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Saturday 28 May 2016
Heart of Bullets by Nikhil Kushwaha

Year Published : 2015
Publisher : Petals Publishers
Pages : 293
Format : Paperback




                                             
                                                  

                                                    Book Synopsis

 The only way to get close to those glittering stars in heaven is, to look at a soldier with stars on his shoulders'

 Every time, they're around, the thing that we see is the bravery awards, medals, the pride, but what we can't see is their heart that lies inside the iron chest, some untold stories, sacrifices, and the hardship they've been through. Every soldier has a story that is unique and extra ordinary.

 A tale of brotherhood & heroism, a tale of love & betrayal, 'Heart of Bullets', is about two best friends, Arpan & Sam, and the untold story of their friendship, untold story of their love, Shradha, but what happens when Sam gets hit by the enemy - across the border? 

What will Arpan do to save his friend? Will love prevail over friendship of lifetime? 

There is a decision to be made, is the life without love, and friends, better than dying to save the one we love the most?


                                                My Review

Heart of Bullets is a story of friendship , love , betrayal and sacrifice made on the border . More or less this story is a tribute to all those soldiers who let bullets pierced deep into their heart , which might stopped their breath but their souls live forever . Story about passionate lovers  and how they had separate lives even being born for made for each other. Story about two best friends who stepped into each shoes whenever needed and heart wrecking sacrifice for country and for friendship .

Nikhil Kushwaha , has totally enthralled me with his work . I always enjoyed reading and watching stuff related to my Nation and the book completely left me content . When I picked the book I wasn’t sure that it would be so good that I completed it in a single sitting . The book kept me hooked me from the first page till the last page . The content was very well researched that’s again the reason I enjoyed it . Author’s toil is reflected .

Narration- The book was perfectly presented .  Each chapters were beautifully written . It keeps on flowing .

Language – The language was simple yet catchy  .  Readable .  All the emotional segment were beautifully written and it made my eyes moist too . The other part which I enjoyed were the poems . Loved it !

Characters I enjoyed the most

Arpan – An average looking boy but blessed with best friend like Sam who was more than a brother , a family who loved him like anything and sweet friend who he secretly admired but never confessed anything to her and above all he’s a soldier who lived his severing the nation . A true friend who ,  a proud son and a true human .

Sam – Sam , a boy next door , a kind hearted person who was ready to help everyone even the path was wrong . A boy who wanted to live his life at fullest , an edifier of love and a true friend . Born with perspicuous mind and a gullible heart . His only weakness was love but he defeated that also . And yes soldier like Arpan .

Shardha – Shardha was the girl next door . A warm heart nestled in a shell but then love knocks at her door and it changed her life . She sang the lullabies of love then she murmur dirge for her only friend . A believer of love and a loving daughter .

Portions which I enjoyed the most

The book bring me back few entrenched memories of my school days where we mocked at teachers and gave them crazy pseudonyms , the rush to score well and being the most adored students be it nefarious . The other portion which touched my heart were the segments where friendship was questioned but it cleared passed every fence with spectrum of love and friendship .  Another portion was of a stubborn father who brought upheavals in their lives , we see people like them . Sad but true . And the portion which left me moist when a soldier died on duty. Duty or a scarf ice .

Negative Punch

1.      The cover picture could have been better .
2.    It was guessing in few chapters .

Book Recommendation- I would love to recommend the book to everyone . All age groups can read this . You would find many segments related to your own childhood , school-hood and the friendship . May be you haven’t thanked your friend , may be you will surely thank him or her for being with you after reading this book .

Overall Rating- I would be honored to rate this perfect tour of love, friendship and patriotic work 4/5. A must read !!


Reviewed by Aditi Srivastava


Friday 27 May 2016
Ponytail The Love for Revenge by Pradip Chauhan

Year Published : 2016
Publisher : Hcr Publisher
Pages : 168
Format : Paperback




                                  
                                      Book Synopsis

Ponytail is the story of the man, who has spent his life for making money and becoming powerful. He has his own motives of life and to achieve his goals, he falls in love; that changes his life.

Prabuddh, the most successful and hard working business person who falls in love with three different woman at a time and finds hard to answer the question- "Whom he should marry?". But the reason for falling in love with Tapassya and Kaumudi is his own benefit. He falls in love to take a revenge from them. Find in the story why he falls in love and take revenge from them and find whether he gets his love of life or not!

