Review #722: The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves."

----Mary Shelley

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, an Indian best selling novelist, has penned an evocative and timeless tale of one of the greatest love story that our Indian mythology has ever given to us in the form of Ramayana in her new book, The Forest of Enchantments. But its not a retelling of our favorite mythology on Lord Ram, rather its told and primarily focuses on the life and time of Lord Ram's wife, Sita who is not just a Goddess who we all worship to, but a fateful woman with a heart full of only love and kindness journeying through a path of thorns till her death.

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Review #721: The Knife Slipped by Erle Stanley Gardner (Cool and Lam #1.5)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“The truly scary thing about undiscovered lies is that they have a greater capacity to diminish us than exposed ones.”

                                                                              ----Cheryl Hughes


Erle Stanley Gardner, an American lawyer and author, writing under the pen name of A.A. Fair for his sassy detective series, Cool and Lam. A hidden gem have been discovered after almost a decade with Gardner's book called, The Knife Slipped which was never published due to scandalous story line that revolves around two detective duo, one being the sassiest queen of her investigation agency and the other being her part time detective whom she loved to dominate with her orders, who find themselves muddled in a cheating man's deadly lies and his fateful murder.

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Review #694: The Fisher Queen's Dynasty by Kavita Kané

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“If you want to see the brave, look at those who can forgive. If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred.”

----Krishna Dharma

Kavita Kané, an Indian bestselling author, has penned an inspiring and extremely compelling mythological tale inspired from the characters from the Indian epic mythology, Mahabharata in her new book called, The Fisher Queen's Dynasty that revolves around two key protagonists, one ordinary woman, denied of her royal birth-right who grows up under the care of a meager-fisherman, and later claims to the throne of Hastinapur by her clever tricks, but sadly she becomes a pawn to the dirty politics of the state, turning her into a bitter and wicked queen and the other, a handsome prince, who is the true heir to the throne to Hastinapur, but he sacrifices away his chance to become the king in order to fulfill his father's romantic wishes to marry a fisher-girl. The woman is known as Satyavati, the grandmother to Pandu and Dhritarashtra and the man is known as Bhism, the son of Ganga.

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Review #691: Austenistan by Laaleen Sukhera

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”

----Jane Austen

The Jane Austen Society of Pakistan started by the journalist-cum-author, Laaleen Sukhera payed a homage to our very dear and favorite 18th century author, Jane Austen, by penning some Austen-themed stories about the rich, some feminist and damsel-in-distress type, dramatic, haughty aristocrat Muslim women, who are way past their "marriageable age" of a posh society based in Pakistan, through a book called Austenistan featuring a collection of seven short stories written by the members of the Jane Austen fan club and is edited by Laaleen Sukhera.

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Review #680: Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I used to want to save the world. To end war and bring peace to mankind. But then, I glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light. I learned that inside every one of them, there will always be both. The choice each must make for themselves - something no hero will ever defeat. I've touched the darkness that lives in between the light. Seen the worst of this world, and the best. Seen the terrible things men do to each other in the name of hatred, and the lengths they'll go to for love. Now I know. Only love can save this world. So I stay. I fight, and I give... for the world I know can be. This is my mission, now. Forever.

----Diana Prince, From the movie Wonder Woman by Patty Jenkins

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Review #574: The Liberation of Sita by Volga

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. ”

----Roseanne Barr

Popuri Lalita Kumari, who writes award-winning Telugu poems and stories under her pen name Volga, has penned yet another terrific and feminist tale revolving around India's most popular mythological tale Ramayana, called, The Liberation of Sita. In this book, the author meticulously weaves a story about the characters from Ramayana with their struggles, hardships and challenges that they underwent through during their life times and how that made them the way we see them now. Mostly revolving around Sita's life after abandonment with her husband and her ordeal with the test of chastity, among with other notable characters like Surpanakha, Ahalya and many more.

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