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August 28, 2015

Book Review: The Deep End Of The Sea


Title: The Deep End of the Sea
Author: Heather Lyons
Publisher: Cerulean Books
Publication Date: February 5, 2014
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Greek Mythology, New Adult

SYNOPSIS

What if all the legends you've learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again.

REVIEW

Most of you who are familiar with Greek mythology are aware of Medusa. A woman cursed by Athena and turned into a snake headed monster whose eyes could turn anyone to stone.

Heather Lyons has taken this same Medusa's legend and has turned it into a wonderful and heartfelt story of redemption, hope, love and friendship. And I love this book

"I am a monster. The worst kind of monster. The kind that people have told stories about for thousands of years. The kind that daredevils.. seek out, even though many believe I'm nothing more than a myth. I am the Gorgon Medusa. And my eyes can turn anything living to stone."

THE CHARACTERS

1. Medusa

Medusa might have been a monster in appearance but her heart was gentle. Right in the beginning of the story, we see her wallow in guilt because of the people who have lost their lives due to her curse. For about two thousand years she's lived alone in a remote island haunted by gruesome memories. She has two friends who visit her occasionally, the blind old man Mikkos and Hermes(yes the god Hermes) who doesn't seem to care about the risk of death but for her and only her.

Just a few chapters in and all I wanted to do was hug Medusa and tell her everything would be alright. I wanted to put her in a safe bubble and protect her. She's so strong, yet unaware of it and so hesitant to trust and love again and that's completely understandable. She struggles to come to terms with her past and learns to trust other people.

2. Hermes

Hermes is Medusa's best friend and oh man do I love him. He's that sort of a person who goes out of his way to make other people happy but he doesn't trust easily. After seeing Medusa suffer for centuries, he finally decides it's time to change that and brings her case to the Assembly. Thanks to him, and a few other gods(mainly Hades) Medusa is given a second chance at living.

Its clear to the readers that Hermes is hopelessly in love with Dusa (Hermes' name for her) but it takes sometime for her to realize that. I loved how their friendship blossomed into love and Medusa learnt to trust someone else. What I liked a lot is the fact that Hermes was initially attracted to Medusa's personality; her kindness and compassion long before her curse was removed.

"What kind of so-called monster weeps like her heart had shattered and never would form whole again?... I knew from that very second I heard your anguish. I'm afraid I was lost to you from that moment on. I had to discover all that made you you."

THE MYTHOLOGY

I loved how the Greek gods were portrayed in this book. They're human by nature and many mortals have suffered at their hands. As much as I loved their portrayal, I truly hated Athena and Poseidon and for most part of the book, I just couldn't understand why these two couldn't let go of something that happened two thousand years back. I've read many books based on Greek mythology and this is the first time I've hated some of the gods.

In contrast to those two, we have Hades and Persephone and I loved them. I loved how these two supported Medusa and were trying to right the wrongs of their crazy siblings. I also loved their back story. Aphrodite and Hephaestus too were charming together.

Until this book, I never really gave much thought to Medusa because she was always the villain but now, seeing her as the victim has changed my perception of her. I absolutely loved her character in this book and never will I ever be able to see her as anything other than the Medusa Heather Lyons has created.

Have you read The Deep End of the Sea?

August 21, 2015

Book Review: Private India


Title: Private India
Authors: James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi
Publisher: Century (Random House)
Publication Date: August 28, 2014
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

SYNOPSIS

In Mumbai, seemingly unconnected people are dying, strangled in a chilling ritual and with strange objects carefully arranged with the corpses.

For Santosh Wagh, head of Private India, the Mumbai branch of the world's finest investigation agency, it's a race against time to stop the killer striking again.

In a city of over thirteen million, he'd have his work cut out at the best of times, but this case has him battling Mumbai's biggest gang lord and a godman who isn't all he seems.

And then he discovers there may be an even greater danger facing Private India. Hidden in the shadows is someone who could destroy the whole organisation - along with thousands of innocent Mumbai citizens...



PLOT

A sociopath has went on a killing spree across the city of Mumbai. His/Her targets are – hold your breath – only women. Scratch that: high-profile renowned women. Plus, he/she leaves behind clues and props at the crime scene. Cue music and enters Mumbai’s finest private investigation agency: Private India. And with that its team of fine detectives investigators. The rest of the book is a cat-and-mouse chase between the killer and Private India as they try to solve the murders, possible terrorism and obviously- catch the killer. Duh!

REVIEW

You know how sometimes you have exceptionally high hopes about a book but ultimately it turns out to be pure rats? Private India was just that. Don’t take offence: the book was quite enjoyable. Entertaining too, if I may add. But the rest- I'm glad I survived it. Here’s a quickie (sans spoilers) why-

  • The first cliché: the head/boss of the Private India – Santosh Wagh – is an alcoholic who comes with a crazy past. He’s arrogant and a slightly toned-down version of Mr.Know-It-All. Alright.
  • The second cliché: Pretty much all the characters come with some wild past. By that I mean, something happened (read: accident, murder, rape etc) to someone closer to them. Oh, and all of them have had recurring dreams about it.
  • The third cliché: Illicit affairs. There always has to be atleast one crazy hush-hush affair. And steamy romances. And scandals. *facepalm*

Frankly, the thing I found most disturbing was how India was depicted. To an extent I found it demeaning and completely disrespectful. The rituals, the culture, the people – everything.

It was a too corrupt version of the reality. Too much corruption, too much politics, too many motives. Everything was a notch higher than it should be.



Also like I mentioned earlier: the killer is a sociopath. He/She dresses up the corpse with props after murdering them. Or rather strangling them. Always with a yellow scarf. Apparently, the whole thing does stand for something. So obviously, Santosh Wagh and his team is hell-bent on solving it and unmasking the killer.

There’s a lot of guessing game going on in the book. Lots of mystery, suspense and puzzle (not literally, ofcourse!). So that’s a good thing.

But all in all, the book is a quick-read. Easy words, short-crisp chapters. I'd say the book is slightly okay-ish than disappointing!

Have you read Private India?

August 20, 2015

Book Review: An Ember In The Ashes


Title: An Ember In The Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin Random House)
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopian

SYNOPSIS

Laia is a slave.
Elias is a soldier.
Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They've seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.



PLOT

The story describes a Dystopian society called Empire, which is divided into Martials, the ruthless soldiers who show no mercy to the Scholars who were overthrown by the Martials, some five hundred years ago. Events are shown through the perspectives of Laia, a Scholar and Elias, a Martial.

MAIN CHARACTERS

1. Laia, an orphan who saw her grandparents killed and brother Darin, taken into custody by the Martials, vows to bring back her brother and thus begins a series of events which leads her to get into the Blackcliff Military Academy as a spy for the Resistance, which is a group of Scholars fighting against the Martials.

2. Elias, a Martial, who was brought into Blackcliff to be trained into a Mask (a soldier) but secretly hates it. She finds him enslaved by the rules of Blackcliff and was going to run away from them, when he was made a candidate for the new Emperor. He finds himself fighting against his own people to become the Emperor, a title which he doesn't even care about.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS

There are some amazing characters who want to help Laia, even if it means it will kill them; Izzi and Cook, Keenan, Sana and others. There are some ruthless characters who want nothing but power and they can go to any lengths to torture others and establish their superiority, like the Commandant, Mazen and Marcus. And then, there are some characters, who are not happy with their situation, yet they remain loyal, like Helene, Dex and Faris.

REVIEW

There are books which make you smile. There are books which fills you up with emotions. And there are books which will drive you mad with fury, and An Ember In The Ashes is one of them. I did not feel happiness or fluttering butterflies when I read this book, only rage uneasiness and fear, and hell, I loved it.

