This sci-fi, romantasy, thriller novel feels less like it was written and more like it was unearthed and discovered by the author—enchanting and richly immersing as the reader experiences culture, ritual, and language, yet in a surprisingly fantastical way. Its unpredictable plot shifts like a stream, running slow, then fast, showcasing a landscape similar to life. Sensuality runs throughout (not my favorite aspect but the author's use enhances character development while staying true to human nature and the messy obstacles of our own intimate longings) adding tension and intimacy, while a slow, haunting dread builds beneath the surface. Bold, strange, and confident, it leaves you slightly unsettled long after the final page. The kind of story one still thinks about days and weeks after leaving its pages.

Reading this book was a rollercoaster of surprises. When I began, I thought it was about cheating, but it soon turned out to be about murder. Just when I thought I couldn’t be surprised anymore, the book took a completely new turn in a direction I love the most. I don’t want to spoil it, but if you enjoy a magical element in your stories, then this is definitely for you. And "magical" is an understatement.

So, what's the story about?
Wendy, who is 1/8th Indian, is married to Kesh from a filthy-rich Indian family. It has been three years; however, the family still hasn’t accepted her, despite the support of her loving and understanding husband. However, when Kesh's childhood friend Maya and her sister appear, Wendy's life starts to fall apart.


I loved how the author painted each character, displaying both the good and bad, and sometimes, I could see my own relatives in them. Paatti Saraswathi's fear of losing roots felt very close to home. I see it in my mother's face every time I merge in with the crowd or struggle to read my mother tongue. I absolutely loved how the author showed the difficulty in gaining a mother-in-law's approval. The truth about Indian mothers-in-law is that you never get their approval. Wendy's pain and effort to get her approval was again something I saw in my mom. The saying "Enemy of your enemy is your friend" sadly does not work with Wendy. Just because she is white, she ends up facing disapproval from both her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law.

The author's writing style is wonderful. I liked how the author described the beauty of the house, the dresses and the celebration. At times, it felt like I was seeing influencer reels in my head. Most of all, I absolutely adored the Tamil rep in this book! Much to my delight, the author has used various Tamil words throughout the book and even an instance of a word printed in Tamil!! The author also showed how hard it was to be part of the family due to language and cultural barriers. The easiest way to be part of a different cultural group is to learn the language. Tamil might not be the easiest, but it certainly isn't the hardest.

I am a person who keeps predicting the different ways a story can end while reading, but the Author threw in another surprise exactly when I thought there could be no more! I still haven't completely wrapped my head around how Kanmani and Wendy were existing in the same timeline.

The chapter Interlude was beautiful, and the author has made Saturn exactly how I imagine a god to be, unlike many other stories where gods turn out to be extremely silly or petty. I did find the chapter to be a little too long, and I feel the author could have utilised the concept of Atman - the divine consciousness/awareness which is a part of Brahman, where "I" is not present. This would have given much more depth to the chapter.

The author has done a fantastic job on destiny and Free Will/Choice. In the chapter Interlude, Saturn says he writes what comes to pass, but as the story progresses, Kesh confesses to his choice of actions that led him to cheat. Free Will is a debated concept in Hinduism. Hinduism shows Free Will is an illusion. However, there is Free Choice, and every event a person faces is due to the choices the person made. I loved how the Author has shown this without confusing the readers or imposing opinions.

I believe the book had a message on how sometimes the people we least expect turn out to be the ones who fit. I found it weird that a South Indian Hindu family name is Farook, which, I believe, is mostly a Muslim name. The usage of Namaste, once at the beginning, is kind of funny, as most of us use "Vanakam"/"Namaskaram" or just a simple "Hi/Hello". I also felt that Kesh received a relatively good ending despite everything, which didn’t sit entirely well with me, even though I know this might be what Wendy wanted.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story (I completed it in one sitting) - the Tamil rep, the portrayal, the stress, the flow and each of the plot twists. I loved how the author explored various themes, such as the difficulty in fitting in, the choices and the fears in the human mind, and the fine line between destiny and free choice.

The author has clearly done an amazing job.

Thank you, Author, for the opportunity to read this wonderful book!

I was first attracted to this book by the cover - this is what I would gravitate to picking up in a book store! Beautiful and interesting artwork, I absolutely love this cover. As for the book itself, I finished reading it a couple days ago and have not been able to stop thinking about it since. I felt so immersed in this story, I feel like I know these characters as real people. There is so much rich and real culture intertwined into the characters and story here, as well as thrilling fantasy elements making it feel fast paced. In the best way, I was STRESSED while reading this because I felt like I was in it right there with them. I loved the exploration into free choices vs the puppetry of destiny and fate. I wasn’t familiar with this author before but now I’m hoping he plans to publish more work like this!