Tarikshir – Book Review

Author: Khayaal Patel

Kindle Edition: 358 pages

Publisher: Westland (20 August 2018)

Language: English

Genre: Historical Fiction

ISBN: 978-9387578500

About The Book:

A small princely state in Rajasthan is the last bastion of resistance against the might of the British Empire. While unrest surrounding the sudden death of the king of Devangarh grows, young prince Rudra Pratap Chauhan prepares to ascend the throne.

But the kingdom is in turmoil. The Devangarh army is outnumbered and the British forces are closing in. To make matters worse, Rudra discovers the king’s death may not have been accidental after all. The strange appearance and disappearance of a mysterious hooded stranger and a series of ritualistic murders in which the bodies have been drained of blood, spread panic across the realm.

As Rudra struggles to manage his new responsibilities and investigate his father’s death, dark secrets will be uncovered that will disrupt life as he knows it.

About The Author:

Khayaal Patel is working on newer stories set in Rudra’s exciting universe, and when he is not, you can find him reading comic books, watching movies, trying to figure out the secrets of the universe and indulging in his incredibly unhealthy addiction to anything chocolate. This is his first novel.

My Take:

Tarikshir, a name of the book in itself gets the reader curious. A lesser known genre of historical fiction is not an easy pitch to take on since there are often facts that one can’t play with. But the author has done a great job at mixing history with fiction and mythology. A little suspense and horror are like a cherry on the cake. The plot revolves closely around how a single decision can affect an entire kingdom and its future.

The characters of the plot are well elaborated and the reader gets to know them a lot through their words, actions and decisions than mere narration about them. The timely revelation of character traits is something the author can be considered to be quite good at. Our protagonist Rudra, the crown prince, is the one who gains the maximum limelight throughout the story and is keenly judged by other characters as much he is judged by the readers. However, the compassion of the prince does touch a cord with the reader. Another character that makes it mark is that of the queen. Few other characters might have evovled better throughout the novel. Characters do come an go but none stays with the reader for long after the novel ends.

The plot of the novel takes the reader on the ride and gives out unexpected moments at least expected times. The pace of the book at the start is a bit slow and reader waits for more than some 60 odd pages to things start taking shape. The language and vocabulary are fairly simple. The strength of the book lies in it plot that is unique and the author has handled it commendably. The darkness of the plot is beautifully narrated. The spooky creatures and situations keep the reader hanging to every word and turning page one after the other.

Bottom line: The cover and the name are intriguing enough to force you to pick it up. Don’t stop yourself.

My Rating:

3.5/5

Scale of Rating: 1– Ignore It!! 2-Don’t Touch It!! 3-One Time Read!! 4-Add To Your TBR!! 5-Read it NOW!!!

And now I’ll leave you with a few lines from the book…

“A little understanding can go a long way. God has given us, the ability to feel for others, to feel their pain and joy and the power for us to share ours.”

“To every lock ever made, a key is made simultaneously. So whenever we come across a problem, there is already a solution existing… we just have to look for it.”

“What will happen, will happen. Our job is not to fight fate but to accept it.”

“Power comes at a cost. And sometimes the price is beyond what we expect to pay.. “

This review is a part of Book Review Programme at Writersmelon.com