Nagasravika's Book Reviews Blog

 Mister Monday  (The Keys to the Kingdom #1) By Garth Nix  Published Year: 2003 Page Count: 200 pages  Medium Used: Kindle PW Genre: Adventure, Action, Young Adult, Children's Fiction, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, 2026-read. Rating : 4.5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😄  There once was an Architect who created the House and the Secondary realms from Nothing. It is possible to navigate to different realities from the House. After a while, she goes off, leaving behind her Will. The Will document is broken into pieces and one of them is stored away on a distant star. The book starts with this component escaping and continues with a man called Mister Monday and his steward approaching an asthmatic kid, Arthur, who is struggling to catch his breath, alone on his school's playground. This man, Monday, gives him a Minute Key - his property/power -  because he is tricked by something into doing so. After that the adventures of Arthur start. He is a randomly chosen heir to...

 All of us Villains  (All of Us Villans #1) By Amanda Foody, C.L.Herman  Published Year: 2021 Page Count: 384 pages  Medium Used: Paperback  Genre: Magic, Games, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Betrayals and Alliances, Young Adult, Horror, 2026-read.  Rating : 4/5 😎 😄 😄 😄  First of all, the world and character building are good. All though all the characters stick to their true selves, the problem is none of them are likeable/good. Like the title reads, they are all villains in some form. There are seven main contestants to the game of Blood Veil and each has been groomed since birth for the prize. Participating in the game is generational for the seven families. Grieve family has never won - not even once in the last eight centuries with the game played every twenty years. Lowe family has won the most and has been possessor of the high magick which becomes theirs as the winner's family. The stakes for the participants - who are mere kids - is so high. Only...

 Dharmayoddha Kalki : Avatar of Vishnu (Kalki Trilogy #1) By Kevin Missal  Published Year: 2017 Page Count: 440 pages Medium Used: Paperback  Genre: Epic Fantasy, Mythology, Hindu Mythology, Indian Authors, Fantasy, Good vs Evil, 2026-read. Rating : 5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎  Highly entertaining. I am damn sure that someone who doesn't have background knowledge of Hindu myths won't be able to make heads or tails of this book. But I am glad that we have some gifted writers like Kevin Missal among us who want to dabble in God stuff, so to speak. Kevin's writing and command over English language felt superior to Amish Tripathi - another Indian taking inspiration from Indian myths to concoct captivating stories. It is impossible to evade comparisons between the two authors I feel. I loved the court intrigues, the politics and even the bloodshed which felt liberating and endearing in this book, for some damn reason I don't know!  This book deals in the shaping out of dharm,...

 The Fires of December  (Hoid's Travails #3) (A Cosmere Universe Novel) By Brandon Sanderson  Published Year: 2026 Page Count: 452 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6, Moon Reader  Genre: Science fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Science Fiction Fantasy, Romance, Demons, Good vs Evil, Alternate Realities, 2026-read. Rating: 4.85/5 😎 😄 😄 😄 😄  This is the third in series but happens to be my first book from the series. It can be read completely 💯 standalone. I didn't feel any lack in my understanding because of not picking this one in the set order. The descriptions of the landscape and layout of the city, with the demon, felt difficult to follow but illustrations presented  alongside the text helped. There seemed to be some incongruencies where December, the main character, was trying to portray herself a mature woman to Flint, her current romantic interest and future husband, but was also flirting using tricks that naive, young girls do. I felt per...

 Oracle  (Robert Grim #2) By Thomas Olde Heuvelt  Published Year: 2021 Page Count: 460 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6, Moon Reader  Genre: Horror, Thriller, Supernatural, Gods and Sacrifices, Fantasy, Young Adult, 2026-read. Rating : 3.85/5 I very near DnFed this book while reading the last 30 percent. I wish the author has written it a bit differently than the mundane fight between good and evil, played out through a clueless kid and an evil bureaucrat. And once we know what's gonna pan out, he makes it even more boring by dragging it. I wanted to bang my head to the floor to make the pace go fast so I  can wrap the book or get to some better stuff which might be interesting in the later chapters. This book has a great start and good going till the revelation of the mystery behind the events. Then its all predictable.  A small kid becomes the Oracle for an old, crippled, cursed and long forgotten God who is trying to fight another evil God who w...

 The Time Traders  (Time Traders/Ross Murdoch #1) By Andre Norton  Published Year: 1958 Page Count: 220 pages  Medium Used : Oneplus Nord Ce6, Moon Reader  Genre: Fantasy, Time Travel, Aliens, First Contact, Science fiction, Adventure, Classics, 2026-read.  Rating : 4.5/5 😎 😄 😄 😄  This is my introduction to the author and she simply blew my mind. To club together elements of time travel, scientific war between USA and the soviets(called Reds here) and aliens with unknown, mysterious intentions towards humanity is no ordinary feat. And Andre Norton shines while describing jaunts and fight scenes which also is not an easy task. Despite being published in the year 1958, some scenes in the book are simply irreplicable and indelible. Like the scene where the main character manufactures an escape strategy to pull himself out from over a burning pyre. It gave me the shivers and proved once again how hostile - even into the past - time travel can be. ...

 Hekate -The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1) By Nikita Gill  Published Year: 2025 Page Count: 384 pages Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6, Moon Reader  Genre: Mythology, Gods and Goddesses, Titanomachy, Poetry, Adventure, Greek Gods, 2026-read. Rating: 4.5/5 😎 😎 😄 😄  This is first person account of the coming of age story of a Greek Goddess, Hekate. As a child, she struggles to find the fates of her parents who are defeated gods in the titanomachy, then to learn her skills and talents. Then as a grown up, she puts her powers into action to bring peace to the world and humans,then relieve some burden for her imprisoned father. She defies her relatives and also Gods at every step to seek and get what she aims for. She is guiltless because what she does is listen to the strings of her heart and follow them. I liked the character and there seemed no break between the child and adult - like I could see the bold, inventive adult emerge from the child that she once w...

 Hex  (Robert Grim #1) By Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Nancy Forest-Filer  Published Year: 2016( English version )  Page Count: 384 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6, Moon Reader  Genre: Horror, Gothic, Supernatural Horror, Psychological, Thriller, witches, Gore and Macabre, Mob madness, Mystery, Fantasy, 2026-read. Rating: 5/5 😎😎😎😎😎  This is a strong, unwavering 5 pointer for me. I mean, gosh. This has all the elements that always raised my hair on end. I have always feared falling a victim to mass madness, mass hysteria. I have feared coming in touch and falling on the bad side of a supernatural,evil entity. I always feared being made to choose between those of my family. Its like this book is written by taking all my fears into a mortar and beating or churning out a psychological thriller that is not just addictive but unforgettable. This book is very immersive. The writing/translation from dutch is flawless and brilliant. This story places a hook i...

 The Miserable Mill  (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4) By Lemony Snicket  Published Year: 2000 Page Count: 197 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6, Moon Reader  Genre: Children's Fiction,Middle Grade, Young Adult, Science fiction, Hypnotism, Horror, Humor, Psychological, Fantasy, Siblings, 2026-read.  Rating : 5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎  Some people have comfort food to go to in case they are feeling unwell or in need of something soothing in their tummy. These books have become my comfort go-to series when I feel low or disconnected while reading something else. Although the overall logic and execution in the book remains the same, there are some interesting twists and addictive surprises added to make the story unmissable. This book has added some very memorable characters other than the main, recurring ones - like Sir the Boss, Charles, Shirley etc. Also the author has flipped the roles of Klaus and Violet - here, Violet reads and Klaus invents! Sunny jo...

The Wide Window  (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3) By Lemony Snicket  Published Year: 2000 Page Count: 220 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6  Genre: Children's Fiction, Science fiction, Fantasy, Siblings, Adventure, Brilliant Prose, Middle Grade, Young Adult, 2026-read.  Rating: 5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎  This is the third book in the sensational series that hasn't failed me yet. It kept getting better with each sequel. I mean the prose is simply rivetting and great. I like how the author inserts his voice into the narration at times to clarify some situation or add more meaning to it. It feels like the author is narrating the tale to each reader in a very cosy and comforting tone and setting.  This book has two important things going for it. One is the amazing plot and the second is amazing, humorous yet realistic characters. The character of Aunt Josephine is perhaps my favourite one in the series. She is afraid of everything and wants to dig herself i...

 The Reptile Room  (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2) By Lemony Snicket  Published Year: 1999 Page Count: 190 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6 Genre: Children's Fiction, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Snakes, Adventure, Heroes and Villains, 2026-read. Rating: 5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎  These books are turning into an incorrigible addiction for me. I was on four other books when I picked the first book in the series but set them all aside to forge on with these books 1 and 2. I think I am gonna continue this ride with the next books in the series too. The author has not only written these books with his reader - a young child of above 8-9 years - in mind but also blended it with novelty, imagination and great character development. The three children along with other characters Mr.Poe, Count Olaf and the hook handed man are back in the game bearing the hallmarks of their natures but also with subtly different personas - because they are playing at impersonation. There is o...

 The Bad Beginning  (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) By Lemony Snicket  Published Year: 1999  Page Count: 151 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6  Genre: Children's Fiction, Horror, Disturbing Fiction, Fantasy, Gothic Fiction, Evil Characters, 2026-read. Rating: 5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎  This is a very small book that felt like it has finished too soon. I was immersed into the tale so much that I failed to note the passing time or the flipping pages. Though this is a children's book,it is written with such a deft hand that it took me back to my own childhood. I started wondering how it would be if I was placed in the stead of those three unfortunate children. Their parents perish in an accidental fire and they are left alone with no friend or guardian. As the story progresses and we are introduced to the characters that want to steal their fortune and leave them penniless or worse, dead, I couldn't help becoming a bit paranoid. I started seeing conspirac...

 A Gathering of Shadows  (Shades Of Magic #2) By V. E. Schwab  Published Year: 2016 Page Count: 512 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6  Genre: High Fantasy, Fantasy, Action, Magic and Sorcery, Multiverse, Romance,Romantasy, LGBTQ, 2026-read.  Rating : 5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎  Absolutely digged this! Schwab is a gifted, brilliant writer that her prose and narration kept me hooked through out. In the first book, there was too much happening. We were introduced to this world of magic and sorcery. We saw the main characters - Kell from Red London and Lila from Grey London - overtake evil kings and queens and save a world from consumption by black magic. Then Lila leaves Kell in pursuit of an adventure and thrill. She doesn't want to be bound to anyone or anything and wants instead to have some risk in her life. Doesn't want to be saddled to a boring and secure life. She is a different creature as everyone agrees. A girl cast from a different mold. At the end ...

 The School for Good and Evil  (The School for Good and Evil #1) By Soman Chainani  Published Year: 2013 Page Count: 488 pages  Medium Used: Paperback  Genre: Fairy Tales,Middle Grade, Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Academia, Young Adult, Humor, Action, Adventure, 2026-read. Rating: 5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎  Just wrapped this. What a wild ride! Where do I start?! There is so much happening in every chapter it is very tough to keep track of it all. So I stopped trying after a while and just sat back and enjoyed. On the whole, this is a book with a message. With multiple messages actually. 1. Looks and beauty can betray the actual nature of a person. Sweet and beautiful looking Sophie is vile and cruel at heart and ghoulish, raven looking Agatha is the best of persons there ever would be. 2. A person need not be completely good or evil - there can exist a balance or mixture of both traits. Cruel Sophie too wanted joy, happy ever after, prince charming and all th...

 The Eyes of the Dragon  By Stephen King  Published Year: 1984 Page Count: 430 pages  Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6  Genre : Horror, Fantasy, Thriller, Action, Demons, Dragons, Suspense, Young Adult, 2026-read. Rating : 5/5 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎  This book is just so amazing and gripping that I couldn't put it down. Its fast paced. The character development is just amazing. Only thing is I felt the author has made even 16 - 17 year old teenagers sound like children. He is very good .. no absolutely phenomenal .. in writing young kids going on adventures and if we choose to overlook the ages and such  details, we can enjoy the story thoroughly. Reading from the title, I assumed this story is gonna be surrounding or involving dragons. I postponed picking the book on this account. But now having finished it, I know the title is very misleading. The only dragon in the story is the head of a killed dragon mounted on a hook in the king's private room. The king Rola...

 Storm Front  (The Dresden Files #1) By Jim Butcher  Published Year: 2000 Page Count: 370 pages  Medium Used: ipad Air  Genre : Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Magic and Wizards, Action, Detectives, 2026-read.  Rating : 4/5 😀😀😀😀 I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the character of Harry Dresden, a wizard detective that helped the cops on the side. Dresden's character was introduced in this book and I felt that there is so much more to know about him, which was not laid out in this book yet. There were many sequels in the series and I would definitely like to check them out. I thought the pacing is fast and the narrative really hooked me. It was a typical detective story - with magic involved. Someone had been murdering people through black magic - blowing their chest cavities and ripping their hearts out. There was a White Council which oversees the practitioners of magic and ensured that a set of rules be adhered to. The cops with whom ...

 The Book Of Doors  By Gareth Brown  Published Year: 2024 Page Count: 436 pages  Medium Used: ipad Air  Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Magic, Magical Books, Action, Suspense, Thriller, Science Fiction,Time Travel, 2026-read.  Rating: 5/5 😀😀😀😀😀 I couldn't put this down. I started it as a means to break my boredom and sleeplessness by reading one or two chapters in a well received work of science and speculative fiction. This book hooked me right away. It kept me up way longer than I expected. The first chapters I read on my phone but then i had to switch to a bigger screen. I couldn't leave out the time I was charging my phone. That good this book was. Definitely try it if you happen to like all the magic books could deliver.  The first thing that came to mind as I kept devouring this book was how thorough the author was while writing it. He was very careful and thoughtful about not having any loopholes, flaws and weaknesses in his plot. Had a qu...

 Divine Rivals  (Letters of Enchantment #1) By Rebecca Ross  Published Year: 2023 Page Count: 360 pages  Medium Used: Paperback  Genre: Fantasy, Romantasy, Epistolatory, Gods and Magic, Young Adult, Enemies to Lovers, 2026-read.  Rating: 5/5 😍😍😍😍😍 I didn't feel this story should be encompassed under the umbrella of enemies to lovers. There was definitely some rivalry between the two main characters - Iris Winnow and Ramon Kitt - but it was never devoid of some empathy and mutual attraction. Ramon and Iris are vying for the role of a columnist in the Oath Gazette newspaper organization. For Iris, it is a matter of survival because with her mother enfeebled and muddled in drink, she is the sole bread earner of her family. Her brother is away, fighting a war between the Gods Dacre and Enva. Dacre is the God of the Underworld while Enva is the Skywards. They too had a enemies to lovers and back to enemies history. I liked how their background is uncovered ...

Snow Crash  By Neal Stephenson  Published Year: 1992 Page Count: 574 pages  Medium Used: Kindle PW  Genre: Classics, Science Fiction, Mythology, History, WWII,Fantasy, Hard Science, Mafia, Action, Drugs, Thriller, Metaverse, 2026-read.  Rating: 4.5/5 😃😃😃😃🥳 I enjoyed it very much. Atleast for the major part. But I also felt restless and dissociated when Hiro Protagonist, our main character, is talking to the librarian in the Metaverse about religion and drawing parallels with virus propagation in humans. I didn't know if I had to laugh or take them seriously. How can they compare believers of a certain faith having cult prostitution or breast feeding, spreading viruses through their bodily fluids to those doing it in the computer world? Felt outrageous to me. What is this listening on radio waves from other planets for metavirus and spreading it to the humans over? These weird comparisons and analogies, I just couldn't stomach. The last 50 pages are solid mi...

 Walking to Aldebaran  By Adrian Tchaikovsky  Published Year: 2019  Page Count: 100 pages [ Novella ] Medium Used: Kindle Paperwhite  Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Alien Contact, Horror, Speculative Fiction, Loneliness, 2026-read.  Rating: 4/5  The narrator is an European astronaut, who having aspired to become an Astronaut that gets to navigate space and meet aliens, since childhood has his dream come true. Then what remains for him is nothing but pure regret. Because he gets lost in a maze like Crypt, an alien artefact, separated from his crew members and wandering/walking forever and sustaining/snacking on the meat of bugs and squishy, mushy alien creatures stuck in the labyrinth like him.  The narrative plays in two timelines - one is recounting his experiences with different alien creatures and how indefinite walking in the labyrinthe has altered him psychically and physically. The other tells the series of events that took pl...