Author: Stavyah Vatsarah

A Secret Waiting to Be Found

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BOOK REVIEW

Book: Aisha’s Secret
Genre: Fantasy Romance Mystery
Author: Zachary Hagen
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Stavyah Vatsarah

Zachary Hagen’s Aisha’s Secret is about a girl who lived life on the edge and all of a sudden came across a very different kind of life. But even if circumstances change, it does not mean all of you change overnight. Magic doesn’t fix everything. This is a heady mix of fantasy, romance, palace intrigue, and djinn mythology. A story about the curious space between getting what you want and knowing what to do with it. This combination is what makes the novel so powerful. One wants to imagine escape, but what comes after is much more complex.

The Cost of Getting What You Want

Hagen identifies Aisha by her identity: Oiled Hand. Her cleverness and her instinct for self-preservation don’t seem like handy character traits to make her particularly appealing. And that’s why she has to live with a lot of insecurity. Then a djinn, Qadira, enters her life, offering her three wishes and opening doors that Aisha could never have imagined. Magic has its boundaries. ‘I can’t raise the dead. That’s rewriting history,’ Qadira says. She can’t change a person’s heart or mind forever. These rules mean that magic is not a simple answer to any problem and add emotional depth to the story. Aisha has the power to change her life, but she also has to live with the consequences of her decisions.

What I most loved about Aisha was that her circumstances changed much faster than she did. But she can’t just throw away the instincts that helped her survive, even if she might walk into a world of privilege. Her past still affects her thinking and her perception of other people. There’s always a tension between who she shows the world and who she’s learned to keep in check. Hagen, too, grieves in his own very personal way. Aisha fills her mother’s memory with clothes, perfume, sewing materials, and other small things that connect to her. At one point, she says, ‘My mother was extremely proud of this dress.’ The dress is much more than something she happens to be wearing. It reminds her of who she lost, of the life she abandoned.

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Effects of Social Life & Friendships

Qadira’s one of the most energetic characters in the book. She adds humor and character to the story, especially when things get complicated in Aisha’s life, but she isn’t there to resolve everything for her. There is love between them, but also argument, frustration, and real concern. Qadira tells Aisha that magic entails responsibility. The truth is, the more power Aisha has, the more she has to consider what she does with it. And that’s one of the things that keeps the fantasy grounded in something that feels recognizably human.

And the same is true of the romance. Aisha’s relationship is not just a reward for all she’s been through. Love demands of her what survival never really asked of her: that she be honest and vulnerable. This is especially true because Aisha has been hiding pieces of herself for so long. So the notion of being truly known becomes a big part of the romance. It is not just two people falling in love. It’s about whether they can take each other without the masks. Well put in the promise of Aladdin’s desire ‘to know you and know you fully.’

Fantasy With High Emotional Stakes

The story takes Aisha from a world of survival to a world of privilege and responsibility. The palace setting also allows the story to examine the social and political elements of Aisha’s new reality. Some of the emotional and political developments happen rapidly, and I found myself wishing the story would have lasted a bit longer before moving on from something. But that momentum is part of the reason the novel is so easy to read on.

What Aisha’s Secret ultimately does with its most important questions has little to do with magic. Magic can change your situation, but it can’t take away your grief, or make you feel like you belong, or make the consequences of your choices go away. Hagen combines the pleasures of fairy-tale fantasy and romance with a more serious identity question: What do you have to become to live the life you dreamed about when you finally get it? And that’s what makes the story so emotionally powerful. If you like fantasy with romance, humor, magic, secrets, and a heroine whose new life isn’t quite what she thought it would be, Aisha’s Secret has lots to recommend it.

DO READ | How Maria Jane Found Her Voice Through Fiction

ENGAGE WITH LH | Click on the cover image of the book Aisha’s Secret and buy yourself a copy right off the bat!

The Making of a Fae Queen

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BOOK REVIEW

Book: To Be a Fae Queen
Genre: Romantasy
Author: Tricia Copeland
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Stavyah Vatsarah

In To Be a Fae Queen, Tricia Copeland puts a young woman under the weight of a crown and asks a more interesting question than whether she can wear it: what happens when power comes before certainty? Titania knows she has a kingdom depending on her, but she is far less confident than her subjects might imagine. ‘How am I to rule a nation, an anxious girl?’—a novel with immediate emotional honesty. What follows is a fantasy as much a product of Titania’s internal struggle as it is of the world she has been called on to lead.

