THE RELUCTANT MATCHMAKER (Shobhan Bantwal)

The main conflict in this book was that the heroine was barely five feet tall and the hero was six feet-five inches tall. The hero is 'nobly' staying away from the heroine because he feels that his gargantuan body will crush her fragile and delicate beauty.

This ofcourse doesn't stop him from being a sadistic ( I refuse to accept that he's clueless) twerp who then proceeds to ask the heroine (who for the record, is wearing her heart on her sleeve like nobody's business) to find a six-feet tall prospective bride for him.

Oh, and he sneaks in a snog with his reluctant matchmaker while he's at it.

And then gives her a Dear John version of a shove-off.

Oh yes, he did.

And why, after all these mindless shenanigans, does the supposedly razor-sharp heroine proceed to peg him as a kind, loving and humourous man is COMPLETELY beyond me. What exactly did he do to deserve those attributes?

Dear *I-claim-to-be-non-mercernary-but-judge-the-hero-by-the-car-he-drives* Meena and *God-forgive-me-but-I-will-send-a-rogue-bludgeon-your-way* Prajay....you really want to know what a great love story between a midget and a giant should be like?

Please look up Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen.
Look at them: And also:



AND the love-story of Daeneryes and Drogo was a rich, vibrant tapestry that weaved in fear, belligerence, sexual attraction, mutual respect, courage and the slaying of a particularly vile and creepy brother-in-law.

THAT's a love story of epic proportions.
Not this.

RATING: 2/5

YOU HAD ME AT HELLO (Mhairi McFarlane)

 

Mhairi McFarlane, THANK YOU. And also:



You, with your stellar writing and biting wit and pitch-perfect characterizations, have infused new life into the world of chicklet/ rom-coms.

SYNOPSIS:

Ben and Rachel met in university and hit it off immediately. They were young and idealistic and sharp as a pair of new scissors. They were best friends and partners-in-crime. A steady boyfriend on Rachel's part and a slew of blonde bedmates on Ben's part never put their friendship in their jeopardy.
Until one day, when things went *Ka-Blooey* quite unexpectedly.
Ten years on, Rachel has just broken up with her long-standing/suffering fiancé and Ben is dutifully married to a Stepford-ish blonde. When they meet each other again, Rachel feels the friendship (and oh, so much more) come rushing back.

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MY (gushing) VIEWS:

Dear Sweet Lord, I LOVED the book! I have a brand new copy of this book and it already looks like an old-timer because I have moved back and forth, folded up my favourite bits and generally made it a tad messy with greasy potato-chip fingers (only the best and most engaging books get stained with greasy potato- chip fingers).

Why did I love the book to literal bits 'n' pieces?

a) THE HEROINE: Rachel Woodford is plain out lovable. She is. There are no silly dramatics, no oh-Lordy-I'm-such-a-quirky-doofus moments, no histrionics....nothing. Sure, she is self-deprecating and a tad confused. But she's also mature, intelligent and burdened with a vulnerable streak . However, she is never going to fall into the pitfalls of the done-to-death chicklit clichés. Her daydreams are geekily adorable too:

"I think of Ben's mum's easy laughter when she met me, and for a split second imagine a parallel universe where I'm her daughter-in-law and Abi was my bridesmaid, and how well we'd get along. More of my fantasy fiction: I should throw in a few elves as ring-bearers."

b) The EX: Rhys. Rhys was etched wonderfully. A wannabe rock star, topped with the obligatory Byronic locks and the love 'em-leave-'em vibe, Rhys has wanker/ twat/ wazzok/ effin' sod written all over him. And yet, the author furnishes him with just enough likeable traits so that he doesn't get slot into the bad guy-category.

c) THE HERO: Ben....sweet, lovable, oh-puh-lease-he-has-the-looks-of-a-boy-band-member Ben. Ben is beautiful, inside and out. Ben is noble. Ben is all about the happily-ever-afters and the orange blossoms and the white picket fence. Ben is funny, blessed with wit and also, with loyalty. He may not have married his soulmate but he will never cheat on his wife. Ben is the man of our untouched-by-cynicism dreams. Ben is the perfect mate. And despite being so faultless on paper, he never grates on your nerves. Never, not once.

d) THE SUPPORT SYSTEM: Streamlined Caroline, Mad-as-a-hatter Mindy and Acerbic Ivor. Hail the slightly demented but ever-faithful trinity.

