Devi Nair
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The Devil's Due is #5 in the BlackWell Series of books. Cryptologist Alton Blackwell is the lead character in these series. The current book has a terrorism background and the story has turns related to terrorism and Anti-God Cult activities. Although it is #5 in the series, it can be read as a stand alone as well. The characters in the story are so placed that the reader do not necessarily require the background. The story can be picked up from anywhere in the series and read as a whole.
The story is intense and starts with a running pace. The story line starts from the very first page and background is given wherever required throughout the story. I have always liked this way of narration as needless time is not wasted in giving unnecessary background first and then having to wait long for the story to begin. The characters are, as said earlier, properly developed. The development of the mystery is steady and nice. This is also a perfect book for fast reading. You can really read fast through the chapters and still understand everything.
Overall, it was an interesting read.
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Mr. Meeker was a different kind of novel than something I expected it to be. It is humorous, science fiction type. The story starts with a completely ordinary man having an extra ordinary experience. The experience makes him behave differently and that causes the people around him to get frustrated and think he is going mad.
The humor tones to the story is interesting and different. The way the story goes is captivating for a short story. The characters are appropriately developed. Those who are not playing a major role are developed to a lesser quantity. There are not much emphasis on physical appearance which makes us use our own creativity to picture the characters the way we want them to be. However, the ending could have been a lot different. The way the story ended gave a very disheartening feeling to the story and for Mr. Meeker.
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Willakaville is an amazing short story collection with brilliant creative stories and beautiful imaginative creations. There is not a single story in the entire collection which will not leave you in awe for the story as well as the author. Mathew has a very fabulous and vivid imagination. If these are stories he has written, I can not even imagine what stories normally come to his mind.
Each of the stories tackle an out-of-the-world problem. Sometimes it is a tomato attacking Willakaville, otherwise it is a bad man coming and making everyone mean to each other. At times, people start swearing, other times, they are busy eating only mushrooms. If a mayonnaise causes trouble one day, then alien attack happen another day. Citizen of Willakaville is always in some or the other adventure.
The story, language and the drawings are just wonderful. Yes, the stories are illustrated and that too in a very imaginative fashion. Not that the stories require any illustration. The way the words are said for each story makes the reader imagine every circumstance with out the drawing's help. But the drawings are an attraction too and will make a good reading for children, with the colors and bright feel of the book.
This is one of those books which must be read on a hard copy. I would really recommend anyone who buys it, to go for a hard copy. The feel of the stories and the drawings will be enhanced to a different level with the book in hand. Absolutely looking forward to further adventures of Willakaville.
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Annie Avants is slowly becoming my favorite now. I started with her 4th book, then I went back and started with #1. Damage control is the #3 in the series of Det. Annie Avants mysteries. Every book sees her getting evolved from a new Detective, slowly gaining experience and developing character. The supporting characters in the series like her boyfriend, Jesse, her partner, Tom, and other people in her team.
Damage Control is about a missing and presumed dead attorney, and murders that follow. The thing with this book is that the clues are always right in front. Throughout the book, you could always feel “Maybe this character is the killer. But maybe, this is too easy and someone else just might be the killer” and it turns out you are right. That gives an amazing feeling because after so many years of reading murder mysteries, you have finally come and realized for a change, who the murderer is. Or maybe Renee is just letting you go easy on this one and will give a killer on the next one...
I thoroughly enjoyed the journey with Annie Avants yet again. It is always fun going on an adventure with her. She feels like the next Nancy Drew going on. I am going on to the next book pretty soon
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“Ana” is an illustrated story of two sisters. Those who have sisters will relate to the story completely. Whether you are the younger one or the elder one, the situations that happen in ANA will most definitely have happened in your life while growing up. The story feels very real and natural. The closeness between the sisters are kept intact while still explaining their differences. The naughtiness of the younger one and the helplessness of the elder one (and at times, even the mom) is an amazing, and nostalgic experience to read.
The drawings are artfully done. Language is beautiful. The entire book is colorful and appears to be for all age groups. Even parents of two sisters would love to read this one. Ana is a must have, preferably in hard copy. The colours and feel would be better if you have it in hand.
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Wiggly Slider is a very amusing children's book. Just by looking at the cover, you will get that urge to read the book. A worm with teeth? How is that possible? How would that worm be? Will he be different? Arrogant? Or sweet?
Reading the book is an equally warm feeling. The more you get to know about Wiggly, the more you adore him. His fixation on Tooth Fairy is obvious as worms can never hope for the Tooth Fairy otherwise. His dedication to the work at hand and his loyalty to those who helped him in the end is very endearing.
