CONFUSED!!! HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD BOOK REVIEW(non spoiler)

I am really and utterly frustrated and confused about my feelings. So I thought I would share my feelings for this book.. :)

REVIEW 11~~ HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

AUTHOR-JK ROWLING, JOHN TIFFANY AND JACK THORN

MY RATING -3.5/5

SYNOPSIS:-

The story starts 19 years after the battle of Hogwards. Albus and Scorpius (son of Harry and Draco) set off on this adventure trying to save the boy who had been killed as a spare Cedric Diggory on the 3^rd stage of the Tournament in Goblet of Fire. And to save him they have to time travel back to the past which should not have been touched. There are consequences. And you guys have to read to find out about that ;)

MY THOUGHTS:-

This book started off where the last one had ended. Harry and the gang have had their children. Albus and Scorpius are the children of Harry and Draco. We see their adventure in this book which to me was just a whimsical teenage episode.

This book has a script style writing which means it is wholly based on dialogs and we don’t find any kind of narration. Hence this book was an easy and entertaining read for me. The main emotion that pre-dominated me in this book was nostalgia. I was so attached to the harry potter series when I was young that all those emotion swept me away. As they had to time travel the characters and the plots involved in this book had left me with many pleasant memories from the earlier adventures. This book took us to the tournament which I read about in the Goblet of Fire and hence much of the earlier adventures were explored.

The most promising and attracting and satisfying thing about this book was the relation between Albus and Scorpius. They were so adorable together that I was completely ok with their friendship. Some of the lines made me cringe while I was reading but I can definitely say I enjoyed their relation that they developed during this book. I loved the little funny moments that they had and the emotional bombs left me on my seat with tears.

This book definitely did not have the impact that I thought it would have like the previous books in this series. JK Rowling has a magical style of writing that just engrosses every reader. But this book being a play by mainly Jack Thorn could not create the magic. The world building or rather the plot building and also the character building was very poor as there was no narration and only full of dialogs. I would have liked if the characters were more developed. I could have better understood why they did the things they had done in this book.

The plot was honestly dumb and was heavily concentrated on time travelling and just exploring the past occurrences. The time travelling has left many plot holes which I would have lived without knowing. Albus was portrayed as just a confused teenage boy who rebelled against his father. I could not relate to many of the characters and that had me really frustrated. One pleasant thing that happened was Drago. He had his redemption in this book. He had completely transformed into a person which I was pleasant to see. And his son Scorpius  Malfoy was by far my favorite character in this book. At some point I thought his character was too good to be true. He was this adorable, innocent, sweet little boy who could not NOT be loved. On the other hand Delphi (a certain character you will come to know) was a character I just could not accept. I mean how can she be even present in this book? How can they be her parents? A big NO NO to her character. A very BIG  NOOOOOO.

Ron, Hermione and Rose (their daughter) were mere side characters in this book. But they are so much more than that. Hermione is so witty and logical and Ron was so courageous and helpful in the past books. But they lost their characters in this book. They acted completely out of their characters. Ron was there only to give a comical relief which was very disappointing.

Though this book was very disappointing but I had to read it and it also left me with nostalgia which was really sweet and satisfying. So I would recommend this book to those who will go into it without any kind of expectation of having an epic adventure because you won’t get one. But it will leave you with sweet memories and pure nostalgia. 

OMG!! INTIMIDATING TBR TAG!!

Its my intimidating tbr tag: 

Finally i have done it 

The questions in this tag are:

1. A book on your TBR pile that you haven't finished

2. A book you just haven't had the time to read for

3. A book you haven't read because it's a sequel 

4. A book you haven't read because it's brand new

5. A book by and author you read previously but didn't really like

6. A book on your TBR pile that your just not in the mood to read

7. A book on your TBR pile that you haven't read because it's enormous 

8. A book on your TBR you bought because of the cover but got bad reviews

9. The book on your TBR you find the most intimidating 

10. Who do you tag?

REVIEW 10~~ 6 DEGREES - GAME OF BLOGS

6 DEGREES-GAME OF BLOGS

AUTHOR-MULTIPLE

MY RATING- 3.75/5

This books is very interesting i must say.

