Tuesday 28 February 2017

Book Review- My Father Is A Hero by Nishant Kaushik

Book Details-
Book Name- My Father is a Hero
Author- Nishant Kaushik
Genre- Fiction
Publisher- Srishti Publications
Pages- 200
Price- ₹195

Blurb- Vaibhav Kulkarni has had few accomplishments worth boasting about in his modest life and career. Yet, his happy universe lies intact in the love and pride his ten-year-old daughter inspires in him. Nisha Kulkarni justifies every reason to be the favourite child of Pune's premier school-be it her academic brilliance, her exceptional facility with music, or simply her unassuming charm. With his daughter showing promising signs of a stellar success story, Vaibhav has made peace with own unrequited dreams of the past. But when the girl mysteriously starts losing mojo and spirals into despair and seclusion, Vaibhav faces the toughest test of his life as single father - to reclaim his child's trust and happiness. What distance will a middle-class man with limited means go to show his daughter the merit in believing in a dream? Read this gripping tale of love, courage, and of the emergence of an ordinary man as an extraordinary hero.

Review-
My Father is a Hero is simple yet emotional tale of Vaibhav Kulkarni who is single parent of a 10 year old, Nisha. Book describes the beautiful relationship between Father and Daughter. One thing I liked about the book is Author kept the story real and simple making it more relatable.

Book Cover and Cover- Book Cover shows a little girl and her father walking with their back towards the readers. Its simple and  appropriate cover however fails to attract readers. It could be made more improved. Title is appropriate as per the content of book. Blurb is short and up to mark.

Language and Narration- Language of the book is simple and easy to follow. Narration is done in third person narrative. Narration is done well and glues readers with the book.
The book is well edited without any errors.

Characterization- Story revolves around Vaibhav Kulkarni and Nisha. Vaibhav is middle class single parent and lives for his daughter. Nisha is 10 years old, talented and loves her father. She's a huge fan of Rihanna.
Mr. Kaushik has beautifully portrayed his characters and kept them simple, relatable and believable. The middle class father is portrayed beautifully.

Storyline and Plot- This book delivers us fresh story with simple plot. Book is simple tale of Father- Daughter relationship. Their love, misunderstanding and understanding. How one event changes their life and hoe vaibhav tries to get back his life on track.

Book is simple without many twists and turns to thrill you but it gives you an emotional tale of Father- Daughter relationship.

Storyline is slow paced till first half but it picks the pace in the second half. Climax is beautiful and makes you smile.

Ratings-
Book Cover and Title- 3/5
Language and Narration- 3.5/5
Characterization- 3/5
Storyline and Plot- 3/5

Final Rating- 3/5

Overall, My Father Is A Hero is a simple yet emotional tale of Father-Daughter relationship and is a enjoyable read.
You can enjoy this book if you're a fan of simple emotional stories.

Note- I received free copy of this book from Writersmelon.com in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review- The Mind Game by Devika Das

Book Details-
Book Name- The Mind Game
Author- Devika Das
Genre- Self Help
Publisher- PepperScript Publications
Pages- 190
Price- ₹190

Blurb- Crests and troughs, ups and downs, joys and sorrows are a part of everyone's lives. While many choose to simply succumb to bad times, the winner is the one who remains strong, successfully wades off negativity and rises, unbound. All of us, at some point of time, have experienced situations involving emotional outbursts where we have, albeit unknowingly, hurt others or even our own self and have only ended up regretting our actions. Wouldn't it be great if we could somehow become mindful of our current emotional state and maintain equilibrium in our personal and professional lives? Moreover, mindfulness helps us realize what we really want from life. It helps us to first think, then act and not vice-versa. The Mind Game is a self-improvement guide that talks about how to manage emotions wisely, and lead a powerful, but stress free life.

Review- Review- The Mind Game is self help book written by Devika Das. With this book Devika speaks about different sections and how human mind works in different situations. This book is divided into six different sections and every section is further detailed with few chapters.

The six different sections are divided as-

Section A- Mastering your emotions.
B- Simple Living... High Thinking
C- Analyzing People
D- Secret of True Happiness
E- Manage Your Anger Creatively
F- A Happy Workplace- The Secret of a Long, Successful Career.

Though The Mind Game is a self help book, Author has done a really good job to keep it real without being too preachy. All the points are explained with little theories to keep it more real.

