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zepeng's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
It's been a long time since I've read a book, nonetheless in one single sitting. I think the main factor is that it has been quite some time since I have read a fantasy book, and so I was quickly absorbed into the whole plot of Naraska, Otherworlds, and realm that exists within the ink of the pages. Or, it might have been the fact that I'm procrastinating because I am in no mood to study.
Anyways, I do not quite understand the hate and low rating of this book. I personally found it absolutely fascinating and enthralling. Some did say it feels like a Hades and Persephone retelling, which I have yet to see the connection until I read the review. However, as I had some Hindu mythology and folktales at the back of my head, I can piece some similarities here and there. It is interesting and refreshing to read a retelling that is not based on Greek mythology, nor Persian folktales, and hence it quickly captured my attention. I did have some A Court of Thorns and Roses vibes while I was reading, which is another book that I greatly adored, so it might not come as surprising that I grew fond of this book as well.
I do adore the main characters. Some might say there's no real character description and development by Maya, the main protagonist. I personally find her fine. She was tough yet insecure, smart and rational, yet she still trusts her instinct strongly, which in some circumstances might not be the best thing to do. However, it just shows us that she is human and she has flaws. I do kind of understand her decision which leads towards the climax of the story, the part where she is stripped off her powers and her lover. It's just like in Avengers: Infinity War, whereby Star Lord just cannot pull Thanos's glove because he was distracted and very emotionally distraught. Nevertheless, in a certain sense, I do agree with the other readers that there should be more character development by Maya. Akaran, on the other hand, was just so swoon-worthy. I immediately have a liking towards him for so unknown reason. Similarly, I wished there were more scenes of his personality growth or backstory. Not much of his backstory is revealed in this story which is a shame because I think it would be very lovely to read on his childhood, how he had become the Dharma Raja and his days where he guarded over Maya while he was waiting for her.
The setting of this story is very lovely, which is helped by the author's very descriptive and amazing story-telling. However, it would be much appreciated if there will be more explanation given. Sometimes, I would be a bit confused about the exotic terms and names.
All in all, I enjoy this story thoroughly and would be looking forward to more stories by the author in the future.
It's been a long time since I've read a book, nonetheless in one single sitting. I think the main factor is that it has been quite some time since I have read a fantasy book, and so I was quickly absorbed into the whole plot of Naraska, Otherworlds, and realm that exists within the ink of the pages. Or, it might have been the fact that I'm procrastinating because I am in no mood to study.
Anyways, I do not quite understand the hate and low rating of this book. I personally found it absolutely fascinating and enthralling. Some did say it feels like a Hades and Persephone retelling, which I have yet to see the connection until I read the review. However, as I had some Hindu mythology and folktales at the back of my head, I can piece some similarities here and there. It is interesting and refreshing to read a retelling that is not based on Greek mythology, nor Persian folktales, and hence it quickly captured my attention. I did have some A Court of Thorns and Roses vibes while I was reading, which is another book that I greatly adored, so it might not come as surprising that I grew fond of this book as well.
I do adore the main characters. Some might say there's no real character description and development by Maya, the main protagonist. I personally find her fine. She was tough yet insecure, smart and rational, yet she still trusts her instinct strongly, which in some circumstances might not be the best thing to do. However, it just shows us that she is human and she has flaws. I do kind of understand her decision which leads towards the climax of the story, the part where she is stripped off her powers and her lover. It's just like in Avengers: Infinity War, whereby Star Lord just cannot pull Thanos's glove because he was distracted and very emotionally distraught. Nevertheless, in a certain sense, I do agree with the other readers that there should be more character development by Maya. Akaran, on the other hand, was just so swoon-worthy. I immediately have a liking towards him for so unknown reason. Similarly, I wished there were more scenes of his personality growth or backstory. Not much of his backstory is revealed in this story which is a shame because I think it would be very lovely to read on his childhood, how he had become the Dharma Raja and his days where he guarded over Maya while he was waiting for her.
The setting of this story is very lovely, which is helped by the author's very descriptive and amazing story-telling. However, it would be much appreciated if there will be more explanation given. Sometimes, I would be a bit confused about the exotic terms and names.
All in all, I enjoy this story thoroughly and would be looking forward to more stories by the author in the future.
ektambo's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book is magnificent on a line level, but nothing much happens, and the things that do happen are very predictable. I will definitely read more from this author, but I probably wouldn’t read this particular book again.
moonjelifish's review against another edition
mood was not mooding— will return eventually
mglarson29's review against another edition
I keep reading Roshani Chokshi’s books and then dnf-ing them because I WANT to like them but I think her writing style is just not for me.
eesh25's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 Stars
First, a confession: I didn't read the entire book. But because I'm still behind on my reading challenge and I did put myself through over 200 pages of this, I'm counting it.