Their characters are effectively summed up by these descriptions:

~ There's something about Caroline's kindly no-nonsense that really sorts you out when you're in a spiral. She's sympathetic without being indulgent. The difference between seeing the school nurse instead of your mum when you're grazed your knee.
~ A trek up and down King Street fashion stores on a busy Saturday afternoon leaves me frazzled and near-tearful. I call Mindy. She listens to the problem and writes a brief prescription. 'You've lost perspective and are no longer in the good decision zone. Go somewhere upmarket. like Reiss, find a simple black cocktail dress. Buy one size up if that looks better, shelve your pride. Pay whatever it costs. Where with any heels you know you can walk in. Boom,done.'
~ Ivor: 'It's counter-intuitive. Why should a man surrounded by woman be homosexual? Hugh Hefner doesn't get this treatment. Obviously I should wear a dressing gown and slippers all day.

'I would kill for friends for Caroline, Mindy and Ivor. Okay, not kill, just maim or slightly injure (Hail Dobby!)

e) THE WRITING: McFarlane is flawless. Her writing flows like the proverbial butter melting on a hot knife. Her wit, her empathy for her heroine, her kangaroo-like ability to hop between the past and the present keeps you thoroughly engaged. If nothing else, I fell a little bit in love with her just for this wonderful way in which she summed up a single woman in her thirties:

"You have the hunted, wary look of the serial monogamist who's unexpectedly stumbled back into the singles jungle and forgotten she needs a machete."

f) THE STORYLINE: The story is nothing new. It's isn't earth-shattering in it's originality. But the author's knack for accuracy,escalates it to addictive heights. Falling in love with your best friend is the best (and seemingly secure) feeling in the world. Having that love reciprocated is like a fireworks show going *fizz-crackle-BOOM* in your system. Having that love unrequited makes you feeling pretty much buried under seven-layers-of-turd. McFarlane covers the whole spectrum of these emotions without ever getting maudlin or schmaltzy.

To conclude, it's a cozy, funny, spirited, funny, emotional, funny, romantic, BRIT funny read.
Did I mention that it's very very funny?!?

Pick the book up.You won't be disappointed.

RATING: 4/5

INFERNO (ROBERT LANGDON, #4) by Dan Brown

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here" 

 ~ Dante's Divine Comedy. 

 (Oh, Mr.Brown...the irony and the accuracy)

  ---------------------------------------------------- 

The last Dan Brown novel that I recall reading and enjoying to the hilt was Angels & Demons. So, when I proudly hefted his new tome INFERNO home from the book store, I was all:



And then, barely twenty pages had passed by and my buoyant emotions pretty much went The Little Mermaid Way:

 

The author has decided to morph into a dry-as-day-old-bread version of Wikipedia. And also, into a closet tourist guide - a tourist guide who will bore the sweaty and itchy tourists into a rigid stupor as he drones on, ad nauseum, about every gilt-edged pillar and every conspiracy-ridden niche that the museums of Italy seem to be overflowing with. 

And might I add that the plot was non-existent. So my reaction at the complete absence of a storyline began at a mild:



laboured along at a steady:

 

and eventually escalated into a full-blown:



But wait, there was more… 200 Pages on and we are still sifting through a sea of unnecessary facts, vapid musings of the characters and brick-by-brick descriptions of Italy’s hotspots.
And still, no plot.

 I am getting a tad snitty and mighty snotty now, Mr.Brown.
 Take it from here, Miss.Pony:

 

I’m trying to keep an open mind. I’m trying to remember that one day, I will write a book and I will not want reviewers to tear it to soul-destroying shreds. I remind myself that Dan Brown is an articulate man with a brilliant mind.