Wiggly Slider is a wonderful book to be read out to children or let them read on their own. The importance of doing the task at hand diligently and giving due credit to those who helped are very important lessons to be taught to children. The illustrations and colour makes the appearance of the book very appealing to adults too, so naturally to kids as well. The language is simple and easy to understand and to read as well as a self assignment.
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Children's stories are always endearing, even if it is a soft copy to be read on an e-book reader. But when it is in hard-copy and you can see the cartoons and drawings on high-definition and the spacing of the words, clarity, smoothness of the page, colourful cover page, it is just an experience unlike anything else. The reading experience heightens and the pleasure of it, even for an adult, is so amazing. So, before anything, a special thanks to Mona Roper for agreeing to provide a hard copy for review and sending it all the way to India. I finished the book half an hour after receiving it. That is how much the book cover and a glance inside made me love the book.
Santos is a 10-year-old Sallamong, and is how a normal 10-year-old Sallamong is expected to be – cute, naughty, adorable and thinks the world of his parents and grand parents. Now at the age of 10, Sallamongs shed their skin. Santos has mixed feelings of shedding. The story is about how a child handles a conflicting matter and how the adults around children should handle such conflicts efficiently.
The story is beautifully illustrated with a colourful, wonderful drawing at every page. These drawings help imagine and picture the happenings of the story very nicely. The words are really easy to understand, which kids can try to read themselves too. The family bonding shown in the story is really cute. “Green glow” of pride of the grandparents in the end is just beautiful.
Since everything is mentioned, I have to mention that the printing quality of the book is unparalleled. The cover page drawing is very catchy. The paper quality is beautiful. The shine of the pages and smoothness is another thing that drove me to read it so soon. Very light yet very nicely done. The book is a complete package.
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Lyric the Unknown is a YA fantasy story. The story is about a young girl getting lost in another world without her family. The story starts in a way like a fairy tale where dark clouds descend and everything goes dark. But then it takes a turn for so much more worse. Everything goes more than just dark, it turns horrifying.
There are times in the book where the story goes a bit slow and somewhat confusing. The book appears to be the first part and further sequels are expected. However, overall, it did not manage to keep my interest, and therefore did not motivate me enough to go for the next book. It appeared to be a bit too dark for Young adults to be reading. The theme of the novel, the story line, narration, everything feels more disheartening than anything else. If I were younger, I would definitely have been scared after reading the novel.
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What a book!!! Seriously, by the time I finished it, I was so much amazed by the story. There are very few books which has managed to take me on a roller coaster ride as much as “Use Somebody” has.
Scarlett has turned into Scar – a hard-core form as compared the bubbly happy and innocent girl she was before she went to college. Now she doesn't care about anything, is as far away from happy and bubbly as possible, and does not believe in love. Her co-worker Vance is a very positive person, who wants to convert Scar back into Scarlett. What started as friendship soon turned into love for Vance, but Scar is still scarred and cannot trust again. Will Vance be persistent enough to make the impossible possible? Will Scar let herself be loved so much that she becomes Scarlett again? When the dark past comes tumbling back, will they both be able to sustain the pressure? Or will it end up breaking them both irreparably?
This is a dark love story. The story is in first person and alternates between past and present at frequent intervals. There are bouts of diary entries in between which gives an insight mostly for Scar but there is one entry about Vance too, which gave another turn to the story. The book is very much in detail and require patience to read every word of it. The story pace is very fast and that makes reading word by word very difficult. There are many places where I rushed through various paragraphs just to know what happened next.
To give more authenticity to the review, I am sharing the status updates I kept putting on Goodreads, whenever i finished a particularly thrilling part
35% – There are times at the book, like when Ricky asks Scar to get a tattoo, when you feel Scar is a real person, a friend standing with you, and you have this powerful urge to tell her not to do it and go listen to Vance
50% – The pain is clear but Scar and Vance should get together soon. I am dying to know what happened with Gabriel but she should open up now. Poor guy is trying so hard
50% – The story is elaborate and very much in detail. And somehow it is still very endearing. It is very much like life itself. You know everything is going to end well in the end, but the present is far too slow for patience
50% – The poems in between are so perfect for the settings. Rhyming and so much in sync with the story. Just perfect
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Various guys from various professions and types try out various pick up lines according to their professions ... and get turned down. This is one hilarious comic strip I have read. The pick up lines are non offensive and truly hilarious, even though they are really cheesy. Some are heard of, some are unheard of, some are notoriously funny.