Further the little examples given in the book makes it more simple to understand. Language used in the book is simple and easy to comprehend. The quotes in the beginning of the chapters are beautiful. Book title and cover of the book is attractive and goes well with the content and theme.

All in all, The Mind Game is well written, thoughtful book which will surely teach you a thing or two to lead a successful life.

Note- I received free copy of this book from Urbookmyreview.com in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Saturday 25 February 2017

Book Review- The Origin of Martin Krooger by Sameer Kumar

Book Details-
Book Name- The Origin of Martin Krooger
Author- Sameer Kumar
Genre- Fantasy Thriller
Publisher- Half Baked Beans
Pages- 190 pages
Price- ₹299

Blurb- In the land of Gods, the arrival of a vigilante stormed the silence. He was brutally used and harassed by Gods. His emotions and sentiments were toyed with. The most powerful god, Agusthus, feels crippled before him. He targets everyone responsible for his state. He drains Agusthus by slaughtering his son. He exhausts Moira, daughter of Agusthus, by killing her brother before her eyes. He breaks Castle Gray, the only one capable of stopping him, by cursing his love into a cold bloodless stone. He weakens the powerful Queen Iris, Gray’s mother, and enslaves her husband. He certainly has no opponent. However, no one targets him. He is so silent and precise that no one buys the fact that the vigilante, who was cursed and killed long ago, is somehow back. Hence, the time waits for the birth of the last hope left to save the world from the wrath of the demon. Time waits for ‘Martin Krooger.’

Review- The Origin of Martin Krooger is Fantasy Thriller written by Sameer Kumar. It is surprising that this is Mr. Kumar's debut book. Author has done brilliant work portraying his characters even the villian or evil was realistic.

I received free copy of this book from Half Baked Beans Publications in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Book Title and Cover- Title is intriguing creates curiosity about the content. Who is Martin Krooger? and several questions are raised which attracts readers.
Cover is appropriate with the content and gives us hint about genre of our book. Though it could be made more attractive.

Blrub is short, up to mark and discloses further about the content.

Language and Narration- Language used in the book is simple and easy to comprehend. Narration is done in third person narrative. Narration is impressive and it hooked me with the book.

Editing is done well and book is free of any grammatical errors. The little poetic verses were beautiful.

Characterization- For the first time author, Mr. Kumar has portrayed his characters beautifully. Even though it's a Fantasy, author gives touch of reality to his characters.
All the characters are justified as per the demand of story.

Storyline and Plot- In the time where every author is writing love stories, A Fantasy Thriller is always welcome.

From the very first page story is being crafted. Events are placed correctly one after other. This book reminds you of Narnia and Harry Potter and also it keeps originality and thats what kept me hooked. 

Author has given detailed description of everything which is plus point and helps readers to have pictorial story running in their mind.

Ratings-
Book Title and Cover- 3.5/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 3.5/5
Storyline and Plot- 3.5/5

Final Rating- 3.5/5

All in all, The Origin of Martin Krooger delivers us fantastic story and keeps you glued with the book.
I would recommend this book to fantasy genre readers.

Tuesday 14 February 2017

Book Review- The Icelandic Voyage by Dr. Amit Gupta

Book Details-
Book Name- The Icelandic Voyage: Where Fire & Ice Meet.
Author- Dr. Amit Gupta
Genre- Travel
Publisher- Invincible Publications
Pages- 160
Price-  ₹490 (Hardcover Copy)

Blurb- Travel books strive on cliches. And mostly it is a single man on a ‘journey of self-discovery’, phew. Well, not this one. The author along with his family decides to take a trip to the outlandish Iceland. It was a huge task, first of all, to convince his family to sideline a trip to the sandy beaches of Italy or France and linger upon the idea of a country which has active volcanoes. After a delayed nod, they set on a road trip to discover the most unusual tourist destinations in the world.

So, what sets Iceland apart, the black beaches or a crashed plane turned into a tourist spot or the city where the population of people can be counted on your fingers? Or the non-existence of mosquitoes & McDonalds. They don’t coincide but you cannot find one in Iceland. Read their journey about how the author faces his family’s indolent behaviour and how he deals with it throughout the whole trip. And also, take a glimpse of a rendition of ‘Gerua’, Gupta family style.

