I read this poetry collection over the course of two weeks because I usually read poetry quite slowly so that I actually feel the words and can mull them over. Walk With Wings was an enjoyable read that I delved into. The poems were all divided into 5 sections: Monsoon Love, Winter Sorrow, Autumn Grace, Spring Resilient, and Summer Freedom. In short, poignant verses, Tene’s poems are a compilation of reflections on her experiences, thoughts, and feelings through love, loss, pain, healing, and resilience. The collection takes you through the life story of the author while offering advice, notes, and affirmations, which were written to empower the author during difficult times. Walk With Wings tells the story of Tene falling in love, making bad decisions, learning from her mistakes, and discovering how to love her life and herself.
The
pieces here deal with hard work, discipline and the sacrifices we have to make
in order to pursue our dreams. They have been so relatable to me and I was in
love. It is always empowering in a way – to know that what we are feeling is
not just us. So many people are suffering and knowing that gives a sort of
strength – if so many others are dealing with these issues, and progressing,
perhaps we can too?
A few
of the pieces felt like quotes so irked me a bit, but then again, the content
is something you can easily relate to and that makes it the best, I think. Self-love
and empowerment are the two common threads that link all the different pieces
in the book. I think that my personal favourite is Summer Freedom perhaps,
because it is a process I am going through myself – I am healing myself by
learning to accept my own self. I am de-stigmatizing the faults I had
previously found in my skin which had once made me so very uncomfortable in
this skin I wear. Very enjoyable read and i rate it 4/5 stars.
#qotd : Do you have certain books you go back to whenever you need some healing?
A suggestion I have is What Your Soul Already Knows by Salma Farook. It is another book that I loved and I keep going back to it. It is a self-help/motivational book. I am generally not much for this genre but this one book was amazing.
Title: Upon A Burning
Throne (Part 1 of The Burnt Empire Saga)
Author: Ashok K
Banker
Publisher: Simon &
Schuster India
Genre: Fantasy,
Mythology, Historical fiction
Format: Papaerback
Language: English
No. of pages: 350
Recommended
for: If
you are a fan of mythology and fantasy, as well as fiction, this is definitely
a book you need to pick up ASAP!
Synopsis:
From international sensation Ashok K. Banker,
pioneer of the fantasy genre in India, comes the first book in a
ground-breaking, epic fantasy series inspired by the ancient Indian
classic, The Mahabharata
In a world where demigods and demons walk among mortals, the
Emperor of the vast Burnt Empire has died, leaving a turbulent realm without an
emperor. Two young princes, Adri and Shvate, are in line to rule, but
birthright does not guarantee inheritance: For any successor must sit upon the
legendary Burning Throne and pass The Test of Fire. Imbued with dark sorceries,
the throne is a crucible—one that incinerates the unworthy.
Adri and Shvate pass The Test and are declared heirs to the
empire… but there is another with a claim to power, another who also survives:
a girl from an outlying kingdom. When this girl, whose father is the powerful
demonlord Jarsun, is denied her claim by the interim leaders, Jarsun declares
war, vowing to tear the Burnt Empire apart—leaving the young princes Adri and
Shvate to rule a shattered realm embroiled in rebellion and chaos….
Welcome to the Burnt Empire Saga.
My review:
I received
a review copy from the publishers in return for an honest review. Opinions
expressed in this review are completely my own.
Let
me begin by saying that this is a wonderful book inspired by just as wonderful
an epic. Banker’s writing style is mesmerizing and having already read and
loved a book of him, I was excited to see how this would turn out. And believe me,
my expectations were set, but Bakeer flew way above those.
Let’s
talk about the world-building first. Banker is meticulous with his description
of the world in the book – Arthaloka. His attention to detail is uniquely reflected
in the plotline and the reader’s imagination’s eye. I believe that in any
fantasy, one of the most important things is the world building and Banker has
done it exceptionally well. It ensnares you completely and without any possible
exit. He makes sure that the reader is always intrigued and just cannot help
but flip the page and continue reading, despite the fact that its way past
their bedtime. The foreshadowing one understands when one finishes reading the
book will definitely give you a huge realization moment – your own anagnorisis!
