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scrittrice's review
5.0
Always and forever, I am a Sayantani DasGupta super fan.
She knocks my socks off and makes me laugh and pulls my heart strings (Ayma!) all at the same time.
She knocks my socks off and makes me laugh and pulls my heart strings (Ayma!) all at the same time.
briarrose1021's review against another edition
5.0
Such a fun story! Pinki is a rakkhosh with fire magic and may very well be the strongest rakkhosh of her generation. Unfortunately, she does not have control over her magic, a problem which often results in the accidental destruction of benches, trees, and other parts of her school. In addition, she is often made fun of as a result of her inability to control and use her magic.
After one such even in which Pinki loses control, she and her three young cousins go for a walk, leaving the school grounds. They end up coming across a human male teaching language to a bunch of small children. Though rakkhosh and humans are enemies, Pinki actually saves them from the larger enemy of the serpents by scaring them away. The serpents are then able to capture Pinki and her 3 cousins, and they only agree to release them after gaining an agreement to find missing moonbeams that the serpents needs to complete a weapon of mass destruction. Reluctant at first, Sesha, the son of the Serpentine Governor, gains her agreement by promising to teach her how to control her magic.
And thus begins an adventure in which nothing goes according to plan.
But it is that failure to go according to plan that makes the story so wonderful. From Pinki's struggle to protect her cousins to her intense desire to be able to control her magic, from her desire to have familial closeness to her beliefs about her mother. From her desire to have people believe in her while holding herself apart from everyone.
I loved seeing the way that Pinki grew throughout the story, and I don't mean her ability to use her magic. There are so many twists and turns in this story that even when the story was coming close to the end, I wasn't sure that it actually would end. It did, though, and I loved the way it did end.
The audiobook, which was narrated by Ulka Simone Mohanty, was absolutely fantastic. Mohanty gave a fantastic performance and I hope that as the author continues writing more stories in this world and with these characters, Mohanty will continue to be the narrator. I also really liked the author's note at the end of the audiobook (I do not know if it is included in the ebook or printed book, but I hope it is) which talks about the background of the mythologies and stories upon which this book is based, as well as the discussion on colonization and how it affected Indian history and the stories told as a result.
I definitely recommend this book for kids and adults. It is good enough for anyone to enjoy.
After one such even in which Pinki loses control, she and her three young cousins go for a walk, leaving the school grounds. They end up coming across a human male teaching language to a bunch of small children. Though rakkhosh and humans are enemies, Pinki actually saves them from the larger enemy of the serpents by scaring them away. The serpents are then able to capture Pinki and her 3 cousins, and they only agree to release them after gaining an agreement to find missing moonbeams that the serpents needs to complete a weapon of mass destruction. Reluctant at first, Sesha, the son of the Serpentine Governor, gains her agreement by promising to teach her how to control her magic.
And thus begins an adventure in which nothing goes according to plan.
But it is that failure to go according to plan that makes the story so wonderful. From Pinki's struggle to protect her cousins to her intense desire to be able to control her magic, from her desire to have familial closeness to her beliefs about her mother. From her desire to have people believe in her while holding herself apart from everyone.
I loved seeing the way that Pinki grew throughout the story, and I don't mean her ability to use her magic. There are so many twists and turns in this story that even when the story was coming close to the end, I wasn't sure that it actually would end. It did, though, and I loved the way it did end.
The audiobook, which was narrated by Ulka Simone Mohanty, was absolutely fantastic. Mohanty gave a fantastic performance and I hope that as the author continues writing more stories in this world and with these characters, Mohanty will continue to be the narrator. I also really liked the author's note at the end of the audiobook (I do not know if it is included in the ebook or printed book, but I hope it is) which talks about the background of the mythologies and stories upon which this book is based, as well as the discussion on colonization and how it affected Indian history and the stories told as a result.
I definitely recommend this book for kids and adults. It is good enough for anyone to enjoy.
lopab94's review
5.0
A handful of pages into the book, I came across this:
And I knew I would love this book! And I was right!
[a:Sayantani DasGupta|684407|Sayantani DasGupta|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] just has a way of taking the stories, mythology, lore, and history of the culture I was born into and love and retelling them in a fun yet pertinent way that still fits our current times. I was raised to feel passionately about the South Asian fight for freedom from the British, the Bangladeshi fight for our language, and the Thakurmar Jhuli stories, so for me it's amazing to see a story that incorporates all of that but makes it accessible to a modern day readers and a younger audience. I feel like I say this in every review of her books that I write, but I wish these books existed when I was a kid. I'm glad they exist now and hope the younger generations learn a lot from them.
Even if you're not interested in any of the above, this is still a fun adventure story about finding friends who become like family and finding your own voice to defeat the bad guys and I think anyone would enjoy that! Highly recommend. Would give it more than 5 stars if I could.
“Why don’t the snakes want us to speak Bangla, Shurjo-da?” one of the human schoolchildren was asking. The teacher they called Brother Shurjo smiled, poured some soil into the boy’s hand, and then closed the child’s small fist tight with his own. “I know this might be hard to understand, but the thing is, destroying a people’s language, not letting children learn the ways of those who came before them, is the surest way to kill a culture.”
And I knew I would love this book! And I was right!
[a:Sayantani DasGupta|684407|Sayantani DasGupta|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] just has a way of taking the stories, mythology, lore, and history of the culture I was born into and love and retelling them in a fun yet pertinent way that still fits our current times. I was raised to feel passionately about the South Asian fight for freedom from the British, the Bangladeshi fight for our language, and the Thakurmar Jhuli stories, so for me it's amazing to see a story that incorporates all of that but makes it accessible to a modern day readers and a younger audience. I feel like I say this in every review of her books that I write, but I wish these books existed when I was a kid. I'm glad they exist now and hope the younger generations learn a lot from them.
Even if you're not interested in any of the above, this is still a fun adventure story about finding friends who become like family and finding your own voice to defeat the bad guys and I think anyone would enjoy that! Highly recommend. Would give it more than 5 stars if I could.
wertofu's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Themes: finding your voice, Opression
sapphothegreat's review
they way it deals with topics of colonialism in India is superb. And I am living for the desi MC in a pretty sari, it makes her look so badass, no-nonsense.
abarton92's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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