Review- The Icelandic Voyage is a non-fiction travel book where the author tells us about his trip to Iceland. With this book, Dr. Gupta not only shares his experiences when he visited Iceland but also tells us about the little details that make this book different from other travel books.

He talks about his  moments in Iceland right from his landing to the returning journey. The Book is divided into days where the author talks about the destinations and tourist spots he travelled. My favorite part from the book is where he shares his Gerua Moments (Gerua Song was filmed in Iceland).

Language of the book is simple and easy to comprehend. Narration is done well with no grammatical errors. Book is given with illustrations which are eye pleasing.

I would rate this book 4/5 stars.

Overall, The Icelandic Voyage is a book you should read if you're into travelling or want to know more about Iceland.

Friday 10 February 2017

Book Review- Khan vs Kahn vs Kanh by N.S. Ravi

Book Details-
Book Name- Khan vs Kahn vs Kanh
Author- N.S. Ravi
Genre- Fiction
Publisher- Notionpress.com
Pages- 364
Price- ₹370

Blurb-
The three Khans, Akbar, Amit and Chris, spelt their surnames differently but the Indian filmgoer still liked them. They were the uncrowned kings and superstars of the Hindi film industry. 'Uncrowned' meant there was no clarity about who was better than the other. This confusion was on display from the way they tried to run down each other in private and public.

Baba Ram Karim was everything rolled into one-a philanthropist, businessman, film financier, race horse breeder, educationist and much more. Some called him Don behind his back!

The three superstars indulge in ruckus and childish behaviour during Baba's famous Iftar party where they were invitees. A furious and unhappy Baba plans retribution and calls it Khan Vs Kahn Vs Kanh.

Review-
Review- Khan vs Kahn vs Kanh is a quite unique book which revolves around Bollywood and three actors with similar surnames. The way author has knitted the storyline and character is commendable. Kudos to the author for choosing a genre which unfortunately is not very popular among Indian authors.

Book Title and Cover- The Book Title is interesting and it surely attracts readers. However, cover could be made more interesting and attractive. Blurb is simple and crisp and gives us more disclosure about the content.

Language and Narration- Coming to the language of book, it is simple and easy to comprehend. Narration is done in third person narrative and it engages readers with the book. Editing is done well and book is free from grammatical errors.

Characterization- The Book has three main characters- Akbar Khan, Chris Kahn and Amit Kanh. Author has artistically portrayed the actors in the story which is difficult to do. There's another character Baba Karim who plays important role in the story.

Storyline and Plot- Storyline is unique and serves us fresh story. With this book, author gives us the inside view of bollywood and actors, their struggles and their day to day life as an actor. Everything is done in a humorous way which engages you with the story. However it takes few pages to get familiar with the characters, especially with their names; but as the story continues, it flows smoothly till the end.

Rating-
Book Title and Cover- 3/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 3.5/5
Storyline and Plot- 3.5/5

Final Rating- 3.5/5

Overall, Khan vs Kahn vs Kanh is a unique novel which revolves around Bollywood and actors and can be enjoyed by people who love bollywood or readers who want  something new to read.

Thursday 9 February 2017

Book Review- Finding Juliet by Toffee

Book Details-
Book Name- Finding Juliet
Author- Toffee
Genre- Romantic Fiction
Publisher- Srishti Publications
Pages- 216
Price- ₹195

Blurb- Arjun is an incredibly nice guy who believes in true love and is waiting for it with open arms. He falls in love, not once or twice, but thrice. And every single time, happiness – like the girls he fell for – comes very close to him before pushing him away. His only pillar of strength in all his moments of grief and dejection is his childhood friend Anjali.

Dejected by the games played by girls and fate, he leaves Hyderabad forBangalore and ends up meeting Krish, an irresistible flirt. He understands Arjun's predicament, pacifies him with his words and enlightens him about the most complicated species ever created by God – Women.

And then, Arjun's life changes forever.

Will Arjun find the one he has been waiting for, or will he end up becoming a flirt? Will he ever taste lasting happiness?

Join Arjun as he tries to figure out women and discovers the meaning of love, lust and life.. all in his journey of Finding Juliet.

Review- Finding Juliet is a simple yet engaging novel which serves modern age romance, erotica. Toffee has done a good job presenting a fresh story.