A Heroine Learns to Stand Tall

Copeland makes Titania convincing because she can be strong and uncertain at the same time. She is able to say, ‘I am the best archer in the land,’ with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what she can do, but that confidence does not automatically extend to the responsibilities placed before her. That difference is recognizably human. It suggests that excelling at something in no way equates to feeling prepared for whatever comes next.

Her vulnerability is particularly touching in the quieter passages. Titania’s collection of crystals ‘makes me feel connected to them,’ revealing a private relationship with loss that supports her public identity. In moments like these, she becomes more than a figure traversing a fantasy landscape. Copeland provides her with a life of the mind where memory has a physical presence, and this imparts an intimate dimension to Titania’s development.

A Faerie World of Its Own Reason

The novel’s world is convincing when its magic has consequences. The faerie rings are essential for the realm to function, and the threat to ‘sun, rain, and winds to clear our air’ makes their importance feel urgent. Copeland does not treat the supernatural as decoration but weaves it into the conditions under which her characters live.

Titania also has a pleasing uncertainty about the stories she has grown up believing. Things she once considered ‘myth, rumor, folklore’ now have a different resonance. There’s a muted tension between belief and what could actually be true. The addition of Upper Earth and Lower Earth adds depth to the setting, suggesting a universe that is far beyond what Titania first understands.

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What Power Means

Titania’s character is all about movement. When she says, ‘Doing something will be better than nothing,’ she reveals her instinct to respond rather than retreat. It is a flawed form of courage, but perhaps a more persuasive one for just that reason. She may not always have the right answer, but she will find a way to act.

She also has a more reflective understanding of leadership than one might expect from the simple possession of a title. Titania believes elections ‘will increase diversity and help bring all ideas to the council,’ demonstrating a desire to make authority responsive rather than merely inherited. The idea provides a modern undercurrent to the novel without detracting from its fantastical setting. The ruling is starting to sound less like sitting on a throne and more like taking responsibility for the voices beyond it, for Titania.

Fantasy Meets the Personal

Copeland’s first-person narration keeps the reader close to Titania’s consciousness, an effect that is particularly effective when the outside world begins to press upon her private fears. The fantasy provides the scale, but Titania gives the emotional heart. Her thoughts are centered on the question of whether she can live up to the expectations of her position, so the story’s larger concerns feel personal, not remote.

What makes To Be a Fae Queen stand out, ultimately, is its interest in the person behind the title. Titania’s courage is her action in the face of fear, not the absence of fear. Copeland has provided her with space to question herself and constructed a heroine whose journey is less the fulfillment of a prophecy and more the arduous, recognizable process of becoming the equal of the life one has been given.

DO READ | How Maria Jane Found Her Voice Through Fiction

ENGAGE WITH LH | Click on the cover image of the book To Be a Fae Queen and buy yourself a copy right off the bat!

The Jungle Comes Alive

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BOOK REVIEW

Book: Chewed Up by the Jungle
Genre: Romantic Adventure Thriller
Author: Ann Charles
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Stavyah Vatsarah

The third book in the Dig Site Mystery Series, Chewed Up by the Jungle, by Ann Charles, takes us back to the Maya jungle with archeologist Angélica García and photojournalist Quint Parker. Their work at an archeological site combines Charles’s love of Maya history with a story woven with danger, humor, romance, and the possibility of the supernatural. What makes the novel so fascinating is how well these different threads weave together. There’s enough mystery to keep us guessing with the story and enough warmth in the characters and their interactions to make the journey just as important as the destination.

Charles also provides the novel a visceral sense of place. Quint’s first description of the jungle as ‘angry’ suggests generations of human intrusion and scarring. Angélica immediately punctures the description when he compares humans to ‘chiggers’ and ‘leeches.’ This exchange establishes something important about the novel: even when Charles creates an atmosphere of threat, she allows her characters to respond with humor.

The Jungle as Context and Beyond

The jungle is slowly absorbed into the reading experience. Charles fills it with sounds, movement, heat, insects, and hidden spaces so that the characters are never entirely apart from their environment. Her use of auditory imagery, describing the jungle as ‘loud with chirps and chatters and whistles,’ makes the setting feel alive rather than static. There is an undercurrent of uncertainty pervading the archeological expedition, for the characters can never be quite sure of what may be lurking just beyond the edge of vision.