                                     My Review

Ponytail is a story which revolves around an emerging newbie business tycoon of India and his controversial life. A man who have suffered all major losses since his childhood but then love knocks at his door and he started living those glee love life though which lasts for a short duration and he was knocked by his own fate .

Author has penned down life of a business man and his journey of toiling hard to get the success . “ Hard work is key to success “ but then all his happiness disappeared as his only love of his life left him ,  which turned him insane .

Narration- The presentation of the book was good . The story went with a flow and was easily understood .  A journey of success to depression and revenge .

Language – The language was simple .  Readable .  I truly enjoyed the part ‘ conversations ‘ . The metaphors used in the book caught my attention.

Character I enjoyed the most-
Prabudh - The protagonist, blessed with looks and brain, who hails from a middle class but his passion turned him into front cover of top businesses magazines , a young business tycoon .  A man was dedicated to his work as well to his personnel life . Man who loved his wife beyond the limits but the loss he occurred , turned his stone hearted and the tale start for avenge .

Portions which I enjoyed the most-
I enjoyed the portions were the protagonist talked and discussed about his future plans , the other I enjoyed where he gave equal opportunity to his employees to shine and take the organization to a higher level . The other portion I enjoyed when he dig into the closed files of his beloved wife to take the revenge .

Negative Punch
1.      The cover wasn’t appealing at all , it didn’t match with the story and the title .
2.     The language could have been written in a more modish way .
3.    There were couples of chapter where I found that the protagonist was only involved in talking about his business plans and meetings .
4.    The murder mystery part could been written with more research .

Overall Rating – I would rate this love for revenge story 3/5 . One time read .
Reviewed by Aditi Srivastava


Thursday 26 May 2016
                        Hues of Modern Love by  Paras 


Year Published : 2016
Publisher : Authors’ Ink Publications
Pages : 158
Format : Paperback





                                                   Book Synopsis

Have you ever got a chance to ask for an apology? Is your ex still suffering from the things you did? Had you ever loved anyone more than your life? Did you ever thought of realizing after a breakup that whatever you did was wrong?
If answers to these questions are confusing than the two characters of this book will take you to the new ride of love and they will teach you on how to indulge into love in a better way.
They will explain you the real meaning of modern love.
While the journey to New Delhi both of them meet each other at the railway station and turned friends.
They booze, fight and did mischievous things together but later on a girl named zoiba entered b/w two and was a third member in there group. As she was outspoken and friendly she slowly bent there talks to relationship and love.
Agreeing to what she said all three started discussing about love, relationship and romance.
Joy and cheery realized there love for ex was strong but it was late enough for an apology to be granted.
Find out what they will do to get back everything to normal. Will zoiba help them or she will just listen to their pain and will ignore it.  

                                               My Review

 Hues of Modern Love  An Odyssey of Soul to Soul is a story of three souls who met each other during a train journey but in those few hours of journey their life changed , from completely strangers they turned friends forever . A story which revels the love stories existed nowadays , how people fall in love and how their own mistakes or misunderstanding about love change their life .  Story which will glue you to phases of love , betrayal and break-ups and worst phase ‘ being loner in love ‘.  

Being second book of the author Paras ,  his work has completely make me stick with it . The title of the book was modish , it just goes with the flow of book . Great Choice!! .  The cover picture of book was quite appealing and catchy , it was depicting the treasured story ; but it wasn’t guessing . Loved the cover!!

Narration- The flow of story was quite good . The story seems to be real and was not guessing anywhere .  The characters and places used in the book was beautifully described as well as they( characters) appear to be seen around .  

Language – The language was simple yet catchy  .  Readable .  I truly enjoyed the part ‘ conversations ‘ , they were so REAL and funny at times .

Characters I enjoyed the most

Cheery – The protagonist , who was smart , witty , funny and sensible person . Cheery , is the type of boy whom you will find around , may be he’s  your best friend or just friend . A boy who will be having lassitude attitude towards his daily routine , a boy who will be childlike yet sensible . Reading the Cheery’s portion was so much fun . Loved it!!

Zoiba -  Zoiba , a sweet girl with ravish looks . A girl who can steal anyone’s heart .  A girl who’s childish yet she knows to be credulous towards the outsider .  Zoiba , girl who entered the particular compartment for a reason but she was clueless  she would met strangers turned friends .