Book Title and Cover- The Book Title is interesting and makes readers pick the book. The Cover is eye pleasing and appropriate with the content. However, Blurb is too long. It could be made interesting.
All in all, First Impression of the books attracts readers.

Language and Narration- Language of the book is undoubtedly simple. The Author has used words like 'peeps' which are popular among the teenagers. Narration is decent and has done in first person narrative. Except a few punctuation errors, the book is edited well.

Characterization- The Story revolves around Arjun who is a hopeless nerd when it comes to love and relationship. His character changes when he meets Krish, a Casanova who is loved by all the girls. Krish is a guy who knows a lot about girls.
I loved the way the author has changed Arjun's character to Arjun 2.0.

Theme- Theme of the book is romance and lot which is supported by friendship and pain and also many intimate scenes.

Storyline and Plot- Arjun after failing to find his Juliet in past relationships meets Krish who changes him and his life. Amidst of girls and sex, will Arjun find his Juliet? Who is his Juliet? To find this questions you will have to read the book

Storyline is engaging and can be enjoyed by teenagers and College-goers. It was fun to read about Krish and Arjun's romance. All the events are placed beautifully and story flows smoothly untill end. Ending is too predictable and could have been made more interesting.

Ratings-
Book Title and Cover- 3.5/5
Language and Narration- 3.5/5
Characterization- 4/5
Storyline and Plot- 3/5

Final Rating- 3.5/5

Overall, Finding Juliet is an  interesting novel and can be enjoyed by Teenagers.

Tuesday 7 February 2017

Book Review- The 3U-Turns of My Life by Jeet Gian

Book Deatails-
Book Name- The 3-Turns Of My Life
Author- Jeet Gian
Genre- Multi Genre Fiction
Publisher- Srishti Publications
Pages- 250
Price- ₹195

Blrub-
Manav Modi and Deepak Mehra are poles apart – one down to earth, the other flamboyant; one introvert, the other overtly loud; one aspiring to be rich, the other born with a silver spoon. Except their feelings for Urvashi, they have nothing in common. Yet, they are ‘friends’.
They part ways, only to come together in a web of destiny that puts them against each other, testing their friendship, love, patience, and even their choice of a profession!
Will this race between CA and MBA lead them to a fall, or do they need something more to pull them out of the mess created by The 3 U-Turns of My Life?

Review- Review- The 3 U Turns Of My Life is a debut novel by Mr. Jeet Gian, author of best Satirical Comedy Novel, Three Wise Monkeys.

I received this book from Lab Academia and Naaz Farhaa in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Book Title and Cover- Book's Title is interesting, and appropriate. The story revolves around 3 characters and 3 main events. The Cover is intriguing and attractive.

Language and Narration- Language of the book is humorous and easy to comprehend. Narration is done in first person narrative and is decent. Editing is done well.

Characterization- All the characters are different from each other and thus it's interesting to read about them. All the characters are portrayed well and with depth.

Topic- The main topic of this book is Struggle and Success along with Love and friendship.

Storyline and Plot- Storyline is intriguing and flows smoothly with events happening one after other. Author has amazing skills to put humour in his writing which makes story reading an interesting experience.
At times story is predictable and at times story makes you keep guessing with twists and turns.

Likes-
1. Narration
2. Epilogue
3. Manav's 5-D

Dislikes-
1. PredIctable Storyline

Rating-
Book Title and Cover- 3.5/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 3.5/5
Storyline and Plot- 3/5

Final Rating- 3.5/5

Monday 6 February 2017

Book Review- Because...Every Raindrop is a Hope by Mansi Sharma and Sankalp Kohli

Book Details-
Book Name- Because... Every Raindrop is a Hope.
Authors- Mansi Sharma and Sankalp Kohli
Genre- Multi genre/Fiction
Publisher- General Press
Pages- 192
Price- ₹175

Blurb-
Caught in the turmoil of an Underrated Love and an Overrated Infatuation, Raj, a young boy with larger than life dreams, from a small town of Kanpur, is at the cross road of life, where every road ahead leads to nothing but a Dead-end. Through the gruelling course of circumstances, he is subjected to the bitter tests of life, where he fails to justify his one decision of parting ways with Mahek. But, when Mahek flashes out of his life, leaving him all alone, the guilt of not been forgiven by her, ruins his soul; and that frustration leads him into seclusion, devoid of even his best buddies - Rohan and Rahul. Failed love, broken friendship, a hurt ego and lost soul - Raj is doomed to darkness. With no ray of hope ahead, just when Raj is about to give up on life, he come across a note, written to him by his favourite professor, "Never give up Raj Because Every Raindrop is a Hope" which brings Raj face to face with his own self. Why Love that makes Life beautiful, turns into Satan? Why friendship one fine day loses all its meaning? Why on the crowded roads of Mumbai city, Raj finds himself walking all alone? Will Raj challenge Life and fight back with the sword of Hope or will he take the easy way out by succumbing to the arduous tests of time.

