavan along with the help of his maternal uncle Mareecha, escaped with Kaikeyi and Kumbhakarana to start a new life. Equipped with his ruthlessness and skill, he sets about to build a trading guild like never before. Everything seems to be going perfectly for Raavan the pirate king, until the death of a loved one finally pushed him over the edge, into this darkness that he couldn't seem to get out of. As the darkness engulfs him, he slowly starts to plot the end of the Aryavartas. He would steal everything from them the way they stole the one person dearest to his heart.

Draupadi: The Tale of an Empress, by Saiswaroopa Iyer

Draupadi: The Tale of an Empress, by Saiswaroopa Iyer

Amazon IN, Kindle IN

Here I am, yet again with a review of a book written by Saiswaroopa Iyer, and like her other books, this book is written to inspire. Picking another woman who remained strong through the roughest of times, she presents to us her latest book, ‘Draupadi: The Tale of an Empress’, and as the name suggests, it takes you through the life of Draupadi, the princess of Panchala. Almost everyone will know the story of Draupadi from the Mahabharata; the wife to all five of the Pandava brothers. There are many questions about Draupadi that have remained unanswered in the Mahabharata - like why she would ever consider entering into a polyandrous wedlock of her own will, or how her relationship with the Pandavas was after the game of dice. A book narrating a commonly heard story isn’t unique and wouldn’t draw much attention.

So, what makes this book so special? For starters, it’s the author’s creativity and her ability to describe all the emotions Draupadi felt with extreme ease that you connect with her very well. Secondly, some of the accounts of events are different, and when I say different, I mean that they are almost the exact opposite of what I’ve heard. I would like the readers to remember that this is a fictional retelling of the story of Draupadi and therefore it has different accounts of some parts of the story. Amongst all the different versions, none are untrue and are just different interpretations of the story. However, these tweaked versions were actually fascinating and did explain some of the actions taken by Draupadi. One also wonders how the empress must have taken the near impossible decisions she did, and Saiswaroopa Iyer has managed to envision Draupadi perfectly, and hence, imagine what Krishnaa, mind you Krishnaa, not Krishna, was feeling to perfection.

I quite liked the book and it was a pleasant read. If you want to try another one of Saiswaroopa Iyer’s books after this one, I would recommend ‘Avishi: Vishpala of Rig Veda Reimagined’.





© 2019, Anvita Agarwal. All rights reserved.

Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior - Book 1, by Chris Bradford

Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior - Book 1, by Chris Bradford

Kindle IN, Audible IN

I started this series at a time when I was despairing over what I would read next. My ever-knowledgeable librarian, Pratap uncle, knew just what to give me. He handed me the first book in this series saying I should definitely read it. The author of these books is Chris Bradford. This was the first series which I have come across, where they talk in detail about the fighting arts of Japan. The first three books talk about the fighting arts of the samurai and the other five books are about the fighting arts of the ninja. The plot of the first three books, as I have only read those many, talks about a boy named Jack Fletcher, who is shipwrecked when he is on his way from England to Nagasaki with his father. He lands in Osaka with all the crew on the ship dead, killed by ninjas, including his father. He has to adapt to the way of the Japanese and also protect the navigational logbook called the rutter, his father’s most prized possession. It was the key which would guide him back to England. Unfortunately, the knowledge of the rutter has spread far and wide and has attracted unwanted attention. He is then adopted by a samurai warlord, Masamoto Takeshi and sent to a school to learn the art of being a samurai. He has to fight for his life, as a dangerous assassin and an angry fellow student are out for him, and are ready to do whatever it takes to kill him.

I liked this series because it was very well researched. The author gave proper Japanese terms and also has given a glossary at the end of the book. The different fighting arts have been explained very well, helping the reader understand what exactly was happening in the book. Most of the series and books I have read, have portrayed the protagonists to be near perfect. This series was different, as it showed all the flaws in the character and taught us an important lesson. You cannot eliminate your flaws if you do not try to or don’t work hard enough. A ninth book is coming out in 2019.




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© 2018, Anvita Agarwal. All rights reserved.