Second, I'm going to tell you who I would recommend this novel for. I know I usually do this part at the end, but I'm going to make an exception. I recommend this book for people who are fond of metaphors and pretty language. For people who simply gobble up poetic language whether or not the rest of the book makes sense.
Third, a little English lesson for those who don't know. There are two broad categories into which imagery is divided. One is poetic imagery, full of similes, metaphors and all sorts of fluff which, if done right, can make you let out a dreamy sigh due to how beautiful it is. The other type is Visual Imagery. It's more practical. It's when you describe what something looks like so the reader can form an image in his or her mind.
A really good author knows how to balance both of these elements. Their writing is poetic but not pretentious (see [b:The Name of the Wind|186074|The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)|Patrick Rothfuss|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472068073s/186074.jpg|2502879]). Often though, you see one more present than the other. In this book, one is too much more present that the other, to the point where things don't make any fucking sense!
The book is a high-fantasy set in Bharata which, funnily enough, is the actual country I live in (India). So the fact that the author seems to be insinuating that I live in a fantasy world... as awesome as that would be, it just ain't true. So you fucked up straight off the bat, author. It's also centered around Indian mythology and it has mistakes. For example, 'Raksha' actually means 'protection', not 'monster' (that's 'Rakshasa'), and 'Naraka' is hell, not the freaking Underworld.
But anyway, the book focuses on a girl by the name of Maya who has a horoscope that promises a marriage with death and destruction. In a strange turn of events (which are conveniently left unexplained), Maya ends up married to Akaran, who shows her a new and magical world and promises her power, which she learns to control in one fucking day.
But then she fucks up and has to fix shit. And how does she fuck up, you ask? By being unbelievably fucking stupid.
On my God, I couldn't stand her! From the beginning, her judging, all-other-women-are-either-evil-or-pathetic attitude bothered me. Then came her tantrum-throwing ways and the sheer idiocy of her actions (which I won't spoil) and I was just completely done. With her and the book. And it's not like the book had any plot that one might be interesting in.
For the first two hundred pages, the author was just setting things up so that Maya could mess up and we would have a story. Before that, it was all just poorly planned plot-devices and a sad attempt at a romance which was never, for one second, even the slightest bit romantic. Oh and, there was also the prose.
I can't express how much the prose bothered me. Imagine this, a character walks into a room/ The first thing to be done is to give a general idea of how big the room is, what it's like, what's in it, etc. But nooo... who cares about that when there's a bejeweled vase (which might as well be floating in midair since there was never an actual table mentioned) which glitters like Persephone's garden in the moonlight! Never mind where the fucking moonlight came from!
It was disorienting, to say the least, not being able picture anything due to being choked on pretty writing. There were, honestly, so many metaphors that I'm not surprised the author didn't have time to squeeze in character development. Or emotions. Or a fucking plot.
In the end, the only reason this doesn't get one star is because a) I didn't finish it, b) I'm a really nice person, and c) I didn't always hate it; there were moments in the beginning when I though this would be an okay read and, later on, that it could be saved. It wasn't saved and I would only recommend it to those I mentioned above, but I very rarely give one stars so... I forgot where I was going with the sentence. Basically, I hated the book, but that doesn't mean you will.
faeriesparks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm feeling really conflicted about this book. While I enjoyed the story overall (I think? lol), it was so sooo confusing. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on. If someone asked me to summarize this plot, I'd have no clue what to say. I still enjoyed reading the book though.
However, I did love the setting and Indian mythology. Along with Roshani Chokshi's beautiful writing.
This might be a book that I reread eventually - maybe before the release of the second book.
However, I did love the setting and Indian mythology. Along with Roshani Chokshi's beautiful writing.
This might be a book that I reread eventually - maybe before the release of the second book.
illusie's review against another edition
4.0
The writing is beautiful. I love the world building. I like books based on mythology, but haven't read many about Indian mythology. It's a beautiful story that has got a dreamy feeling to it. I like the main characters, especially Maya. She showed character devolopment and has grown a lot during the story. The ending could have been better. It felt a little rushed. Throughout the story there were a lot of unexpected turns and twist. It was a very enjoyable read.
smithrachaelynn's review against another edition
3.0
The writing in this was absolutely beautiful. So poetic and lovely. This reads like a fable or a fairytale with lessons and warnings along the way. I was reading for the romance and found it sort of tragic. It was beautiful in its own way but not my favorite.
nellbee's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this but it really lacked in world building to me so I found it a bit confusing.