Review-
Review- Because... Every Raindrop is a Hope is a realistic and relatable life story of Raj. The story talks about his love and infatuation, his college days and fun, his downfall and whether he climbs back or not. 
This book was interesting and I was hooked to the story. The book ends with positive notes and teaches us a few important life lessons.

Book Title and Cover- The Title is interesting and appropriate with the book. It gives us insight about the content. The Cover is not-attractive and could be improved.
The Blurb is short, crisp and interesting.

Language and Narration- The Language of the book is simple and easy to comprehend. Narration is done well and it is in first person narrative. Editing is done quiet well and the book is without any grammatical mistakes.

Characterization- All the characters are relatable and authors have done well to build the characters and their emotions as the story continues. Raj, our main protagonist can be related with most of the teenagers.
Other characters are also well portrayed.

Theme- Theme of the book is Hope as the title suggests. It also includes friendship and love.

Storyline and Plot-As I said earlier, the story is interesting. The Story pace is slow for a few pages but it increases pace after that and events happen one after the other quickly.
College life was fun to read and it was the most relatable part in the book.

However, Plot is common with most of the romance fictions, this book gives us an engaging storyline, a good ending, relatable characters and a few important life lessons.

Rating-
Book Title and Cover- 3/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 4/5
Storyline and Plot- 3/5

Final Rating- 3.5/5

Overall, Because... Every Raindrop is a Hope is a multi genre novel which engages you with interesting story and connecting character with not so unique plot.

Saturday 4 February 2017

A Knotty Affair by Dhaval Birajdar Jinadatt

Book Details-
Book Name- A Knotty Affair
Author-  Dhaval Birajdar Jinadatt
Genre- Romantic Fiction
Publisher- Leadstart Publishers
Pages- 228
Price- ₹225

Blurb- ‘A Knotty Affair’ is a story about a thirty-year-old software engineer, Viraj Sargaokar.
Born into a middle-class family that lives in the suburbs, he joins a south Bombay college, where he encounters a culture divide between him and his rich classmates.
Viraj is fascinated by a classmate Ruhi, a beautiful good-natured girl, who befriends him and treats him well, unlike the rest of his classmates.
Will Viraj be able to prove his father’s innocence?
Will Viraj survive the rigours of college life and overcome his shortcomings?
What will happen to the relationship between Ruhi and Viraj?

Review- A Knotty Affair is simple fast flowing novel by Dhaval Birajdar Jinadatt which tells us  about some important yet interesting life events of Viraj Sargaonkar. The book focuses on how Viraj defeats the odds and succeeds.

I received free copy of this book from Cyclopes Literary Services in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Book Cover and Title- Book Cover is appealing and confusing at the same time which makes positive impact on readers mind. However it could be improved. Book title is attractive. Blurb is short and clears all the confusion about the story.

Language and Narration- Language of the book is simple and easy to comprehend. Narration is done in first person and is done well.

However too many editing errors makes reading experience slightly difficult.

Characterization- Characterization is where author wins my heart. The way little details about characters are mentioned and how characters evolve with the story is amazing.

Storyline and Plot- Storyline is straightforward with few twists and turns through the book. Book is divided into 7 defences. Each defence has twists which holds readers with the book.

Although the story is straightforward it has many loopholes. Sometimes the story seems annoying even though characters are portrayed beautifully.

Also storyline and plot is usual one and has nothing to give except beautiful characters.

Ratings-
Book Cover and Title- 3/5
Language and Narration- 2.5/5
Characterization- 4/5
Storyline and Plot- 2/5

Final Rating- 2.5/5

Overall, A Knotty Affair is inspiring yet interesting novel which serves us beautiful characters with usual storyline.