Book Review: 18 via Teen Be Yourself by Shreyasi Rhittika

18 via Teen Be Yourself

Author: Shreyasi Rhittika

Publisher: Dream House Publication

Rating: 2/5

Summary

Teenage years are the years during which each and every teenager is trying to put up a balancing act. But life is not a bed of roses and there might be a fat chance when the odds decide to turn against you. ’18 via teen be yourself’ is a sincere attempt to throw light on those not-so-comfortable incidents that every teen might face. The book has several short but fast paced stories that are sure to make you break out in a cold sweat.

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My opinion

Life is a continuous process but dare you say that everything works like clockwork. It is very difficult (sometimes) to get the ducks in a row and sail smoothly through the floods and tempests. ’18 Via Teen Be Yourself’ is one such book that offers an insight into different stories that have emotions and morals attached to them. The cover of the book is vague. It definitely does not excite the readers. The title seems ambiguous too. It could have been ’18 via Teenage’. The blurb is fine but the excessive use of capitalization and the use of wrong pronouns give an overall negative impact. The font (style, size) is fine. 

There is a motivational quote in the beginning of every story which I liked the most but the credits are missing. Since I received an e copy of the book, I would like to point out the flaw in highlighting. There is no proper highlighting. Somewhere the quotation is highlighted and in other places, text. The stories are fast paced and definitely live up to the expectations of the book. My special favourites include:

Thanks for nothing- story that speaks volumes, strong plot, and stark reality.

Teenage Crush- beautifully executed, title could have been better.

(ache)₂O- average story but superb creativity with the title.

The book lacks proofreading and editing. Time and again you can spot grammatical errors, typos and other errors for which I account the author responsible. This is because some of the errors are merely due to ignorance. There are syntactical errors as well and words are missing. The stories are fast paced and definitely live up to the expectations of the book.

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Review Copy: Provided by ARUDHA

Book Review: The Real Mission by Pooja A. H.

The Real Mission

Author: Pooja A.H.

Publisher: Notionpress.com

Rating: 2.5/5

Summary

“The Real Mission” is full of youth and life. The story revolves around Karan Kavarai, the protagonist, who is a handsome young lad who loves biking. The story is about Karan and his siblings, who think they share an unbreakable bond of brother and sisterhood but something is amiss. When Sandheep, Karan’s brother, decides to fix the flaw in the relationship, he and his siblings come face to face with a new challenge. The story tells you about whether or not were the four siblings able to turn the odds in their favour.

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My opinion

‘The Real Mission’ is a typical teenage book. The title of the book is baffling because the overall story focuses very little on the Real Mission. The cover of the book is nice. The font style and size is fine. The blurb is concise and apt. The cover designer(s) ha(s/ve) maintained a perfect balance in allotting space for author introduction as well as the blurb on the back cover of the book; both are quite legible.

The language and narration is lucid but flawed. I personally do not prefer the book in which the author portrays her (him) self as a third person as the use of first person spoils the flow of reading. There are some lengthy paragraphs describing the physical and social traits of the characters; these act as a turn off. The language used is that for the teenagers. But undoubtedly, it is a very good attempt by the authoress. Probably the focus on describing the personality of the characters could have been lesser as lesser is better (in this regard).

The title of the book could have been different because it is only in the last few chapters that the essence of the title can be realized. The novella is fast paced but there are several reading breakers too.

The book lacks proofreading and editing, mostly in the last few chapters. There are some dialogues that are funny and are indeed delightful.

Overall, good effort by the authoress!

Drawbacks

The major drawback in the book is the lack of editing and proofreading. Secondly, the inclusion of extensive descriptions makes the content monotonous.

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Book Review: The Crossbow Code by M C Raj

The Crossbow Code

Author: M.C. Raj

Publisher: Panther House Paper & Digital Publications

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary

The news of Pope’s death creates a stir in the environment. Kris is held responsible for the mishap and is questioned by the police. But he manages to escape and then returns to Pope after which the Pope is found poisoned to death. The fingers are pointed at Kris, but is he really a terrorist and the murderer?

Days later when Kris reaches Mumbai, he finds the involvement of Mohandas in his escapade. But also, there is someone who wants him dead. Why? He does not know. The chain of events lead him to Germany and he leaves no stone unturned to find out the answers to these questions: Who killed the Pope? What is the connection between these countries?

Grab this book to unravel the mystery behind the identity of the protagonist- Kris!

My opinion

Enthralling, engaging and interesting- this is what comes to your mind when you finish this book. ‘Crossbow code’ is a great work of fiction. The suspense and the execution of the plot will keep the attention of the readers bound. The blurb of the story is apt and very precise. It builds up interest of the readers and forces them to turn the pages of the book. The characterization is perfect. The cover of the book is thrilling. The title is catchy. The font (style and size) and other technical details of the book are perfect.

The storyline is strong. The way the author has divided the content into different scenes is commendable. The balance is so good that the interest is not lost at any point of time. The proofreading and editing are fine. The only problem is with the punctuation of Dialogues. After finishing a dialogue and ending it with a comma, the next word has to begin with a lower case letter unless it is a name. For an instance, “I am Khalid from Kashmir, sar. Are you from India or Pakistan? You look like an Indian,” He asked in return. The capitalization of the word in Bold is incorrect. It should have been he. This is just one example. But time and again similar errors can be spotted.

The portrayal of Kris’s strong character is exemplary. The language is lucid and narration is flawless. The author has succeeded in making the readers live every scene of the book. The twists and turns are sure to give you jitters.

Overall, a good book with a blend of suspense and mystery!

Best wishes to the author!

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Amazon

Review Copy: Provided by Author Paradise