But a description of Gondolas? Which, for the record, wasn't essential to the plot. REALLY, Mr.Brown?!?

 

AND, if I have to hear about the Provost’s deeply tanned face or his sun drenched visage one more time:

And then, a faint glimmer of hope.
THE PLOT! It exists! It’s alive!!
Hallelujah!



But wait, I spoke too soon. What you saw and read and believed is NOT what you saw and read and believed.
Yes, big shock there, Prof.Langdon.



On a parallel (but seemingly wholly unrelated) note, is the plot progressing? Nope. No sir. Not at all. It’s just more pages of lectures and descriptions and yes, lectures.

 

Stop it, Mr.Brown! Stop it. Please. I am getting big imaginary welts on my forehead with all these big imaginary medieval *headdesks*

 

It’s not right. I want to stop. But I have paid a third-cousin-twice-removed-duke’s ransom for this book.
I must finish it.
I must.
I will see the promised land.

But it’s a lonely path.
And it’s dark.
 *help* 



Why is it not ending? Why!?!


Mr.Brown. STOP. Please. For the love of Angels & Demons, STOP.

 and... oh look, I'm done.


Deep in my heart, having emerged from INFERNO with my wallet lighter, my head throbbing and my spirit chafed, I only have to say this:

---------------------------------------------------- 

To summarize, I broke my rule of writing scathing reviews because:
a) An interesting premise could have avoided a long and messy demise, had the book been 200 pages long. 200 pages. Not 400 agonizing, brain-numbing pages long.

 b) Reputed and respected Prof.Langdon is facing what could probably be the biggest catastrophe of his life. And his reactions? Dry chuckles. Startled asides. The occasional uppity smirk.
Kristen Stewart. Rejoice. YOU have more expressions than Robert Langdon.

 c) Sienna Brooks was a huge disappointment. And really, were her actions justified? I think not. Prof.Langdon, stop acting all noble and understanding. You just want to, excuse the crudeness, get into her pants.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky

  This book has been on my should I- shouldn't I fence for the longest time. Some of the reviews were scathing and others, positively gushing. Since the bad outweighed the good, I gave it a miss.

But then, the movie came out. And with it came an unassuming Logan Lerman and a sparkling Emma Watson essaying the roles of the main protagonists. And the feedback was stupendously good. So tell me, how could I not read a book that was somehow associated with Hermione Granger and Percy Jackson?
With that dubious logic, I gave the book a shot.

And can I just say....I didn't hate it all.

While it won't go down as one of my favourite reads, I, for lack of a better phrase, "totally get" where the author was coming from.

Charlie was a well-etched hero. I won't call him admirable. But well-etched. While the incessant crying spells and unabashed voyeurism grated on my nerves, I was glad that he wasn't exactly a wimp. I was happy that his immediate family (with all their personal crosses to bear) were so supportive in their individual ways. In his two best friends, he found people who stayed true to him. 
Yes, the book does have dark undertones. And it left me a bit sad by the end of it. 
No, I can't associate with Charlie. But I can empathize with him.

At the end of the day, it is a highly quotable book. As a coming-of-age offering , it has a right blend of self-discovery, juvenile moments and introspective afterthoughts. 

A WALK TO REMEMBER by Nicholas Sparks

I am not a Nicholas Sparks fan. I like my love stories with a little more pizzazz, wit and humour. I want the heroines to be headstrong and dripping with pithy comebacks. I expect the heroes to be unassuming to begin with and memorable by the time I shut the book. And most of all, I want...no, I DEMAND a happy ending.

So, keeping all these requirements in mind, A Walk To Remember is not my cup of tea. And yet, dare I use a dreadful pun? The books had it's occasional *sparks*. It helped that I read the book and watched the movie based on it simultaneously.

In a nutshell, the book is about the quintessential bad boy falling for the Reverend's holier-than-thou daughter. It's about cheeky Landon Carter losing his heart to the angelic Jamie Sullivan. It's about one glorious summer in the lives of two teenagers and their journey to a heart-breaking end.