Portions which I enjoyed the most

Nothing is best then seeing a father son relationship , so it was very well written. A father who loved his son beyond any limits , be it his son was quite lame . A father who never bothered about his age , cracked silly jokes to his son so that he enjoyed the most chugging time . There was another portion I thoroughly enjoyed where ‘ storytelling ‘ was going on . Damn! It was so difficult hold on the excitement to know more being a reader .  Apart from these I loved the portion where the confessions leads to happy ending for each character .

Negative Punch – The only thing which creates hindrance while reading was the missing words and errors of punctuations . A proof editing is required .

Book Recommendation -  I would love to recommend this book to all of you , who are in love or who have lost someone they love . Who knows single realization and confession can bring back your beloved back in your life .

Overall Rating -  I would rate this hues of love 4/5  for amazing storytelling  and keeping me hooked till the last page . Keep it up Sir . 


Reviewed by Aditi Srivastava




Monday 23 May 2016
The Broken Sun by Alokita Sharma

Year Published : 2016
Publisher : Petals Publishers
Pages : 135
Format : Paperback 




                                      Book Synopsis

Anay had everything he could ask for. A job he loved. A girlfriend he adored. He was getting recognition for his work. Life should have been dandy then. When layers were peeled off from this so called dandy life of Anay, he loved his assistant more, his girlfriend was dead and his research was missing.

He was truly broken. People knew his deepest-darkest secrets, his father was still a bastard and he was a murder suspect. In nine hours his life has taken a drastic turn. Could he survive this?


                                       My Review

The Broken Sun is a story of a boy who lost his love in every possible way , be it getting love from his own biological mother , be it his biological father who reluctantly ignored him like a shit or his girl friend whom he loved and stayed with her for six years . He lost all , may be he was too small to understand why her mother left or may be he was too baffled to accept the on going changes around him . And then in few hours his life turned upside down completely leaving him in a fix and disdain .

Author Alokita Sharma , has appropriately chosen the title of the book ‘ The Broken Sun ‘ it says all once you are done with the book . The Broken Sun , story of ‘ being shattered ‘ . The cover of the book was very catchy for me , it revels the pain and the hatched revenge . Being romantic thriller , the cover suits the best .

Anay , a kid who lost his mother when he stepped to the stage where he started to learn and study about the surroundings  , a loner lover , a perfect boyfriend but then something happened and his ‘ Best Boyfriend ‘ tag changed to ‘ Worst Boyfriend ‘ but in all this happening he cursed the man , whom he needed the most and who had all his answers to his questions about his life , his ‘ father ‘ . Anay , being the protagonist , I found him the most potential character of the book . Author had perfectly penned him !!
The second character I enjoyed was Mithya . While reading her , I was really occupied with couples of names , who are living and lived her lovelorn life . Sometimes the karma happened for a reason . When we say not to neglect the things , we really must not do that because we really are clueless about the people which may get effected due to our deed . And so Mithya was . A gullible heart which turned like a stone .

There were many portions where I enjoyed a lot but the favorite one was the diary of girl who had her love of life with her but he was not there, she wanted everything back to normal but the destiny has treasured odds for her . The other one was the struggle of a mother , how she left the world just let her only son live .

The overall the story was good but sometimes I felt the thriller portion could have been better and some portions confused me . The author could have added few more words to the stories so that the book could be a more better . Apart from this , the book require strong editing which creates obstacle while reading to me .

The book was good, I loved the synchronization of past and present in the book . A strong point! . The language was simple and readable . The book was completed in a single sitting and the last few pages were worth page turner.
I rate the first installment of The Broken Sun series 3/5 rating . Good job Author .

Reviewed by Aditi Srivastava


Let The Game Begin! By Sandeep Sharma

Year Published : 2013
Publisher : Inspire India  Publishers
Pages : 170
Format : Paperback 





                                      Book Synopsis

Two kingdoms, Chaturanga and Sarprakt, separated by a mystic mountain range are at war with each other since ages. Chaturanga, ruled by King Viratha, is soon bestowed with a dynamic heir, and the whole kingdom is drowned in rituals and festivity. On the other side, Sarprakt is executing a cruel conspiracy. King Viratha, crippled by the conspiracy, urges the mysterious man of the mountain to devise a method to recreate the conspiracy and that gave birth to 'The Game of Chess'.
**** 
Serial killings shock the nation as the police are rendered clueless. The killer leaves behind a trail of chess pieces with a strange message. Random people are murdered. Connoisseurs of different fields - History, Chess and the Security forces - have united as the next intended victim is the most powerful person of the country. How is Chess involved in the whole scenario? How will they find a man who died 4000 years ago? Can a person defy the laws of nature? Does history really repeat itself? Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it
. 


