You know, sometimes the queerest of combos seem to resonate the most, especially when it comes to YA. Imagine thrills and chills, some spirituality, and some philosophy all blended together alongside a love story too. What’s more, there is this cute and mushy Slow-burn romance as well. Ah, now that sounds like a “potion” for true magic, doesn’t it? The Yogi Witch: Bloodlines and Legacies by Zorian Cross is the perfectly indulgent YA read you need to read to dash some magic into your life right now.
Imagine inheriting a legacy of magic, people. How would you feel if I told you that alongside your regular life and career strides, you also get a chance to be a slayer? Well, it sounds “too good”, doesn’t it? Ah, no pun intended here, my dears, as my last YA read has been something that is absolutely and wholesomely “succinct” and thrilling if I were to summarize it in two words. Yes, I am referring here to The Yogi Witch by Zorian Cross, which has been a phenomenal roller coaster of witches, magic, and enchantments, all wrapped up and presented along the relatable streets of Delhi, not the one that is the capital of our country now, but rather the Delhi we knew when we were still young, growing up in the 90s, with enough to keep us spellbound, even without magic.
Magic, albeit in itself, is a multi-hued thing, I always feel. Not only is it scintillating to us owing to the dash of “surreal reality,” as I like to address it, be it the witchcraft or the slight tinge of exotic uncanny elements, but there is so much in magic that one tends to enjoy when it comes to exploring it via reading. Gone are the days when one could simply say that magic merely makes an appearance of “hocus pocus” in our narratives and our reading. Nowadays, in fact, it is one of the most read genres, I’d say, owing to the relief it offers, literary or otherwise.
Anyways, coming back to this one, a superb love story, this is primarily Jai Gill’s story, who teaches yoga, does a tarot reading as well, and who, BTW, is gay, obsessing over pop divas. By night, he is a demon slayer. Why? Because he is a witch, that’s why! Having lost his parents at birth, he has been raised by his grandmother, from whom he has also inherited the magic. Their house, a beautiful homestead in Lutyens’s Delhi, also doubles as a yoga studio for his teaching exercises and also happens to be the haven, aka the den, of the magical family.
Be it Jai’s relationship with his Aunt Claudine, Aunt Meg, or even with Nikhil, who, in this tale, is an antagonist of sorts, Zorian has seamlessly interwoven the splay of characters in a manner that is sure to warm the cogs of your heartstrings. When a handsome boy moves in next door, Jai has little inkling that love, which is often considered a curse for witches, will also become a pain to him since his family secrets are far deeper and more sinister than he can imagine. So, are you ready to roll back reality away from fantasy alongside Jai in this one?
So, I totally loved Jai’s character, to begin with—super cool, sensitive, spiritually strong, and yet despondently desolate too, sometimes. Total awesomeness, if you ask me, when it comes to his characterization, since there is a protagonist who is such a charmer that his actions sometimes make me catch my breath in my throat, making me gape at him like a 16-year-old teenager.
What really turned me on was the simple beauty with which Jai has been portrayed and his character depicted. LGBTQ+ is a genre, I feel, that is not an easy one to portray since there needs to always be a certain amount of sensitivity and sensibility while depicting them, and Zorian has ensured that Jai stays with us even after we finish reading the story.
Conceptually speaking, the book is super engaging. Be it the relationship ergonomics, the emotional quotient, the character placement, or the tempo, Zorian is bang-on with each element. There is nothing but warmth in every emotion ever depicted, be it between Jai and Veer, between Jai and his grandma, or even with his aunts. The pull of that first love, so innocently innocuous, was, for me, the highlight of the story. A good YA, this one is sure to make up for some great indulgence and give you a smile all along the way, filling your heart towards the end. Go for it, guys.
So, I hope you guys liked my book review of The Yogi Witch by Zorian Cross: A Tale of Love and Magical Surrealism
Adios Amigos!