Shane West plays Landon Carter in the movie. With the angular thrust of his eyebrows and his devilish smile, Shane West was better than the paperback Landon. Mandy Moore plays the parish's golden girl, Jamie Sullivan. Let's just say that paperback Jamie was better than the celluloid one.

Amalgamating the two sources, I give you my favourite moments:

Spark #1: This may seem like a very pompous thing for Jamie to say, but taken into context with what her future holds....it's poignant.

 Spark #2: There's something endearing about the way Shane West nuzzles Mandy Moore's shoulder. It was symbolic of how hormones were not the governing factor in their relationship. And it helps that it was Shane West doing the shoulder-nuzzle.
 

 Spark #3: The last line wasn't in the book. But it was a perfect addition. Bible carrying Jamie Sullivan was the girl brimming with faith in God's plan. Falling in love with Landon throws a curve ball that makes Jamie vulnerable.

Spark #4: A version of Jamie's favourite passage from Corinthians that she would have liked to be read out at her wedding. And which does get read at her wedding. It was also, pretty much, the essence of Jamie Sullivan.

Spark #5: This line sounds super-cheesy but considering the fact that Reverend Hegbert spent a good part of the book disapproving of Landon Carter and his heathen ways, it was pretty special for Landon to hear this at the end of the story.

So yes, the book is not for those who want a fast-paced read. It's not for those who don't want their religion thrust in their faces. And give it a miss if you don't fancy bittersweet endings.

But, if you want a change of pace; if you want to imagine an entirely likeable Shane West as the appropriately cast Landon Carter falling fathoms deep in love; if you want to just savour a different facet of love....then this book (and movie) is the one for you.

SEEING CINDERELLA by Jenny Lundquist

  Calliope (Callie) Meadow Anderson is the quintessential wallflower. By choice. She is content to fade into the background, play second-fiddle to her beautiful and clever best friend and her sole aim in life is to wade through the murky waters of middle-school without any ripples.

Her low self-esteem can also be attributed to the fact that she is far from happy with her appearance. A head full of frizzy red hair, freckles that have earned her the moniker of 'Polka Dot' and the possibility of nerd glasses for her poor vision do not make for a content seventh-grader.

But things are going to get interesting when her optometrist, the good Dr.Ingram, hands her a pair of super-geeky glasses. Suddenly she can read the thoughts of all the people around her. Yes, their hidden thoughts pop up on little screens near their heads and it's all there in blue and white for Callie to read. And digest. 

Does she want to know what people really think about her? Can she deal with her best friend's two-faced opinion about her? What does her crush actually think about her? Add to that, the varying opinions, fears and insecurities of all those around her and Callie's head is spinning. 

Middle-school just got a whole lot more challenging.
-----------------------------------

I always have a soft spot for the girl who gets labelled *that weird one*. It breaks my heart to see a shy girl getting taken for a ride by her so-called friend. It makes me cringe to see the wallflower drooping as the object of her affections doesn't even know she exists. 

And so...it's heart-warming to see said weird girl come into her own. And shine. And no matter how old I grow, I am juvenile enough to root for the romance between the frizzy-haired girl and the puckishly cute boy who was always in the background.

The author adds a touch of much-needed gravity with the angle of Callie's broken home dynamics. Her equation with her parents and her perceptions about their attitudes mature with the story and Callie's journey towards self-discovery.

In conclusion, Seeing Cinderella is an endearing book. It has a wonderful premise, an interesting main-lead and a host of characters who provide her and the readers with enough fodder to make the book an engaging read.

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines, #3)

  

Let's face one undeniable fact. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I have a cynical soul lined with a border of idealism. When I pick up a romantic read, I expect the pair that I am rooting for, to overcome all the obstacles, indulge in a few jealousy-fuelled rants, have each others back in a crisis and finally walk off into an Instagram-worthy sunset.

