Tarikshir: The Awakening

*Not attempting the task due to fear of failure is worse than failure itself*

#blurb: A small princely state in Rajasthan is the last bastion of resistance against the might of the British Empire. While unrest surrounding the sudden death of the king of Devangarh grows, young prince Rudra Pratap Chauhan prepares to ascend the throne.

But the kingdom is in turmoil. The Devangarh army is outnumbered and the British forces are closing in. To make matters worse, Rudra discovers the king’s death may not have been accidental after all. The strange appearance and disappearance of a mysterious hooded stranger and a series of ritualistic murders in which the bodies have been drained of blood, spread panic across the realm.

As Rudra struggles to manage his new responsibilities and investigate his father’s death, dark secrets will be uncovered that will disrupt life as he knows it.

Author: Khayaal Patel

Publisher: Westland

Pages: 358

My review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I received a copy of the book through the BOOK GENIE REVIEW PROGRAM ( https://www.instagram.com/thebookgenie/ )

Tarikshir: The Awakening is an amalgamation of different genres -history, mythology and fantasy. The book begins with the story of Valikesh, a coward Vanara who after the war of Ramayan visits Ravan’s palace out of greed to discover hidden fortune but instead comes across a stone with supernatural powers which wakes up the devil himself, the Tarikshir.This is where we have a glimpse of the ultimate evil and then the story moves forward to the princely state of Devangarh in the year 1826.

India is under the threat of the British empire. The British occupied has occupied most parts of India but the king of Devangarh, Raja Ravindra Pratap Chauhan is not giving up so easily. They go into war against the British when all of a sudden the king dies mysteriously or is he murdered? The protagonist of the story Prince Rudra pledges to dig up the reason behind his father’s unexplainable death and in the process he comes across various dark secrets and hidden truths about the existence of creatures which take him by surprise.

The book is a complete page turner and keeps you hooked till the end. The writing is flawless with several twists and turns. The plot is unique and gripping along with several mentions of Ramayana events. A lot of character development takes place in Rudra from being a young Prince guided by his father to becoming a strong brave independent ruler who several times fights his life back from the jaws of death. It’s a story about love, betrayal, revival and death. With an exemplary narration and a commendable climax Tarikshir doesn’t fail to surprise you. The book is dark and full of suspense. The inclusion of Godly powers, witchcraft, blood-curdling creatures and zombies makes it all the more fascinating. The language used is easy and understandable with a touch of mystery. The book is so brilliantly written that it does not look like the work of a debut author. It is one of the best books I have read in 2018 and I highly recommend it to all of you out there. Just pick up the book and I assure that you won’t be disappointed.