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