The Moon in the Sun: Book Review

A Novel in Poetry of Love, Life, Soul & Wildlife

Author: Sanjay Kumar Singh

Book Blurb:

When Narayan Sambhan’s world fell apart at a very tender age, the time he spent in the forests that lay ample around his village resuscitated him. No one knew the forests and the tiger better than Narayan Sambhan. But the forests are mercilessly cut down and increasing loneliness invades his life. As he struggles to carry on, a remarkable incident takes place.

The Moon In the Sun is a tale in poetry set in the Himalayan Terai replete with mesmerizing sights, bliss and beauty as also nerve-wracking experiences that the jungles alone can provide and bestow. It is also a touching tale, in poetry, of the wonderful journey that life can be when the soul attempts to break free.

My Review:

This book took my breath away. While I have read many poetry anthologies, I must confess that I do not really enjoy them as much as prose. This book is an entire novel, but it was written in poetry, so I was not really sure what to expect. But boy, am I glad that I read it!

The entire story is narrated so beautifully, and it is so poetic, that I guess I can see why the author chose this medium to express it. This book, in simplest terms, is romance, A  romance between man and nature.

The story starts when Narayan Sambhan is called to the forest conservator’s office as he knew his way around the forest.  The conservator is a wild life photographer who wishes to take local help to get some excellent shots of tigers. Narayan helps him get these shots and secures a job.

The book has some mesmerizing descriptions of the wild jungles and even wilder tigers. A scene that just took my breath away was when the conservator sahab and Narayan Sambhan witness the union of a resident tiger and a visiting tigress. This episode has been described in such detail that one feels that one has actually witnessed the episode.

Towards the end of the book, we also see how the jungles are receding and the impact it has on the wildlife. While this is not mentioned explicitly, the subtle way in which the author chooses to describe the fall of the majestic tigers (and the forests) at the hands of humans in the form of deforestation and poaching, really makes you wonder just how much the humans have affected the environment around them.

I did find minor grammatical errors, but they were so minor that one can hardly notice them.

Even if you are not a fan of poetry, if you like reading great stories, I would totally recommend this book to you. I rate this book a perfect 4 out of 4.

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One Last Lie: Book Review

Author: Rob Kaufman

Book Blurb:

She’s demonic and evil, a wicked she-devil you’ll love to hate in this riveting psychological thriller that reviewers say is “gripping”, “heart wrenching” and “holding my breath suspenseful”.

Angela is beautiful and charismatic on the outside. But on the inside, a demon rages, determined to get anyone and anything she wants. And now with her biological clock ticking, she seduces her old friend Philip, and his partner Jonathan, into having a child with her through artificial insemination.

From the moment the parenting agreement is signed, Angela’s mask of deceit slips away and she leads the fathers-to-be on a relentless, agonizing journey filled with lies, anguish and finally tragedy that forever changes the lives of everyone involved.

My Review:

This book was a part of the “OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day”.

This is a psychological thriller. The book starts with Jonathan, who is in an old age home. He is pretty frustrated to live there and longs to go home. Then we are taken into the past where we meet his partner, Philip who has invited an old college mate, Angela, for dinner. Jonathan is upset and is not really able to accept her, and through his eyes, even we as readers regard her with critical eyes. It was at this dinner that she asks Philip to help her conceive. This is when the main story starts and we are taken through the roller coaster that follows.

While the plot of the story was quite interesting, after a point I got an idea as to how to look for clues and so the story got a bit predictable for me. On the other hand, I really liked how realistic the characters, especially Jonathan and Philip’s relationship had been written. It was one of the things that helped me get hooked on the story. I would have liked to know a bit more about them as individuals rather than couples.

There were some points in the story that felt a bit long drawn and took away from the main story line. On the whole, I felt that the author has an extremely strong plot, it could have been executed in a bit better manner. I rate this book 2 out of 4

Check out this book here.

 

Parrot Under The Pine Tree: Book Review

Author: Surendra Pratap Singh

Book Blurb:

Parrot under the Pine Tree is the powerful expression of love. In the girl’s heart; it’s subtle, sublime and eternal. But in the boy’s heart; it’s earthy, insecure and restless. The anxiety brings the two young hearts close. In the clean and tranquil environs of Kausani, Vedanta inadvertently meets Saranga under bizarre circumstances and both fall in love with each other. But Alas! Their happiness doesn’t last long. On one fateful night of temptation, the storm that blows up not only consumes his heart and soul, but also shreds that of Saranga into pieces. On insistence of her grandma Saranga agrees to give a second chance to a repentant Vedanta. But misgivings remain in her heart. Will Kausani rework the magic again between the estranged couple?

My Review:

The author starts this book quite poetically. As soon as you start reading, you are pulled into the beautiful world of Kausani. In fact, the best thing about this book was the narration.

The author has managed to create excellent characters and put them in a beautiful setting. Not just the main characters, even the side characters are quite unforgettable. Since the book is narrated in third person POV, we had the opportunity to get to know each of the characters. We are even introduced to many character’s back stories that help us understand these characters in a much better manner.

My only issue with the book was that since the protagonist is given an idea of what his future would hold, as a reader the rest of the story line became quite predictable. In addition to this, towards the end of the book, the sending of messages via clouds part made the story a bit unrealistic for me. In a way, it took away from the realism that was set before this scene.

I feel this book would really appeal to those who yearn for romance and those who are in love with the hills.

On the whole, I rate this book 3 out of 4 and look forward to other works by the author.

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Deceived: Book Review

How well do you know your loved ones?

Author: Heena Rathore P.

Book Blurb:

A girl struggling to cope with the murders of her mother and five-year-old brother.
A journalist chasing the ghost of a potential serial killer.
A thirteen-year-old girl who slaughtered her parents.
And a revenge-driven psychopath who is about to destroy everyone’s life.

After 9 years, a young writer is still coping with the brutal murders of her mother and five-year-old brother, as she moves into a house of horrors, to start a new life with her lover. Will friends and family be able to redeem Ally out of the impending doom in time? Will her infallible love become the key to the destruction of her already fragile world? Will madness prevail over love; true love over revenge?

Deceived is a gripping psychological thriller that mazes through the deepest, darkest emotions of human mind through the story of a vulnerable girl who treads in the mist of deception bred from a long unforgiven betrayal.

My Review:

After many years a book came that forced me to read till I complete it. And then read a couple of chapters of another book after it as I was so disturbed that there was no way I was going to sleep without having something else in my mind.

First things first, I loved the cover. The bloody leg works excellently with the bright yellow glossy font.

The thing that I really liked was the author gives a brief explanation of the difference between psychopaths and sociopaths. I did not know this, not only was reading this informative, but the author assures that we would be seeing both in the next pages, which increased my excitement to read this book.

The story starts at a slow pace, thus giving the readers a chance to get to know all characters. It then keeps increasing this really keeps the thrill alive.

I liked the way the author sets the story line in a way that the readers have a clue as to who would be the serial killer, while the protagonist has no idea. This makes the reader all the more invested in the character. I found myself mentally screaming at Allison to see what she was so oblivious to!

If you are one of those who get their thrill from reading a book filled with murders, this is the book for you! I rate this book a perfect 4 out of 4.

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