It is a collaborative effort of numerous bloggers who came together in a competition named as "GAME OF BLOGS". Each group had 8 to 10 members. After  the competition three groups emerged as the winners.

This book is the  concoction of three stories which emerged from these three groups. The most interesting part is that all the stories have different plots but  same set of characters. A family consisting of a father Sekhar,the mother Tara and their daughter Roohi. Other two characters are Cyrus,a law student and Jeniffer. The first story is a science fiction which has aliens and outer space and revelations and awesomeness. The second story is a murder mystery- a crime thriller. This story send chills down my spine. It had an eerie atmosphere to it. The third story is all about life and fighting with your worst nightmares. It is also about friendship and love.

The three stories in this book are:

1.Awakening

2.Entangled

3.Missing-A journey within

MY THOUGHTS:

I thought that all the stories were completely different from one another though all of them had the same characters. It was so refreshing to read such a innovative book.

The first story was really making me question about numerous things which we though was normal. Had the Bermuda Triangle been created by aliens a long time ago? The science fiction component was so beautifully spun around the normal day to day life of a family was really something i enjoyed as a reader.The story opens to a loving family who gets a request from  a friend to keep a law student in their house.Then one day their neighbour sees an alien entity in front of their house. The law student takes a special interest in Tara,the mother. What will happen to the family? And what is the fate of this crumbling Earth? The story unfurls and creates this magical and adventurous tale of aliens and outer space.

The second story was my personal favourite. The story starts with a loving family where the mother is very busy. The little girl Roohi falls down from a tree one day and Cyrus brings her back to her house. Tara at the same time meets Jennifer while in a cafe and hearing her daughter Roohi is injured comes rushing back. They all meet in the house. The light suddenly goes off and comes back in a second. But what happens after that is unimaginable. The maid servant Naina is found dead which a knife on her back and in a pool of blood. Who murdered her?  It was so eerie and creepy it felt like Halloween to me. By the very end of the story I felt it resembled the horror movies.The story had many twists and turns that kept me up on my toes. The poems in this story gave a lyrical touch to the story and the part that scared me the most were the poems from the murderer's perspective. Among all the drama and the suspense there bits and pieces of comical relieve. The police Mr.Java was really funny. That kept me from going haywire while reading all the blood curdling feeling that i was getting while reading this story.

The third story is of two missing persons whose life intertwine and separate. The little girl Roohi is missing and her parent are thrown in a fit. They frantically search for their little daughter. This story showed many emotions and feelings. It talked about sexual orientation and how it is not accepted so easily. It deals with mental illness and how two people deal with it in two different ways. It also talks about rape and how it affects a person so deeply and in a frightening way. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the story of the individual characters but it felt a little weak when it intertwined between the two characters who were missing. The ending was beautiful and i was happy with the ending.

Overall i really enjoyed this book. I got more than what i had expected. I can surely recommend this book to everyone who want to read something fresh and innovative.

And i also love this cover very much.

  

Booktube newbie tag||Indian

Beacuse i am new to booktube i did a booktube newbie tag :)

Hope everyone loves it

REVIEW 9~~ A COURT OF MIST AND FURY

A COURT OF MIST AND FURY

AUTHOR- SARAH J. MAAS

MY RATING-5/5(more like 5 million)

“To the people who look at the stars and wish, Rhys."Rhys clinked his glass against mine. “To the stars who listen— and the dreams that are answered.” 

SYNOPSIS:(from goodreads)(edited a little to avoid spoilers)

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. She  can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

MY THOUGHTS:

Rhysand! Rhysand! Rhysand!

Holy shit this book was one of my favourites so far in 2016.

This book had me on the edge of my seats. It had so many ups and downs. My emotions were all over the place. The story started off where it ended in the last book which is a court of thorns and roses. This book was much more complex and rich in its characters and its world building. It compensated for the little loopholes that was present in the last book. I could feel a strong connection to all that happened in the last book but everything was new at the same time. We got to see things from a new perspective that we had not thought of in the first book. Even the characters have taken a whole new turn. All that we thought was right in the first book was all wrong and all that we thought was wrong turned out to be the best. The story intertwined so much more beautifully than I was expecting it to be. 

