Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Amal Singh GENRE: Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: August 18, 2026 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fantasy set in Mumbai. More focused on the characters than on the location, much to my disappointment. Nice little glimpses of two versions of Mumbai. Decent character sketching. Underdeveloped fantasy elements. Abrupt ending. Doesn't realise its potential to the fullest. A mixed bag for me. Plot Preview: Rishi Tripathi is an aspiring actor with no success so far. But when he falls through a mirror and lands in a different version of Mumbai, he finds himself a renowned and wealthy superstar. As he reconciles himself to his new status, he realises that this successful version of himself comes with some burdens and costs. He wants to return to the Mumbai he left behind. The only way back seems to be through the mirror, but it no longer allows him to pass through. Can Rishi find the unknown mirror-maker and find his way home before things turn too drastic in his new wor...

AUTHOR: Suzanne Palmer GENRE: Science Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: May 26, 2026 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: A post-apocalyptic science fiction. Great intent, but flawed execution. Interesting characters but with poor detailing. A slow-moving plot with hardly any action. Unexplored subplots, hazy world-building, abrupt ending. Confused about whether it wants to be cozy or dark. I was mostly bored except at the start. This is an outlier review. Plot Preview: An old robot wakes up in a bathtub with a missing leg and with no recollection of how they landed there. There’s no one around except a cyborg dog named Atticus. Atticus helps the robot find some help, but the robot suspects a wicked intention behind whoever vandalised them and realises that they have to look for the thief. With Atticus’ assistance, they set out on a journey that will involve not just an interaction with various characters but also a navigation of the memories of the past and coming to terms with them. The story com...

AUTHOR: Stef Wade ILLUSTRATOR: Erin Taylor GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: August 1, 2026 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A lovely picture book about accepting yourself and acknowledging your worth. Simple story with many essential messages delivered effectively. Cute illustrations too. Recommended. Plot Preview: Doug Fir is sad that his life doesn’t change. All the others in the forest, whether animals or trees, change their looks or their behaviour according to the season. But Doug is always the same old green. The other evergreens are happy to stay the same but Doug is eager for a change in his routine. His friend Robin suggests he take advice from Queenie the Queen Palm, an evergreen palm in Florida. Using Robin as their messenger, Doug and Queenie begin exchanging letters, and Queenie helps Doug realise something quite important. This picture book uses a fairly straightforward plot to make its main point. But the beauty of the story is that it delivers mult...

AUTHOR: Kirstin Valdez Quade NARRATOR: Gary Tiedemann GENRE: Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: June 16, 2021 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary literary fiction novel focusing on some flawed humans and their "wounds". Excellent character and plot development. Well-structured narrative divided fairly across all the main characters. Many interesting themes. Great use of the Latin-American social culture and beliefs. Slow-paced but engrossing. Not as Christian as the title and blurb indicate, so don’t expect a faith-themed book. An astounding debut. Definitely recommended. Plot Preview: Las Penas, New Mexico, USA. This Holy Week, thirty-three-year-old Amadeo has been given the part of Jesus for the Good Friday procession. He is a misfit for this divine role, what with his tendency to alcohol, his poor track record of taking care of his family, and his low-educated unemployed status. He is trying hard to prepare well for it. But his plans get affected when his pre...

AUTHOR: Marian Yee GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: June 30, 2026 RATING: 1 star. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction offering us “4 Janes” similar to the character Jane Eyre. Not a retelling. Four distinct sections with minimal interconnection in plot. Insipid characters, forced lyricism in the writing, random story development. I struggled to reach the finish line. This gets a no from me. Plot Preview: If you have read Charlotte Brontë’s classic work ‘Jane Eyre’, you know that it ends with her marriage to Edward Rochester. But what if Jane’s destiny lay somewhere else? In this book, we meet 4 Janes: a missionary’s wife battling a new land and life, a Vietnamese bookseller battling a forbidden crush, a historical time traveller battling a recent grief, and a modern-day immigrant ( most probably battling his need for self-identity and love; I lost all interest in the book by then. ) The story comes to us in four distinct sections from the point of view of the four key charac...

AUTHOR: Suzette D. Harrison GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: July 13, 2026 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction novel inspired by a true story. Good use of a dual-timeline narrative. Strong characters, compelling writing, many moral values. Realistic depiction of both eras. Somewhat slow and repetitive in between. Recommended to fans of the genre. Plot Preview: 1848. Mississippi. Enslaved midwife Zinnie has no choice but to follow her owner when he begins a two-thousand-mile journey from Mississippi to Utah. With her newborn daughter strapped to her back and her other two daughters walking by her side, Zinnie knows that her first priority is to make sure that her children are safe. When the party crosses state lines, can Zinnie take a chance and fight for their freedom? Present day. Texas. Elementary school teacher and single mom Lynette is tired of having to balance the various challenges in her life: her school work, her household chores, and parenting h...

AUTHOR: Darlene Madott GENRE: Short Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2026 RATING: 3.7 stars. In a Nutshell: A collection of ten stories with one character in common. Bonus content in the form of one essay and one novella. Stories about broken relationships, their consequences, and the challenge of moving on. Focusses more on mature love than young crushes. Literary in approach. The essay and the novella were not right for me, but the stories were quite good. Recommended. This collection contains twelve entries. The first ten are interlinked stories, all featuring a character named Francesca though she isn't always the central character of the narrative. Then there’s one essay documenting the author’s own experience with betrayal and heartbreak, and finally a novella focussing on imminent loss and grief. The first thing that attracted me to this collection was the title. ‘Closing Ceremonies and Dying Times’ is such an intriguing way of labelling a set of stories abou...