I couldn’t put this down even for a minute; the story pulls you deeply into the lives of the characters and you can almost feel like living inside the story and witnessing everything with your own eyes. Such is the detail with which Tahir has written this book. You forget what is real and what is not, and you’ll find yourself getting more and more drawn with each passing page.


I loved it how the characters aren't perfect in any way and how they hate their situations. The characters develop eventually, into some badass people who are determined to change their lives, along with those they can help with. They know how to find happiness even when they are suffering the worst.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the two love triangles. Helene and Elias had a very beautiful friendship which was compromised when Helene started falling for him. Laia and Keenan had quite an interesting relationship, and I don’t really like their chemistry, yet I can’t make myself to hate it, either. Laia and Elias have something which cannot be explained. It’s complicated. There are sparks of love, sympathy and even empathy in their relationship. And again, I cannot hate it or even love it, either.


“Nan always said that as long as there is life, there is hope.”

Then there are characters which make you dread for life, which makes you relieved that you don’t live in the Empire. The Commandant is an arrogant creature, who can go to any extent for power and dominance. You can feel yourself fret whenever Laia sneaks out or even gets up late. You get Goosebumps every time Commandant is in the scene and you feel yourself standing beside her. Then there is Marcus, whose thirst for authority can be seen when he kills his own twin. He is another character for whom establishing his authority is the only life goal.

I can only say, that I need a sequel to this or I’ll cry myself to death, I swear.
As J. K. Rowling says, “There are stories which live with you forever”, and when you turn the last page of this book, you know that this story will live with you forever and beyond.


Have you read An Ember In The Ashes?

August 15, 2015

Bookish box giveaway

Hello there bookish people! Our website is finally live so now it's time for some fun. :D

What better way to begin our journey than having a giveaway? So here it is.

A bookish box to one lucky winner. It'll include:

1. One mystery book which will be our September book of the month
2. Penguin Little Black Classics
3. Lots of bookish goodies like posters, bookmarks and more.

Please note: This giveaway is for Indian residents only. You must complete all the steps to have your entries qualified. Failing to do so will lead to the the cancellation of your entry.

If you're not on any of the mentioned social media channels, please do let us know in the comments. We shall make an exception for your entry.

Disclaimer: All prizes stated in this giveaway are bought by us. We are in no way compensated by a Third Party to host this giveaway.

The giveway will run from 15/08/2015 to 30/08/2015

Good luck!

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Welcome to Fictional Fortress

Hello there, book people!

Yes, yes, yet another book club. Why though? You may ask. Why another one?
Aren't there enough already?

What do we say to that? Of course not. No such thing as too many books or too many book clubs.

We've started this club as a platform, a medium to connect Indian readers with foreign authors and introduce the world to the beauty that Indian literature is.

Indian literature is very underrated, and we're making it our mission to promote it to as many readers as we can, one book a month. Actually, make that two.

Every month, we're going to discuss two books, one by an Indian author and another non-Indian author.

We hope to make our club a place; a bazaar; a one stop to quench your never ending reading thirst. Include movies and TV show recs too, because, why not?

Get ready to add crazy load of books to your already overflowing TBR (book nerd probs, we understand) and for an even crazier journey as we set to crush our TBR.

Read some poetic, lyrical, thought-provoking books (also books with monsters, dragons, cyborgs yada yada. Read YA!) over coffee/hot chocolate/chai with like-minded people.

On this blog, we plan to review all things bookish, and keep you updated with what's new in your fandom. Oh and did we mention giveaways? Lot's of those too.

It's going be one hell of a book nerd army where we'll-
Breath books
Drink Literature
Fangirl/Fanboy
Repeat.

Welcome to Fictional Fortress, Milords and Miladies!
Swagatam-suswagatam.

Love,
Somdyuti, Nivedita, Shonazee and Varsha.

Curious about us? Click here.
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