World building:

The world building was one of the best. The first book could not tell us about the faeire world that much but everything was compensated more than enough in this book. I was very much confused about the world and that made me a little uncomfortable but this book gave a vast explanation of the world. It was so rich and complex and I loved the world and wanted to be a part of it as well. The night court was explored in its every corner. We even got to visit the summer court and also certain other places. We got the image of the human lands as well where the queens ruled. We got to know about the land of Hybern which was only mentioned about earlier. All in all the world building was far more superior to that of the first book of this trilogy. 

Characters:

Ok so this is my favorite part!!

We have all the characters from the last book plus some more kickass amazing characters. The characters are so much more intertwined and we can see all of their development together. At the end of this book I was thinking the difference the characters had from the last book. It was humongous.

First of all I would like to talk about feyre. In the first book she was weak and submissive. She was a huntress but I could not see that much of strength to her character until the very end. She was strong but not as much.  She liked to paint and thought if she could marry someone rich she would paint all her life. She was to some extent pathetic. In this installment however she took a one eighty degree turn and she became so much more kickass yet feminine as Sarah J Maas likes to do with her characters. She still loved to paint but she was much more than that. In the beginning she was seen to be tortured by her own thoughts about what she had done in the last book. She was shattered and broken. So much so that she was nothing but a hollow empty entity. She could not eat or sleep waking up each night from the horrific dreams and wrench her gut out vomiting in the bathroom.And I completely understood why that happened. But later on she was such a strong character. She was in complete control of her emotions. She was so much more kickass- bold and courageous that even I fell in love with her. Yet she loved her family and loyal to the one she loved. We can see her self sacrifice character so much in this book especially at the end that I kept crying and hoped for the next installment so much to see her having a happily ever after because she deserved that.

Tamlin was kind of my favourite in the first book but he had a demotion so much so that I hated him at the end of this book. Whatever I thought about him was so wrong. He was so miserable in this book that I wanted to put a knife through him myself if he existed. He was so much self centered, careless, jealous, and obsessed. I could not think about the other side of the coin prior to reading about the past happenings that he did. But he was sickening at the end.

Rhysand-Holy crap! Can I marry him? Please! Please! Please!

He was the best. Like he was also one of my favourites before but that changed into an obsession. Like I have a thing for bad and hot guys. But he was not what I expected. And he was like a bombshell that exploded in this book with love potion that intoxicated me. We can understand why he did all that he had done in the last book. And it was so convincing that I did not find myself questioning about anything that he had done. He was a complete sweetheart.

Other characters:

There are a lot of characters in this book. Starting of we have Lucien and Nesta and Elian. Then we have kickass characters like Amren, Azriel, Cassian. All of them had a huge character development from where they had started off. By the end I was on the edge of of seat to see the potential of action that can happen with these characters alone. They form a huge and important part of the story. And Sarah has said that Nesta will cover even a greater role in the next installment so that is definitely something to look forward to.

Plot:

The story was completely filled with twists and turns. The plot never left me feeling bored or uninterested even for a split second. I was highly engrossed in the story and it was definitely a page turner. This book definitely contains pretty steamy and graphic sexual content. But it didn’t bother me that much because it was so good and full of emotions which was completely understandable. The chemistry between each of these characters was charminf. The friendships had so much loyalty and the romance was definitely swoon worthy. I was cringing in some scenes from the lines during the romance and I was like how can you even say that?? Or Kyaaa I can’t take it anymore :P

All in all though this book was the second book in a trilogy it was not at all boring. It was action packed and a roller coaster of emotions. But it also laid down a fabulous plot for the next book. I can see the grave danger that is coming. I cant wait to read the next book.

I completely devoured this book and I highly highly recommend everyone to read this book. I cannot emphasize enough on how good this book is. It should be a must read for everyone.

Final verdict- I am obsessed 

June Book Haul 2016||REDREADINGHOOD

Finally i have my jne book haul. My exams have come to an end and i am finally back to read as much as i can.

BOOKS I BOUGHT:

1.A court of mist and fury

2.The elite

3.The one

4.Few things left unsaid

5.I am Malala

6.Passenger

MAY WRAP UP||RED READING HOOD

Hey guys its my wrap up for the month of may. I read 6 books.



BOOKS I READ:

1. Carry on by Rainbow Rowell

2.When we collided by Emery Lord

3.Selection by Kiera Cass

4.When only love remains by Durjoy Datta

5.A court of thorns and roses by Sarah J.Maas

6.The kiss of Life by Imraan Hashmi with Bilal Siddiqui



It has been a pretty good reading month and i enjoyed most of the books :)

HOW TO START READING

Another video describing how to start reading is up on my channel. Do watch it.

WAYS TO START READING

I wanted to give some tips on how to start reading to everyone so i have gathered some ways which have helped me to start reading. I was in a vey dangerous book slump for four years. So when i started reading again it was like starting all over again. I was so demotivated and did not want to read anything at all. Some of my friends very noble and they helped me get inspired to start reading again. And now i have to make up for all these lost years. AAHH >.< its frustrating but i know i will get there.

 So here are some of my tips to those who have faced the same as me as well as those who re planning to start reading....

TIPS TO START READING:~

TIP 1: FIND ENTHUSIASM

• If u are not at all interested in reading or in books, DO NOT READ. Find something else that interests you. I have seen many who thinks that their frends like to read so they too are obliged to do the same. But that is not the case at all. 
• If you are interested in books then you can watch youtube or read blogs or find friends. This will form a little community where you will find lots of people interested in books. Hence you will also find fascination in reading.

 TIP 2:SELECT GENRE

Identify the genre of books you will likely love to read. This will help you keep interest in reading. For me i really like fantasy. So when i started reading i always picked up related to fantasy. It may be young adult or anything of your choice. This will help you to be actively present in the story since you will love to read about it.

TIP 3:FIND A FRIEND

"A friend in need is a friend indeed"~~~ :)

Find a mate who is also interested in reading. Read books together. Go to book shopping together. This will give you a sense of company and you will not feel alone and naive. You can to challenges with your friend as well. You can set a goal to see who completes it faster.This will help you be motivated throughout this journey. 

TIP 4:START WITH COMICS

If you feel intimidated starting to reads lots and lots of words. You can always go easy and start with a comic or a manga or graphic novels. These are books in which the stories are mostly depicted in pictures. Very few words are used in this type of books so it will be easier for the reader to start reading. But even if you are not a starter you will enjoy reading them all the same. So do not worry and go ahead. Indulge yourself in the fantastic illustrations laid out in front of you. I guarantee you will savour it .

TIP 5:READ FAST PACED BOOKS

Read something that is really fast paced,witty and interesting. If you know a book will be something you love then go for it. Start with that. But if you are not sure then do a little research and find out a book that fast and witty and interesting according to your taste. This will keep you up on your toes and you will likely indulge yourself in all the feelings the story will have to offer.

TIP 6:READ SMALL BOOKS

A 600+ page book is very intimidating. Especially for new readers. Pick up books that has two hundred or three hundred pages. This will not intimidate you as much as you will know you will be able to finish off the book soon. And after finishing the book you will also get a sense of accomplishment which will bring forth joy and hence will keep your spirits and your enthusiasm very high. You will be able to read more books in a month than if you read a gigantic book.

TIP 5:FIND TIME

Keep aside a time in the day which you will dedicate towards reading. Switch off your mobile if it distracts you. Have a sweet time with your book. If you cannot find a solid time in your day and you are too busy to set aside some particular time then break your time up. You can read fifteen minutes before going to bed or fifteen minutes after you wake up in the morning. Also carry you book around. This way you can read while you are on your way to work or college or school. 

TIP 8:FIND A PLACE

Find a comfortable place and then create a comfortable environment to start reading. It may be in your bedroom or in the balcony or on the terrace. You can also read in the park. Just be where you think you will love to read. Also have blankets and some snacks if you would like to read whicle munching.

TIP 9:LISTEN TO AUDIO BOOK

If you are getting tired and irritating reading so many words in books then you can start listening ti an audio book. This will help to to listen to the contents of the book. This will add a variety to your reading style and keep you away from a reading slump. So get you music player to work and start listening to an audio book.