AUTHOR: Amanda Lovelace ILLUSTRATOR: Raquel Travé GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: August 25, 2026 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: The debut graphic novel offering by the prolific poet. A sugary-sweet Sapphic romance with Pride rep and some important themes. Stays true to the title by containing books, coffee, and a more than healthy side of adorable dragons. Episodic in structure, which makes it lack depth. Includes darker themes but they are just brushed upon. Might work better for younger readers. Was a bit too superficial for my taste, though. Plot Preview: In the scenic Sea Witch Cove, Luci runs Little Lighthouse Books, an indie bookstore, with her assistant August and her pet dragon for company. Next door to the bookstore is a coffee shop run by Aster, who also has a pet dragon. Luci has a secret crush on Aster, and this summer, those one-sided feelings are about to turn into a sweet relationship, cheered on by August and the dragons. The combination of author, that cozy ...

AUTHOR: Dolly Parton GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1994 RATING: 4.5 stars. I read this book in honour of one of the most generous humans who ever lived: Dolly Parton. I was never much into country music, so I don’t know many of her songs, but ever since I heard of her Imagination Library Project, I became a fan of her style of philanthropy. This book was adapted from a song she wrote by the same name, so it effectively combines two of her greatest contributions to the world: music and books. The story tells us of a girl who loves the coat of many colours her mama sewed for her using rags. Though the other kids tease her in school for wearing a coat made of rags, the girl herself is never negative and doesn’t allow words to upset her because she stays strong in her belief that she is rich despite not having money. The name also alludes to Joseph’s multi-coloured coat from the Bible. This beautiful book is simple and yet impactful. It shows kids how we a...

AUTHOR: Lina Chopra Haldar ILLUSTRATOR: Teresa Martínez GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: August 11, 2026 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book in epistolary form, addressing how a boy starts looking at Math as a friend. Cute concept and implementation. Practical. The humorous approach helps. Recommended. Plot Preview: Nikhil is an Indian-American boy who hates math. His interests lie in other subjects such as art and reading. So his teacher gives him a simple assignment: treat Math as a friend and write letters to the subject to address his feelings. Initially sceptical, Nikhil is later surprised to learn how Math is a ubiquitous part of life, both at his current age and in his future. Over the course of the school year, his letters to math help him address his fear of Math and find more joy in the subject. The concept of this picture book is simple, but considering how many children are actually scared of Math, the book is practical and helpful. I didn’t e...

AUTHOR: Amman Brar GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: July 2, 2026 RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A bittersweet fiction novel about an Indian-origin postmaster in England. Had great potential, especially as it highlights a scandal not many know about. But the plot is very diluted, the characters are mostly stereotypical, and the writing is heavily reliant on telling rather than showing. The eponymous character is like a typical traditional Indian uncle, which isn't necessarily a good thing. Disappointed, because this book could really have been impressive with better handling. Plot Preview: Sixty-something Mr. Sidhu has been the sub-postmaster of the local post office in Richmond for many years. Earlier, his wife also used to help him at the shop, and after her passing, Mr. Sidhu wants to make sure that he fulfils his last promise to her: that their two grown-up children are settled. But two things bring about a change in the status quo. One, Mr. Sidhu starts developin...

AUTHOR: Ciara Blume SERIES: Natural Magic #1 GENRE: Cozy Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: June 22, 2026 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fantasy about a magical bookshop and some magical people connected to it. Somewhat cozy with a strong cottagecore vibe but contains a few dark events. Charming magic, some interesting characters. Second-chance romance and found family. Too cluttered with characters and subplots. Too slow-paced. A entertaining option as long as you keep your patience. Plot Preview: Thirty-five-year-old Maida has never been to Primrose Court – the hidden magical neighbourhood housing some interesting magical characters, including a witchy great-aunt she never knew about. But now this aunt has gone missing and the magical Mudpuddle bookshop – of which she was the caretaker – has also disappeared along with her. Turns out, Maida is the official heir to the shop so she is the only one with the authority to get the bookshop back. There’s just one hurdle – Maida has...

AUTHOR: Christina Baker Kline GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: May 12, 2026 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction novel about a pair of conjoined twins and their wives. Great historical research, realistic characters, interesting themes. Slow pace. Average writing that goes overboard on ‘telling’. Based on real-life events (related to the original Siamese twins), though the story is fictionalised. An interesting story for lovers of this genre, though it could have been even better. Plot Preview: 1840s. North Carolina. Sisters Sallie and Addie Yates belong to a prominent local family, but because of a controversy in their past, both the girls struggle to find eligible matches. Despite their contrary personalities, the sisters are fairly close. So when they hear that Chang and Eng Bunker – Siamese towns who have now settled in the same town and own a plantation – are looking for wives, Addie sees them as good potential husbands, despite what everyone else aro...

AUTHOR: Mikki Brammer GENRE: Contemporary Uplit PUBLICATION DATE: May 5, 2026 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction about an old woman discovering the joys of being bad. A sophomore novel that has some things in common with the author’s debut ‘The Collected Regrets of Clover’. Mixed feelings about most things in the book, whether the plot or the characters or the writing choices. Not convinced by what it was trying to suggest. Goes a bit overboard on social commentary at times. A decent option for the right reader but not a must-read. You might like it better if you can accept the lead character’s life choices. Plot Preview: Eighty-nine-year-old Joy has always been a good woman, following rules to the letter and never deviating from etiquette, always a devoted wife and mother even when circumstances become challenging. When she learns that her best friend Hazel, who was always an adventurous rebel, has only a few months to live, she is heartbroken. But she is also s...