Karna’s Wife-The Outcast’s Queen by Kavita Kane

Category : Fiction

Genre : Mythology

Format : Audiobook

Length : 13h 09mins

Read Date : July 06, 2023

Rating : 3/5

“Repentance like forgiveness is divine; it purifies the soul”

I always feel that in the case of Mythological Fictions/Retellings the writing has to be exquisite. The storytelling should amaze the reader as they already know so many things that are going to happen. 

This book was good. I got to know Uruvi, about her love for Karna & that she definitely had high morals. 

But when a female character of our epics like Mahabharata is rewritten, I definitely do not want to see her sidelined, giving in to societal pressure, or just being there. 

Uruvi, no matter how strong she’s initially portrayed, eventually succumbs. We hear Karna telling her very often “You are my conscience”, but every time Uruvi tells him something that’s probably better for his “conscience”, it falls on deaf ears.

Throughout the book, Karna is fighting to prove his worth. What bothered me was that it continuously felt that he despised being a “suta” putra. I would have really appreciated it if he owned & accepted that he was a “suta” putra & then proved that it is a man’s deed that defines his worth & not just birth or the caste given at birth.

On the other hand, the author by stressing Karna & Duryodhana’s closeness has nicely laid the foundation for an alternative way of how things would unfold. 

Another part I liked reading was Uruvi’s feelings for Draupadi. Her constantly questioning herself whether Karna still loved her. How there’s a sudden shift in her thoughts about Draupadi when she realizes the profoundness of Draupadi’s love for Karna & also how she dealt with it. And of course, I loved her being the only one to side with Draupadi after the disrobing incident.

The writing felt very plain, not extraordinary. I’m also not sure about how I felt about certain things being twisted a little to suit the narrative of Karna being very “righteous”. 

Overall an okay read. If you are a beginner to this genre you may like it. 

P.S. Please avoid the audiobook for this one, the pronunciations have been taken for granted & they ruin the entire fun of reading the book.

Valmiki’s Women by Anand Neelakantan

Category : Fiction

Genre : Mythology

Format : Audiobook

Length : 7h 28mins

Read Date : January 12, 2023

Rating : 4/5

Let’s talk about the Title first. This book by no means describes any women as described by Valmiki. It’s rather an extension or retelling of the women created by Valmiki in his version of Ramayana.

There’s an entirely new perspective of the women we know from Valmiki’s Ramayana – Shanta, Manthara, Tataka & Meenakshi. For Sita, we have a wonderful background for how she was created. Each story brings out various emotions of the women which are not much talked about in the epic.

Sita – the embodiment of love, love for mother earth and nature. The story behind her creation is beautiful and heartbreaking but so deeply thought out.

Shanta – the rejected child. But the woman who found a love like no other. Her story will make you angry but will also make you want to fall in love, the kind of love that lifts you up. Her hope of being accepted doesn’t die till the last moment. Kaikeyi’s role in her life is also a highlight of this story.

Manthara – the name that makes us scorn. Her physical appearance didn’t let her define her worth. She laughed with others when they laughed at her. But what if we knew she had a heart that was capable of loving. She loved her foster daughter fiercely & even her daughter’s children. In wanting the best for them, she didn’t realize what she may cause. In spite of all the love, there was a little greed & fear deep down which never left her heart – the fear of going back to the streets.

Tataka – Her story was completely new to me. A Yakshini, who lost her husband to the civilized people. Who’s only fault was protecting their land. A yakshini who was then labelled as a Rakshasini & who’s child Maricha later took revenge for his family’s death.

Meenakshi – I never knew this name of hers. I didn’t agree much with this story. But this one too portrayed a lot of strength & how she decided that no one but she was responsible for deciding her self-worth.

Overall, this was a good read, giving a lot of weightage to feminism & self-worth while providing a totally different perspective on the lives of these women.

Sleeping Dogs Lie by Samantha Downing (A Novella)

Category : Fiction

Genre : Murder Mystery

Format : Audiobook

Length : 2h 8mins

Read Date : January 02, 2023

Rating : 4/5

BOOK BLURB:

Shelby works as a dog walker in Northern California, and she’s just finished up her biweekly trip to the park with a husky named Pluto. When she brings him back to his house, she finds his owner—Todd Burke, a well-known local businessman and founder of an organic supplements company—dead on the bathroom floor. As a detective interviews Shelby, a medical examiner inspects the body, and more cops search Todd’s home, it becomes clear that the victim’s life was less picture-perfect than his clean-cut persona might lead you to believe.

