BOOK REVIEW: THE LAST WIDOW

Picture credits – Devina Chakraverty

AUTHOR -KARIN SLAUGHTER

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (5 August 2019)
• Language: English

Let me just ask you one thing before starting the review, are you comfortable? Laid back and feeling sleepy?

Because Karin slaughter this time made it sure that you are on a high speed roller coaster without any brakes and you can be thrown out immediately without further ado! Yes such is the adrenaline rush of this book and it will make you every ounce of a spy. Who does not like that? I do. I did. I enjoyed every page of it being in the investigator’s shoes. And to every Will Trent fan out there, this is a treat to your hearts, (9^th book in Will Trent series, though it is enjoyable as a standalone too)

A little sneak peak won’t hurt ,right?

Dr. Michelle could never in his wild dreams imagine that the abductors wanted him. The doctor is kidnapped and vanished into thin air. While the authorities try their hard luck in finding the doctor, the book moves one month forward to a mysterious bombing followed by car crash and then another bombing. Whoa! Too much you think? Buckle up your seat belts cause here comes the taste of dark, supremacy mixed with the abduction of Sara(who is also a medical examiner).Will is nothing without Sara and he will do anything to bring her back. In the quest of unearthing some deepest secrets, Karin in her favorite writing style takes us through alleys of dark, mysterious and devillious basements of terrorism,government,white supremacy and pedophilia.

Moving onto more technical details

1. Powerful, relevant story plot. Does everything to curb your anticipation and the thriller hungry person in you.
2. The book is a standalone so if you had not read the previous 8 books of the Will Trent series, Karin gets you covered.
3. The story moves in normal speed, neither too slow nor too fast touching each point in greater details.  I liked it to be honest, maybe so much detailing can bore someone, but very rare possibilities.
4. The book had been written in third person who gives a quite good insight on how the readers take it. For me the two parts of the book with Will and Sara were equally enthralling.
5. I really like Karin slaughter for going inside the mind of each character and analyse their theories. Someday, maybe someday I can write at least 1% of how she writes.

The “THE LAST WIDOW” came out three years after the last book of the series and it was worth the wait. Reading the book gives a satisfaction, fulfillment but you feel hungrier for the mystery and thrill. This book has been in my tbr for long, so much anticipation and Karin made sure she did everything perfectly. I will recommend everyone to read this book, no worries if you have not read the last 8 installations, after reading this you will make sure that you read every book. Such is the magic here!

Thank you Harper Collins for sending out this wonderful copy in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to DEVINA CHAKRAVERTY for helping me out with the picture and the review of the book.

Book Review: That Thing About You

Author – Abhaidev.

Published by Write India Publishers.

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❇️I picked up this book after some of my friends suggested it The Cover looks like every romance story out on the shelves, so did I think. But rumbling 20 pages down, I understood this book has a different plot, something we do not read often. If you are a person who judges a book by its cover, then get ready to break your perception cause it is everything but a cliché romance novel. It’s the type of love our teacher once told us about – philosophical, spiritual.

How often do we go looking for the answers that bind us?How often do we look into the mirror and trace the lining of our heart, protecting it but also telling it the harsh truth?

IT employee Subodh has been looking for them everywhere. Hr is the centre of jokes, everyone in office thinks him to be immature, so his crush too! Subodh embarks on a journey of self discovery, finding meaning in tough times,the destiny triumph and most importantly love.

The author focuses only on Subodh so it would not be wrong to say that the other characters had a miss and make you wonder. You will be hooked till the end with the pace going smooth, lagging at the middle but 2-3 pages won’t count trust me, cause the ending is so surreal, so satisfying you will hug me after the quarantine gets over! Did I say a bit too much? GO READ IT NOW!

*Also in search of hugs to get over this lockdown.

Book Review : A Drop Of You

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AUTHOR – KRISHNA CHHETRI

• Paperback: 288 pages

• Publisher: Quignog (1 June 2019)

• Language: English

• ISBN-10: 9387004163

• ISBN-13: 978-9387004160

BLURB

We become overtly colourless when our hearts aren’t together; only when a soul finds its body, they sing and dance together to the colours of life.Three closely knit people, Karma, Diana & Ghazal meet at the crossroads of life, unaware of the cosmic conspiracy and its comical destiny. Heart is their road, love is their journey and the soul, the final destination. Sailing on the tides of emotions, they encounter deceit, with a tinge of poison and drop of bliss.Forever love; it is a myth? Or a reality? Is it stifling pain or undying love, that makes love eternal? Come, let us explore!