                                       My Review   

Let The Game Begin, a story which dwells into history of Chataranga, the kingdom ; the place from where the chess originated , a curse and hatched plot which became sole reason for the pages which are added in the books of history we read and the destruction of the other kingdom .  Story of a lovable father who losses his only son and reason for his existence , but he returned . He returned to take the revenge . A story which tells us our previous birth sanskar follows us in our following births and the karma will make you pay for your wrong dos .

Being the second novel of Sandeep Sharma , the book was totally commendable . The book left me content and surprised by the way it was penned down . The cover and the title was just amazing . Both the things so relates to the book . Job choice!

I always hated history but after reading the book I am inclined towards to know about  my own country more . I want to know, read and learn the glorious past of India where the kings ruled, the battle they fought and the history they created for us. Prof.Dinesh Gandhi , a historian or better call ‘ The Historian’ man who was itself an encyclopedia of the history , the most loved and respected professor . His knowledge about his subject was above the par that he served the nation .  Dinesh , was most inspiring character ; the man who coined the whole story due his research on the history of Chataranga and solved the most of the mystery of the story . The second I enjoyed the man who turn the table , Vyaapi ; the immortal , who traveled from the past to the present twentieth century . Vyaapi , who defeated the death and knows the future , who knows the reason why the thing happened .

The book had so many enjoyable portions but I would love to highlight that left me spell bounded ,  first the opening murders , the boy who defeated the world champion which his indifferent move . The other one was the chase which continued till the end . And the book was worth page turner because I truly enjoyed the thriller portion and the way the history part was penned keeping track with the story line .

The overall book was amazing and thriller driven . I was not astray in any page while reading the book . The presentation was perfect . The language was  very eye pleasing and readable . The book was so good that I completed it in one sitting and it wasn’t guessing but I felt I correctly recognized the hidden character .

I would love to rate this wonderful blend of history and present 4/5 . Great Job Author!!

Reviewed by Aditi Srivastava



Friday 20 May 2016
The Hidden Gems – An Anthology

Year Published : 2015
Publisher Notion Press
Pages : 170
Format : Paperback
Authors : Various

                         
    Book Synopsis

This book is a tribute to all the real heroes out there.

The book brings you the sagas of those unsung heroes who had done courageous deeds for society but never received the due credit.

It takes you on the voyage of seventeen untold and unheard of stories of real heroes in the big picture called Life. They were the ones who gave many people a reason to live. They were the saviours, the warriors and the fighters; they were The Hidden Gems.

This book is not just an amalgamation of fiction and non-fiction. It is a reality; it is the chronicles of real men.

Are you a Hidden Gem? If yes, then this book is dedicated to you. If not, then its a must read.

                                     My Review

The Hidden gems is an anthology in which fifteen short stories are entrench in a book by various words preachers .  Who will you a call hidden gem ? What it could be ? Well actually hidden gem are  great nestled people around us who might do normal course of work but they are special because they do things which one will find ‘ REGULAR ‘  but for them , that thing will be of great value . Continuing to work what you love , thing which not only give you happiness but you’re spreading happiness around .

Similarly , the book contain different stories which we see around but we never tried to know the reason or we didn’t see how the people are different from us . Each story reflects different shades of human personality , how  they react according to the situation and how one can stay stable in any situation . In short , book is guide how we can see the hidden gems around us , may be it’s our mother or our teacher or may be we ourselves ?

Book Cover –
The book was the most fascinating part of the book , no other cover would justify the title and the content within . Good Choice !!!

Language -  
The language penned by the authors were simple and catchy . There were many segments where I was carried away by the narration of the stories . Truly Flabbergasted . Good Work Authors !!!

Most Influential Stories –
1.     Aunty by Anirban Nanda -  Aunty , story about a virago female who worked in a school with full dedication but was forced to leave because of rich class people ( teacher ) who fabricated the situation . The story was very eye pleasing . The story reflects dedication which one have towards it’s work , struggle of a poor woman and a daunting woman who tired to stand against the evils around us , yet it also depicts how we ignore them .

2.     Vows Conveyed by Hardik – Vows Conveyed, a poem which a solider son wrote to his mother.  The son did return to her mother but wrapped in tricolor sheet. Beautifully written!!! . It makes my eye moist!!

