Review- The Prophecy of Trivine by Tnahsin Garg, Srivatsan Sridharan and Pulkit Gupta

Summary-

An emissary of an advanced alien race travels to the Earth to undertake responsibility of an experiment that has gone out of control. The outcome of this fateful experiment, which was conceived millions of years ago by her species, now rests in her hands. As she prepares to deliver her final judgment, she comes across three young men in a sacred forest who change her life forever. 

These three men- a scientist, a hacker and an artist, happen to take refuge in that forest, trying to escape from the oddities of their own unfair lives. Struggling with their dreams and demons, they begin to explore the dark and paranormal behavior of the forest by forging a companionship. From the rare flora and fauna breathing alive on the ground to the deadly wide expanse of the whimsy black sky, everything they find is yet another puzzle unsolved. 

Little did they know that four of them hold in their hands the future of mankind and much beyond imagination, they are connected through an ancient Prophecy that was long lost in the sands of time.

Review-

I have to admit before starting off this review that I have never read a proper all out fantasy book by an Indian author before. That was one of the reasons I picked up The Prophecy of Trivine. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. The Prophecy of Trivine turned out to be a good read.

The book starts off with Phil, the hacker escaping the police and finding refuge in the forest. We delve right into the action and I really liked it. Phil stumbles upon Siv's sanctuary who is a scientist doing research in the same forest. Then there's Arty. He's an artist, the most quiet and mysterious guy in the group who lives in the forest of his own free will.

I really liked all three of the guys. They had distinct personalities and I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between them. Each one had his own issues and his own history. I was never once confused from whose pov I was reading. They had a strong bond of friendship. When they start seeing weird things happening in the forest around them the three men can't help but wonder if there are more than natural forces acting behind it.

We also get tiny glimpses into how the emissary of the alien race actually traveled to the Earth and how they're experimenting on the human race. As I'm not a huge fantasy addict I did get a tiny bit bored at these parts. I obviously wanted more of Phil, Arty and Siv all the time. I liked how it was shown that the human race which some consider weak is much more stronger than one can imagine.

The one complaint I have of The Prophecy of Trivine is that there were times when there were really long paragraphs of description. It did increase the world building but I did find it easy to let my mind wander away from the book. But still, The Prophecy of Trivine was a really good read, especially for debut authors. It is a unique read especially for the Indian market and I'm glad I gave it a try.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Waiting On Wednesday #78

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Forever Broken by Jessica Wood

Publishing Date- April 2014 

 Goodreads Summary:

Can you ever escape darkness once it has touched your soul?

Natalie made a devastating decision three years ago that has haunted her ever since. It has been the secret she has kept from her family and friends. It has been the darkness that has shaped her life. It has been the moment that defines who she sees herself to be. And because of that decision, she believes that she is forever broken and undeserving of true happiness or love. 

Dylan is looking for a broken soul to fall in love with. He is looking for someone he can fix and heal. He believes that only by fixing someone just as broken as he is, he will be able to finally fix himself and forgive himself for a past tragedy he had put into action.

When Natalie's and Dylan's paths collide, will Dylan be able to break through Natalie's walls and show her the love she undoubtedly deserve? And will Natalie be just the person Dylan was looking for to fix himself?

Hmm. This sounds like an intriguing read. Here's hoping it turns out to be great! 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? 

Top Ten Tuesday #23

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top 10 Favorite books in the Fantasy genre

I have read a LOT of books till date but I am quite ashamed to admit that fantasy is not one of the genres I have fully explored. But I really want to. So I'm dividing this up into my 5 favorite fantasy reads and 5 fantasy reads which I still have to read.

My Top 5 Fantasy reads:

    

  

5 Fantasy reads on my To Be Read Pile:

 

  

What are your picks? Which fantasy book do you think is a must read for me? Let me know :)

                                                         

Review- Divergent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads Summary: 

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

REVIEW: 

I had been wanting to read Divergent since a very long time, especially because practically every review I read for it has been a four or five stars one. Besides, after The Hunger Games, followed steadily by a few not so extraordinary stories, I hadn't read any solid dystopian. And can I just say that Divergent was the perfect choice to get back into a genre that tends to leave me feeling depressed and helpless half the time. Also, the other main reason why I read this book is because the Divergent movie is coming out soon, which I cannot wait to watch. While I agree with almost every positive aspect of the book that has been pointed out before, I still feel it's necessary to express it. But that obviously doesn't mean I loved everything about the book, as we shall see. 

