Rani Deshpande takes the wheel - desi romcom with plenty of tadka

 If you love a good collegiate romcom about finding yourself, effacing self doubt and meeting the enormous expectations of parents and enduring the scrutiny of a close knit community, then this breezer by Arushi Avachat runs right by your alley!!! 

With an immerssive Marathi cultural explosion, from the linguistics to the virtual, Arushi transforms the college crush fest into a bumpy, twisty ride, rife with miscommunication, misplaced rage and misdirected prejudices... Rani, for me, embodies the modern south Asian, totterubg the fine line between meeting cultural expectations whilst finding her own space and voice without the well meaning, yet often, judgemental community overtones.

Kush as tge perpetually good son, is also a character whose layers keep coming off.. if you loved Bend it like Beckham , then you will absolutely revel in this desi taka infused driving test!!

A fun, flirty and wholesome beach read, best enjoyed with sabudana kichdi - as you like it!!

Lots of love to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for approving this arc!! Looking forward to more from the talented author in the near future!!

Deathbringer - Moody atmospheric dark academia thriller

 If you love atmospheric, dark academia vibes, a new magic system piques your curiosity and a mystery to be solved titillates your reader sensibilities, with a dash of opposites attract and an FMC determined to hate her magic and her savior aspieri - this book offers the thrills, chills and mills to keep sailing through the pages.

Sonia Tagliareni crafts a potent brew of magical houses, focusing on death, a unique and morbid perspective. Add in the policies and indoctrinations which are outdated and classist, you have a system ripe for uprooting. This opener to her series is sepulchral in tone, and has its fair share of arcane and exotic elements from ghosts to serpents, which add to the dark witchery themes. 

Our heroine Viola is determined to solve her sister's murder and has to work with Sylas, a mage from an opposing house - battling prejudices, self braiding and learning her way through a complex magical school system really brings to life the magical institute and its dark underbelly in pungent hues - loved it!!!

I felt this could have been a YA book instead as the characters seemed more immature than I would expect for 20 year olds with their impulsiveness and ability to break norms. The friends as family trope is well done and the twists and turns keep the pages turning. Between loss, responsibility, patience and sacrifice, Sonia builds the storylines in a dual POV which culminates in a fevered and unexpected ending - cannot wait to catch up and read the rest!!!

Thank you to Atria books and Netgalley for sponsoring this read!

#Deathbringer #AtriaBooks #MayReleases

Seek the Traitors Son - Sci Fi dystopic society with a unique mélange of characters

 Flowing with sparkling intent and governed by destiny and molded by a feverish fury to finish - this book was a REVELATION. When I reach the end of the book I usually linger because I do not want the tale to reach its end, but this one was a like a gushing fountain and I wasn't able to control myself in racing. This was a sharp veer left from Veronica Roth walking the tightrope between high fantasy and sci fi seamlessly!

I had the pleasure of receiving the audiobook from the marvelous Macmillan Audio and Netgalley, and what  revel it was!!!

The tale was immersive and the characters were etched, each with their distinct characteristics and not vying each other for attention. Elegy Ahn, Therin Furint and Rava Vidar were powerful and central characters but even the ones that flitted in and out had such a strong viewpoint and unique personalities that just added to the masterful storytelling!

Imani Jade Powers; Max Meyers; Rebecca Soler; Steve West, these amazing narrators just BROUGHT it!! from the soulful reading and angst filled voice of the filed knight Therin, to the uncertainty and soul searching Elegy, the accented haughtiness of Rava Vidar - this ALC was AMAZING!!! the nuanced reading and emoting really brought the chapters to life in VIVID technicolor for me!

The amazing explanation by Veronica at the end was the cherry on top!!!

This is part of a duology - one that I CANNOT wait for, if you love adventure, fantasy, unique magical systems, dystopian society, hints form the past, prophecy driven quests, epic maturing love, then DO NOT MISS this!!!

#Seekthetraitorsson #VeronicaRoth #Macmillanaudio #Netgalley

Kumara - the Prince of Shadows - Indian Fourth Wing

 You know when you are soo into a book, you dread its ending... that is how AMAZING this tale was to me!!

I am a HUGE fan of Fantasy and this one with the south Indian twist was absolutely divine to read - my heartfelt thank yous to Anita for penning this without creating religious zealots or culture protectors and instead shaping a world which seamlessly blends the beliefs and an immersive fantasy enmeshed with myths and legends form my childhood! The use of Indian words like kumara / vahana seamlessly into a modern fantasy layout was just mesmerizing and made it feel that much more tangible and Such a delight - if you are unsure about picking it up, the glossary more than compensates for unfamiliar terms!!

In a world where the Lunar driven dynasty rules Lunaris and the Solar dynasties are bound to Solaris with the Mortal realm hanging in between, cracks are appearing in the inter realm gates, bringing with them demons. Whilst the Moon court are driven by strategy and wield magic, the Sun Court are driven by instinct and move with power. They have centuries of misconceptions to overcome in order to work in coordination to bring peace to all realms without the loss of life.

