Shreya Vijay

Wild Pet is a Historical Fiction Fantasy book who traces the supernatural journey of Adrienne. It was a pretty hefty book, touching close to 300 pages & the writing was also pretty enriching. It took me a while to get into this story and to be able to comprehend it. However, the narrative was strong & the plot was pretty engaging. The anticipation of wanting to know what would happen next keeps it going & the ending leaves the reader satisfied.

Honest to God's truth, I don’t often read Non-Fiction because I somehow find it a little mundane than the rest of the Fictional Literature. But, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would’ve. I entered this book hoping it to be another guide as to how to live a fulfilling and fit life and I ended it with a rejuvenated sense of motivation. I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did because this is not my usual genre. But the author has done such a commendable job writing this that every reader is bound to fall in love with this book. The authors' writing style is highly engaging and candid. It felt as if I was talking to them over a cup of coffee. The sentences are gorgeously balanced and the candidness of the novel plays an immense part in its success. I learnt a lot from this book and I know that I’ll be recommending to everyone who asks me for a good inspirational book.

Flying against All Odds is a phenomenally penned Memoir by Jean Jacques Trochon & his wife Heather Whitehall Trochon. It is a first-hand account of Jean’s battle with cancer. Honest to god Truth, I don’t often read Non-Fiction because I somehow find it a little mundane than the rest of the Fictional Literature. But, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would’ve. I entered this book hoping it to be another guide as to how to live a fulfilling life and I ended it with tears streaming down my face and feeling like I had been punched in my gut. I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did because this is not my usual genre. But the author has done such a commendable job writing this that every reader is bound to fall in love with this book. His writing style is highly engaging and candid. It felt as if I was talking to jean over a cup of coffee. The sentences are gorgeously balanced and the candidness of the novel plays an immense part in its success. The instances penned in the novel are heart touching and highly inspiring. I adore Heather and Jean’s Relationship. Every word penned in the novel managed to leave its imprint upon my heart. This is one book that I cannot stop thinking about. JJ teaches the readers a lot of lessons and leaves them yearning to know more about this amazing person who defied all odds and stepped out victorious after fighting a lengthy battle with Cancer. I learnt a lot from this book and I know that I’ll be recommending to everyone who asks me for a good inspirational book.

Blood Spells is a well-rounded, standalone YA Fantasy novel. Madison ‘Maddy’ Cooper is the one who finds her stepmother, Cora’s body in the bathtub – with her wrists slit – a mere thirty feet away from where Maddy was sleeping. Needless to say, she’s shocked & disturbed but she is also determined to find out the truth about Cora’s death. Obsessed with finding out the truth, Maddy undertakes a dangerous journey filled with magic, betrayal, & a lot of suspense. However, all the magic performed, has a price. Will Maddy be able to pay it? The cover of the book is vibrant & will sure look good on everyone’s shelf. The title is apt as it clearly justifies the theme around which, the book is written. The book is written in first person from the perspective of Maddy, a 15 year old, unlicensed Blood Magic Practitioner. The book has a very interesting premise. The reader is dropped headfirst into the story & told to find their way through. The entire story revolves around Maddy trying to find out the truth about her stepmom’s death & always endangering her friends due to her reckless decisions & obstinate personality. The story line was well paced. The start was a little slow but then the book picked up pace. The plot was also curiously entangled & every chapter brought the reader closer to the final reveal. The concept of the novel gets brownie points from my side. I liked how the author talks about the fact that when someone performs magic, they have to pay a price for it. It’s poetic & I loved it. Talking about the characters, needless to say, I did not like Maddy. At all. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hated her, but I didn’t like her. She was selfish, bratty, childish & only ever thought of herself. During the climax, when she was facing the ‘classic moral dilemma’, I wanted to enter the book & smack her across the face. On the other hand, Marshall & Lauren had my heart. They were such amazing friends to Maddy, even if sometimes she didn’t deserve it. Honestly, the scenes where Marshall gave Maddy a piece of his mind, was my favourite. Someone needed to give her a reality check. However, all the characters were fleshed out with an impressive prowess. However, there were certain things which dimmed the brightness of the novel. I found that the writing style of the novel was a little rough. It didn’t really connect well with me. The world building is amazing but I couldn’t really imagine myself being a PART of the novel. It was all superficial for me. Also, I couldn’t really feel many emotions upon reading the book other than annoyance at Maddy. Nonetheless, pushing aside these shortcomings, the novel was a beautiful read and I would recommend it to all the Fantasy fans whenever they feel done with the basic, clichéd Fantasy tropes.

