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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3/5 - Intriguing at first then it just got confusing with all the characters.
I think I was very intrigued by this when we were reading it from Ajay's POV and then the other POV's really bored me to the point where I got confused. Also this story was not that fast-paced as it was marketed to be and there were so many scenes that were straight-up monologues explaining something or other.
Wouldn't read again.... Also it's interesting that this is going to be a trilogy....
I think I was very intrigued by this when we were reading it from Ajay's POV and then the other POV's really bored me to the point where I got confused. Also this story was not that fast-paced as it was marketed to be and there were so many scenes that were straight-up monologues explaining something or other.
Wouldn't read again.... Also it's interesting that this is going to be a trilogy....
I learned some new vocabulary words! The writing was beautiful along with the character development. The ending left me wanting more! Definitely a new type of read for me and I loved it, even though it took me forever to finish the book because it was lengthy!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The hype I had going into this one was in parallel for First Lie Wins. I really need to unsubscribe from a few bookstagrammers because we just don't align on thriller definitions. I saw Age of Vice EVERYWHERE at the beginning of 2023, but the length intimidated me so it sat on the shelf for a while.
I finally prioritized it the last two weeks to continue my "read-what-I-borrow" momentum and it kind of fell flat for me. It could've cut out at least 150 pages and would've told the same story.
The most wild part to me was when a kidnapper entered the chat and we had at least 60 pages of him giving his background story – in the last 1/3 of the book. LOL what? And as he told this story, he had to tell us that he has given this exact story twice recently and that's why it was so well rehearsed.
It's always funny when a villain suddenly has to lay out their reasons rather than just getting the job done.
In a weird way, though, all these slow moments and villain origin stories – they feel true to an action movies or series. The problem is I don't really engage in those. I can see how this will easily translate to screen, though. I can visualize how this would fit in the '00s genre of Brad Pitt films (clearly he's a white American, so not him exactly, but you get it).
This is said to be part of a trilogy, so I could see myself reading the second one eventually, but I'm not in any rush.
Now these slow moments. Kapoor really swings to opposite ends of the spectrum in her writing, because we're either taking our sweet time building characters or we are experiencing some DEVASTATING (more mob-themed) events in prison.
Book summary for my own benefit. Spoilers galore:
Part 1 is more focused on Ajay. He lost his father and went to work for another man. This is the start of these characters believing everything they're told at face value – like Ajay being told that his family was getting money for all the work he was doing. Once he leaves that family, he finds his own work, which leads to Sunni. He works for Sunni for a few years and is basically his killer robot servant. He does return to his hometown, only to find out his mom is DONE with him, his baby sister doesn't know who he is, and his older sister is MIA. This part ends with some terrible prison trauma and abuse. TW: rape
Part 2 is focused on Neda. We get some of her POV from Ajay events shared in Part 1. We also understand her relationship with Sunni more and watch her fall for tricks, like showing up at a hotel to see him only to be followed and involved in a wreck or when she has an unexpected pregnancy and is told Sunni doesn't want anything to do with her. This section was so long, but I did enjoy Neda's perspective. She also reconciles with her lack of ethics in journalism and chooses a new path (eh, is kind of forced to). We get the high speed chase that leads to Neda being sent away and Ajay forced to take the place of the guy who actually murdered the girl and her unborn child.
Part 3 is so short. I was not prepared. Essentially, Sunni is faced with the realization that he's "ruthless" and similar to his dad. He cut out everyone he cares about with that crash. Men do not like to be compared to their overlord fathers.
Part 4 we get a new driver in Eli who seems sketch, and then Sunni gets kidnapped by Sunil who tells such a long story about his own life. I see a lot of reviews saying people hate this character, but you know, I was fine with it because it wasn't just retelling events for a third time. Sunil was bailed out of jail to take a hit on Sunni, too bad he couldn't follow through. Main character energy gets distracting I supposed.
Part 5 we get Sunni marrying some random woman his father found for him. Sunni learns about his unborn child, Ajay is released from prison for the day. Bunty tells Ajay if he kills Sunil, then his sister (who he's had an almost naked photo of for a few years) will be safe. When Ajay meets Sunil and is close to murdering him, Sunil is then like is that even your sister in the photo? These people have played you. So Ajay escapes to the mountain, Sunil is wherever, Sunni partners with Singh to have his dad arrested and killed, and maybe Vicky is Sunni's bio dad.
We don't know.
PS these people are like REALLY into cigarettes. I need a count of how many time they're mentioned.
I finally prioritized it the last two weeks to continue my "read-what-I-borrow" momentum and it kind of fell flat for me. It could've cut out at least 150 pages and would've told the same story.
The most wild part to me was when a kidnapper entered the chat and we had at least 60 pages of him giving his background story – in the last 1/3 of the book. LOL what? And as he told this story, he had to tell us that he has given this exact story twice recently and that's why it was so well rehearsed.
It's always funny when a villain suddenly has to lay out their reasons rather than just getting the job done.
In a weird way, though, all these slow moments and villain origin stories – they feel true to an action movies or series. The problem is I don't really engage in those. I can see how this will easily translate to screen, though. I can visualize how this would fit in the '00s genre of Brad Pitt films (clearly he's a white American, so not him exactly, but you get it).
This is said to be part of a trilogy, so I could see myself reading the second one eventually, but I'm not in any rush.