The Kumara, Kaeden of the Sun Court, started off as a rules driven, strict and hard core cultural activist, however, I really warmed up to his character arc and his interactions with Mira were endearing. Selena as the scholarly and driven theorist who envisions the encompassing of all realms in a protective shell, is the perfect foil - the chapters with his and her viewpoints were soooo sizzling!!! LOVE!!!

The circle of friends, the myths and legends guiding their quest and the sizzling chemistry between the lead duo - ugghh!! I can go on and on... this was an Indian Rebecca Yarros Fourth Wing comparable for me - genuinely and truly worthy of a comparison.

My humble namaskarams to Anita Rahman and Netgalley for allowing me this moment of marvel and utter satisfaction!!! 

How the story goes - bookish but clean romcom

 Andrew Forrester has penned a stunner of a debut novel!

If you like wholesome small town romance, with a large helping of good old bookish, an exploration and melding of creative writing styles and techniques, a scandal that is about to explode, exploring themes of grief, numbness and the grandiosity of acceptance of the way things are, then this tale is right up your alley!! Add in a flustered, newly widowed dad trying his hand at completing his late wife's beloved children's fantasy and a struggling writer whose innate voice has been silenced by constant criticism, who needs to accept her worth.. toddling between lines of forgiveness, exploring the meaning of being happy while also missing the past, but not numbed by it - Andrew drafts these themes into a heady concoction, one I was able to breeze through in a couple of days.

I love that certain revenge tropes were not explored, no bitterness or resentment encumbered Merritt, and I love leaving some tropes like wanton miscommunication where they need to be, the editing does a LOT for this book! Its clean, wholesome and absolutely refreshing for any booklovers...

My fantasmic thank yous to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy this book, I am now hankering for tea and maybe a biscuit, cushioned by my favorite blanket looking for something equally cozy to read....

The Beckett Effect - Taming of the movie critic in 3 acts!

 If you already worship at the altar of Lynn Painter's teen romcoms, this one hits best! 

10 things I hate about You x pop culture references x sassy FMC x prince charming MMC x every fund teeny bopper movie you ever watched!!

Nashae Jones has dones fabulous job in marrying the teenage x movie lover genre into its own dreamscape for the angry, willful and sassy Wren Richardson, whose scene cuts are laugh out loud escapades to escape the drudgery of reality. I mean, as booklovers, are we any different? Do we not also dive headfirst into the pages of a book to outrun our emotions? 

With that deep analysis, I will stop. This book was BRILLIANT!! Between the sisterhood of Kennedy and Wren, the brocode of Jeffrey and Beckett, the friendship bonds that bound Chelsea and Wren, everything was perfect!! From delving into her own personal hell, to the unpacking of the change in her mom post the divorce, to being her sisters' keeper and her wonderful obstinacy to not see the obvious, Wren is a character after my own heart! And Beckett plays her foil as the mischievous, dreamy and often soulful friend, who listens and reciprocates with kindness and grace despite his social status defining him as a womanizer and the rumors that abound.... The only miss was where am i supposed to get the mini raspberry croissants????

My wicked thank yous to Simon and Schuster Childrens Publishing and Netgalley for this opportunity. This was a delicious and sweet escape!!

The Duke's Got Mail - Bookish bridgerton renaissance romcom

 Do you love books? Does the use of a well placed font type send your heart racing? Do colors appeal to you and speak to the sunny side of life itself? Have you longed to be unmatched in your work ethics and be revered by your peers, in a league of your own? Eleanor Wright, is the perfect heroine, witty, smart, ambitious and a strong moral compass to boot. With her friends Lillian and Mabel, she rules the compositors in London.

All until, Peter Montgomery, the Duke of Strafford shows up, with his Linotype machine, ready to cause upheaval in her carefully constructed dominion. With jobs lost, unions in collapse and the Duke smirking all the way to the palace, Eleanor relies on her pen pal, the Captain, to sustain her emotionally fractured self through this turmoil, as she shares her booklore, interesting factoids and other soul searing insights as the BookLover. 

All's fair in Love and war,  especially when the Duke realizes that the BookLover of his dream is the angry, passionate young woman who strictly objects to his progress. 

You had me at the premise, and to watch Peter shed his Duke persona, and embrace a personality that embodies all of his interests, his observations and his fears, made me warm up more to him than I ever wanted to.. In discarded letters, thoughts and just simple actions, this beautiful love story comes together a la an Austen-tacious revel!

So wear your favorite rainbow hues, twirl your skirts, be unapologetic about organizing your bookcases by color and savor this escape into a Bridgerton inspired Bookish renaissance!

My heartfelt thankyous to Forever and Netgalley for sponsoring this romantic read!