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rashmipmenon's review
5.0
In My Hands is Sathya Achia’s debut novel and what an explosive debut it is! I absolutely loved Chandra-the main character-and her journey as the shy, careless teenager in Virginia to the powerful leader she becomes for the Lambadi tribe and other village people. Her camaraderie with Tarun, Varsha, and especially Surya makes this book an enjoyable ride. The depiction of the rakshasi (a mythical demon/creature from Indian Lores) was spot on. Chandra’s transformation, the adventures she goes on in the jungles of South India, and the relationships she forms along the way makes for the crux of this book! If you enjoy reading retellings based on South Asian lores with POC main characters, then this book is an absolute must read for you! 5 stars for sure!
wldflwrs's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
2.5
I received an e-copy of this book through BookTasters in exchange for a honest review.
I'm genuinely disappointed that I didn't like this book. It took me a long time to read and I read other books to avoid continuing this one.
In My Hands is an action-packed, YA fantasy novel with strong influences of South Asian culture. Our main character, Chandra, has the ability to see rakshasi-- her first time seeing them when her father is killed in front of her. The only thing: no one believes her. Years later, her mother is killed by the rakshasi as well, leading Chandra and her sister, Leena, to stay at their ancestral home in India, where she learns her destiny. She is to defeat an ancient evil, and during this, she fights ghosts and the undead, goes into old tombs, all the while dealing with the loss of her mother.
It has a premise of a great YA fantasy, but honestly, I feel like I am too far from the target demographic to enjoy this-- I don't think I've seriously read a YA fantasy since Percy Jackson. This book would be enjoyed more by middle schoolers (at the oldest) instead of a college freshman.
That being said, there were other aspects of the book that I simply did not enjoy. I could not get attached to the characters-- I barely liked the main characters and felt no attachment to them. The writing style had me skimming, too, but I am unsure whether or not it's because I could not enjoy the writing style or because the book, due to the fast pace, made it seem like everything was just a small event in the grand scheme of things.
I do believe that this book can be enjoyed-- just by younger kids and teacher or parents that want to try to introduce diversity in literature, because it is really nice to see characters that look like me on pages of fantasy books.
Overall, it was definitely not bad. Just not for me.
I'm genuinely disappointed that I didn't like this book. It took me a long time to read and I read other books to avoid continuing this one.
In My Hands is an action-packed, YA fantasy novel with strong influences of South Asian culture. Our main character, Chandra, has the ability to see rakshasi-- her first time seeing them when her father is killed in front of her. The only thing: no one believes her. Years later, her mother is killed by the rakshasi as well, leading Chandra and her sister, Leena, to stay at their ancestral home in India, where she learns her destiny. She is to defeat an ancient evil, and during this, she fights ghosts and the undead, goes into old tombs, all the while dealing with the loss of her mother.
It has a premise of a great YA fantasy, but honestly, I feel like I am too far from the target demographic to enjoy this-- I don't think I've seriously read a YA fantasy since Percy Jackson. This book would be enjoyed more by middle schoolers (at the oldest) instead of a college freshman.
That being said, there were other aspects of the book that I simply did not enjoy. I could not get attached to the characters-- I barely liked the main characters and felt no attachment to them. The writing style had me skimming, too, but I am unsure whether or not it's because I could not enjoy the writing style or because the book, due to the fast pace, made it seem like everything was just a small event in the grand scheme of things.
I do believe that this book can be enjoyed-- just by younger kids and teacher or parents that want to try to introduce diversity in literature, because it is really nice to see characters that look like me on pages of fantasy books.
Overall, it was definitely not bad. Just not for me.
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