REVIEW:

Short, crisp & with a perfect ending, this quick novella is for all mystery lovers & dog lovers. Very few characters & suspects, but still I didn’t get the culprit right. The plot is told in two POVs Shelby & Detective Carla Grady. Major part of the plot is the investigation & in that it’s the interview between Shelby & detective. There’s an ex-wife & an angry neighbour & an affair probably & maybe money involved? You need to find the murderer & the motive from the interview.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. A quick, engrossing & witty read.

American Girl by Wendy Walker (An Audible Original)

Category : Fiction

Genre : Thriller/Crime Fiction

Format : Audiobook

Length : 8h 39mins

Read Date : December 29, 2022

Rating : 4/5

17-year-old Charlie Hudson’s only hope of getting out of her small town, Sawyer, is to get to college. As a means of earning money, she works at a sandwich shop, triple S. A small-town girl with a troubled childhood, dealing with autism and coping well with it. Besides having an amazing memory, she’s incredible at math & loves her friends at the SSS and maybe loves them too much to help one of them who has committed a murder.

Coop, the owner of the SSS is murdered & Charlie witnessed the chaos before he was killed. Only she doesn’t know which of her friends has committed the crime. The plot progresses with her being questioned & hiring a lawyer, while she tries to figure out on her own who could have done it, as Coop was a filthy man & each one had a motive to do so. Unknowingly, Charlie falls into a bigger trap involving the FBI & putting her own life at risk.

The characters were all well carved out. The mystery had layers to it, so just when you thought you got it, there was more coming your way, right up till the end. Charlie’s character was beautiful – a girl who has been fed so many thoughts by her mother who herself doesn’t follow it, thoughts that don’t allow Charlie to ever fall in love or accept it. This story had a mother-daughter bond but a completely different one at that, where the daughter loves her mother no matter what, but the mother has a hand in twisting the little girl’s mind. Ian was a character to actually fall in love with.

The story had a good pace, is told from Charlie’s POV, a complete insight into her mind & a unique feature was the dramatized bits in the audiobook.

This was my 2nd book by Wendy Walker & I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you’re looking for a murder mystery with layers to it, this one’s definitely for you.

BOOK BLURB:

Charlie Hudson, an autistic 17-year-old, is determined to leave Sawyer, PA as soon as she graduates high school — in the meantime, she works as many hours as she can at a sandwich shop called The Triple S to save money for college. But when shop owner Clay Cooper — a man who is both respected and feared by many in this economically depressed community — is found dead, each member of his staff becomes a suspect in the perplexing case. Charlie must work to protect herself and her friends, and uncover the danger that may still be at large in their tightknit community.

Please note: This audio contains strong language, distressing situations, and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.

Lies Like Wildfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Category : Fiction

Genre : YA Thriller

No. of Pages : 384 Pages

Format : E-Book

Expected Publication Date : September 07, 2021

Read Date : September 01, 2021

Rating : 4/5⭐

Recommendation : Yes

Wildfires: What do you know about them? Honestly, I didn’t know much except for the loss of flora & fauna as well as the pollution they cause. So this is the first reason to read the book.

Second of all, it’s a thriller – Wildfire mingled with a murder mystery. Now, that’s a combination that I’ve never encountered.

Hannah, Drummer, Mo, Luke & Violet decide to spend their last summer before college, together at the Gap Mountain, a small town in California. A mountain range with a lake & surrounded by woods. Everything’s going smoothly, until one of them accidentally starts a fire – a wildfire.

As the investigation into arresting the person responsible for the wildfire continues, one of the five friends is killed. The lie that began as a cover-up for the wildfire continues to inflate and spread. Was the secret that tied them all together, now the cause of the death of one of their own? Was all their lying worth it?

The part of the book that describes the wildfire, the destruction it causes and its investigation is so well researched. I found that part of the book very informative. The second part that focuses on the murder investigation was equally compelling to me.

The plot develops at a decent speed in the first half gaining momentum in the latter. The characters are perfectly suited for the young-adult genre in terms of their thought process. The language is lucid & easy to understand.

All in all, I enjoyed it!

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Thank you @TheWriteReads & @penguinplatform for having me onboard for this blog tour.

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About the Author

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez earned her B.A. in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of two middle-grade fantasy series, The Guardian Herd and Riders of the Realm, and she’s the Sonoma County Coordinator for SCBWI. Jennifer also supports public libraries by volunteering for her county’s Library Advisory Board. Lies Like Wildfire is her debut young adult novel and her first thriller. Jennifer lives on a small ranch in Northern California with her family, horses, and more than her fair share of pets.