The archeological context is integrated into the narrative just as well. Through Angélica’s work, Charles is able to introduce the reader to Maya architecture, glyphs, mythology, and ancient traditions and archeological practices without the novel reading like a history lesson. The characters and their work also connect the technical details of LIDAR technology and the study of ancient structures. This adds a dimension to the adventure and also reflects Angélica’s real interest in the past.

Characters Give Heart

This interest in the past is for Angélica. She has a professional relationship with archaeology but also a personal one, particularly with her mother’s work and theories. ‘For Angélica, the thought that there were civilizations that prospered so long ago was a comfort,’ writes Charles thoughtfully. The concept goes beyond archeology’s excavation and discovery; for Angélica, learning how people lived in the past also becomes a way of reflecting on life in the present.

The added warmth of her relationship with Quint is also a source of comfort. They say they like to tease in casual conversation rather than let the excitement happening around them shut them off. Quint’s interest in Maya culture is important because it shows his desire to understand something that is important to Angelica. So their relationship is more than a romantic thread; it’s another way that Charles shows character.

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A Fine Mix of Suspense and Humor

One of the most attractive things about the novel is perhaps its humor, which arises naturally from the characters. Finally, when Quint and Daisy joke about Angélica’s obsession with archeology, Daisy gives the condition its wonderfully simple name: ‘It’s called archeology.’ It’s a clever exchange, but it also shows how the characters see Angélica and how comfortable they are with each other. Charles mines humor from character, not laying it in for laughs.

That humor is especially effective when the story veers into more unsettling territory. The supernatural element is unsettling, but Charles still makes room for skepticism and wit. Quint is less certain of what he has experienced but still considers rational explanations. This balance keeps the paranormal engaging without overwhelming the archeological and human aspects of the story.

A Story of the Past

A further one of the more subtle strengths of Chewed Up by the Jungle is its curiosity and respect for Maya civilization. Charles’s research appears in the specifics of the archeological sites, the language, the beliefs, and the relationship between the ancient Maya and their environment. The glossary also provides readers with an opportunity to learn about unfamiliar terms, such as ‘aguada,’ ‘cenote,’ and ‘Chakmo’ol,’ without interrupting the narrative.

But the past never loses its people. Angélica reflects on the lives of people from centuries ago, reminding us that history is, ultimately, a tapestry of shared human experience. That perspective gives the archeological material an emotional dimension and helps explain why the past matters so much to her.

A Fun Trip

Chewed Up by the Jungle succeeds because it knows what kind of story it wants to be. It’s an archeological mystery, but it’s also about the people who are chasing it. There’s a feeling of peril, but it doesn’t sacrifice humor. It brings in the supernatural but allows for some doubt. These work because Charles keeps character and setting at the center of the story.

The result is a novel that is easy to enter. Charles herself describes it as a mixture of ‘quick wit and mystery, sweat and adventure, wonder and Maya mythology’ with ‘laughter and romance,’ and this description does quite well encapsulate the book’s generous spirit.

Its most impressive aspect is how it makes the archeological work, the relationships, and the setting feel like natural parts of the same story. Chewed Up by the Jungle is surely a satisfying addition to the Dig Site Mystery Series for readers who like their mysteries with a strong sense of place and characters who are just as much fun to spend time with as the mystery itself.

DO READ | After a Lifetime of Facts, He Chose Fiction

ENGAGE WITH LH | Click on the cover image of the book Chewed Up by the Jungle and buy yourself a copy right off the bat!

The Ascension: Where Power Meets Character

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BOOK REVIEW

Book: The Ascension
Genre: Mythic Urban Fantasy
Author: J M Shaw
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Stavyah Vatsarah

J M Shaw’s debut novel in the Callum Walker series, The Ascension, is a modern fantasy with an impressive scope of imagination and a focus on moral character. Callum Walker is the hero; he is a young man living quietly in Duncaster but with an extraordinary inheritance that makes him different from the ordinary world in which he abides. Shaw works to establish this duality: Callum is deliberately inconspicuous, but he has skills that make it increasingly difficult to remain anonymous. The imaginative tension of the novel is this contrast between his pedestrian life and the secret world that gradually opens before him.