The
characters again are all modeled after the famous mythical characters in the
Mahabharata, but with their own special Banker seasoning. Throughout the novel,
the character arc develop and at the end (which ends in a cliffhanger that has
me kind of despondent until the next book comes out), these characters have gone
on their journeys, whether physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually, and
they reflect in them. We lose some dear characters but in fantasy, that is
expected I suppose. I personally think that Jilana is a misunderstood character
but that is a personal perception. Drawing parallels between Banker’s characters
and the ones from the epic most of us already heard from our elders when we
were children, was fascinating to say the least.
The
themes of survival, war, human resilience in the face of decisions, the
position of women, societal pressure, Divine Providence, etc are all covered
and seen affecting the stories of all the characters. What I also love is that
there is no longer any binary – a strict division between what is solely good
and what is evil. Everyone is drawn to a point where they have to or have already
made decisions that were not truly evil but not right, either. The moral
conundrum that we humans face is on point in this book – it is dubious, the
decisions we personally make sometimes as well as the ones made by the
characters in this book.
There
are so many storylines that are interconnected that it a veritable atlas of
fascinating stories that will offer you a maelstrom of different emotions as
you read through.
The
cover is just as vivid and really emulates the story, I think.
Verdict:
I
enjoyed reading this thrilling ride of a book and I rate it a 4/5 stars.
About the author:
Author. Over 70 books 3 million copies 21
languages 62 countries.
About the reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
Recommended
for: Fans
of both adult and young-adult fantasy and of Neil Gaiman.
Synopsis:
The Near Witch is only an old story told to
frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and
always looking for company. And there are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger-a boy who seems to fade like smoke-appears outside
her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is
no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and
the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi
search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know-about the
witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems
to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless
boy.
My review:
I received
a review copy from the publishers in return for an honest review. Opinions
expressed in this review are completely my own.
Part fairy tale,
part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet
achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind,
and a dream you won't soon forget.
I cannot assert how much I loved the narrative structure, enough. Schwab weaves a magical net of prose and fantasy that engulfs the reader into the story and makes it almost touchingly real. The imagery of the windy moors – the wind has been personified and it is an entity of its own and grips the reader’s attention. Environment, or nature, in itself is given great stature in the book, the wind especially, and this added element provides greater temporal and spatial depths of an already intriguing story. There is adventure, there is mystery and there is romance; although I love how the romance has not been given center stage. There is love yes, but the love Lexi shares with her sister is far greater and warming to read about. Lexi is brave, and like every other teenager, she too struggles at times and is made all the more humane, by it. I love how the female representation is done in today’s fantasy. This genre continues to give us strong heroines, who are not perfect, but they are brave (like Reshma Saujani says in her book – be Brave, Not Perfect). These heroines can do wrong yes, make mistakes, but they are never afraid to own up to them and thus, have the potentials to be such great idols for the young impressionable minds. The fight against stereotypical gender roles in this book is shown through Lexi and I enjoyed seeing her defy the expectations, time and time again! Trauma and its effects on people, dealing with it etc. is too portrayed in the book. Then ending however, was a bit rushed but then again considering it is a debut novel, I am not surprised. I am wondering of what differences I will find in her latest ADSOM trilogy…
This new edition by Titan books also has the
short story The Ash-Born Boy which is basically the back-story of Cole. I think
this is a magical short-story in itself too! I cannot again, stress enough on
how much I love the prose writing of the author – this writing in itself is
such wave-like, so fluidic that you just flow towards the story and become one
with it. It is a powerhouse on its own.
Verdict:
I
absolutely loved the story and fell in love with Schwab’s writing style (so
much so that I will be picking up the ADSOM trilogy this upcoming weekend!). I
rate it a 4.5/5 stars.
About the
reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
An extraordinary debut that explores legacies of abuse,
redemption, and the strength of the human spirit–from the Boer Wars in South
Africa to brutal wilderness camps for teenage boys.
South Africa, 1901. It is the height of the second Boer War. Sarah van der Watt
and her six-year-old son Fred are forced from their home on Mulberry Farm. As
the polite invaders welcome them to Bloemfontein Concentration Camp they
promise Sarah and Fred that they will be safe there.
2014. Sixteen-year-old Willem is an outsider. Hoping he will become the man she
wants him to be, his Ma and her boyfriend force Willem to attend the New Dawn
Safari Training Camp where they are proud to make men out of boys. They promise
that he will be safe there.
You Will Be Safe Here is a powerful and urgent novel of two
connected South African stories. Inspired by real events, it uncovers a hidden
colonial history, reveals a dark contemporary secret, and explores the legacy
of violence and our will to survive.
