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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
The story was interesting. It was mysterious, romantic and thrilling at times. Characters were interesting. Saveer being the hot idgaf attitude guy, or I should say he shows that to the world. But the mysterious person who had been doing all the killings had me hooked so much. As in it never bored me. I constantly want to know who's behind all this.
Concluding it, I enjoyed reading it so much.
Concluding it, I enjoyed reading it so much.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Prisha Srivastav, an eighteen year old girl hailing from Faridabad, comes to Bengaluru to study mass communication. She meets a mysterious man, double her age, who goes by the name 'the mean monster' in the Bengaluru party circuit. Intrigued, she pursues him and eventually falls for him. Litte does she know that anyone who loves him gets killed. Literally.
A series that speaks to you as if you are listening to your friends gossiping, the Forever series is an easy read. You will enjoy the book if you are someone who likes teenage drama. I would not say it was thrilling because by the time the thrill came into the picture, it was getting evident who was behind it. You just need to read to the end of the duology to figure out how it was being done.
By the end, I started empathizing with the killer. I liked how the author portrayed the concept that no one is a born criminal. Sometimes life treats you so badly that you have no other option than to take the lanes of darkness.
If you are new to reading and/or looking for a light read, you should go for this duology ! You can binge read it in a day !
A series that speaks to you as if you are listening to your friends gossiping, the Forever series is an easy read. You will enjoy the book if you are someone who likes teenage drama. I would not say it was thrilling because by the time the thrill came into the picture, it was getting evident who was behind it. You just need to read to the end of the duology to figure out how it was being done.
By the end, I started empathizing with the killer. I liked how the author portrayed the concept that no one is a born criminal. Sometimes life treats you so badly that you have no other option than to take the lanes of darkness.
If you are new to reading and/or looking for a light read, you should go for this duology ! You can binge read it in a day !
[12.01.21] Updating this. Tweaking it for fun. Apparently reviewing was not my strongest suite back then.
_____________________________________________
[Reviews of both books in the duology in one.]
_____________________________________________
Saveer Rathod goes by the name 'Mean Monster'. 'Mean' because of his 'edging techniques' in frivolous sexual encounters. And 'monster' because 'what he carries between his legs is two inches more than that of an average Indian's.'
I hope you are sold on that.
Because, it is that kind of a book. I am not even paraphrasing. I wish I was. And I say 'a' book. Because honestly it is one single book, split into two in a poor moneymaking endeavour.
The result lies in a drab soulless effort in the form of 'Forever is a Lie'. Making the first half of this duology incoherent and marred with fillers to pad things up. It is supposed to be a dark romantic thriller revolving around this 'Mean Monster.' The same guy who sleeps with random woman at night and runs a NGO at day for their safety. Guy might be a nymphomaniac by this point. But the takeaway is, he's hurting. He's suffering, our charming sad hero. And that should make us sad.
You see? Whoever he loves dies. Someone or something is hellbent on destroying his life for over a decade. And thus he promptly transforms into this "dark brooding guy with a definite soft spot." One might wonder why does he not contact the police? Or how about seeking some actual professional help?
But here the lies the grand dilemma of this literary masterpiece. He's too much of an alpha male, you see? How can he ever stoop to such lows? Don't you feel miserable for this hapless boy wonder? Goddamnit weep already, O reader!
And right about here, in comes Prisha, our heroine, the college freshman who is instantly enamoured by the much much elderly Saveer. (The same girl who fled her hometown because her high school flame dumped her.) And to make it all the more convincing, she falls in love with him after casually stalking him for few days. I suppose it is obvious by this point, that the girl boasts an IQ in the negatives.
The characters are stereotypical at best. The gay effeminate guy best friend who has the habit of saying 'sexy' out loud. The tomboyish girl best friend who has to habitually curse and utter 'bro' in every two lines. I mean where's the fun if the queer characters aren't hypersexual aren't they? The characters do not hold normal conversations. They speak in dialogues. (Something much better suited for Yourquote.in or the revered Farah Khan cinematic universe.) Just do not expect any semblance of character arcs going in. The author's mostly busy indulging in pretentious philosophical rambling about love and soul and shit, to even bother.
Moving on, we come to the smut. The extremely graphic and detailed love-making sequences. I mean they aren't a bad thing, right? Smut has its fair share of audience. But not when it's so banally written? Bargain bin trashy erotica that serves no purpose in the context of the 'thriller'. Might risk sounding like a puritan, however the age gap between Saveer and Prisha is quite problematic, seeing the manner in which they fall in love, and handle the relationship there after. She's basically a super dumb kid. And he's this Milind Soman ripoff with a brooding knight in a shining armour routine. But hey, who am I to judge?
_____________________________________________
[Reviews of both books in the duology in one.]
_____________________________________________
Saveer Rathod goes by the name 'Mean Monster'. 'Mean' because of his 'edging techniques' in frivolous sexual encounters. And 'monster' because 'what he carries between his legs is two inches more than that of an average Indian's.'