A Well-Built Fantastical World

Shaw’s portrayal of Callum works particularly well since his powers don’t make him invulnerable. He is explicitly described as ‘not immune to fear,’ and he imperfectly masters his powers, so his encounters with the supernatural are a matter of nerve as well as of capability. His character is shaped not just by what he can do but by how he responds to challenges. Shaw embodies this principle in Callum’s statement: ‘It’s what we do despite it that defines us,’ a formulation that neatly captures the novel’s interest in courage as choice rather than temperament.

The speculative architecture is one of the novel’s most considerable strengths. Shaw creates a secret magical world called the Veil that exists alongside modern-day Duncaster, a world where the supernatural exists beyond ordinary human perception. The Veil is called ‘a world only accessible to those with magic,’ but Callum’s knowledge of mythology gives him the vocabulary to recognize beings that others dismiss as mere fantasy. The relationship between folklore and lived reality lends the novel a pleasing intertextual quality, for the mythical is not just invented but purposefully linked to traditions of storytelling and belief. Shaw also provides an internal discipline for magic, with words of power and specific types of knowledge; the use of magic can have physical consequences. The result is a fantasy system that is governed, not randomly deployed.

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The Ethics of Power

Shaw’s handling of the supernatural is especially lively, with monsters having unique physical and narrative existences. The novel places its fantastic creatures within a larger mythological vocabulary, allowing Callum’s study of mythology and folklore to become an important part of his understanding of the world around him. This is one of the novel’s more striking literary devices: mythology is knowledge, not decoration. Shaw thus creates a context in which old stories gain new imaginative vitality while retaining their connection with the modern world. It results in fantasy that is accessible but with a clear base in folklore.

The Ascension is very concerned with power and its uses under its supernatural premise. Shaw makes an important distinction between having power and using it responsibly, especially in Callum’s understanding of what it means to possess extraordinary abilities. This prevents the novel’s conflict from becoming a morally weightless spectacle. Shaw’s emphasis on conscience gives the fantasy an ethical dimension more compelling than any simple opposition between strength and weakness. In this novel, power becomes important in itself because its exercise requires judgment.

Trust and Human Connection

Callum’s emotional life adds another layer of substance to the novel. His isolation and fear drive his desire to stay out of the spotlight, not just a quirk, and Shaw allows this solitude to shape his relationships with others. His interactions with those around him gradually reveal how little company Callum allows himself. These details make his solitude more than a character trait; it becomes a central emotional condition. Thus, Shaw’s fantasy has an intimate countercurrent, asking what it means to live with extraordinary difference and to yearn for ordinary connection.

For this reason, The Ascension earns a 5/5 from me. Its strengths are cumulative: Shaw blends a vividly imagined supernatural world with grounded characterization and an evident concern for conscience. More significantly, the novel does not need its protagonist to stop being vulnerable to be compelling; Callum’s uncertainty serves to characterize him. ‘Everyone feels fear,’ he says, ‘but character is what you do when you feel that fear.’ This is a particularly effective distillation of the novel’s governing philosophy. Shaw’s achievement is to make fantasy serve character rather than oppose it; she produces a novel that is easy to read and morally aware, where the issue is not what power can do but what a person will do with it.

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ENGAGE WITH LH | Click on the cover image of the book The Ascension and buy yourself a copy right off the bat!

What if the Sun Vanished Now?

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POEM | VILLANELLE

What would transpire were the Sun to vanish, d’you know?
Think you and they and I would be after?
What might occur if the Moon hoed own row?

Time determines all the seasons that go.
Were the Sun now ceased, would Moon come this near?
What would transpire were the Sun to vanish, d’you know?

Change is constant; that the Sun sees below.
And the Moon, it’s said, results in strange fear.
What might occur if the Moon hoed own row?

Planets move around the Sun, they lay low;
And around which force the Sun goes is now clear.
What would transpire were the Sun to vanish, d’you know?

Prayers offered to the Moon make life glow;
D’you think there is something this Moon does bear?
What might occur if the Moon hoed own row?

Moon that’s featured on the night sky doesn’t grow,
But results in motions of the seas here.
What would transpire were the Sun to vanish, d’you know?
What might occur if the Moon hoed own row?