The last chapter - the bonus chapter - is the one to look out for. It consists of the pick up lines you should definitely avoid, like the one from The Psychopath. It must have been a hilarious experience to even conceive such an idea and write about such things. I am truly glad I read it. Got some nice laughs
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The reference to this review is broadcasted on India Post Live on the show “Interview With the Author”, Check it out at Interview with Zaara Khader on India Post Live
The Forbidden one is a novel consisting of 10 short stories, each consisting of a very strong message - either a social issue is being addressed or a socially condoned act is portrayed in a classy manner. Each of the stories has something to say other than the mere meaning of the words. There is a lot of Food for Thought in the stories of the novel.
Be it the simple story of a husband and wife, or the love a devotee has for her favorite God, or an almost extra marital affair, or the wish to follow your dream against those of your family / society, or female infanticide - such issues are addressed rather delicately but artistically in the 10 stories. There are stories and sentences in those stories which feel like an art is being crafted with black ink on white paper.
The moment you feel like you are losing yourself in the characters of the stories is the moment when you get the true essence of the book. The way the characters are molded in those lines feel so natural that it feels more like narration of a true incident than a story. Most of them, in fact all of the stories can almost be true stories. Zaara has made a wonderful compilation of the stories and strikes the crucial matters beautifully. It is a read-to-believe kind of book.
Must try definitely.
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It had been a while since I have read the likes of the character Miss Marple from Agatha Christie works. Now Granny Smith has fulfilled that void in my reading life. Granny Smith is not exactly old to be a Granny by heart but irrespective of that, everyone has been calling her Granny. She is a young at heart woman who has a trait to be curious about everything that is happening around her. So when her friend Sheila gets engaged to Nigel, who is younger than her, Granny Smith gets suspicious. The following murder in the town makes Granny even more curious and on she follows the clues of the murder, much to the chagrin of Detective Inspector Miskins.
The story then follows Granny Alice Mary Smith into various stages of the mystery in a humorous but intense way. The book is beautifully written and is a pleasure to read. The Miss Marple references are not only in our mind but the author has given in the book too, calling Granny Smith as “Miss Marple on steroids”
It is a cozy and wonderful murder mystery, the likes of which, I have not read for a long time. Agatha Christie story lovers must catch this book. It brings back many memories of age old murder mystery classics.
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Snuffy and Vroom Vroom are two vacuum cleaners and brothers. They had been together for more than a year. So when Vroom Vroom gets sold off one day, Snuffy cannot bear the parting. Although he also gets sold off to a wonderful family, he cannot forget his brother and cries everyday. His plight is resolved when one day, a fairy comes and tells him how he can be re-united with his brother.
The story is about doing good for others and thereby helping yourself. Being selfless helped Snuffy and therefore, will help you too. The book is best read with the audio book being played in the background. The sound effect and the voice modulation of the narrators are really endearing and cute. It can also serve as an idea for you to enact out to your children or encourage them to enact the story. The simple language and colourful drawings will make the read a very interesting one.
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“Mind me, milady” is one of the wonderful psychological thrillers I have read for long. The murder mystery fulfills all the check list a mystery lover has in terms of active detectives, super psychotic villain, traumatic crimes, traps by both antagonist and protagonist, misleading climax and the true climax, and then some more to just add icing to the mystery.
The lady protagonist, Eve Peterson, is a lawyer, who keeps getting calls from The Gentleman, who is the psychologically disturbed rapist. Then there is Maria, a cop detective, who helps Eve with the case, rather Eve helps Maria with the case. There is also Susan, who plays a pivotal role in the whole story, although it takes everyone some time to recognize it. There is also a shady gypsy woman who says she wants to help, but seems to have some ulterior motive to everything. And then there are so many others who seem to be keeping a lot of secrets. So who is The Gentleman from them all? Who can Eve trust to help? And who will ultimately betray her by showing his true face?
The story is so gripping that it would really be impossible to keep the book down once you have started it. The flow and language of the novel is really nice, dark and thrilling. The entire story has the dark shade enveloping it that makes it really easy to visualize the scenes. The psychological issues of The Gentleman Rapist is woven beautifully and artistically throughout the story. The passages in between giving insights of how his mind works is captivating. When a pseudo climax came up in the book, I felt dejected and thought the ending could have been better. But Ken and Anne did give the perfect climax to the book and the ending gave me goosebumps and raced heart beat.
An absolutely gripping thriller and murder mystery.
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The Baby Sea Turtle is a small story about how a turtle loses his way but still manages to learn. The story tells us that it is not as much important to find the right path as it is to keep walking on the path we find. It is a given that we will find our path soon but that should not stop us from exploring and learning as much as possible from the path we are on currently. Everything that comes our way is there to teach us something in life, to give us some invaluable experience and developing us in ways unimaginable.
The Baby Sea Turtle hatches late from the egg. In the meanwhile all his siblings has already gone towards the sea. Because there was no one to guide our Baby Sea Turtle, he takes the wrong path and ends up going in the opposite direction as the sea. However, that does not stop the Small Turtle to explore and be curious about everything that comes his way. He learns about flowers and bees and city and traffic before finally finding his way back with the help of a kind stranger.
The story is really small but with good moral. The book is perfect for small kids because of the very simple language and beautiful and colourful illustrations. A perfect night-time read for the kids and imaginative exercise for the parents, this book is a true catch.
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Puneet is a branch manager, single, living with mom, and therefore, the focal point for marriage discussions. Soon he meets Myra and falls in love. But whenever he gets close to her, a dream of another lady haunts him. Who is this lady? And who is this 10 year old kid who claims to be his son but who no one else can see?
“Hey Dad! Meet My Mom!!!” is a romantic paranormal story. I am saying Paranormal, not because any actual ghosts are involved, but because there are certain aspects, certain parts of the book which feels paranormal in nature. Things which I could not categorize into something known to me. The concept of memory repression to the point of deletion and soul traveling can only be part of extreme science fiction or paranormal.
But these things make the story what it is. When I started it, I thought it to be a typical romance novel. But soon into the story, I realized that the genre is completely different from what I had come to expect. Yes, it is still a romance novel, but the context is completely different. The relationships, the circumstances are completely different.
It took me some time to understand what was happening, because it was totally unexpected. The title of the novel and the blurb gives you an idea of time travel. But the story is nothing like it. Only the last statement of the blurb gives the true picture – “Expect the unexpected”. The story is completely unexpected.
“Hey Dad! Meet My Mom!!! is a book everyone should try, regardless of the reader being Indian or not. Ignore the Indian parts of it if you can't understand but the crux will definitely be something you have never come across before. Truly surprise guaranteed.
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April Showers bring May Flowers is a really short story of a child and her diary entries. It is a typical Indian city story of a young 11 year old girl and the child like troubles she has at her age.
When Lathish first contacted me of the book, I really did not expect the story to be like this. The story has a fresh and innocent feel to it. The childishness of Ashita is visible not only to us but also to the adult Ashita who reads the diary.
Those who write diaries would be able to relate wonderfully to the book. The way we feel when we read our entries during childhood is described perfectly through the story.
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No matter how much we say “Do not judge a book by its cover”, most of the times, we do end up going by the physical appearance and form a small judgement in our minds about anything in front of us. The same would have happened to me with “What Lies Between”, but the cover of the book does not give anything at all, Nothing at all. Even the name of the book can be taken in any way. The only way of judging this particular novel is by reading it - and reading it to the very last letter, because nothing, absolutely nothing can prepare you for the roller coaster you are about to experience on this journey full of deception, lies, two faces, love, trust, distrust and every possible human emotions with Charlena Miller.
The book starts on a very innocent note. Ellie Jameson is left some property in Scotland by her biological father, with whom she had literally no contact all through her ages. She comes to Scotland and instantly feels at home. To know more about the place, she goes on a guided tour with Ben McIver and they fall for each other. Now the guided tour is over and she is back to check what to do and not to do about the property (which is a would-be resort) left to her and now the story starts. It so happens that McIvers (Father John and son Ben) want to buy the Glenbroch estate and they will stop at nothing. Is Ben such a cruel man as to make her fall for him so that she will sell of the estate to them? As if this was not enough, there are people out there who hate her so much that they would rather she is dead. What is happening? Will she be able to keep the estate which has been in her family for generations, still with her?
There is nothing that would prepare you for this story. It is full of so much twists and turns that you will really be surprised when you come to end of it. And the ending is simply unbelievable. Nothing would prepare you for the climax. There are no words to describe what I felt when the book ended. It was such an amazing read. Charlena Miller has created magic with this book. There is suspense, romance, thrill, deceit, determination, strength, friendship, loyalty and everything you could possibly think of. An absolute 5 star. Try to read it in one go. It is worth it.
Hard play is a murder mystery with a bit of romance as the undertone. Although the romance is minimal, it cannot be overlooked as it plays a crucial role in the story. Frank is approached by his house owner to investigate a missing local judge. But when the judge is found murdered, Frank takes it up on himself to solve the mystery. Along with the unintentional help of the medical examiner, Frank goes on a ride with more bodies falling dead in the same manner.
The mystery is nice but takes time to find pace. After the pace is set, the story goes smooth and nice. Frank is shown as an unorthodox detective. He has his own methods of finding out the truth. Amy is an unwilling helper in the situation. But together they manage a good team.
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Before you leap is the best Sci-Fi novel I have read my whole life. The book has got right elements of Science Fiction, Humor, sarcasm at its best. There are many instances where I just laughed out loud. Amazing concept, amazing humor, amazing characters.
The way Sean Kelly is described is an absolute accurate description of how a teenager would be. Everything from his expressions, his sarcasm to his humor is downright adorable. Alexis and Nicole are just perfect. There is absolutely no flaw in this book. It keeps you hooked till the very end. The suspense which is kept for the next book is also just right. Unlike other series, where an intense suspense is kept for the next book, Les Lynam keeps the suspense to just the right element without creating a horrible vacuum when the book ends but also enough to ensure that the next book is definitely grabbed.
Science Fiction was never exactly my forte but this book definitely changed it all. I pulled an all-nighter for this one, and it was absolutely worth it. Kudos to Les Lynam. So waiting for the next one to come.
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Werewolf Nights > Review
Werewolf nights is about a lady who has lost all her interest in love and finds love unexpectedly. Cathy has lost her true love when he vanished and subsequently her husband in the same manner. People in her town thinks she is a werewolf. She doesn't mind about all the rumors. And then Greg comes along and she starts feeling again. But then situations are not exactly ideal and there are a lot of things - both external and internal factors - which both of them should overcome before getting together.
The story has a slow start and takes some time to build up the pace. But once the pace sets, then it is a total page turner. Once the adventure starts, then everything starts happening fast and the mystery keeps on building till the climax at the end. Mari placed innumerable clues throughout the story to help the reader to figure out then ending. But the story did justice towards the end and ended on a nice note.
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Jess and her friends are back again with yet another adventure. It is summer time now and the Fete is about to come up. Everyone is busy with the preparation, presents, competitions, games and so on. There is a new and very mischievous puppy around who has scared Poppy away. But Poppy is not the only one who has vanished. A lot of gifts are vanished too. Sweets, preparatory stuff, things are vanishing and no one has any clue as to where it has all gone. Now it is all up to Jess and her friends to save the day by find all the vanished things, and Poppy too in the process
Jess series are truly nice and interesting even for me to read. I am sure the kids will love them equally. The language is simple and for a kid to read on their own, it would be truly interesting to try and read.
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Jess and her friends are back again with the third book in the series with a Christmas surprise.
It is Christmas Season and everyone, young and old, are busy preparing for the celebration. There are carols being practiced, nativity plays being conducted, Santa Clause getting ready and so many gifts are being packed everywhere. But Poppy their school cat has suddenly vanished. Everyone has searched high and low for her but she is nowhere to be found. Will Jess and her friends be able to find Poppy? Also there is someone else who has a surprise for Jess. What is that special surprise?
Another wonderful adventure and another beautiful reading experience, Jess and her friends are really wonderful. The story as well as the Illustrations are beautifully done. Aimed for kids around the age of 7, this is sure to another delightful read for everyone.
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The Ghost of the Black Rock Castle is the first in the series of Jess Series. Jess is an adventurous 8 year old and the book is also aimed for the kids of around the same age or above.
The Class Three students are on a field trip to Black Rock Castle which is said to be haunted. Jess and her friend Ruby are convinced there are ghosts in the castle in spite of what their teacher, Mrs. Green says. Ruby has also got something to scare the ghost away. But students are not allowed to bring gifts to school. So do they come across any ghost in their trip?
Jess is shown as a typical 8 year old and the story is perfect for kids. There is just enough adventure, mischief, friendship and innocence. A definite delightful read with and for children.
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Never judge a book by its cover. And never judge a story until you have finished the last word in it. This suits perfectly to this story. It is not until the very end that you realize what is happening and the realization shocks you to the core and you are left wondering ... “What Just Happened!!!!”
The story is about Peter, Evan and Kylie. Yes it is a love story. Yes it is a love triangle. But the triangle is not one bit like the conventional triangle. It is a triangle in a completely different version. Now, before I get carried away and give out the ending, I will shift my focus on the writing style.
The writing style is impeccable. MJ keeps us guessing till the very end about what might be happening and just where the story might go from here. From my perspective, I could not find a single flaw in the entire story, story line, writing or even the concept. For that matter, I want to go back and read it again to figure out if there were any clues given out through the story for the ending.
It is an absolute awesome read. Must Go For It!!