TIP 10:DO NOT BE HEARTBROKEN

Do not feel anguished if you are not able to read ten books a month when you see some others do the same. Everyone is different and hence everyone's reading speed is different. Even if you read two books in a month remember that there are people who do not read two books even in a year. So you have accomplished quite a bit. Do not be disheartened at all. This is your life. Read how many books your heart feels like reading. No one is forcing you to do anything. 

Hey guys i hope all these tips will help someone out there. I would myself life to know some more if there are other tips as well. But following these tips have helped me a lot and i am back from my reading slum with more enthusiasm than before.  

REVIEW 8~~ A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES

AUTHOR- SARAH J. MAAS

MY RATING-5/5

“I love you,’ he whispered, and kissed my brow. ‘Thorns 

and all.” ― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

SYNOPSIS:

Feyre, a nineteen year old girl goes to hunt in a forest near them. She hunts down a wolf instead and thinks nothing of it. But she was wrong. It was a faerie. That night a beast like creature appears and demands her life for the life she had taken. But according to a treaty she is allowed to life on a magical land along with the beast like creature,a faerie though she would not be allowed to ever see her family again.

Afraid of what will happen to her family, she decides to go with the beast. After reaching the magical lands of faries she realizes that the beast that had come to take her was infact not a beast but a handsome and dangerously powerful High Lord among the seven High Lords of the land named TAMLIN. Initially Feyre is suspicious of Tamlin. As time passes she realizes that the faeries are not as bad as she had heard of them and that a dark force in fact threats the lands of the faeries and also the human realm.

MY THOUGHTS:

To be honest i did not pick up this book last year thinking it was an overhyped book. But this year since "A court of mist and fury" had released, i thought of picking up this book. And OH MY LORD!! This book is one of the most fantastic book i have read this year till now. Sarah has written a fantastic book.A perfect plot,perfect world building to die for characters and and amazing story. This story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Though this book is a retelling it has its own interesting story plots and its own twist and turns.This book just blew my mind.

Feyre is such an amazing character. She is bold and a daredevil. At the same time she is caring toward her family and considerate of everyone's feelings. She is really intelligent and is aware of every situation. Loyal to her feelings she finds herself in really dangerous situations.Each and every character in this book has stole my heart. No character was deemed useless. Each character had their own background and a back story. And each of them were woven together beautifully. I must say it was just flawless to see so many characters intertwined together by the fate they had to face.

I found myself loving all the characters. Even the bad boys had my heart. Tamlin is the love interest and oh my God!!! He is just perfect. Not only is he handsome but strong and fierce.He is kind and loving towards all his subjects. The chemistry between Feyre and Tamlin is to die for. It was like i was there in that place with them watching them have all those conversations. I loved to see the slow growth in their relationship. Even the growth of these characters from the first till the last page was really something to appreciate.

And can i say i am also in love with Rhysand? He is intriguing but at the same time he seems to be lovable and naughty(which i like). I am really curious to see how his anti hero role progresses. 

The relationships in this book are really admirable. The relationship between Feyre and her family was really fascinating.The love she had for her elder sisters and for her father was something to really look forward to. She loved them no matter what and thought of them before her. She was always worried for their safety and had done what needed to be done for keeping them safe. I loved the romance between Tamlin and Feyre. It was bitter-sweet. I wanted to be in Fayre's position. I just wanted to be that character. There is a little bit of adult content but not too much. I felt it was necessary for the story.

The world building in this story was remarkable. The world is divide into two. The faerie Realm and the human Realm and none is allowed to visit the other. The history of the faerie world in itself and its history with the humans was really rich and fascinating. It left me intrigued wanting to know more of it. The world and the magic was not at all hard to understand.It just flowed on beautifully.

All in all i am in love with this book. It is probably the best book i have read till now. I am completely obsessed. Highly recommend this book to all the fantasy lovers out there. It is a must read. An intriguing tale of love,hate and magic. I am really excited to read the next book in this trilogy. A really enjoyable and lovable book if you ever loved fairy tales. 

 

REVIEW 7~~WHEN ONLY LOVE REMAINS

WHEN ONLY LOVE REMAINS

AUTHOR-DURJOY DATTA

MY RATING-1/5

" In the world of imperfection..there is someone just 

perfect for you.."