MY TAKE

The story revolves around three characters Karma, Diana and Ghazal who depicts the society, the soul and the inter clashes that goes on between mind and heart.This is a refreshing read on romance and is adorned with beautiful poems,shayaris and funny anecdotes of life. The emotional quotient binds you to the last page so as the deep detailing of the characters.

Author has put efforts in making the story as relatable as possible mixed with love, treachery, bliss,emotions,indifference-in short all the flavors of life.Special mention to the author for choosing the names as if a metaphor of character.

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Only part that caught me back in the book is how the editing has been done. The constant use of “I said”, “he said” and use of too many simple lines made it difficult to follow through. A thorough proof reading and intensive editing should have been done.

The overemphasized phrasing makes it a tedious read.

Overlooking this, I can surely give you assurance to buy this book and let your heart a rest.

Book review: Beyond Lies

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Book name : Beyond Lies.Author-Alka Dimri SaklaniRead hours – 4 hours 45 mins..My one minute review 📖Raw, chilling. The thrills grips you so hard that it gets impossible to leave the book.The characterisation is done with great care, you actually play the book as a motion picture in your mind. So great the story telling is.I read such great thriller after months and this has to be in your tbr list.The thrill factor is definitely the best thing in the last part of the book.

BOOK REVIEW :LOVE On THE EVEREST

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Book name : Love on the ✨Everest Author : Deepthi Ayyagari
✨Genre- Romantic ✨My 30 sec take
The book is a mushy romantic tale set on the backdrop of Everest.
The author takes you on a motion picture description of the nature and the character.
A short read of just 45 mins, this book portrays the true love in a satisfying way. It is a fast paced story, the author used her writing prowess to let the magic flow.
If you are choosing this book trust me, this story can never go wrong anytime of the day.

Rating – 5/5

BOOK REVIEW: WILD WORLD BY DEEPAK ARORA

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A cute short story about the growing issues of human population taking over the wild world. The book is a humorical take on the pressing matters filled with illustrations that make it easy for its target readers to get awareness along with fun illustrations.The humour factor of the story is very evident and makes up for a good read for all age group alike. The ease of the story flow is another plus point. I absolutely loved the personification of the wild animals and retelling their stories.A good overall read for children and all age group alike, definitely will recommend everyone to go buy this for yourself, the kids in the house or wrap it up for secret santa.Nothing better than this.

Small is big: Rafaa Dalvi

Small is Big by Rafaa Dalvi

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Small is Big is the third volume of the series with the same name with a final collection of 100 microtales. Rafaa Dalvi did a commendable job in making this volume as varied as possible with myriad shades of life put together in one-be it thriller,love, social issues,dark ,fantasies,-you name it,this book has it.

The read time is around 40 minutes.cause it’s a fast paced one where his writing keeps your interest intact.the unconventional bunch of reading will give you a break from the monotonous pieces of genres. I am going to preserve this cause every time I get tired,this book will come handy.

The writing style is sometimes childish,but out of 100 microtales,they all equalise the hindrance. This book is a must read for writers and amateurs who are struggling with words and need a base to kick off their stories.

Rating- 5/5

The GIRL WITH BLUE EYES

The GIRL WITH BLUE EYEES is a modern age romantic thriller that challenges your bookbud to delve deeper into the pages.Coming, to the review part of this, it was a slow read for me, it took me more than 10 days to gain interest in this book. but if you are beginner, this book is definitely gonna impress you.The cover design is attracting (kudos to the designer),it infact was my first reason to buy this book.Coming to the writing part the author has done a great job as it was a breath of fresh air from the cliché Indian writers. The book proceeds as a slow romantic read and then goes onto become a thriller which the author did his best to pull off!Characterizations are well thought, so is their background. In some places the story lost the pace but it will pick up your interest very soon.Overall for a beginner, I will highly recommend this book.

BOOK REVIEW : ONE STEP SHORTER TO THE MOON

Have you been in foundation course from  class 8? After 10th boards  how many entrance exams of coaching centres you gave? Was it a tough choice choosing which board you want to leap in class 12?

Author- Pratik Shelke

Publishers-Pengo Publications India.