And so, I am an absolute sap for the duo of a strait-laced, super-intelligent human girl and a seemingly unhinged, smart-talking bad-boy vampire crumbling the odds stacked against them. And if, along the way, I have to deal with page-fillers about conspiracy theories, covert operations and rescue missions of young girls from youth-obsessed witches, then I shall do so without an ounce of regret.

Let's face another fact. I unabashedly ship the Sydney Sage-Adrian Ivashkov pairing. I think they are stinkin' adorable. Honestly, I do. And the author has kindly catered to all the loyal fans by devoting enough pages to the witty (and sometimes, teeth-grittingly cheesy) repartee between the star pairing. Adrian professes his love at regular intervals. Sydney shoots him down. And then she mouths some unnecessary jibber-jabber about it being wrong! and shocking!! and unacceptable!!! And then she proceeds to promptly snog his face off. And indulge in more.
 Fangirls, rejoice.

I was expecting the arrival of Marcus Finch to be the third point of an impending love triangle. I was hoping for Sydney to have a clash of wills between her love for the wholly unsuitable Adrian and the irritatingly appropriate rebel Marcus. Sadly, all that Marcus contributed to the love saga was to be..........irritating. And every time he put it in an appearance, this was what I wanted to do to him:

More screen time for the infinitely likeable Eddie Castille and his unrequited love for Jill would have been nice. Sadly, it meandered around the story's edges but rarely took hold.

The rest of the book reads like a regular teen supernatural drama. It's entertaining but not exactly gripping. At the end of the book, I regret nothing. Adrian Ivashkov remains one of my favourite anti-heroes (and now, full-fledged hero). He is glamorous enough to seem unattainable, trustworthy enough to be likeable, flawed enough to be believable and sassy enough to make cynical ladies crack a smirk. And then he manages to breathe Ivashkov charm into the following exchange:

"...and as for who you are, you're the same beautiful, brave, and ridiculously caffeinated fighter you've been since the day I met you. "Sweet talker," I scoffed. "You didn't know anything about me the first time we met." "I knew you were beautiful," he said."I just hoped for the rest."

Okay yes, mush-overload. But, for a minute there, I got all:

Those Pricey Thakur Girls (Anuja Chauhan)

 

Set in the eighties, Those Pricey Thakur Girls is the tale of the five beautiful (albeit chaotic) daughters of retd. Justice Laxmi Narayan Thakur as they flit in and out of their bungalow on Delhi’s prestigious Hailey Road. More precisely, the story revolves around the fourth daughter Debjani (Dabbu): the lover of losers, the messiah of stray dogs and the bearer of an Aruna Iraniesque mole on her chinny-chin chin.

Dabbu has just landed the much coveted job of newsreader at Desh Darpan (DD), the ONLY news channel in the country. Following her first, nervous newscast, the general opinion of her doting family and the odd chaat-wala is positive and brimming with praise. However, the scathing review by a columnist in the India Post newspaper rips Dabbu’s maiden venture to shreds.

Disheartened, dismayed and downcast, dear Debjani is alliteratively enough down in the dumps.

So what happens when the idealistic Debjani crosses swords with her father’s best friend’s son, the cynical investigative reporter, Dylan Singh Shekawat? And what happens when Debjani discovers that the brimming with wit and rippling with sinews Dylan is the pen behind the vitriolic piece that described her as “Miss Dolly dotted chin with a basilisk gaze?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------

 Anuja Chauhan pretty much rocks. This book is yet another gem from the lady who writes like a dream. 

She has the ability to push together a spunky heroine and a deliciously devilish hero and infuse their pairing with enough chemistry, wit, chutzpah and interfering busybodies to create a memorable love story.

The strength of her stories lies in the plethora of supporting characters who are so well-etched that you long for individual novellas of their very own.

Those Pricey Thakur Girls is a complete package. There are varying shade of humour ranging from droll wit to outright bawdy innuendos. The story effectively skirts the line between frothy chick-flick and gritty political gameplay. There are generous splashings of Hinglish that never sound pretentious or forced. Finally, the setting. Anuja Chauhan’s books are set in nostalgic patches of old Delhi that make you crave girly gossip nights atop terraces and hormonal neighbourhood boys who mature from puppy dog affection to wolfish admiration.