My
review:
I
received a review copy for the publishers in return for an honest review.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I
absolutely loved reading YOU WILL BE SAFE HERE. This is a poignant story that
really touched my heart and I have changed after reading it. There are 4 parts
in the story.
The first
part is written in an epistolary format – in the form of a diary. The ton of
Sarah van der Watt is so tragic. I found – not overtly so, but in its
undercurrent – I could feel it as I read – Sarah’s knowledge that the need of
her world as she knew it, was near. Things would greatly change and it is as if
she is deliberately and often times forcefully trying to be cheerful – why not
enjoy the last few days before all hell breaks loose?
Some lines
I liked were –
“There is
strangely little to do now but wait.”
During this
period of the second Boer War, the Kaffirs were freed by the English. The
resulting chaos was a great scar on the lives of so many people – both whites
and blacks. I was also pleasantly surprised by the resilience of the people –
specifically Sarah van der Watt and basically everyone else. It also talks about the feminine issues –
both social, and historical – the suppression of women and the masculine power play
over them, their objectification, etc. I
also loved that Samuel, the husband had been such a supportive husband to
Sarah, as we learn from the diary entries. Later on, the entries make you cry –
just reading of the utter inhuman situations that they, along with so many
other people were subjected to. The flashback method was also great and gives
great depth to the story.
One thing
that I really enjoyed was the inclusion of the literary references. It made the
text very relatable to the reader, as it surely did for me!
Throughout
all the different parts, the Southern Cross is a recurring motif. I interpreted
it as an objective correlative for the concepts of hope and strength that it
bestowed on the different characters. The use of regional words at certain
places give a certain authenticity to the text and a sense of reality.
In part 2,
Willem says “They wouldn’t understand, they never understand” which I think
resonates among so many teenagers, when thinking of adults and authority
figures.
One of the
major themes that I saw throughout Part 2 is that of toxic masculinity. For
instance, seeing Willem cry in desperation once, Jan had turned away – after
all, boys do not cry. We also see domestic abuse scenario in this part.
Later, when
Willem is at the camp and Rayna misses him. She understands that at the camp he
would be forced to do what they have wanted him to do always – things that
other boys do generally. “It’s these markers of his willingness to try that
break her heart”.
I really loved Rayna’s character. She is the
epitome of an independent and hardworking woman. When Irma accuses her saying
she could never “keep a man” Rayna says, “I never needed one… Maybe I wanted
one, sometimes but I never needed one. Not like you” and that is such a
powerful sentiment. Rayna is an inspiring woman just as Sarah.
Verdict:
This is one
of the best books I have read in my life, let alone in 2019. I rate it a 5/5
stars and will definitely be picking it up again.
About
the author:
‘Maggie & Me’ is my memoir and ‘You Will Be Safe Here’ is
my first novel (out in April 2019). You can follow me on twitter @damian_barr
and insta @mrdamianbarr. I host my own Literary Salon at the Savoy: www.theliterarysalon.co.uk
‘Maggie & Me’ is my memoir of surviving small-town
Scotland in the Thatcher years. It won Sunday Times Memoir of the Year:
“Full to the brim with poignancy, humour, brutality and energetic and
sometimes shimmering prose, the book confounds one’s assumptions about those
years and drenches the whole era in an emotionally charged comic grandeur. It
is hugely affecting.” BBC Radio 4 made it a Book of the Week. Following
Jeanette Winterson in 2012, Stonewall named me Writer of the Year 2013.
I host my own Literary Salon at the Savoy.
Guests include: Jojo Moyes, Bret Easton Ellis, John Waters, Mary Beard, James
Frey, David Nicholls, Colm Toibin, Taiye Selasi, Susan Calman, David Mitchell
and Rose McGowan. Do enjoy our podcast!
Commended as Columnist of the Year, I’ve also
been a journalist for over a decade writing mostly for The Times but also the
Independent, Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, Evening Standard and Granta.
I’m currently a columnist for the Big Issue and High Life. My first book, based
on a Times column, was published by Hodder in 2005. ‘Get It Together: A Guide
to Surviving Your Quarterlife Crisis’. I’ve
also co-written two plays for Radio 4 and appeared on PM, Midweek, Broadcasting
House and Today as well as The Verb and presented on Front Row. I live in
Brighton with my partner and our intensely demanding chickens.
