Friday 5 June 2015

The Pyre - David Hair

Mandore, Rajasthan, 769 AD: Ravindra-Raj, the evil sorcerer-king, devises a deadly secret ritual, where he and his seven queens will burn on his pyre, and he will rise again with the powers of Ravana, demon-king of the epic Ramayana. But things go wrong when one queen, the beautiful, spirited Darya, escapes with the help of Aram Dhoop, the court poet.

Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 2010: At the site of ancient Mandore, teenagers Vikram, Amanjit, Deepika and Rasita meet and realize that the deathless king and his ghostly brides are hunting them down. As vicious forces from the past come alive, they need to unlock truths that have been hidden for centuries, and fight an ancient battle . . . one more time. 

My thoughts:
A book set in India, with characters that are from India and with Indian mythology. Well done. Because most of the time when this happen, then all those things does not happen. But here the author stayed true.

The book takes place in present day and in 770. Shastri, Darya and Aram lives in a time where their Raja has plans, and not good plans. And that which happens back then shapes lives for a thousand years.

In present day, Vikram, Amanjit, and Deepika meet and feel a strange connection. They also see things and tries to figure out what is happening, and what really happened way back.

There is danger and suspense as someone is after them, and always have been. There is also the mythological aspect, and I love mythology. Always have always will, so even if I knew the story it's always nice to hear it again. And see how it all fits together with these teenagers.

I really liked the 770s flashbacks, but then I love my historical fiction so of course I liked those parts. It also made me think a bit more about Sati (which happens here), I do not care about why, hey, if women should burn then men should too. Men! Anyway, back on track. I liked the history.

The book ends with everything safe for now, and I liked that. No evil cliffie, but still I want more. Everything is not safe for them and more is to come.

This was YA, but it works for everyone. It did not feel too, well you know some of the traps YA can fall into.

Conclusion:
An interesting story. Light and dark. 

Cover
Something is off. The background? The fake fire?

Paperback, 352 pages
Published June 4th 2015 by Jo Fletcher (first published September 3rd 2010)
The Return of Ravana #1
YA, Historical fiction, paranormal
For review

30 comments:

  1. Well yay for no cliffhanger! I'm a huge fan of mythology as well, and I know very little about Indian mythology, so I think that aspect would be a huge win for me!

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    1. I have not read nearly enough, but that which I have read has been interesting :)

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  2. Sounds like a good mix of light and dark and incorporation of mythology

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  3. Oh I am so sold and on my blog there is also a review of a novel with Indian/Hindu heritage setting! A strange coincidence, my lady!

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    1. Hmmm, have I seen that. I need to check bloglovin!

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  4. Indian myth is crazy! So many people to remember, it's very fascinating though. Olympus has nothing on Mahabharata

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  5. I wouldn't have guessed this was YA. Nice to know that it is different and that it avoids the worn out YA tropes we all love to hate.

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    1. It did not feel like YA, then I read it was YA and I was all...really? So that was good

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  6. Oh man. Talk about throwback! I enjoy historical fiction, but this is way back there. Lol. I'm glad you enjoyed it, anyway!

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    1. I do love his fic :D And a mix, all the better

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  7. I love learning about different cultures so I'd want to read this just for that. But the rest sounds great too and the no cliffhanger thing is a huge plus.

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    1. I do love a good no cliffie ending!
      And yes other cultures, awesome. I do get tired of the same old same old

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  8. You liked a YA? *faints* ;) I do love myth as well and I agree men should burn too! O.o I would read this for no cliffie if nothing else.

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  9. I think it's the fingers. The fingers are not right.

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  10. I love,dark reads and the setting and mythology are an added bonus

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  11. I just finished this one. Not too bad, though I think I liked the present day teenager storyline more than the flashback storyline.

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    1. I see why are totally different then :)

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  12. Ooh, wonderfully mysterious and fresh. Indian mythology - heck, yeah! I love the promise that this one holds. Great review, Linda <3

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  13. I think I shall pass on this one. lol

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  14. I don't know why but I love this cover. :)
    And I love it that it's set in India and with Indian mythology. A rare case, as you said.

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    Replies
    1. I think I want something to change...something

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  15. Awesome. The cover really caught my eye and your thoughts on this one are awesome. Thank you!

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