As always, I come away from a Chauhan romp with the replete sense of *paisa-vasool*. The book made me happy and at the end of the day, that’s a satisfying blessing indeed.

The Mark Of Athena (Heroes of Olympus, #3)

   When I was reading The Mark of Athena, I was also battling a mild fever. My fever was accompanied by some very interesting (or deranged, as some muggles would like to call it) hallucinations. For three consecutive nights, I dreamt that I was standing at the helm of a bronze Trireme which had a flaming dragon for a masthead. And every single time, I had hooves. AND, I kept up a constant war cry of “DIE, GUACAMOLE BREATH, DIE!!!”

So yes, the latest instalment in The Heroes of Olympus series (and more importantly, Coach Hedge) has made a powerful…dare I say it…mark on me.

There were so, so many things to love about this book.
 Let me elaborate:
 a) LEO VALDEZ: As someone on Pinterest rightly put it, “If Leo were to be made a God, I hope he’s made the God of Sass”. He has the best quips and comebacks, the coolest technology and gadgets at his disposal (I love you, Buford) and a veneer of loneliness that makes him strong and vulnerable in equal parts. 

b)The PERCY JACKSON – JASON GRACE bromance: Endearing and believable. The two superamped demigods complement each other with their combination of foolhardy courage (on Percy’s part) and disciplined action (on Jason’s part). And just when you assume that things are going to go splendidly between the two heroes, they rock the trireme with their petty one upmanship.

c) FRANK ZHANG as a giant koi goldfish. Stellar chapter, that.

d) A beautiful tale behind Leo’s uncanny resemblance to Hazel Levesque’s old friend SAMMY. If it doesn’t make you hastily brush away an unexpected tear, shame on you. You, dear sir/ madam, have had your soul sucked out by a Dementor.

e) Please say hello to the latest, cheesiest entrants to the Villains Hall of Fame: Twin Giants, EPHIALTES and OTIS. Every single time that the terrible towsome made an appearance, I was thoroughly entertained.

f) HERCULES, popping up like a bad, egotistical egg and making life and quests harder for the young demigods.

g) COACH HEDGE as a chaperone. Coach Hedge as a viewer of bad martial arts movies. Coach Hedge as an adrenaline packed satyr out to chew the enemy to shreds. More power to COACH HEDGE!

h) PERCY and ANNABETH finally getting some quality couple- time together. They deserve it, what with Percy having metamorphosed into a lean, mean handsome demigod and Annabeth having finally accepted that there’s more to Percy than just being unjustly titled as Seaweed Brain. Okay, I tried to desist from adding gifs and artwork, but how adorable (and accurate) is this:



At the end of the day, The Mark of Athena belongs to Annabeth’s lonely quest. The one-time calm and level headed Goddess Athena has transformed into a bitter, forgetful Roman version of herself. And while she once loved her daughter, she now has no qualms about sending her off an epic and murderous quest…a quest moreover, that none of her previous children have ever returned from. I have nothing bad to say about the book (although Piper does hover around like a fractious boyfriend obsessed bee.) and as always, I feel completely happy after reading a Rick Riordan book. Mythological tales…word play and subtle slapstick……the efficient use of weapons…the magical charm of God Given powers and the ever present lesson to use your brains and stay loyal……all this and more, effectively covered by dear Mr.Riordan.


 As for the cliffhanger...