SYNOPSIS:

This story opens up to the tragic life of our two main characters Devrat and Avanti. Avanti has lost her mother at a young age and since then has lived with her nani(Mother's mother) in Dehradun. Her father lives in Delhi. Her father is a mathematics professor.Her father is like a stranger to her. Now Avanti is forced to stay with her father so she chooses to be a flight attendant instead of studying as she will then have to spend less time with her father.

It is seen that she was molested and raped by the warden of the hostel she use to stay when young. Now she has a boyfriend which she  doesn't love or want to be with. 

Then there is Devrat, an upcoming singer who is growing in popularity on yutube. But he is drunk and broken.He has nothing he wants more in life than her ex-girlfriend Arundhati who has left him and is engaged to a banker. He is depressed and heartbroken. His life is a complete mess.

These two depressed people meet one night and hope that it never ends.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book just did not work out for me. I was not at all connected to any of the characters, and honestly they were irritaing. There was no plot building, no storyline. I just felt the author was forced to spew out a story full of sex talks. I mean half of this book was filled with that and im not a big fan of sex talks in story books though i really like me a good romance and a little bit of sex.

 This book opened up really well initially. I thought it would be a really good story but then even when i was almost hundred pages into this book the main characters had not met yet. And when they met they did not have a growing chemistry betwen them. I felt it was too rushed. There was no building up of romance. Everything was just instant. 

Avanti's ex-boyfriend was even more infuriating. He acted as if he bought Avanti. He treated her like a servant. He obviously had some anger issues as we can see in various scenes throughout the book. But Avanti was like complying to all the horrendous acts of that man.She was not at all protesting to all his behaviours. She is indebted to him for no reason. She was not at all a bold character. She just lives in her dreamland dreaming about Devrat. 

Devrat was irritating(i said it so many times :P). He lacked any kind of personality.He was a drunk, a chain smoker. A hopeless singer deluded by his ex girlfriend. And he was ready to have sex with any girl in the world. I mean "WHO DOES THAT?". I could not stand his activities. No sympathy for him sorry. He was selfish only thinking about himself all the time. Even in the end he was ignorant of the the sacrifice that Avanti had done for his sake. Thanking the book ended on a good note. 

When the two main characters met it was straight out loe at its full potential. Not a growing love but in the face love. I did not feel any kind of emotions for the characters when they were in love. The was no suspence or heart beating moments at all.

Though this book has nothing much to offer but the later part of the book was a little better than the other parts. But i felt it dragged on the same plot for a long time. I wanted to see some more twists and turns. Some more climax and some more of the chemistry between the two main characters which was definitely lagging.  

The only character i felt was good was Devrats childhood friend. She stuck with Devrat for the whole time. She was atrue friend. Though Devrat tried hitting on her(lightly though) she was not at all in the mindset for any of that(thank God). She was good to him even later on when tragedy hits him and Avanti.Even that part in the last portion of the book was completely uninviting. It just did not compel me to read it. I felt completely offbeat. 

In the end i think this book was not worth the time. It was a waste of time and money. If you want a book of romance try some other books. This was just not up to the mark. In fact it was far below it. It was just not my cup of tea.

REVIEW 6~~SELECTION

 SELECTION(SELECTION SERIES)

AUTHOR- KIERA CASS

MY RATING 4/5

“America Singer, one day you will fall asleep in my arms every night. And you'll wake up to my kisses every morning.” 
― Kiera Cass, The Selection

SYNOPSIS:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book reminded me of the stories my mother used to narrate to lull me to sleep. Its the story of prince and princesses. A story of love set in the dystopian time where the king rules the world. I found this book to be really sweet and a great fluffy read.

Since this is the first book in the series we get to know about all the main characters that will lay the character basics ahead in the next book of the series "SELECTION".

The story opens up to the various divisions in the society and the various hardships that the people of the lower divisions have to face. The royal family is the "ONE" and obviously placed in the highest rank. The description of the world was not that greart to be honest. And it did not feel anything dystopian. There was not a proper world building in this book.

