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May 30, 2016

Guest Review: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Since May was a #readclassics month at Fictional Fortress, one of our lovely club members, Kadbury (she blogs at Writer and Tales) is taking over to review Crime and Punishment for us (there's also some exciting giveaway info at the end, you're welcome)
Over to you, Kadbury;

Book Title: Crime and Punishment
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Genre: Classic Lit

This is one of those huge books that everyone sees in a shop and gets intimidated by. Yes, it’s a classic written by a Russian author. First off I would like to warn all readers that the names and pet names of every character can be slightly confusing. Some editions have a list of all the names and pet names of each character at the start or end of the novel. My suggestion is that you buy one of these editions.

This book is large in size but the story as a whole is not hard to understand and is pretty universal. It raises questions regarding morality, crime and justice and these are answered to an extent. It isn’t packed with philosophy and is pretty straightforward so everyone can understand it.

Our titular character, Raskolnikov is the quintessential individual who finds fault with everything in the world. He has a high opinion of himself and his ideals and is plagued with thoughts of putting his ideals into practice (like some other individuals we find around us *cough* Trump *cough*) .It is his ideals and warped world view that lead him to perform an unconventional unlawful act. The book explores his psyche and his worldview after his consciousness becomes ruptured.

Crime and Punishment is an exploration of society and the psychology of an individual removed from society. It tries very hard to find a balance between being preachy and being too philosophical. There is a clear dichotomy between religious faith and idealism. Even if you don’t want to go into the depth of the story ,on the surface it is a nerve wracking narrative that keeps you on the edge of your toes . It is not a whodunnit but the suspense is palpable throughout.

The multiple side stories are engaging (sometimes more than the main story) but all the characters and their narratives get tied together towards the end. Parallels can be drawn between the minor characters and the main. Each character and plot point serves a purpose.The characters are a microcosm of society as a whole.Realism was after all Dostoyevsky’s strong suit.

Towards the end, I started getting a little fed up with the protagonist but all other characters managed to save the narrative (And there were many). As a reader, I would say that at a point you get frustrated with the protagonist and stop enjoying the story. The female characters in the story are also too conventional and I didn’t like any of them. The questions raised by the story make it worth a read but I wouldn’t say it was an enjoyable read throughout.



For those of you interested, I'm giving away Penguin editions of Crime & Punishment, and Fathers & Sons (as pictured above) on my blog,  to participate in the giveaway, go here.

What are your Favourite classics?

May 18, 2016

Book review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh



Genre: Retelling, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance


“Some things exist in our lives for but a brief moment. And we must let them go on to light another sky.”

I have to be honest, when this book first started getting hyped up, prior to its publication even, I wasn’t interested. But lately, I’ve been in the mood for books set in the Middle East, retellings of the Arabian Nights, so I had to pick this one up. Suffice to say, this one actually lived up to the hype. Everything about this book, the plot, the writing, the characters, and the world-building was fantastic.

Each day, the Caliph of Khorasan; Khalid weds a new girl and at dawn, she is executed. When Shahrzad’s best friend falls victim to this, she volunteers as the next bride and vows to kill the Caliph and avenge her friend’s death. The night of her wedding, Shahrzad extends the date of her execution by telling stories to the Caliph. This way, she manages the impossible feat; she lives to see the next day. And the next. And the next. Quickly, Shazi realizes that nothing is what meets the eye and Khalid is more than what the world thinks him to be; a ruthless, cold-blooded killer, who has his own skeletons in the closet.

"This boy-king, this murderer . . . she would not permit him to destroy another family. To rob another family. To rob another girl of her best friend–of a lifetime filled with memories that had been and never would be."

I absolutely love the setting of this book. It's a Middle Eastern/Arabian setting that's wonderfully depicted. Renee incorporates such rich culture and customs into her book from the food to the decorum, the speech to the costume, and the tales to the geography. This book is big on sensory details. And her writing style makes it all the more colorful and enticing. I felt as if I were transported to another place, another time, where golden sands buried powerful secrets.




Shahrzad (Shazi); the Calipha of Khorasan


She has made it my list of favorite female protagonist. She’s feisty, smart, bold and reliable. You can always count on her to not do something stupid. Her sarcasm, bravery, stubbornness and lack of indecisiveness made her a refreshingly wonderful main character.


Khalid, the Caliph if Khorasan, the King of Kings



To me, it was clear from the beginning that Khalid wasn’t mindlessly murdering girls so I didn’t out rightly hate him like Shazi did. Khalid is enigmatic and elusive. He's thoughtful and caring behind his icy facade. His closed off and standoffish attitude made it hard to relate to him but once we get a glimpse behind that icy facade, you can’t help but adore him.  Khalid is the kind of character that grows on you as more about his past is revealed. He's a well-rounded and complex character that I really loved by the end of the book.

The romance in this book is beautiful. It develops slowly, from hate to grudging acceptance to love. Their relationship is that kind that transcends all odds and I was rooting for them despite everything being against them.  Khalid had a bleak childhood and Shazi is the perfect contrast to that and Khalid in turn checks Shazi's reckless nature and they just fit like puzzle pieces. 

“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.” 

The other characters that I really enjoyed seeing were Despina, Shazi’s haindmaiden, Jalal; the captain of the guard and Khalid’s cousin whom I absolutely adored. His unwavering loyalty to his family was inspiring.

There was just something really special about the story. This one mainly focused on Khalid’s secret and the romance and yet the plot was unique. Not much of action takes place but there were lots of hints here and there that I’m sure will be addressed in book 2.
This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I do suggest giving it a try if you’re looking for something unique with a strong heroine and some good romance. 


May 06, 2016

Hacks To Buy Books For Cheap Online

If you're viewing any article on this blog, then it's quite fitting to assume that you're a bookworm. So are we. And being a bookworm is more of a lifestyle choice as most of you would agree. Each bookworm has his own resource to read books from. Some borrow from libraries, others from their book-hoarder friends and few others download ebooks.
If you happen to be the book-hoarder of your group, then this post is for you. If you're planning on starting your own lil library (read: book hoarder noob), then this post is for you too. Being a book hoarder doesn't come in cheap, but here are ways you can save some monies and make wise choices while adopting books from online sources.
*For Desi Bookworms only*

1) Compare:
Comparing prices from all the online shopping portals is rule number 1. We know, it's tedious and who the hell has got the time? Well, let me make it easy for you, presenting:
India Bookstore, a website which will compare book prices for you. Just type the name of the book you're looking for in the search bar and voila! compare and buy the desired book from the site offering it for the lowest price.
Your welcome.
The only problem here is that the site doesn't include Snapdeal, in which case you might want to do the work and check the price of the book yourself.

Indiabookstore is available as an app for android users.

2) Book Deals:
We all love us some online good book sales. But the problem is we often get confused as to what to buy and if the price could go any lower yada yada. Cue Book Deals For Broke Bibliophiles, this facebook group handled by the mysterious and equally brilliant Broke, not only notifies you of ongoing sales but also highlights/posts the best deals that are available. How awesome is that? Ironically, most people have turned broke after joining this group because, books.

Bow before thy master Broke

Apart from book deals, there are readathons and book meets and so much bookish fun! If you're not a part of this group, you're missing out on the book party life, so join now!

You can also find the deals on Broke's twitter handle, @BookDealsIndia and for some interesting book recs, follow Broke on Instagram at broke.bibliophile

Broke also has an app called BookThief, available for android users. Download the app and get notified of the best book deals. Such Technology. Much Awesome!

3) Money-back:
This hack will not only help you in book shopping but for other kinds of online shopping as well. Goodfind, is a site which provides cash back if you shop via their site. This video will help in understanding how >>



To register on Goodfind , please use this referral link, thank you!

4) Used Books:
If you don't mind buying used books, then you might find BookChor appeasing. This site sells used books, most of the people we know who bought from the site have had a very good experience. They send bookmarks and handmade notes along (sometimes free books too), how cute is that? And you can get books for as cheap as 30 bucks! Yes, you read that right, 30 bucks! Free shipping above Rs.200/-
Use the tag #bookchor on Instagram to check book hauls of people who've purchased from them.
BookChor is also available as a mobile app for android users.

Another great way to buy used books is via OLX. I bought a hardcover of A Dance with Dragons for Rs.300, hardcover you guys! So, keep an occasional check for you might stumble upon some really good negotiable deals on really good books.

The Hardcover I bought from OLX for dirt cheap, jealous much?

Those were the hacks, hope you found them useful. I was not paid to endorse these sites and have only mentioned them since I've found all these very useful in my very fervent online book shopping. And if you happen to use any of these hacks, do let me know how you liked them or if they were of any help!

Do you know of any other hacks, share them with us! :)
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