A girl looking to run away & hide her sorrows in a small town & a guy, residing in the said town, trying to deal with his past demons. Mix them together and you have a marvellous small town romance novel which is sure to woo you. Beautifully Broken Pieces is the story of Taylor & Walter – two sides of a same coin. While Taylor has her walls built up high, Walter is looking to bring them down. Enter a dangerous killer on the loose & you’ve gotten yourself an intriguing story of love, trauma, grief & thrill. First things first, the cover of the story is beautifully aesthetic & the title does absolute justice to the novel. The author has skilfully tackled the themes of grief & introduced the readers to a tinge of mystery which spices up the otherwise clichéd small town romance plot. A fully fleshed out world building amalgamated with articulate but informal dialogue delivery made this book a whole lot better. The language employed is lucid & enticing. There are some subtle & some glaring punches of humour which kept the book from being too serious. Whilst reading, the emotions kept hitting me like a series of waves crashing on the shore. The plot was well paced & the suspense started building out gradually. The characters were penned with an impressive prowess. The author has created two protagonists who are sure to steal the hearts of all the readers. I loved the interactions between Taylor & Walter as they made me feel all mushy inside. Noah was adorable. Even the side characters were nuanced well & served a purpose rather than lingering around in the background. The climax was unprecedented. Further, when you feel like the mystery is solved, the author will give you another shock & voila, your mind is blown away all the way to Mars. There are a few cuss words scattered along the length of the book, spoken mostly in a blind fit of rage. There’s no information overload or exaggeration of scenes. In short, this book was an absolute delight & I look forward to reading more of this author.

Everyday Monsters, as the name suggests is an enigmatic Supernatural Dark Comedy penned by Travis Betz. I would love to go into the plot of the story, but I won’t because I’d rather you guys enter the novel blind. The kind of narration the author brings forth is commendable and I ought to admit, the book was so cleverly written that I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. I know the blurb makes it sound as if it’s an easy read, but don’t be fooled, for it’s not It has elements of Dark comedy which will make readers chuckle like diabolical heads and then there are some scenes which are pretty sweet. Oh, did I mention, this book features some unforgettable Supernatural creatures? Well, it does. I liked how Pax and Derek had to share a body and how they grow close. Their interactions always seemed pretty amusing to me. As the plot progressed, the story became rather complex and it took me a little longer to read the book as compared to my generic reading speed. The world building was amazing and it was as if I am watching a movie rather than reading a book. There were too many characters but I didn’t have much difficulty keeping track of them. The characters were all pretty well penned and I enjoyed reading this book a lot. The climax was something really graphic, and I LOVED IT. This book can be read by everyone who has a sense of humor and who loves horror.

The Stash is a sinuously penned thriller novel which blew my mind. It is the story of three kids - Cooper, Taylor and Cam who see something they weren’t meant to. Throw in a heist and hidden treasure in the mix and voila, you have got a very captivating coalescence of a wonderful YA Thriller. The moment I started reading this novel, I was totally into it. Thriller novels, in the modern era and generally dominated by the NA genre. Reading this novel took me back to the times I used to lie in my bed reading books like Famous Five and The Secret Seven. The cover of the book is vibrant and - considering the fact that the majority of the book takes place in a garden - is absolutely justified. The title is simple yet tailor-made for the book. I adored the storyline and the pace was also perfect. The chapter division was also phenomenal. After every chapter, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen next. Basically, this story has 3 different aspects, which later on become entwined in an excruciatingly beautiful way. The characters were realistically penned and it wasn’t really difficult to connect with them. I adored the character of Park Ranger Katie. She was a headstrong woman and due to her, there were some really humorous situations in the book. It aided in diffusing the tension and keeping the readers engaged. I liked how there was an ‘underlying’ theme of teenage Romance. The fact that it was not so explicit that it took over the thriller aspect, is commendable. In short, I would recommend this book for everyone who is looking to read an amazing thriller which is bound to give you the old-school vibes of The Secret Seven and Famous Five series. “𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.”

