BLURB:
Shayamukthy cruises through life: shooting hoops, daydreaming and listening to her favourite books. Even moving from the US to India, to a new school, a new culture, hasn’t really rattled her. But something isn’t right anymore and it begins when a New Girl joins the school. She pulls Shui into a world of magic and wonderment, a world she has been hidden from all her life. What starts as a quest to look for a lost book, hurtles Shui into a world where people live in trees, talk to the dead and speak to butterflies. But like all power, magic comes at a steep price and under all things wondrous lie demons waiting to crawl out. The more Shui learns, the more she doubts everything and everyone around her. Will she be able to master her powers, or will they devour her and everyone she loves?
MY REVIEW:
Firstly, the book is one of a kind. Yes, longing for a young adult fantasy by an Indian author. This book best deserves to be one of it.
The book is about Shayamukthy who daydreams and listens to books. She moves to India from the US. The change in diverse culture, the language, a new environment and new school do not seem to bring in a change in her. She is not upset by the vast changes that she encounters when she moves here.
Shui joins the school and there begins the adventure. When she comes across a floating pencil and a girl who speaks to butterflies’ things start changing. The authors narration and references to Mumbai are truly wonderful. And what more the book has illustrations that’s makes the reading part more interesting.
The plot is intriguing and a gripping read which we can finish at one go; though the book seems to be on the bulkier side.
The writing is simple and narration is subtle. YA fantasy that was long awaited has now hit the bookstores , so why wait , grab your copy of the wonderful read.
BOOK DETAILS:
Reading level:12 – 16 years
- Paperback:420 pages
- Publisher:Two Ravens Publishing (13 November 2018)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:9353216206
- ISBN-13:978-9353216207
MY RATINGS:
Cover: 4/5
Title: 4/5
plot: 4/5
Writing and Presentation: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Travel writer and novelist Reshma K Barshikar is an erstwhile Investment Banker who, as she tells it, ‘fell down a rabbit hole and discovered a world outside a fluorescent cubicle.’ As a travel and features writer, she contributes to National Geographic Traveller, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, The Sunday Guardian, SilverKris, The Mint Lounge and The Hindu. Fade Into Red, published by Random House India was her debut novel and featured in Amazon Top 10 Bestsellers. She also holds well renowned workshops for young adults at both BDL Museum and Kala Ghoda and is keen to build a strong Young Adult reading and writing community to fill the desperate lack of young adult fiction in the Indian Market. Her new Young Adult novel, The Hidden Children, will be launching at the Vizag Junior Literary Festival. Reshma is from the ISB Class of 2003. She calls both Mumbai and the Nilgiris home.
That Madras Mom 