Published on -25 June 2019

Book length-256

ISBN-10    8193225325

ISBN-13    978-8193225325

Best Sellers Rank-8027

BLURB FOR YOU ALL TO GO THROUGH

Eight months ago I was fighting to get into my dream college. Six months ago I was thinking of taking my baba to France. Four months ago I was dreaming of marrying this girl. Two months ago I was heading to achieve all of the above. And today I am praying to die. While determinedly chasing his ultimate dream, Pratik Shinde falls in love with a girl named Sachi Mehta. Falling in love is considered insane for an IIT aspirant. Yet, the former valedictorian manages both: his studies, and what he believes to be his love life. Success seems to be achievable with hard work. Life seems to be beautiful with love. But gradually, the real world clears off the fog from his spectacles. Inspired by a true suicide attempt. This extraordinary tale of an Indian student is a product of author s own experiences, research and discussions with IITians, and stories of his deserving yet unsuccessful friends. Stories which they could never say out loud…

MY TAKE

“One step short to the moon” retraces the path of determination ,struggle ,friendships , love and all other turmoil that students face during the so famous “IIT Preparation”. The story is set on a strong backdrop with Pratik himself as the protagonist. The book answers all your questions. A story of a typical topper who has lead-strong determination and will power and handles his crush and love life in balance ,this one is an amazing read. But are all IIT struggles end in happy parents? Top institutes? And easy life? NO.

The main reason I picked up this book is for the tittle that attracted me towards it. “IIT VS LOVE” 

This has to be the best thing to attract the readers and brownie points to the author for thinking such creative title.

Moving onto next ,this I bet is the first time I read the acknowledgement part in the book. Kudos to Pratik for personifying the acknowledgement and giving us a break from “ahh-so old” kind of boring formats.

Moving into more technical stuffs, the plot as I mentioned is a strong one as very less ponder upon this topic . The writing style could have been improved a little bit by better rephrasing the sentences. For a beginner this book will be a easy read, but for those who are advanced readers they might feel a lag in the story line at times, unnecessary descriptions in times.

The pace picked up after 7th  chapter. Till then it was a sweet dessert. Keep up your attention till that and then let the writing weave its Magic. Conclusion was bang on. It left me shattered. So many questions in mind and so little answers. Read for yourselves  and find the answers. I am dropping here the author’s id so that you all can be more interactive and relate to the story. 

Remember it’s the readers who make the author’s book a success. So go on, buy the book and share your views with me  and let the author know. 

The story deals with real life suicide attempt and very truly captures the mind of every JEE aspirants. Countless sacrifices of personal happiness, fighting expectations each day and at the end of the day facing yourself-this story is a mirror of Indian students.

KNOW THE AUTHOR

Pratik Shelke is a struggling mechanical engineering student and a passionate part-time writer. He is presently living in Pune with seemingly impossible dreams, Emma Watson and some more imaginary characters. Apart from bunking lectures, daydreaming, and glancing at pretty girls, Pratik likes to be a cicerone through his life experiences. His mentees include high school students, JEE aspirants, engineering undergrads, serious writers, failures, lovers, start-up enthusiasts, and square pegs in round holes. Pratik dedicates this novel to IIT aspirants, as well as, to everyone who gave their best and yet couldn t achieve their dream…

Connect with the author here

Find him on Quora

Double tap on Instagram

BOOK REVIEW :NINE BY SWETA SAMOTA

Name – Nine

Author – Sweta Samota

• Publication date: 25 Nov 2018
• Language: English
• ASIN: B07KWDLLZG
• Amazon.in Sales Rank: 906

The book has mixed takes. So I will first let you go through the blurb.

Background taken from Pinterest.

🌈BLURB

All was going well for Ila, solving puzzles, gambling small things, defying Dad’s warning to not solve puzzles for strangers, until her photo is flashed in the media as the national puzzle champion. And then her world gets toppled upside down when she gets to know she is being hunted. She finds something shocking from the history of India and in one moment, everything changes. Betrayed multiple times, trusting anyone is no more in her nature. And falling in love is out of question.

Now, Ila has a chance – to become a part of something she has never thought of.

Nine is one such journey that will have you biting your nails or gasping for breath but one that you cannot abandon till all the pieces of the jigsaw fall in place.

MY REVIEW 🌈

I chose the book other readingthe blurb and seeing the reviews.

If it did meet the expectations or not, I will tell that later.🌻🌞

The cover design was very apt and very pretty. It matched the climax of the story.

Author’s narration is smooth. I really liked how the first half of the book sailed.

She kept me hooked up till the first part

But then what changed was the context of the story.

I personally felt detached from the story as soon as the reference of RSS came. I found the second part more as a biography of RSS and its leader.

Also bringing Narendra Modi in the story was out of context.

I read every page trying to find a logic. The way the author has portrayed him as Ashoka’s one of Nine Unknown is totally unnecessary.

The author has compared Modi ji with Swami Vivekananda and others which does not make any sense.

The romance part of the story was nicely written. How Ila amd Aryan’s love story ended was heart breaking but I really want to know more about them.

One in all a One Time read.

Do I recommend it?

Do I recommend it?

Not so much.

If you want to know RSS’ full history, go for it.