Our main character America Singer is in the 5th division where their main job is surrounded around music,art and culture. America is a singer. She goes along with her mother to various occations where they perform. She has other siblings as well. Some are married and some are younger than her. She has seen a life of struggle. She never expected anything great to happen in her life.She is also seen to love a man who is a rank lower than her which proves that the divisions of the society do not bother her. But i felt that her character was too good to be true. She was all good and no bad. She is the perfect princess material which i felt a little made up and not all that natural.

The prince is another adorable character in this book but again he is too perfect. I felt he was kind of stiff and is unrealistic. He is calm and understanding. He respects women and takes care of all of them.He is really manly and hansome and responsible. But he dosent know how to romantically approach a women. He is clumsy in that field. But he likes America. He has found a friend in her.He is naughty at times and understanding at other. He is ready to help out but when time demands him to be stern, he becomes soo.

America has formed an interesting relation with the prince where i cant say if it is love or friendship. She is confused herself.She is guilt concious of all her actions. The palace life is not the one for her- This is what she thinks. She is mentally exahusted from the fight between her former love,Aspen and the prince. At the same time she is really seen to miss her family.

What i found irritating was America was so confused about everything. She was confused about Aspen and the prince and the whole competition. And Aspen.. I JUST WANTED TO KICK HIM. He was really really irritating.I just could not stand the course of actions he took. I mean who encourages his girlfriend to be in a competition to be someone else's bride. And even later his actions were too much to take in for me. But despite all that i really like this book. Its a perfect fluffy read if you want to just de-stress yourself.

Beautiful character and beautiful plots are laid out for the future ahead. A too perfect fairy tale with a too perfect love story and a too perfect kingdom with practically no war except a little infiltration for something mysterious which i hope will be disclosed in the later book of these series. 

 

REVIEW 5~~ WHEN WE COLLIDED

WHEN WE COLLIDED

AUTHOR - EMERY LORD

MY RATING - 4/5

“I keep wondering if it'll ever hurt less. This...this hole in our lives." "Oh, I imagine it'll hurt less eventually. I think there will always be a hole, though. But lace is one of the most beautiful fabrics, you know. All those holes and gaps, but it's still complete somehow- still lovely.” 
―Emery Lord, When we collided

SYNOPSIS:

This is a tale of two planets colliding only to get back to their orbits. Perfectly in place, perfectly in sync.  Jonah Daniels is a boy who lives in Verona Cove, California with his family. He has lost his father few months back. His mother is grieve stricken. He and his elder brother and sister takes turns to take care of the younger three siblings and ther mother who refuses to get out of her room.

Vivian Alexander on the other hand is new in town.She is an artist. She is like a hurricane of thoughts and feelings. She and her mother have come to the beach to enjoy the summer. To enjoy the company of the people here and to expand their horizons on art and creativity. They are also here to relief themselves of what has happened in march.

One day Jonah and Vivi meet and they instantly fall in love with each other. And that triggers a sequence of summer romances.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is a story of love, friendship, family and is heavily centered around summer romance which is the main theme of the story. It also deals with some heavy topics like loss, grievance, guilt and mental health/disorders which I have not seen many authors to deal with so delicately.

This story is written around the lives of our two main protagonists Jonah and Vivi and how their lives entangle around their relationship. This story has two perspectives, two thought processes. One of Vivi and the other  is of Jonah. It can be definitely be said that Jonah and Vivi are very different characters. Jonah has lost his father and his mother is not able to take care of the family so he has to become a fatherly figure full of responsibilities. He is tired of all the responsibilities and is on the very edge of being broken from all these emotions he had kept within himself thinking about his father. On the other hand we see Vivi who is the only child. She is an artist.  A free spirit enjoying her life. But she has a problem which we discover in the later part of the story. When both of them “COLLIDE” they fall in love within all the hardships of their own lives.

The author beautifully converts the very complex feelings into simple emotions. This book caught my attention within the very first few chapters. The characters are very well described in this book. We get to understand why these characters behave like the way they do. What triggers them to behave in that way.  This story is a roller coaster of emotions. The twists and turns are very delicately taken. Yet they are powerful enough that the readers  anticipate what will be happening next. They are pinned down to there seats.

