Book Review – Tantra

12:50:00 pm

Title: Tantra

Author: Adi


Plot: Anu is a reputed, slightly hot-headed but sincere vampire killer from New York. Her near and dear ones are blissfully unaware of her activities, and Anu likes leading these double lives as threads separate from each other. Until the day the threads intertwine and chaos enters her life.

The loss of a loved one provokes Anu to seek vengeance and to this end she reaches New Delhi. But, the vampire scene here is completely different from New York, and no sooner has Anu found her bearings, than she encounters other darker, sinister forces at play, and the whole city seems to be in danger.

Anu’s usual weapons of choice are not going to work here, and there is hardly time to learn the new complex skills that might help her in this war. In a time when friends and foes are hard to differentiate, when Anu’s priorities are changing, will she be able to win??

Review: I have to say that I’m impressed with the book. Seeing the word ‘vampire’ might bring back memories of a sullen Mr. Cullen and his anemic Bella, but don’t worry, this book has nothing of the sort. I think the fact that the book has a female protagonist, and that too a bad-ass, weapon-wielding one – is one of the reasons the book impressed me J.

Mr. Adi has brought out a book that is probably going to open the doors to a whole new genre of Indian writing. This actually seems like a risk, but I think it’s worked. In this fantasy thriller, nothing is out of bounds, anything can happen and while the story does stick to the main plot, it offers frequent twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Vampires meet Indian saints meet Delhi clubs meet match making aunties. See, nothing is out of bounds!!! But though they may seem disparate, all the threads come together into a cohesive storyline.

The characters are well etched and you can sort of imagine them as people you know. The author has maintained a good balance between the east and the west, and you come to recognize the city he tries to depict. The protagonist, Anu, especially makes for a wonderful heroine. The writing is fast paced and keeps the reader intrigued. The action scenes are well described and you can’t help wondering how this would look like as a movie or TV Series. Way better than the current trash on Indian television, I’m guessing!!

Some of the characters and sequences reminded me of similar ones in the Harry Potter books – the significance of a mentor, having buddies to back you up, internal conflicts, taking on an evil superpower who will go to any lengths to maintain his power. The concept of ‘shifting’ was a little vague to me at first, but as the story progressed, I got an idea of what it meant. I wish there was some sort of closure for Anu’s initial quest for vengeance, but since that was left incomplete, I’m guessing there’s a sequel coming soon. Also a few proof reading mistakes are visible, though they don’t really mar the enjoyment of the book.

Verdict: A completely original story. Though not the kind of writing that touches you in deep places, you are guaranteed not to be bored. I recommend you pick it up at least for the sake of trying out something new!!


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5 comments

  1. Hi dear, I am happy to pass on the Liebster Award to you - please collect it athttp://cookingspace.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-first-award-liebster-blog-award.html I will be very happy if you follow me back.

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  2. I am not a big fan of Vampire books/movies but may be I'll like it if I read it!!:-) Hope you are having a wonderful day!
    -Jyoti
    Style Delights Blog

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    Replies
    1. I know, I'm not a big fan of the whole Twilight saga either, but this book doesn't really have that much to do with vampires, it's more about Tantra :-)

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    2. I read the plot and review on my friend blog page..well found the plot totally hilarious!!!....

      http://www.myunfinishedlife.com/

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