3.Asha , The Braveheart by Shreyan Laha -  Story by Shreyan was the most heart warming story . A story about a girl , who narrates her own story of struggle for survival and how an army man helped her . Humanity exists beyond the duty . The best part I loved about this story was it’s narration . Author has kept the language simple but his narration pour the magic in the story . Awesome story read so far . Great Job !!!

Negative Punches
Every story was unique in it’s own way but they could have been written more carefully and with more hard work . A little bit editing was needed , I felt somewhere while going through stories .

Overall Rating –
I would like to rate this packet of gems 3/5 . A good read book . I would love to read more from the contributing authors .


Reviewed by – Aditi Srivastava
Wednesday 11 May 2016
Honour for a Ransom by Rajnish Gambhir

Year Published : 2015
Publisher : Leadstart Publishing House
Pages : 370
Format : Paperback


                                         
                                                Book Synopsis

"April 13th, 1978...

Kartar Singh, an upper caste agriculturist, guns down his newly married daughter Simran and her lower caste husband, for the sake of 'upholding family honour'.His ex-lover, Sarah Jefferson (a British psychologist) visits him in jail to discover that Kartar has been a victim of ruthless manipulation at the hands of his politician father, Dilawar Singh, who is known to unconditionally despise the lower caste.

 Vowing justice for Kartar, Sarah embarks on an intriguing mission, venturing to turn the tables against the unscrupulous Dilawar, who by now is a powerful minister in the Punjab cabinet. 

Curiously delving into his boyhood days, she is astonished to learn that young Dilawar was in fact an 'affable-boy-next-door' who too had a love life, having lost his heart to a beautiful girl in Lahore...

 What then caused this drastic transformation in his attitude and personality? 

With the time fast running out, can Sarah succeed in nailing Dilawar as the chief culprit for the honour killings? Will she be able to reunite with Kartar - the only man she ever loved? 

A heartrending love story - Honour for a Ransom unfolds through the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, horrifying hazards of partition, romantic strolls by the Thames, and the unbending complexities of the rigid caste system."


                                            My Review

Rajnish Gambhir  , Honour for a Ransom is a story which revolves around a heart wrecking , journey of love and confession , a story about how a gullible heart changes completely after a merciless incident that occurred in his/her past life and how the old customs laid down in our society drastically effects our lives.This is a story of a ruthless grandfather,a priceless granddaughter , virago who falls in the trap of caste system and a melancholy father whose ink bleeds his pain and umbrage  for loosing the shinning star of his life.

So let’s begin with the title of the story which was catchy and compelled me to dig into this book which left me content and thrilled . The cover picture of the book  was absolutely perfect , I couldn’t ponder of any other picture.Moreover, I discovered something magical when I completed the book and flipped back to see the cover ‘ dedication ‘ the word popped in my mind.Another part which I loved,was the presentation of the chapters.Intriguing !!! Apart from all these things,I enjoyed the way the author had written the book.Eye pleasing work Sir !!!

Characters which touched my heart

Dilawar Singh -  Dilawar Singh being the hard nutshell of the story, he’s very real if we look around.Ruthless , arrogant & a powerful man,yet a soft heart resides in him.The best part I loved about this very character is that,it' s so real,I could actually see a person like him-so real.Most gripping character!!

Kartar Singh – Kartar Singh a loner in love.Later his daughter filled those void shades of his life.A literature lover but forced to keep his feelings inside his sleeves.A son who loved his mother beyond any limits and who followed his father's instructions like anything and a father who loved his daughter the most in the world but he soon,let his smile fade away.The best part I enjoyed about Kartar is ‘ acceptance ‘ which we seek in so many men.

Portions which touched my heart - 

There were many moments or better say scenes,that I loved but my favorite portion was when the two lost souls met in the cell,in spite for being apart for more than two decades.The other one,when we learn from other's lives,that even,in the worst of situations,how we can seek the joy of life by simply accepting the things they are. Personally learned few lessons from the book !!!!

The book was  a complete package of emotions,hatred,self denial and acceptance.The book wasn’t guessing at all.Each segment was perfectly written and portrayed and the most eye popping was the ending chapters.Perfect !!!

Book is totally about  after effects of honour killing.I would sincerely recommend this book to be read by everyone . It’s crispy !!!

My Rating-  For perfect story and fascinating narration,I would love to rate this book 4.5/5.Waiting to read more from you Sir  !!!


Reviewed by – Aditi Srivastava