This story also describes the beautiful relationship within the families. We also see a bond forming between Vivi and Jonah’s family as well. The love and care they show for each other is really sweet and charming. And the love between our two main characters is very intoxicating. Vivi is like the medicine that Jonah needed. And Jonah is the the little space in the whole universe where Vivi can find peace. They support each other throughout the book. Even in the ups and downs they are inseparable. They had that pure love and the earnest care.

In the later part of the story I was frowning my brows awaiting the twist the book will take. It did take a twist and left me and my emotions in the middle of the ocean where I was not in a position to feel sad or glad about the ending. It was a cliff hanger for me. I really wanted to know more about what will happen next. But alas that wont happen I guess. But I think it was the perfect ending and the story kind of needed it to end like that.

I would highly recommend this contemporary novel. This novel worked out really good for me. I don’t like plain love stories. So this was definitely an engrossing book for me. Hats off to the author for presenting this book with such a lovely writing style and for all the feels it made me have.I really appreciate the hard work put into this book.

P.S- The cover screams of spring and summer. Love it soo much <3

Link to my review in youtube-https://youtu.be/2es-YR9pTkI

REVIEW-4~~THE PALACE OF ILLUTIONS

THE PALACE OF ILLUSIONS

BY:  CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

MY RATING: 4/5

“Love comes like lightning, and disappears the same way. If you are lucky, it strikes you right. If not, you'll spend your life yearning for a man you can't have.”
― Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Palace of Illusions

SYNOPSIS:

This book is the story of a very powerful women Panchaali (DRAUPADI)  from the very powerful mythological historical and magical story MAHABHARATA. Torn between all the prejudices of the society she is the one who holds it all together. She is the one who yearns for love but does not get one. From her childhood she has been different. She is prophesied to be one the most powerful women alive but she is warned that she will be the reason for the start of a long and bloody war ever in the history of humankind. When it is time for her marriage many princes from all over the country come to take her as there queen. But she is snatched away but some masked person veiling his face. Later she becomes the wife of the 5 pandava brothers who are ready to share her. It is an enthralling and heart-breaking tale of a woman through her journey through the course of history. It is her side of the story.

MY THOUGHT:

First of all i would like to say that i have never read mahabharata before, so i was reluctant to read this book. But then again i picked it up and started flipping through the pages only to discover the magical world of love, hate, jealousy and above all politics. This book is heavily political. Every page you turn unfurls another story of betrayal and treachery. Among all the political menaces we find a little bit of love and a lot of heartbreak.

Draupadi is one of the strongest and one of the weakest characters i have ever seen. Beginning from her childhood it is seen that she is born from the fire. She is talented but she feels that her father king Draupad does not give her that special place which he gives his son only in the hope that his son will take revenge on his enemy. But she loves her brother and only wants the best for him. She finds a friend in Krishna. She loves his enigmatic personality and his enchanting looks.He shares her happiness and her grievances but gives her a very diplomatic advice like a true politician which she can never comprehend.  But as they grow up there relation becomes a complicated friendship.

In this story Panchaali is shown to optimistically balance her role with five of her husbands- The Pandava brother,s trying to satisfy each one of them. OMG i just wanted to tear the book apart at this point. I wanted to question her dignity and her self respect. And i was also furious on the pandavas. I think they  all failed as husbands, each and everyone of them. I  was just not happy with them. I was infuriated and heartbroken at panchaali's condition. She was just thrown about like a toy in the hands of the males. And she herself had no say in it. But on another point i sympathize with her, pity her for the condition she has been forced to be because she married the pandavas. Had she married HIM this situation would not have come. Had she not humiliated HIM in front of everyone in the court, HE would still love her. They would have a story of happily ever after. But alas the conspiracy of fate.

 Later on in the story she is swept into the pandavas quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war involving all the important kings of India. Even in the end her life was filled with tragedy. She never found peace. This book depressed me to my core. I was awed by the amount of tragedy a woman can handle.It was like someone has drilled into me. The pain,the suffering,the humiliation, the betrayal and the love everything broke my heart. It is the story of a girl-daughter of draupad,friend of krishna, wife of the five pandavas, mother of their children........ and a love of someone who would never be able to be with her.