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Spindrifts: A Shimmering Image of the Future

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BOOK REVIEW

Book: Spindrifts
Genre: Futuristic Solarpunk Fantasy
Author: A-M Mawhiney
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Stavyah Vatsarah

A-M Mawhiney’s Spindrifts is a surprisingly tender science fiction novel imagining a future Earth that has not merely survived catastrophe but is gradually learning how to heal. Half a century later, after the destruction of the past, Mawhiney presents a world shaped by ecological responsibility and an extraordinary belief in what people can achieve together. But this is no faultless utopia. Yet beneath the beauty, questions quietly accumulate, and a current of uncertainty in the novel keeps its optimism from becoming naive. It’s a book about the future, certainly; nevertheless, its most profound concerns feel wrenchingly present: how we co-exist, how we make sense of difference, and whether real progress is possible without compassion.

Evoking Movement And Change

Fania is the fulcrum of this universe, and we see much of it through her eyes. Her curiosity pulls the story along, and it’s never merely intellectual. She has a genuine interest in people From Away, rooted in a sincere desire to know and connect, based on an instinctive belief in equality. ‘I want my communication to be equal,’ she says, a simple statement that reveals something fundamental about both Fania and the society she lives in. The unease she feels about technology quietly reproducing assumptions about whose language matters is what gives this futuristic world a surprisingly familiar human dimension.

Mawhiney’s world-building is strongest when it’s lived rather than explained. Ecological recovery is something we can almost touch, not just observe, as rivers, snow, ice, new plants, and changing seasons are all part of the process. And even that tiny moment when Fania and her great-grandmother, Alicia, hear the fragile crackling of ice becomes almost musical. Spindrifts is also a fitting title, suggesting something that can obscure what lies ahead but also evoking movement and change. This is not only a technological future; it is a living world.

Beneath the Beautiful Surface

But Spindrifts isn’t just praising its own creation. Its quieter mystery slowly draws us under that beautiful surface. Fania’s return to Immersion raises questions about her apprenticeship, Alicia’s work, and the things that remain unexplained. Her strange experiences only deepen the doubt, particularly the recurring landscapes and pink fog in her dreams. Mawhiney doesn’t have to rely on the usual suspense to keep us interested. Sometimes, a hint is enough, and an unanswered question can be more compelling than an immediate revelation. The mysteries contribute to the novel without disrupting its warmth.

Its relationships are equally complex. Fania and Alicia are genuinely warm with each other, but their relationship is not simple, and questions of identity arise naturally. Fania’s sister, Nuna, is tender because it is spoken in the quotidian, not the grandiose. Meanwhile, Kiki, Fania’s former Immersion classmate, gradually reveals humor and the possibility of connection. These relationships add emotional weight to the larger ideas of the novel.

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Utopian Vision With Bumps & Twists

What’s important is how Mawhiney lets those ideas live through her characters. Equality, communication, healing, and responsibility come through the way people relate to one another. The novel constantly demonstrates the interdependence of communities and the natural world, strengthening Fania’s realization that ‘everything is connected.’ Technology can make this future easier, but the real foundation is a changing sense of interdependence.

Mawhiney is also refreshingly candid about progress. Her future society has accomplished marvelous things, but healing is never portrayed as finished. In her opening note, she describes Spindrifts as a utopian vision ‘but one with bumps and twists along the way,’ and that phrase perfectly captures its spirit. Hope here is not the belief that everything is already right; it is the willingness to continue building something better.

An Ingenious Piece of Work

Mawhiney’s prose is at its best when beauty and thought go hand in hand. The cedar and wild ginger, the melting ice, the water in motion, and the new growth pushing through the snow make the future palpable and provide the book with its meditative rhythm. When the novel says ‘there was much more to be done and endless possibilities,’ it feels earned.

Spindrifts knows that healing a landscape is only part of the job. A hopeful future also needs people who acknowledge their place in a larger web of life. With remarkable confidence, Mawhiney balances ecological science fiction, family drama, mystery, and a meditation on human possibility. Its greatest achievement is the tenderness with which it imagines what humanity could be.