I hope you are sold on that.
Because, it is that kind of a book. I am not even paraphrasing. I wish I was. And I say 'a' book. Because honestly it is one single book, split into two in a poor moneymaking endeavour.
The result lies in a drab soulless effort in the form of 'Forever is a Lie'. Making the first half of this duology incoherent and marred with fillers to pad things up. It is supposed to be a dark romantic thriller revolving around this 'Mean Monster.' The same guy who sleeps with random woman at night and runs a NGO at day for their safety. Guy might be a nymphomaniac by this point. But the takeaway is, he's hurting. He's suffering, our charming sad hero. And that should make us sad.
You see? Whoever he loves dies. Someone or something is hellbent on destroying his life for over a decade. And thus he promptly transforms into this "dark brooding guy with a definite soft spot." One might wonder why does he not contact the police? Or how about seeking some actual professional help?
But here the lies the grand dilemma of this literary masterpiece. He's too much of an alpha male, you see? How can he ever stoop to such lows? Don't you feel miserable for this hapless boy wonder? Goddamnit weep already, O reader!
And right about here, in comes Prisha, our heroine, the college freshman who is instantly enamoured by the much much elderly Saveer. (The same girl who fled her hometown because her high school flame dumped her.) And to make it all the more convincing, she falls in love with him after casually stalking him for few days. I suppose it is obvious by this point, that the girl boasts an IQ in the negatives.
The characters are stereotypical at best. The gay effeminate guy best friend who has the habit of saying 'sexy' out loud. The tomboyish girl best friend who has to habitually curse and utter 'bro' in every two lines. I mean where's the fun if the queer characters aren't hypersexual aren't they? The characters do not hold normal conversations. They speak in dialogues. (Something much better suited for Yourquote.in or the revered Farah Khan cinematic universe.) Just do not expect any semblance of character arcs going in. The author's mostly busy indulging in pretentious philosophical rambling about love and soul and shit, to even bother.
Moving on, we come to the smut. The extremely graphic and detailed love-making sequences. I mean they aren't a bad thing, right? Smut has its fair share of audience. But not when it's so banally written? Bargain bin trashy erotica that serves no purpose in the context of the 'thriller'. Might risk sounding like a puritan, however the age gap between Saveer and Prisha is quite problematic, seeing the manner in which they fall in love, and handle the relationship there after. She's basically a super dumb kid. And he's this Milind Soman ripoff with a brooding knight in a shining armour routine. But hey, who am I to judge?
3.5/5
Gripping.. Interesting.. Page turner.. Nt disappointing. Makes me feel that the author is at his best wen it comes to "series". The first minute I found myself in Lonavla nd the next moment I was transported to Bengaluru.. Loved the way Prisha has been sketched...But Diggy remains my favorite..(though he plays a small role). God saved me Cos I hv Gt the final part wid me (I feel mortified wen I read "to be continued" nd I hate it).
Gripping.. Interesting.. Page turner.. Nt disappointing. Makes me feel that the author is at his best wen it comes to "series". The first minute I found myself in Lonavla nd the next moment I was transported to Bengaluru.. Loved the way Prisha has been sketched...But Diggy remains my favorite..(though he plays a small role). God saved me Cos I hv Gt the final part wid me (I feel mortified wen I read "to be continued" nd I hate it).
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sometimes redemption is about how much you can destroy yourself - one night at a time.
I read Novoneel's work in 2017 and I absolutely loved it so I had no second thoughts about picking up this book but I am not very impressed with how it turned out.
The story opens in Mumbai 2010 with an accident. Cut to five years , seven months and twenty one days later , we meet Prisha Srivastav , an 18 year old student in Bengaluru. Prisha , who was dumped by her ex boyfriend , joins Tinder - a dating app and swipes right and left over profile. Suddenly , she hears about a guy in town known infamously as the "Mean Monster for all the erotic reasons. Curiosity binds her and she secretly wishes to meet him unaware of the grave danger the Mean Monster brings with him.
Saveer Rathod , a thirty four year old man with looks of a twenty something guy runs an NGO for women safety and owns a cafe. He has everything in his life except love.
But what binds the two together?
Well , nothing exceptional in here to be honest. An eighteen year old chasing a thirty something adult. Some quotes are exceptionally good but the story lacks the "thrill" moment for which I pick up Novoneel's books. The writing is lucid and easy to understand. What I feel is a second installment wasn't necessary. The author could have ended the story in just one book. The "sequel or series" tag wasn't necessary.
I liked the character of Gauri and Diggy (Prisha's friends) and how supportive they are throughout. The only point where the book picks up a little pace is a thrill moment and the book ends.
Honestly , I would rest my final verdict till I finish the second book because I already own that. I wouldn't have bought it after reading the first book for sure.