What I appreciate the most about author Veronica Roth is her deep and detailed description of the post-apocalyptic world in Divergent. Dystopians usually confuse me with their functioning, but that was never a problem here. There were times when it seemed like the book wouldn't end because it did tend to get too deep. The amount of time it took me to finish the book had me afraid of going into a reading slump. Other than a precise and clear view of each of the five factions, there was also a meticulous world-building. Besides these two points, I found that there were the regular ingredients that go into making a  delectable dystopian. Kick ass heroine- check. Smart, sensible and steady hero- check. Strong and supporting family- check. Sweet friends- check. Nasty enemies- check. Sleazy government- check. Sensible scientific discoveries- check. All these and much more went into making Divergent an extremely great read. Beatrice or Tris and Tobias or Four obviously stood out throughout the length of the book. 

Aside from what I have already said, the other positive that I actually ended up admiring in Divergent is the nature of the dystopian world described. We all know that it isn't easy to live there and we all know what the consequence will be. And Divergent has that consequence. And I deeply, deeply, deeply admired that. While I couldn't really connect to the story emotionally and it wasn't anything extraordinary for me, Veronica Roth's writing which goes from Tris' point of view in first person, is simply smacking. It's clean, clear and precise and that in itself is enough in making a reader connect with a book. I have no idea if I will be continuing with the series anytime soon, but I sure as hell am curious to read both Insurgent and Allegiant. I am interested in knowing what's in store from here. 

RATING: 

Review- Enders by Lissa Price

Summary-

With the Prime Destinations body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn't want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save Callie's life - but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena's memories, too ...and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body? This is the thrilling sequel to "Starters"

Review-

I had not read Starters before starting Enders so I was a tiny bit confused in the beginning of the book. Enders is the story of Callie. She has been implanted with a chip. Because of this chip Enders can rent her body for any amount of time. From what I could make out Starters was about Enders renting out Starters like Callie and stopping the body bank.

But still there are many Starters like Callie out there with chips in their head which anybody can take control of. I found the whole Starter- Ender concept really intriguing. It is quite a unique concept and so is the dystopian world in which it is set. But I wanted a few more in depth details as I had not read the first book.

Callie then gets kidnapped by Hyden. Hyden is actually trying to help her and that clears up as we move on. Okay, this part I found a bit stupid. Callie falls for Hyden way too quickly seeing that he's her kidnapper AND that he is the Old Man's son, who is supposed to be the villain.

I liked Michael. He is another starter and Callie's friend. He was loyal and a good friend to Callie. I had also found Callie's younger brother Tyler to be really cute. Unfortunately we get really little of him. The book has a weird plot. Like, I didn't get the purpose of Callie's actions exactly. This may be because I haven't read the first book.

The writing was good. I can't say that I was super invested in the characters because I wasn't. But Enders made for an okay read. I think especially fans of young adult science fiction should enjoy the book. Enders was an okay read for me.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Random House India in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Guest Post + Giveaway (INT)- You wanna’ be my chamak challo?? by Adiana Ray

Hi, guys! Today we have with us author of Rapid Fall, Adiana Ray, who has written an awesome guest post for all of you and has generously offered to give away a copy of her book to a lucky reader. There's lot in store here so let's get on to the post we have for you. 

GOODREADS SUMMARY: 

Sonia and JD’s instant attraction is much more tempestuous and thrilling than the water sports they have come to Rishikesh for. Not even a dip in the icy waters can douse the sparks that fly when they are around each other.

JD is divorced and commitment phobic, and only wants to focus on their electric physical attraction. Sonia is undeniably attracted to smooth and sophisticated JD, but wants more than he is willing to offer.

Their tumultuous love story starts in the mountains and ends by the sea. Along the way, they discover that once you fall in love, nothing can ever be the same again.

BOOK LINKS: 

AMAZON / APPLE / FLIPKART / POTHI / BARNES & NOBLE / DIESEL BOOKS / SONY / SMASHWORDS / ALL ROMANCE BOOKS / GOODREADS / AMAZON (IN) / INDIREADS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Adiana Ray believes in the Zen tenet ‘each state has a 1000 truths’. Every person brings their own unique experiences to a situation, which makes them see things differently and interpret it in their own way.

This is what inspires her to write, trying to see each relationship in a different way, and always having a new story to tell. When she writes, her story could be a fantasy, but will be a believable one that could happen to anyone of us and her focus, above all, is to entertain the reader.

'Rapid Fall’ is her first published book. She can be reached HERE. 

