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Showing posts from April, 2018

Words: A Poison Tree

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I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I watered it in fears. Night and morning with my tears: And I sunned it with smiles. And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night. Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine. And he knew that it was mine. And into my garden stole. When the night had veild the pole; In the morning glad I see; My foe outstretchd beneath the tree.

State Of Emergency

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This is one zombie story that never gave me nightmares during the sleepless nights that followed. Yes, the plot revolves around a girl's tryst with zombies, or rather the zombie virus, unleashed in her city. It shows how she escapes and how she deals with the ups and downs that come her way. For more input, do read the story. The narrative is fast paced and thats the best part about this story. You wont be able to put the book down without finishing it. Mary does have a distinct writing style. She injects portions where at times a reader ends up with a "have I missed something" kind of feeling. I felt it was an apt way of keeping the reader involved at every step. There were loads of imageries. Sometimes some scenes had the ability to psych you out as well. There is violence, there are dead men and women walking, but that is exactly how a zombie story is supposed to be. The language is simple and easy to understand. There are a set of important characters alo

Shorts: Two Spells

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BOOK BLURB: Sarah and her twin brother Jon are heirs to an ancient magical realm and its most valuable treasure, an enchanted library. The library endows readers with the supernatural means of crossing into the uncharted inner-sanctum of the second dimension, inhabited with peculiar and sometimes perilous creatures.  The children are emboldened with a wondrous mystical gift that no other being has ever possessed. But fate intervenes and triggers a disastrous inter-dimensional war that disrupts the fabric of time and space spanning multiple universes, tearing destiny a new and savage pathway. The two must rescue their world from a phantom hybrid alien race controlled by a demented dark-wizard, Jeremy Sermack. They will either assimilate or be exterminated. Will they be the saviors the prophets spoke of, or will they retreat to the perceived safety of their distant homeland? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mark was born number seven of eight children in a small town in Ohio. His fa

Spotlight: Fate's Design

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About the Book: When a kidnapper redeems his lost conscience and finds himself unable to murder the girl he has kidnapped, what does he do? Fate is cruel to him, and good intentions are never enough.  At the same time, a woman dissatisfied with her existence flees from her home, not knowing what lies ahead of her. But all things come at a price, and she has a hard path ahead through storms and fire.    Watch how fate has entwined these lives together, into a song through struggles of conscience and identity, through the deepest lows and greatest highs, and through the flame of madness and the stings of survival.      Book Links: Goodreads * Amazon Feedback for the Book: 5 Stars “An extremely well written thriller by an amazing fourteen-year-old. Written at an age when most teenagers find their boats floundering in the sea of words, Subhashish had not only managed to keep a grip on the plot, taking the reader along the journey of his well-drawn out characters, he ha

Spotlight: I Owed You One

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About the Book: Publisher: LiFi Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN: 978-9386191281 Format: Paperback Pages: 258 pages Price: 275/- Dev Khanna has a perfect life with his loving wife Radhika and son Neel in Melbourne, Australia. But there is something from his past that keeps gnawing him, an open wound that is a reminder of a debt. His present is very flourishing and future promising but what happens when the past comes knocking? As the skeletons begin to tumble one after other from the cupboard it is now threating his present. Join Dev on a journey that spans across the tall skylines of Melbourne, the royal Dilwalo ki Dilli to the dingy streets of Moradabad as he battles love, religion, politics and fear questioning his own beliefs at every step. Will he be able to make peace with his past and save his future? Will humanity lose this battle against everything else? Book Links: Goodreads * Amazon Feedback for the Book: 5 Stars “With an intriguing and powerfu

An Excerpt: Preordained

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Chapter 1 From his crouched position in the woods of rural Georgetown County, South Carolina, and under the echo of his heavy breathing in the night air, he watched his favorite family’s movements inside their small brown home. After much thought about the impression his outfit would make, he’d decided it was festive enough for the occasion. The complete ensemble consisted of a red and black head mask, aligned perfectly to the holes for his eyes, nose, and mouth and a form-fitting, black bodysuit with white wings painted on the back. For years, he’d contemplated a befitting name for himself and finally settled on Star of David killer. He liked the way the alias reverberated in his head. It revealed a lot. It concealed everything. It hinted at his purpose and yet – it withheld the true essence of his aspirations, keeping them covered in a shroud of secrecy. He hoped an insightful reporter would have an epiphany and bestow that nickname on him. It was far more interestin

Spotlight: Rising From The Ashes

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RISING FROM THE ASHES:  A Short Story: Prequel to Knitted Tales 2  by  Rubina Ramesh BLURB She was one of the most beautiful woman Asura Sambara had laid his eyes on.  Possessing a beauty of this magnitude became his passion. Sambara kidnapped her and whisked her off to his palace.  Mayavati knows she has no option but to bow down to his wishes. But what about the young man who always haunts her dreams? She had no clue why she was in this palace but after speaking to the mischief making Sage Narada, it all started making sense to her.  Who was Mayavati and what was she doing in Asura’s palace?  Was Sambara her destiny?  Disclaimer: This short story is a mythological fiction and should be treated as such. The author does not claim it to be a retelling of the Puranas. This piece is a product of her unbridled imagination.  Grab your copy @ Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk About the author Rubina Ramesh is an av

Spotlight: Then The Doorbell Rang

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About the Book: One fine morning, Jane wakes up and stands upon the ledge of her 18th floor flat in Dubai Marina. Till a few years back, she was everything that would make anyone jealous – beautiful, rich and successful. But then the wheels of time turned. Today, she is miserable and lonely. Would she get over a deception? Can she forgive herself for deserting a friend? Would she ever find true love? Will karma get the better of her or will life give her another chance to correct the wrongs? Then the Doorbell Rang is about Jane’s roller-coaster journey as she explores the mystical phenomenon called Life. Book Links: Goodreads * Amazon Fun Facts about the Author: • The plot of his novel came in Dubai when a friend randomly pointed at a balcony and said "That is the balcony from which the lady jumped" - referring to an incident which had happened few days back • Demonetization made this book a reality: Capri had left his job with a view of becoming an entrepren

Spotlight: Small Is Big

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SMALL IS BIG: A Collection of 100 Micro Tales by Rafaa Dalvi Blurb Have you always wanted to read more, but you could never finish that one book? You kept putting it off, hoping you would find some free time, only to find out that months or even years went by and you saw little progress. That’s about to change! With Small is Big, Rafaa Dalvi has created a potpourri of 100 diverse micro tales (140 characters or less) that will provide you a rich experience in easy-to-digest fragments and urge you to read one page after another before you finally finish the book. And the best part is that there’s a story for everyone, including YOU! If you’re a romantic at heart, this micro tale is for you- She kissed his cheek as he smiled back. Nothing had changed much since two decades. Her husband called her. She hid the photo in the closet. If you love happy endings, this micro tale is for you- You rested on my lap, opened yourself before me

Piece Keeper

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First and foremost I would like to post a disclaimer. A rating of two stars from me doesnt mean the book is bad. In fact I would settle with a 2.5 because it is the kind that made me ponder what was the key takeaway from the story and I found myself left wanting. Also, it is a bit more readably readable unlike the description for my two star rating. So I will do the review by stating a positive and then what went wrong for me. The plot started with a bang. A young intern is gangraped and the search is on to nail the culprits. It was a really powerful theme and would have worked wonders but for the glitches. I got lost in the intermittent twists and turns in the storyline. Yes, there were a few scenes which could have been rewritten or re-worded. The narration on the whole gives the feel of a motion picture. It could be filmed into something akin to the action movies with a gothic theme. But when it came to reading per se the language, I felt at times, was way too graphic and v