Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Clare Scopes GENRE: Historical Fiction RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: Could have been outstanding. Ended up as an okay read. The plot was interesting. The writing needs work. Story Synopsis: Twenty-seven-year-old Maggie Goodwin has moved from NY to California to become an animator. However, as the owner of the established Harley Studios tells her, she can’t be an animator because “there are no lady animators’. Starting off instead in the Paint & Ink division, Maggie continues working on her pet project – an animated squirrel cartoon – in her free time. However, when working conditions at the studio start worsening, Maggie is forced to make a choice between her dreams and her friends. Should she stay silent for her career, or should she stand up for what’s right? The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of Maggie. As you can see from the synopsis, the concept is brilliant. I wanted to read more about the struggles of a woman animator in a man’s world. I...

WHAT I WANT TO REMEMBER IN 2023: If I look at my reading journey from 2020 to today, I realise how exponentially I have grown as a reader. From being a dedicated physical book reader to gulping audiobooks and digital books like no one’s business. From being a hobby reader who didn’t open Goodreads, to now compulsively interacting on Goodreads almost every single day and crosschecking every book recommendation here with other reviews and overall ratings there. From not even knowing what is a TBR to having a precise (and highly optimistic) TBR Excel sheet. From not even considering rating a book to reviewing every single book I read, even picture books. From not knowing a single author in real life to even beta-reading for authors who are close friends. In a way, my life has encompassed the bookish world in all its consumer-oriented forms, even writing because hey… review writing is also writing, right? The only thing that hasn’t changed is that I am still not earning a single paisa from...

AUTHOR: Aanchal Malhotra NARRATOR: Deepti Gupta GENRE: Indian Historical Fiction RATING: 3.5 stars In a Nutshell: An epic romantic drama spanning decades, focussing on two characters whose lives were upended by the 1947 partition of India & Pakistan. Expected more focus on the partition, but this remains character-oriented than country-oriented. Nevertheless, an interesting read. Story Synopsis: When ten-year-old trainee perfumer Samir Vig met eight-year-old trainee calligrapher Firdaus Khan in Lahore in 1938, there was an instant connection between them. About a decade later, Samir and Firdaus are hoping for a beautiful future together when there’s devastating news: the British are finally leaving India, but the country is to be divided into India and Pakistan. At first, no one knows where Lahore will end up as it has a Hindu-majority population. But once the new borders become known, the battle lines between old friends are drawn. Caught in the religious and political melee are ...

AUTHOR: Jed McGowan GENRE: Graphic Novel RATING: 3.25 Stars. In a Nutshell: An unusual story with decent artwork. Wasn’t memorable for me though. A little alien has been sent to Planet Earth to research humans and send back daily reports. He chooses one target human named Will, a nerd video-game designer, and begins observing him. However, one day, Will discovers his unknown stalker and in response, the alien ends up controlling Will’s mind so as to not put his own future in jeopardy. This leads to disastrous consequences, and before he knows it, the alien is controlling a whole load of people. How will this end? Will the humans be able to regain control over their own minds? Will the alien end up destroying everyone? The story took me by surprise. While certain parts were somewhat guessable given the flow, some elements were quite unusual, and even bizarre. The direction taken by the alien’s character and the ending were definitely the high points of the plot. I love how the alien wa...

AUTHOR: Damyanti Biswas SERIES: Blue Mumbai, #1 GENRE: Crime Thriller RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A literary crime noir set in my beloved city of Mumbai!!! (Trying my best not to be biased in this review! 😃) Complicated characters, gritty plot, fast-paced writing. Enjoyed most of it. But this *might* work better for those familiar with Mumbai. Story Synopsis: Mumbai, 2002. Tara Mondal, a young bar dancer, had been offered an odd assignment for a hefty payment. She just needed to wear a blue sequinned saree, enter a crowded railway station, and escape from the premises within three minutes.  That was the last time anyone saw Tara. Mumbai, mid-2010s. Inspector Arnav Rajput, who was Tara's lover back when he was a constable, has just been informed of a woman’s body being discovered in a construction site. As his officers begin investigating, they realise that this is just one of several other similar cases. All that they have to connect the decapitated bodies are some scattere...