Roshan and Soha are childhood sweethearts. Or they would’ve been if religion hadn’t intervened. They were very good friends since their early childhood and gradually, they fell in love. However, no family was ready for an inter-caste marriage and hence, they had to travel their own paths. But when Rohan’s wife dies, he is willing to accept Soha but his only son Anuj doesn’t. How does Roshan juggle between his heart and family? Ajay K. Pandey brings about a heart-touching story twined by religion, father-son relationship, a bit of mystery and lots of lessons. The language of the author was easily comprehensive and lucid. Plot wise, I think it was way too simple and basic. Everything was predictable and that made the book a little boring for me. It had resemblance to the famous Bollywood movie, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. However, I did like the presentation and depiction of the story. The climax touched my heart and made the book worth reading. The characters were pretty well penned. Some of the scenes were really emotional and had my eyes brimming with tears. All in all, I would say that the book is good but not the best. The lessons the book delivers are crucial in the contemporary world. It is worth a read but I don’t really find myself re-reading it anytime soon.

Oh my god. This is genuinely the only thing I can say after reading this amazing book. This is Not A Lie is an insanely thought provoking book penned to perfection & is quite poignant. It is the story of the lead singer, Joel Reed, of a band, The Blackhearts. In the 1980s, being a member of the LGBTQ community was intensely frowned upon. And Joel couldn't really keep his attraction for Harry, a talented songwriter, clandestine. The story navigates through the various struggles of Joel, Harry & the band as a whole. Joel's addiction to heroine & dependency on alcohol is not glamorized but, is shown in such a way that it touches the reader's heart & reminds them, that sometimes, even addicts have a life and career. The novel had me hooked since the very beginning & I have to admit, I had this feeling of restlessness until I completed it. More than once, I found myself hoping against hope that Joel and the band get what they are striving for. Success and triumph. I liked how the characters were flawed & sometimes, I abhorred them, especially Joel. But then again, these flaws in the characters are what helped in relating them to reality. The character development was phenomenal & the climax left me with a gigantic smile on my face. I wouldn't really go into much detail otherwise I might spoil the book for most of you. But, what I will say, is that you NEED TO READ THIS. I will HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book. (Ps. Can someone please sign this book for a TV Series? Pretty please?)

Downfall is an intricately penned Fantasy novel, the second in a planned trilogy. It traces the journey of Joshua and Michael, two friends who are on their way to defeat Vor Kath and avenge the death of their friend. The basic plot of the book was cleverly woven. The story was really fast paced and it felt as if the main characters were always on the go. The book begins with a bang and keeps the readers hoooked throughout. I liked the writing style of the author. It was lucid and fresh and gave the readers a very vivid description of everything. The world building, as usual, was flawless. It was like, this book is a black hole and I am slowly but surely being sucked into it. The way the story has been threaded offers a really fresh and interesting perspective on an otherwise cliched Fantasy plot. The action sequences were par level and the words of the author made the book a phenomenal piece of literature. The subtle punches of humor kept the spice in the book. The world building was commendable. The scenes were penned with impressive prowess. The book, in its entire course, kept me bouncing on the edge of my seat anticipating what might happen next. Further, the story had a very strong narration and the characters kept building and developing throughout the course of the book. I would recommend this book to all the people who wish to read a good and character driven Fantasy novel which is sure to enthrall them. I can’t wait for the third book in the trilogy! "𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘."