Book Review: The Lovers Dictionary by David Levithan

When I first saw this book at the used bookstore, I realized that I'd seen it around on Bookstagram. I didn't know what it was about, I usually don't know what the books I'm going to read are about since I love diving into the unknown. But I didn't want to buy a book I wouldn't enjoy, so I decided to read a couple of pages in the store while bae scourged the piles of dusted books for something I'd like.

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 As soon as I read the first few pages I knew that this book was a keeper. I knew that I would from time to time flip pages and read out randomly from it. That some definitions would stay with me, that some would make me want to flip the book in the middle of the night to read precisely what's written. It's a quick read, an hour/ an hour and a half tops. What I love about it is how the author has given us the story of two unnamed characters through different definitions, different phases of a relationship. Each page has one word, and a random snippet of the relationship that fits the definition of that word. Some definitions are one line long, some a paragraph and others a page long. The book literally is written in a dictionary form.

The author has turned the mundane moments into something you'd yearn for yourself in future. The comfort of being around someone you love. The nasty truth behind happily ever afters which isn't all roses but a lot of thorns. A lot of self-doubts, insecurity. Jealousy. A lot of being sure just to become unsure again. Of how the fights are continuous. But also of how you have somebody to share morning kisses with, or start your day with champagne cause why the hell not? It's the mundane beauty of relationship conceived from the first flirty dates to the cozy nights spent in each other's embrace. 

A very cute & adorable story of most relationships.

Have you read The Lover's Dictionary? Did you like it?

Book review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Genre: Retelling, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

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“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. 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Genre: Romance, Adult Fiction, Fiction

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Romance is the only genre where I’m not open to experiments. I read the books which has a lot of hype, or whose blurb strikes as different. If I Stay by Gayle Forman is one of the few which actually made to the list of my top favorite romance reads. And now, I’m quite happy to say that Me Before You made into that list as well. To find such a heart warming love story is actually making me believe in romance again.

There were two reasons why I picked out up. First, I recently saw the trailer of the movie adaptation and without even having known anything about the story, I was intrigued. Secondly, the hype around it was too much to bear! The book was actually attracting me towards it. I couldn’t sit around for another sign, and so when the trailer released, I thought it was time.
And boy was I stumped! I had started only the first chapter and and before I knew, I was reading the 8th one. It took me exactly a day and a half to complete this book.

I had a lot of thoughts while reading the book. The issue addressed here is a very delicate one. But Jojo Moyes treated with equal parts of humor, love and reality. More than the actual story, what really struck me was how Jojo Moyes managed to pick up the topic and create a story with such precision and quality. The ending was real. So real, that I found myself crying but actually feeling satisfied. I cringed every time, something happened to Will. It’s always like the end is near. Despite how it ended, for me, it was a happy one. Everyone accepted his decision by the end and that’s what counts.
Another aspect which struck me was the characters and their roles. Every character had some important role to play in the manner the book was to end. No character seemed useless. I couldn’t get around to the question that how an author could write with such details and not go wrong anywhere.
Needless to say, her writing is beautiful. So beautiful that it is difficult to concentrate on the world around and carry on with our existence. With her book, it’s difficult to even think that we have a life.

I am so impressed with this book that I’m afraid to read it’s sequel. Often good books fail to give a good aftermath of the actual story. And that is exactly why I never pick up a sequel to a book on which everything ended perfectly. The next book can ruin anything or can just glorify it. At this point, I’m not sure if I’m ready to give it a try!

Stardust Watch-Along Party

Hiiiii book people!

We've come up with a fun plan that we think you guys are going to LOVE!

As you might already know, we're reading two books this month-

1. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
2. Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

Stardust was adapted into a movie so it's quite obvious that we should watch it after reading the book, right?

How about watching it together?

Yes, a movie watch-along party is what we have on our mind.

Here's how it's going to work:

1. Read Stardust by September 26, 2015 (Saturday)

It's a quick 250-page read. If you have any troubles getting the book, send us an email and we'll do what we can to help you out.

2.Watch the movie, Saturday 

Time:
9PM IST
3:30PM GMT
11:30AM US Time

We'll live-tweet through the movie, You'll live tweet through it.
We'll gasp, drool, fangirl and have a helluva time.
Don't forget to use the hashtag #stardustwithff while tweeting.

3. Month end book (and movie) discussion of "Stardust" on September 27, 2015 (Sunday) on Goodreads and Instagram

Leave a comment if you're planning to join us.

If you have any questions, drop in an email or comment below :)

So, it's a date.

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?