Now these slow moments. Kapoor really swings to opposite ends of the spectrum in her writing, because we're either taking our sweet time building characters or we are experiencing some DEVASTATING (more mob-themed) events in prison.
Book summary for my own benefit. Spoilers galore:
Part 1 is more focused on Ajay. He lost his father and went to work for another man. This is the start of these characters believing everything they're told at face value – like Ajay being told that his family was getting money for all the work he was doing. Once he leaves that family, he finds his own work, which leads to Sunni. He works for Sunni for a few years and is basically his killer robot servant. He does return to his hometown, only to find out his mom is DONE with him, his baby sister doesn't know who he is, and his older sister is MIA. This part ends with some terrible prison trauma and abuse. TW: rape
Part 2 is focused on Neda. We get some of her POV from Ajay events shared in Part 1. We also understand her relationship with Sunni more and watch her fall for tricks, like showing up at a hotel to see him only to be followed and involved in a wreck or when she has an unexpected pregnancy and is told Sunni doesn't want anything to do with her. This section was so long, but I did enjoy Neda's perspective. She also reconciles with her lack of ethics in journalism and chooses a new path (eh, is kind of forced to). We get the high speed chase that leads to Neda being sent away and Ajay forced to take the place of the guy who actually murdered the girl and her unborn child.
Part 3 is so short. I was not prepared. Essentially, Sunni is faced with the realization that he's "ruthless" and similar to his dad. He cut out everyone he cares about with that crash. Men do not like to be compared to their overlord fathers.
Part 4 we get a new driver in Eli who seems sketch, and then Sunni gets kidnapped by Sunil who tells such a long story about his own life. I see a lot of reviews saying people hate this character, but you know, I was fine with it because it wasn't just retelling events for a third time. Sunil was bailed out of jail to take a hit on Sunni, too bad he couldn't follow through. Main character energy gets distracting I supposed.
Part 5 we get Sunni marrying some random woman his father found for him. Sunni learns about his unborn child, Ajay is released from prison for the day. Bunty tells Ajay if he kills Sunil, then his sister (who he's had an almost naked photo of for a few years) will be safe. When Ajay meets Sunil and is close to murdering him, Sunil is then like is that even your sister in the photo? These people have played you. So Ajay escapes to the mountain, Sunil is wherever, Sunni partners with Singh to have his dad arrested and killed, and maybe Vicky is Sunni's bio dad.
We don't know.
PS these people are like REALLY into cigarettes. I need a count of how many time they're mentioned.
Dark, very long and very different than what I normally read but I’m glad I read it. Part of a trilogy. Good but wouldn’t be for everyone. Going to be a tv show.
I truly don't understand why everyone seems obsessed with this one. It was tragedy on tragedy on tragedy without ANY shred of hope. Did not enjoy.
I didn't know if I would make it through Kapoor's 500+ page epic about the (fictional) Indian crime world of the early aughts, but I could not put it down. The story centers around a pivotal moment - a high-speed car chase resulting in the death of several young migrant workers - that sends ripples through the lives of three intertwined characters from divergent backgrounds. The narrative veers between the perspective of the three: Sunny Wadia, the hotheaded, ambitious son of New Delhi magnate/crime boss Bunty Wadia; Ajay, Sunny's quiet and fiercely loyal valet whom Sunny brought up from poverty; and Neda, the curious, formidable journalist who falls into Sunny's personal and professional orbit. While speaking from vastly different class experiences, each of the three is essentially trying to answer the same question: how to be their own person in a society that has already weighed, measured, and determined who they are seemingly meant to be. At different points in the narrative, these three are given opportunities to rescue each other from their predestined fates, and the decisions they make speak volumes to how they have internally answered the question: who do I want to be?
For all its excess, violence, and emotional brutality, Kapoor's story carries an undercurrent of heartbreak, which is what kept me reading. To me, the ending felt like the opening of a whole new story, which left me feeling a bit bereft, but apparently this book is meant to be the first in a trilogy (?) which means there is more story to tell - and I'm here for it.
For all its excess, violence, and emotional brutality, Kapoor's story carries an undercurrent of heartbreak, which is what kept me reading. To me, the ending felt like the opening of a whole new story, which left me feeling a bit bereft, but apparently this book is meant to be the first in a trilogy (?) which means there is more story to tell - and I'm here for it.
slow-paced
READ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS.
I forced myself to finish this, but I don't think I should've. I also had to read this with the audiobook because I would've DNF'd if I read it without. It's not for me and I don't get the praise for it. It could've been shorter, and it still would've kept the essence of the story. I disliked most of the characters and they weren't interesting enough for me to be really invested. Like there were parts that were interesting, but not interesting enough for me to enjoy the book as a whole or to have been worth reading the whole thing. I liked the idea of the book and I liked the setting though.
I will not be checking out more from this author if she writes future books like this.
I forced myself to finish this, but I don't think I should've. I also had to read this with the audiobook because I would've DNF'd if I read it without. It's not for me and I don't get the praise for it. It could've been shorter, and it still would've kept the essence of the story. I disliked most of the characters and they weren't interesting enough for me to be really invested. Like there were parts that were interesting, but not interesting enough for me to enjoy the book as a whole or to have been worth reading the whole thing. I liked the idea of the book and I liked the setting though.
I will not be checking out more from this author if she writes future books like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism