Sravika's Books - Reviews and Other Trivia

 The Great Alone By Kristin Hannah Rating 5/5 Genres : Historical fiction,Alaska, romance,drama, violence, World War ii. I am not a hopeless romantic or a sentimental freak but this book had me tearing up real bad towards the end. Its a profoundly touching story that is bitter, scary,sad and beautiful all at the same time. It conveys a beautiful message that Love thrives and lasts - in some form or another - through time and forever. Alaska is referred to as the great alone In this story. People from far and away often make their homes in the state to live peaceful, independent and secluded lives. Those who are survivors can make it but those who can't, they go elsewhere. I didn't like Alaska- no, more like scared and horrified by it (although the heroine loves it and calls it her true home) - its a cold and isolated place with no electricity and where people lived entirely to survive the harsh climate and get through dangerous winters. Leni is a thirteen year ...

The Troop  By Nick cutter  Rating : 3.5/5  Genres : Horror, suspense, 2021-read, virus, worms, epidemic, self immolation, investigation. So, its more creepy and filled with literally creeping things- worms - than horror. I guess the plot could have been written better- making it more raw and intense.  At no point during the read did I feel really worried for the boys even though I guessed right of the bat that none of them are going to escape. And the unnecessary animal cruelty and violence felt like an attempt made by the author to make it more horrid but I only felt empty queasiness and skipped parts of the plot where its there.  Its a hard book to finish in one go. I had to take breaks in between and tried to get away from the horror but I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I tried to sleep it off but my dreams are filled with images of crawling multitude of worms. Its an understatement in the least to say this is a disturbing book.  Getti...

The Witch Elm  By Tana French Genres : Suspense,  Murder mystery,  Drama,  2021-read, detectives. Rating : 5/5  I enjoyed the unraveling of the plot. The mind bending and chilling conversations between the detectives and Toby are thoroughly enjoyable. The story is a cat and mouse chase -  with detectives trying to piece together a murder mystery, a burglary that almost left the victim dead - shrouded in a lot of family and emotional drama.  It starts with Toby, the narrator and protagonist calling himself lucky and ends with him accepting the fact that he is lucky with grace.  Toby is working as a PR guy in an art gallery. He gets involved in painting forgeries with his colleague and when his boss finds it out, Toby gets few days of suspension while the other gets laid off. After Toby gets back to work and smooth talks himself into the graces of his boss, one night while he is asleep in his apartment, a couple of burglars break in and ...

The Lost Apothecary  By Sarah Penner  Rating: a solid 5/5 Genres: Historical fiction, 18th century England, magical realism, awesome read, 2021-read, reviewed  My God! What an amazing book. I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I started on this one but I just couldn't put it down.  I usually read multiple books together but after I picked this one - I could focus only on this till I finished it! Its just very gripping!  This is a story of uncovering some mystical events that happened during the late 18th century in England with a fictitious female apothecary, Nella. She inherited and learnt her trade from her late mother who wanted her shop to be a rescue from women's maladies. When Nella is young, she is betrayed by a man and later when chance presents, she dispenses her medicine in heavy dose leading to his death. This starts her journey in which not only helping and healing the physical ailments of women, she also becomes the dispenser of poiso...

 2010 : Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke Genres: Science Fiction, Space travel, Aliens, human intelligence, artificial intelligence,2021-read,reviewed. Rating: 5/5   Awesome Read!! More than reading like fiction, it felt like I was reading a history book. Without going too much into every intricate detail, he has covered a lot of material. One of the worst fears I have in life is getting hopelessly lost in space. Although all the science fiction space related stories(like this one and project hail mary etc) eventually end on a note of success and hope, the stakes couldn't be higher in those challenging and harrowing situations for the astronauts should they arise in reality. It might all depend on the success of a minute calibration, ship orientation and it invariably is life or death with no in between. This book is a gripping read - as most/all Clarke's books are - which made me forget both time and number of pages read/left to read etc. :D  This book is a continuation t...

Death With Interruptions Jose Saramago  Genres : death, speculative fiction, humor, satire,2021-read Rating 5/5  💕💕 Loved it!! "Death" is conquered. By Love!! This is an abnormally endearing book. Its ripe with impossible hypothetical possibilities and they are just mind blowing!  The reader along with the citizens of a lucky/unlucky country are taken for a ride by Death which wants to test human fragility. Then Death comes up with some ideas of her own - because she can and who is there to question or deter her? Yeah! Its a very hilarious write up and the comical timing is so apt!  I didn't anticipate this to be a love story but that's what it has turned out to be and a pretty touching one too - in its authenticity, honesty and it just had my knees go weak. I waited with baited breath as to how it would end - for how many can have a successful love affair with Death? Little bit into the story. For a brief period of seven months, death takes a break. People of a ce...

Tender is the Flesh  By Augustina Bazterrica  Genres : Horror, Dystopia, Science fiction, Future, 2021-read. Rating 5/5  So I am giving this one a 5 star rating. This is one of those books that gets a lower rating for being good. There were many futuristic dystopian novels I had read and loved/liked/hated some of them but none gave me the shivers like this one. Humans supplanting animals is an agreeable and digestible future?? I felt that cruelty and ruthlessness are celebrated in this world the author created and the main protagonist at the end reveals his dark side which comes as a blow. I had few ideas on how the story might have turned out while reading it and extrapolating but what actually came is a jolt. The terms and fight for human rights would have a whole new level of meaning in this society.  Coming to the story, Tejos Marcos is a man pursuing and being pursued by many evils. His beloved father is suffering from dementia and is locked up in a ...