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1)

 

SYNOPSIS:
Despite her eccentric clothes and irregular-on-purpose tufty hairstyle, teenager Blue Sargent is touted as the sensible girl in her family. After all, in an estrogen laden household that comprises psychics, clairvoyants and mystical seers, Blue is almost an anomaly.
However, Blue has the essential essence that makes someone else’s psychic power stronger. Almost like a human battery charger. In a lifestyle rife with mystical happenings, Blue and her mother Maura have an yearly tradition. Every year, on April 24th,St.Mark’s Eve, the duo head off to the local ruined churchyard and keep watch on a path, eerily named The Corpse Path. Along it walk the soon-to-be-dead-in-twelve-months souls and they can only be seen by Maura. Blue, happily enough, has never sighted them.
But this time around, a spirit of a young man is suddenly visible to Blue and he speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey and he is a student of the privileged local private school, Aglionby. If that hasn’t freaked the beejesus out of Blue enough, she is blithely informed by her aunt that the only reason a non-seer like Blue could see Gansey was because either Gansey is Blue’s true love OR Blue will be the reason behind Gansey’s death.
Happy times.

Coming to Gansey, he is no ordinary, what-on-earth-is-this-magical-mumbo-jumbo kind of obnoxious high school prat. Gansey is a boy on a mission. A mission to discover a ley-line (an invisible energy line that connects spiritual spots), a tomb that lies on this particular ley line and the tomb’s legendary and royal occupant, Owain Glyndŵr (Owen Glendower). So what happens when Blue and Gansey cross paths? All this and so much more in the first instalment of The Raven Boys.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MY (gushing and completely non-Critical) THOUGHTS:

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I DID! SERIOUSLY, BEST.THING.EVER! I could leave it at that. And be content. But the book is so rich and delicious that I need to say a bit more.

#1: Blue. Dear Blue, how straight up are you? No emo drama. No angsty silences. No supposedly endearing but actually spoilt flashes of teen rebellion. No long drawn out monologues about love, life and Gansey’s fanning eyelashes. I loved her character from the moment she made an appearance on the church wall spotting invisible souls right up till the end when she had to deliver a message from “the beyond”. She holds her own in a gang of strong-willed boys and shows tremendous potential for the future books.

#2: The Raven Boys. The beauty of this tale is that it’s not about the Glansey-Blue love story. Infact, at the risk of pitching in a spoiler, I could almost say that it barely took off. The book infact is the mother of all Bromances. Adam Parrish, the seemingly perfect and dapper Aglionby boy whose elegant facade hides a savage home life.....quiet, soft-around-the-edges Noah who sees much but says little .....and the darkly decadent bad boy with the shimmering tattoos and *lock-your-daughters-up* demeanour, Ronan Lynch form a shining trio around their unofficial leader, Gansey. No sparkling vampires, no prancing about in skin-tight shorts werewolves...just everyday boys with everyday problems.The interaction between the lads, their quips and wry asides, the simmering resentments and the unwavering loyalties are all placed at perfect pitch. What proves to be an exceedingly long book is gently cushioned by the drama surrounding the four friends. They keep you hooked, well-lined and completely sinkered with their individual and collective story lines.

#3: The Mystery/ The Hunt/ The Backbone of the book: Even if I tried, I couldn’t do justice to the concept of ley lines. So do savour those bits for yourself. The hunt for Glendower was such a beautiful idea. While I always love a good romance, I am more often than not disappointed by the fact that a seemingly supernatural thriller fast derails from it's paranormal angle and ends up as kissy smoochy mopey whiney session between the protagonists. Not so, with The Raven Boys.
The book is packed with intricate details, delightful patches of history, legends, scientific facts and unexplainable phenomena. It's a regular reopening of the long buried and much loved X-Files. The author takes the mysterious concept of ley lines and unravels the story in a manner so eloquent, that mentally, you feel that you are sitting in the back of a battered up Camaro as you race against time and logic to plumb the deepest mysteries of the earth. Completely enchanting.

Many of the readers had complaints about the abrupt ending.I have no such qualms. If, as I believe, the series is supposed to span four instalments, I think the author has nicely laid the groundwork for future fireworks. I can’t wait to learn more about Ronan Lynch (who comes across as a younger,edgier Sirius Black) and the manner in which his angle progresses. So yes, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all who love a good old-fashioned paranormal fantasy with a healthy splashing of boy bonding and a smidgen of gutsy heroine thrown in for good measure.