Author : Niranjan Navalgund
Genre : Fantasy
Source : Free copy from the author
Blurb :
Unknown to Nayan, the library he inherits from his deceased father, is a mysterious place. Hiriya Halepu, Pu.Nayaka, Kapshi and and many others live there. They have a secret world with celebrations, romances, pangs of separation and conflicts. This is the Book-World. As two souls in this world fall in love, they encounter a strange predicament that separates them from each other. Things go from bad to worse when an unknown enemy sends a threat of destruction to this whole mysterious world. They call their resolute protector, Helmine, who unravels many unknown facets of this world, in an attempt to save it from the danger. The lovers struggle to find each other, and Helmine tries hard to decipher the threat messages. But will she be able to save this world from destruction? Will the two souls in love be united? There are no easy answers. Because, this is no ordinary Library, this is the place where books come to life.
My Musings :
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
When I first read the blurb, I was intrigued with the way the author had depicted it. I also had the wrong impression that it would be suitable for kids. I was so wrong. I realised that as soon as I started reading the book. Usually, a book can be categorised by age. But this one can be read by all - readers and rare readers and in all age brackets. The readers would love finding references to some of the books they have read while others would get a chance to get to know new books to try out.
After the pleasant surprise, I was easily sucked into the realm the author has created in this tale. It wasn't as simple as it was portrayed. The book universe is as complex and diverse as ours. If books become humans, they would definitely be as shown in the book. I loved reading about the various levels of characters among the books and how they all interact with each other. I especially loved referring back to the Glossary when reading terms associated with the fantastical realm of books. Few of them were familiar and the author has done a good play on words based on Indian languages.
The romance aspect of the book took me by surprise. I so didn't see that coming! But I delighted in reading about the love story. The mystery part of the tale was quite interesting. The codes and their deciphering were fun to follow. And the author did touch on a good subject - banned books.
The story was too short for my taste but I enjoyed reading it an hour or two. The length seemed to fit the story though I felt somewhat unsatisfied with the ending. I felt it was a bit abrupt but it seemed to be open ended. The writing was quite good. There was good flow between the scenes and it was quite good for a debut.
All in all, it was a surprising fantastical story about the books' realm. And I for one would never look at libraries the same way! I docked half a star for the length and the ending. Other than those 2 points, it was definitely a book worth reading about books.
My rating : 4.5/5
Floryie
After the pleasant surprise, I was easily sucked into the realm the author has created in this tale. It wasn't as simple as it was portrayed. The book universe is as complex and diverse as ours. If books become humans, they would definitely be as shown in the book. I loved reading about the various levels of characters among the books and how they all interact with each other. I especially loved referring back to the Glossary when reading terms associated with the fantastical realm of books. Few of them were familiar and the author has done a good play on words based on Indian languages.
The romance aspect of the book took me by surprise. I so didn't see that coming! But I delighted in reading about the love story. The mystery part of the tale was quite interesting. The codes and their deciphering were fun to follow. And the author did touch on a good subject - banned books.
The story was too short for my taste but I enjoyed reading it an hour or two. The length seemed to fit the story though I felt somewhat unsatisfied with the ending. I felt it was a bit abrupt but it seemed to be open ended. The writing was quite good. There was good flow between the scenes and it was quite good for a debut.
All in all, it was a surprising fantastical story about the books' realm. And I for one would never look at libraries the same way! I docked half a star for the length and the ending. Other than those 2 points, it was definitely a book worth reading about books.
My rating : 4.5/5
Floryie
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