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

Amazon IN, Audible IN

I decided to read this series quite on accident. One of my mother’s friend had given us some books. One of the books included the fourth book in the Maze Rubber series. This gave me the perfect opportunity to start reading this series. There are five books in all, the first three being the main books, and the other two being prequels. My favourite books were the first one – The Maze Runner, and the last one – The Fever Code. The main books talk about a boy named Thomas who remembers nothing except his name. He wakes up to find himself with a bunch of boys, all who are like him, stranded in a maze with nothing except their name. The boys call the place the glade and themselves Gladers. Every month, a new person is introduced into the Glade, and this time it is Thomas. After Thomas arrives, the next day, another person is put in, and it is the first girl in the whole group. There are openings in the Glade and hey close every night. This keeps monsters called Grievers out of the living residence. The doors in the Glade stop closing and that the Grievers outside can get to them. Thomas and his friends figure out that a group called WICKED have trapped them in the maze and they manage to escape, but WICKED isn’t done with them yet. They put the Gladers into many other tasks in order to obtain a cure for a disease which has taken over the population of the world and is driving people to madness. They will not stop until they find a cure, even if that means that many lives will be taken. Will Thomas and his friends escape before WICKED’s experiments claim yet more lives, and this time, perhaps theirs?

I fell in love with this series after reading the blurb. It sounded gripping, much like a thriller, a genre of books I particularly enjoy. The author, James Dashner, managed to keep up the suspense, and when you read the fifth book, you are surprised to find the whole truth, as the main books leave a lot of unanswered questions which the fifth book answers. I would recommend the series for ages 13 above, because the books have a few gruesome deaths which can be disturbing to read.




© 2018, Anvita Agarwal. All rights reserved.

City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments), by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments), by Cassandra Clare

Amazon IN

Mortal Instruments: In the seventh grade, I wanted to read this series, but my librarian said that I was too young for it. In the eighth grade, I started reading it (I do not know what one year of time can do to a kid which makes them suitable to do tasks which they were not allowed to do before). This series is written by Cassandra Clare. The whole series talks about a different world from the human one, where werewolves, vampires, wizards, etc. all exist, but are much different from what you imagine. They are commonly referred to as Downworlders. Topping them all are Shadowhunters, a race of warriors who have sworn to protect the humans and the Downworlders from demons. The main protagonist is a sixteen-year-old girl named Clary Fray, who is told she is a a Shadowhunter in the first book. The series has two main antagonists, one is Valentine and the other is Sebastian, both who I am not going to tell you about because they are spoilers. All I can tell you is that they are two power-hungry maniacs, one who wants to wipe out all the Downworlders and the other who wants to wipe out all shadowhunters. Clary along with her friends have to stop these two villains before they wipe out an entire species.

It was the first series which I have read, where there was some serious romance between the characters (I skipped those bits. Too soppy for my tastes). This made it different, because before reading a page, I had to skim over it, fearfully, hoping there weren’t any nasty surprises.




© 2018, Anvita Agarwal. All rights reserved.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon

Amazon IN, Kindle IN, Audible IN,

The curious incident of the dog in the night-time: My father really wanted me to read it, saying that it was very well-written. He was right as usual. The book is one of my favorites and is so different, unique. The narrator of the book is a fifteen-year-old boy named Christopher Boone who has some behavioral issues and is an introvert. One of Christopher’s talents is his ability to excel at Math and Physics. However, due to his behavorial issues, he can’t read others’ emotions at all and that makes it hard for him to communicate with people. One day, he sees his neighbor’s dog being murdered and is determined to solve the mystery. On the way, he finds out the truth about a lot of things which had been left unexplained or lied about to him.

Mark Haddon has truly made this book stand out. One thing that catches your eye is the fact that the chapter numbers are not consecutive numbers but are prime numbers. The style of writing is very simple and allows you to explore the mind of young Christopher Boone. Every step taken by Christopher is explained and sounds sensible from his perspective. More than the solving of a mystery, it is more of Christopher’s way of solving the problems in life. It gives you a different perspective from which you can look at a problem - a somewhat simpler one.



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© 2018, Anvita Agarwal. All rights reserved.