AUTHOR LINKS: 

BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

GUEST POST: 

You wanna’ be my chamak challo?? 

 Whenever people talk about romance and India in the same breath, they somehow only think of Bollywood or some dark dashing Indian prince or a lissome Indian princess….well there is a lot more to romance in India and there are millions of us to prove it. Besides not to be mean about this but most of the royalty that I have seen (only in photographs) have not exactly been dark and dashing and despite what the world thinks you don’t exactly bump into a Bollywood hero at every street corner. 

 One of the really big meeting grounds that have got so many romance stories flourishing is the humble office space. I don’t mean only in fancy multinationals or in westernized media companies etc but I am talking about the small and medium local companies just around the corner. So look past the melamine covered desks and molded chairs on wheels, past the computers and Ganesh the peon who knows whatever is going on in the office and you will see how the younger guys suddenly perk up when one of the girls walk past. Or the girls giggle and pretend to look away or act very busy when there is a certain colleague in their vicinity. In India office get togethers’ still mean that everyone goes out together in a big group BUT , nudge…nudge…ankh mille, mill ke jhuk gaye…this is romance Desi Ishtyle. 

 Times have changed, people are exposed to so much more, and young girls are more educated and aware of what they want. Young men are more willing to be independent and do their own thing. We have one of the youngest populations in the world, we have so many women now entering what was considered traditional male territory: mix all that together…voila! something is sure to happen and romance is bound to blossom. This is the type of romance that I write about. A love story that could very well be played out in front of us and may well be about you, me or even that aunty around the corner.

GIVEAWAY:

As I told you earlier, there's a cool giveaway too. The author has offered a coupon code to download the e-copy of the book. Oh, and good news! The giveaway is INT! 

Giveaway rules are simple: 

*Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. 

*Giveaway is INT. 

*Winners will be announced here on the blog and also emailed, after which they will have 48 hours to respond  or else we'll be compelled to choose another winner. 

*The giveaway will go on for a period of ten days since the code expires at the end of the month. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's wishing you good luck and happy reading! 

I'd like to thank Adiana for writing a post for us and for the giveaway. I'd also like to wish her all the very best for everything. 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Review- The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Goodreads Summary:

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how. 

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

REVIEW:

I never do this. I always make sure I write my review well within twelve or a maximum of twenty four hours after having finished reading a book. And honestly, this might be the first time I'm finally getting to write a review after nearly two to three days after reading the book. Not because it has been difficult to incorporate a review in my schedule but because I don't really know what I feel about author Robin Constantine's The Promise of Amazing. When I don't know what to say in reviews, I tend to blabber as can be seen and will be seen further- be warned. But really, I'm blank. 

Because Janhvi and I buddy read The Promise of Amazing, I instantly and obviously got another perspective on it. While we did differ on some points, we agreed on most of it, like we always do. I could have easily just rated the book three stars because I did kind of, sort of, like it and skipped the review but something tells me that I need to at least try to gather my thoughts, however absurd and vague that gathering may be. The Promise of Amazing is not as amazing a read as it promises to be. I love the book cover so much. It's cute. It's so damn cute. I totally judged the book by it's cover and even though the story was cute, it was, at the same time, pretty dumb and slightly nonsensical. I haven't got the point of it yet. 

It's one thing when you like the main guy in a book and love the company of the side kick but it's another thing altogether when you don't really like the main guy and end up liking the side guy who's a bad guy. That's what happened with me. I didn't like Grayson, who seemed very confused and irritable to me. I mean, if you're bad, just be bad. There's nothing wrong in being bad. But there definitely is something wrong in trying to be something you're not, you can't be and you don't wish to be. That is the reason why I liked Gray's friend, Luke, who was simply cool and himself. 

The female protagonist, Wren, was just as silly. I could relate to her quiet and shy nature. I have had all my teachers tell me I'm a quiet girl. But really, who runs back to and kisses a guy when you see him make out- albeit just a bit- with another girl? I liked Wren's brother who was right when he said quiet people have secrets and her sister who seemed like a nice person. But Wren and Gray? No, just no. Together, the two of them make for a good couple since they're both dumb. 

While The Promise of Amazing wasn't amazing at all and didn't live up to my expectations, it was still a cute read about finding yourself in times of confusion and coming of age when everything seems to be falling apart. I wish I had got the point of it and understood it better, but I didn't. And at this point, I'm not even interested. Still, like I said, it was cute and for a one time read, it was just likable enough and very thought consuming and inducing, which, for me, is good. 

RATING: