Thriller

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas
Book Reviews

House of Earth and Blood | A Book Review

Okay, where do I start from? My thoughts are scattered here and there, freaking everywhere. And I am so pumped-up. It’s like I am struck with a bolt of Athalar’s lightning; the shockwaves of it have send my emotions on a tizzy so intense that I am still in a daze. And these are all just the aftermaths of reading the most electrical charged book ‘House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. Just imagine, if the after effects of reading this tome of 796 pages was so potent. How was the entire experience? Let me tell you; it was a roller-coaster, that didn’t stop until the last page. And the last page was a promise for more adventures to come. Weirdly though, despite it being a fascinating read; I had this love and hate relationship with this book. Why, you ask? And I say the beginning of Sarah J. Mass’s book ‘House of Earth and Blood, was torturously slow. It took 200 pages to make sense of the characters and the imagery world building. But once past that biggest hurdle, it was the most exciting fantasy-slash-whodunnit book I read in a long, long time. And what’s more, it had both the genres, I love devouring. So yeah, I slowly started falling in love with this book. Each turn of page brought me closer and closer and closer to characters Ruhn, Hunt and Bryce. But it took time for me to fall in love with them. I found them a bit aloof. Cold, if I may say so. Bryce, especially. A snarky and a snobbish of a person. I seriously did not like her. Everytime she came into the scene, I wanted to bang some sense into her; tell her not to be so heartless. But then there came a moment in the book, that made me realise that she, after all is a human; shaped by the fear and experiences of the past. Thenceforth, I completely and irrevocably fell in love with Bryce and the book. And, and, and did I tell you about Danika? Ooo She is my most favouritest character. Though she had the minutest role, but the impact she had on me was earth shattering. I so wish, she had a bit bigger role. What’s more, cherry to this yummilicious cake is Sarah J Maas’s beautiful,beautiful writing style. I wouldn’t have ploughed further 50 pages in the beginning, if not for her writing style. And thanks the Gods, that I read this epic of a book, or otherwise I would have missed on something so amazing. Sarah J. Maas’s House of Earth and Blood, is a book that should be read slowly with your eyes, heart and soul. It is a heaven for Fantasy and mystery readers.

The Chennai Killings by Chital Mehta
Book Reviews

The Chennai Killings | A Book Review

The Chennai Killings by Chital Mehta Inspector Vikram has been reeling ever since his younger sister, Priya’s mindless murder 2 years ago.  Despite trying his best to move on, he seems to be stuck in limbo unable to accept the grief as the cold blooded killer seems to have gotten away.  Anusha, his wife keeps reminding him of his duties to her and their 7-year-old son Aarav but Vikram just can’t let go of the past. The spine chilling murder of another collegian, Sandhya leads to Vikram being assigned to the case.  This one seems to hit a bit too close to home.  As he goes about trying to piece together the murder, he comes upon the most unlikely connections between the two victims.  As the plot unravels with the entry of new characters, Vikram tries his best to keep it together and not let his emotions cloud his thoughts and perceptions.   While dealing with the girl’s family members and friends, the Inspector slowly starts connecting to dots in order to figure out the whole agenda behind the sinister death.  Vikram edges closer and closer towards discovering the real truth; one that will finally set him free or will it really?  Does he make sure that Justice is served or does the culprit manage to get away with it all?  Recommendation:  A gripping read that kept me guessing till the very end.  Initially the plot felt fairly simplistic with more focus on the play of human emotions rather than any real mystery.  I mean, the murder itself didn’t feel like there was any real mystery and that’s wherein the true brilliance lies. The well-defined characters and respective backstories were enjoyable and have been pieced together without letting the tautness of the main plot drop.     However as the plot unfolded, a series of events and characters enfolded quick and fast.  Not once could I have predicted the final twist.  This one turned out to be a brilliant book that I practically read from cover to cover.  Good thing it wasn’t too long. Rating: 5/5