About
the reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She publishes
her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction etc. on
her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the NorthEast
Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
Publisher: Greenwillow
books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Genre: Children’s
literature
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
No. of pages:
352
Reading level: Middle-grade
Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Esme’s life changes when she
discovers dinosaur bones on her family’s peach farm in Texas. Fans of Wendy
Maas and Lynda Mullaly Hunt will love this perfectly pitched story about
friendship, family, and loss from Suzanne Crowley, the acclaimed author of The
Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous. After her grandfather died from a heart attack while
driving his tractor, Esme has avoided returning to the spot where he lost his
life. But when she follows her little brother, Bo, up the hill while chasing
fireflies, she makes an incredible discovery—dinosaur bones peeking out from
underneath the abandoned tractor. Esme
sees the bones as a message from her grandfather; a connection beyond the
grave. But when word gets out that Peach Hollow Farm is hiding something
valuable, reporters, researchers, and neighbors arrive in droves. Esme must
find a way to understand who has her best interests at heart—especially as the
memories of her grandfather begin to slip away. From acclaimed author Suzanne Crowley, this engaging adventure set on a
Texas peach farm is just right for fans of Rebecca Stead and Ann M. Martin.
My review:
I
had honestly no idea that I would come to love this book so much! Finding Esme
is truly a one of a kind middle-grade novel that I enjoyed delving into, as did
my brother!
Speaking
about the characters, the protagonist Esme is one I found to be utterly wonderful
and dynamic in her own rights. She is so matured for a mere twelve-year old and
while it awed me a lot, at times, I could not help but feel sad for she has
lost quite a part of her childhood. As she so ardently asserts to her
grandmother, she is after all a kid who has been force to grow up too early. It
also does not help that Bee admittedly treats her like an adult.
Bee
on the other hand, is a hard woman. She has faced a lot in her life and her
great tragedy perhaps defines a lot of this novel – I believe this backstory is
crucial in the way it has also defined the lives of Esme, her brother Bo, her
mother June Rain and her father Harlan. (If you want to know what great tragedy
I am talking about then you should surely read this book!) It is not a tragedy
in as much as a terrific incident or something of catastrophic expanse, but the
implications of that melancholy secret is utterly poignant and moving.
Speaking
of Bo, I absolutely loved this cuteball! Having a brother myself really made it
possible for me to relate to Esme on another level – the bond that one has with
siblings is simply unbreakable. Bo is fun and offers the bit of humour in this
story. One cannot help but fall in love with him. His understanding of the
things around him is also utterly profound and I found him, in some amount,
very enigmatic.
June
Rain broke my heart. It is only towards the end that we know so much as to why
she is what she is and behaves as she does. Sweetmaw, who is Bee’s sister is
also another lovable character. I also quite liked Finch’s character and he
truly is a good friend to Esme. We also see his story as the author really
wraps around the lives of the people with each other. The end product is
utterly magical.
The
plot was also really enjoyable and while the overall pacing was good, I think
that the beginning was a bit slow. Nonetheless, it wraps up the story
perfectly.
The
themes of family, friends, love, were well evolved in the story. We see so many
shades of human emotions that it was an utter ride in itself. Love, hatred,
jealousy, competition… everything was included and the result was something
very real. The supernatural element was also what I think formed a lot of the
backbone in this story, but of course that is a personal interpretation. I suppose
I cannot stress enough on how deep and impactful this middle-grade novel turned
out to be! And as such, I feel that this is a story people of all ages will
enjoy – the kids for the mystery, and the adults for the various hidden layers
of meaning and implications within the story.
Verdict:
I
absolutely enjoyed this story and I rate it a 4.5/5 stars!
About the
author:
Selected among Book Sense and Indie Next top
picks, and Amazon and Bookbub Editor’s Picks for Best Books, Suzanne writes
novels that School Library Journal calls “amazing” and
“poignant” and VOYA calls “heart-stirring” and
“marvelous.” Suzanne, the author of both middle grade and young adult
fiction, is a wife, mother, a crafter of dollhouse miniatures, an avid
traveler, dog hugger, nap expert, and chocolate lover extraordinaire. Suzanne’s
novels have received starred reviews in SLJ, KLIATT, VOYA and BCCB, and have
been selected for state and national reading lists. After living all over the
United States, Suzanne and her family now make their home back in her native
state of Texas. www.suzannecrowley.com
About the
reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com
.