AUTHOR: Richard Wagner ILLUSTRATOR: Sydni Kruger GENRE: Children's Fiction RATING: 3.75 stars. A sweet little story about a little Christmas tree who didn’t give up. Needles is a Christmas tree who dreams of fulfilling his role during the festive season. Unfortunately, as he is the tiniest tree in the farm, no one seems to want him. Finally, the tree farm owner decides to gift him to an acquaintance’s family and leaves Needles on their doorstep. Unfortunately, this family already has a large tree of their own and Needles is dumped on the curb with the sign, “Free Tree”. What do you think will happen to Needles? This is a sweet and straightforward story about clinging to your dreams and giving them your best shot. Needles’s attitude of not giving up even when faced with despair comes out well. There is a lot of text on each page, but the vocabulary level is quite manageable for early readers. It would work well for the 5-8 age range for independent reading, and even for younger kids...

AUTHOR: Vonnie Winslow Crist GENRE: Middle-grade Anthology, Horror. RATING: 3.9 stars. In a Nutshell: A fun spooky anthology for tweens and teens. This middle-grade horror anthology contains 23 stories and 4 verses/poems. (The blurb says it has 26 stories in all, so I don’t know what’s the extra tale in my copy!) Each story begins with a creepy B&W illustration sketched by the author herself, which gives a great (and at times, creepy) glimpse of what’s to come in the tale ahead. There are detailed notes at the end of the book about the creatures appearing in the stories and the author's inspiration for each tale. Many of the stories worked well in terms of their execution. They are scary in different ways, incorporating folklore and myths and superstitions into an interesting medley. Zombies, goblins, fairies, scarecrows, vultures,… - each story brings in something new. A few of the stories ended too abruptly for my liking but I guess that comes from my preference for well-sett...

AUTHOR: Anton Eine GENRE: Sci-fi Anthology RATING: 3.9 stars. In a Nutshell: As creative and thrilling as I had expected. Sci-fi fantasy fans, you cannot miss out on this anthology. By now, you might be used to my showering praises on Ukrainian author Anton Eine’s works. Here I go, one more time! 😄 This indie sci-fi collection has seventeen stories and a novella. Almost all the stories are creative. Quite a few are funny while some are poignant. How Anton can take something ordinary and spin something extraordinary out of it, I'll never understand. While you might assume that the sci-fi genre incorporates primarily technological advances and futuristic worlds, Anton manages to pump in a decent amount of philosophical content as well. You should know that philosophy and I work as wonderfully for each other as pineapples and pizzas. But this time, the writing style ensured that I didn’t zone out of the elements that provoked deep thought about “human kind.” Speaking of the writing ...

AUTHOR: Meghan Quinn GENRE: Short Story, Romance. RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: Having low expectations helped. Being a Christmas Scrooge helped even more. 😛 Liked this story enough. Story Synopsis: Caleb used to like Christmas, but this year, all things Christmassy are annoying him. Could this have something to do with the return of Nola, “the one that got away”, back to their little town of Bright Harbor, Maine? Nola has just broken up with her boyfriend and tired of the city, she has come back to her hometown. She isn’t sure what she is hoping for, but she knows one thing: she simply doesn’t want to run into Caleb. When Nola gets a mysterious letter from a ‘Resting Scrooge Face’, she feels an unexpected connect and responds to it. Thus begins a new friendship over a common hatred for the holiday season. Where will this secret relationship go? Read and find out. A(If you haven’t guessed it already.) The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Caleb and Nola. What...

AUTHOR: Lauren Lee GENRE: Children's Picture Book RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A good story with a good lesson as well. But I am not sure about one particular word choice. A girl is born with a lock on her heart. She has no family or friends. (No reason provided for this.) She finds solace with her teddy bear, her cat and music, but the lock remains without a key. In desperation, she sets off from home and asks those she meets on the way for a solution. Many people give many ideas and she tries them all out. But the key doesn’t appear. Finally, a boy appears in her dreams and he helps her understand that she can’t be searching for love outside. She first has to love herself. At its essence, the message is beautiful. Children are told to love and accept others, but hardly anyone reminds them that self-love is as important. The intention of this book thus is excellent and the moral is one that I would for all children (and parents) to understand. The girl is said to have no fami...

AUTHOR: Donna VanLiere SERIES: Christmas Hope #1 GENRE: Christian Fiction RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: #GrinchAlert! A typical Christmassy tearjerker with moral life lessons and sappy events. Will work for those who love emotional Christmassy stories. Not really my cup of tea. Story Synopsis: Christmas, 1985. Robert Layton is a workaholic who believes that he is satisfying his obligation to his family – wife Kate and their two little daughters – by fulfilling their material needs. Nathan is an eight-year-old boy whose mom has a terminal illness and moight not have long to live. A chance encounter between the two creates a longlasting impact. This involves the titular ‘Christmas Shoes’. The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Robert and third person limited perspectives of various characters. This book is based on the song of the same name recorded by the group NewSong. The author’s friend, American Christian singer-songwriter Eddie Carswell, told her the premise of ...

AUTHOR: Aakanksha Jain GENRE: Microfiction anthology RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: A decent micro-fiction anthology. Not too memorable for me. This is a collection of forty micro-fiction stories. The word ‘stories’ is to be applied carefully when it comes to micro-fiction as the writing style is very different from the traditional story format. The stories in this anthology, for instance, are each written in fifty words or less. As such, the reading experience is highly dependent on the talent of the author to create magic within word-count boundaries. Sadly, this collection didn’t create much magic for me. Very few of the forty tales herein can actually be called stories; most are reflections, as indicated by the title. So this is more like a collection of thoughts than a collection of plots. A couple of the tales are like traditional stories, but most were just introspective scenes. Now you might wonder why I expect a proper story in such a tiny fictional format, but having read Ch...

AUTHOR: Ria Rees GENRE: YA Fantasy Romance RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: Creative. Fast-paced. Irritating lead character. Would work wonderfully for YA Fantasy lovers. (FYI: I’m not one!) Story Synopsis: Tegwen is a trainee guard in the dream realm. As a sealkeeper, her job is to maintain and repair the ‘seals’ that protect the waking realm from the nightmares of the dream realm. However, one day, she goofs up and ends up damaging a seal which causes a windigo to escape. Can she fix this problem on her own without damaging her star intern status? The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Tegwen. I had read a book about cannibal characters earlier this month and declared, “Never again!” I had also read a book with irritating, oversmart YA characters earlier this month and declared, “Never again!” Guess what this book had!?! *face palm* You might have heard of the famous W.B. Yeats quote, “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities.” This book is the perfect example of this in v...

AUTHOR: Gayle Forman GENRE: Retelling, Fantasy, Short Story RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Short story. Interesting concept. Above average writing. Started well. Ended a bit flat. Loved the idea though. All of us know the three villainesses of the fairy tale world: the evil queen from Snow White, the wicked witch from Rapunzel, and the devious stepmother from Cinderella. However, do we know why they behaved the way they did? What happens when these three “wickeds” meet up and decide that they want vengeance for the way their names have been sullied? Don’t they deserve a happily-ever-after? The concept of the book is fabulous. While it fits into the modern trend of retelling a story from the antagonist’s point of view, thus modifying our opinion about them through their version of events, the reasons provided for each woman’s behaviour covers quite relevant themes. As the three characters are given names in this story-- Elsinora, Gwendolyn, and Marguerite, it takes a while to remem...

AUTHOR: Weina Dai Randel GENRE: Historical Fiction RATING: 2.8 stars In a Nutshell: First half pretty good, second half is a cheesy, corny mash. Offers a decent look at Shanghai during WWII, but the romantic relationship overshadows the war story. Story Synopsis: 1940, Shanghai. Twenty-year-old Aiyi is the owner of a successful night club. Rich and beautiful, she appears to have firm control over her life, but she knows her future path. She is engaged to another rich Chinese, and she knows she'll be expected to give up her business and settle into the life of a glam wife. When a young German Jewish refugee named Ernest Reismann joins her club as a pianist, her life changes, her dreams change. But can she change her future, risking it for an impoverished refugee who'll never be accepted by her people? Add to this the increasingly unstable local environment, thanks to the Japanese occupation. How will life turn out for Aiyi and Ernest? The story comes to us from the first person ...

AUTHOR: K.A. Last GENRE: Retelling, YA Fantasy Series: Wonder in Neverland, #1 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting and entertaining mashup of ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Enjoyed the story. Didn’t know it was the first of a planned series. Drat! Story Synopsis: Eighteen year old Wendie, along with her two younger brothers, has just embarked on a wonderful adventure with the amazing Peter Pan, the boy who has charmed her heart. However, upon arrival in Neverland, she realises that things aren’t as they were promised to her. Peter is determined not to grow up, and Wendie realises that her romantic crush has led her into an erroneous decision that she can’t wait to rectify. But how can she escape from an island without any magic or fairy dust? Ronan has been banished from Wonderland for a reason he doesn’t remember. He finds himself in a new world, where some strange young boys capture him for being “older” and for having magic. Ronan’s mind and heart are both ...

AUTHOR: Alice Hoffman GENRE: Contemporary Fiction, Short Story RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A good story but not memorable. Isabel Gibson lives an independent life in New York, having severed her connection with her childhood home on Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Her parents are long dead, she hasn’t spoken to her sister in more than a decade, and her family-run bookstore is probably already closed down. But when she receives a mysterious letter one day with just one word written in it, she feels the tug of her old home calling her back. In many ways, this is like a Hallmark movie – the successful city girl discovers the true joy of home and family when she returns to her small hometown. The only difference is that instead of finding her one true love, Isabel ends up connecting with her one true family. The story is predictable and holds no surprises at all. There are some nice themes such as relationships and open communication. There is also a cute dog and a spunky tween. What would h...

AUTHOR: Im Bang and Yi Ryuk TRANSLATOR: James S Gale GENRE: Korean Mythology, Anthology.  RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting collection, though not my kind of folktales. This anthology would work nicely for the right reader. This is a collection of Korean classic stories, mostly written by Im Bang (mid-17th century writer) and Yi Riyuk (mid-15th century), with three anonymous tales. The fifty-three stories cover a variety of themes, whether spiritual or absurdist or family or fantastical. In terms of the range of topics, the scope of the book is magnificent. Many of the tales seem to have a foundation in local spiritual beliefs. The length of the stories ranges from one page long to eight pages long. As the tagline promised tales of ‘Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies and More!’, I confess that I was looking for a more fantastical and/or folksy experience. But many of the stories felt like slice-of-life tales, with some ending too abruptly. Quite a few are more like epis...

AUTHOR: Steven Megson ILLUSTRATOR: Andy Yura GENRE: Children's Picture Book. RATING: 3.75 stars. A nice picture book about the danger of assumptions. Rooty the rutabaga lives a solitary life in a dark corner of the garden. He knows the other vegetables are laughing at him, and this makes him sad and grumpy. However, one day, when the two bell peppers end up interacting with him and dragging him to play, Rooty realises that the other vegetables didn’t even know about him, forget about making fun of him. Many times, kids are afraid of taking the first step towards friendship in fear of rejection. Rooty’s story will teach them that most of the times, our assumptions about people’s reactions are baseless, and we will never know the truth unless we make a genuine attempt first. This is the first of the Rooty the Rutabaga series; each book can be read as a standalone. A straightforward yet fun indie work, the story delivers to a great extent. The various vegetables will add to the learni...