I’d give Spindrifts 5/5 because it does something harder than inventing a good future: it makes a better future feel possible. It is a humane novel, intellectually ambitious, ecologically aware, suffused with real affection for its characters and for the living world they seek to restore. Its greatest success is that it has won the right to hope, through the courage to question inherited assumptions. If you want science fiction with a hopeful spirit, Spindrifts is a luminous, deeply satisfying read.

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ENGAGE WITH LH | Click on the cover image of the book Spindrifts and buy yourself a copy right off the bat!

A Homecoming With ‘Strings’ Attached

Published on by Stavyah Vatsarah1 Comment

BOOK REVIEW

Book: Escape to Jekyll Island: Gem of the Golden Isles Series Book One
Genre: Cosy Romantic Mystery
Author: Sandy Malone
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Stavyah Vatsarah

Life changes drastically in Sandy Malone’s Escape to Jekyll Island. After Hurricane Maria devastates her life in Puerto Rico, Tally Davis is back on Jekyll Island. This is a new professional beginning that drags her back into the orbit of people and memories she’s never quite left behind. Jekyll Island is no longer just a backdrop, and soon Tally finds out what home means to her again.

The book’s greatest strength is Tally. She’s capable and determined, but her narration is especially engaging because she has a wonderfully candid sense of humor. And the line that nails her professionalism is, ‘Everything has to be perfect. We have one chance to get this right.’ It also makes for a compelling heroine, for her devotion to her work is never a plot contrivance.

Weddings With Personality 

Much of the novel’s flavor comes from the wedding-planning aspect. It’s not an easy job; Tally’s first big wedding is on Jekyll Island, and Malone makes the behind-the-scenes work surprisingly entertaining. Welcome baskets, flowers, guest arrangements—you name it, Tally’s got to see trouble coming before it becomes a disaster. Especially telling of the book’s irreverent humor is her own description of the situation as a possible ‘clusterfuck.’

Malone also notes the absurdity often associated with elaborate weddings. Annabelle continues to add to the already carefully thought-out celebration, and this process leads to some comedy moments. Tally’s reaction to the bride’s Icelandic bachelorette trip is especially funny as she points out that it’s ‘a Caribbean destination wedding that was moved stateside’ after a trip to another continent. These details give the novel a pleasing lightness, yet none of its characters ever feel disposable.

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‘I Love Meeting Readers and Personalizing Books for Them’

Love and Community 

In the close-knit world of Jekyll Island, Tally and Mitch’s romance thrives. Their shared past lends the relationship an effortless familiarity while their adult lives add a new dimension. Their conversations are inherently warm, and the community surrounding them adds another layer of affection to their story. The novel is strongest when it lets their relationship develop through the mundane and avoids turning every moment into melodrama.

The island community itself is one of the most enjoyable pleasures of the book. Malone has created a community where neighbors know each other and care about each other, where personal relationships matter. Small events can be memorable due to the personalities involved. The humor in the book shines in these moments, and the prank involving Etah and a crab is a particularly strong example of the playful spirit that runs through the story. 

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Suspense in the Spell

The novel, while romantic and comedic on the surface, also introduces a darker source of conflict. Tension surrounding Tally’s past slowly begins to build as she starts her new life. Malone pulls off the switch nicely, ramping up the suspense without sacrificing the warmth that suffuses the rest of the novel. The contrast between the idyllic island setting and the problems Tally faces drives the story.

One of the best things about this book is Tally’s commitment to being prepared for any wedding disaster. ‘Don’t jinx us, Tally,’ Isabelle commands, with the memorable warning not to count your chickens before they hatch. That little exchange is so typical of the tone of the novel. But real jokes lie underneath, along with a real sense of the pressure Tally puts on herself to make it all work.

 A New Beginning

There are places where the novel could have used some tighter exposition. A little background is overexplained, and a few of the developments seem a little convenient. These are minor reservations, however, and they do little to detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.

Ultimately, Escape to Jekyll Island works because it features a likable heroine and a fun professional world. Tally’s story is as much about the rebuilding of a life as it is about the loss of one. The warmth of the novel is summed up by its final gesture toward a future where Tally can finally feel that she has found her place again.

ALSO READ | Controlling the Controllables

ENGAGE WITH LH | Click on the cover image of the book Escape to Jekyll Island and buy yourself a copy right off the bat!

The Man Behind the Wolf

Published on by Stavyah Vatsarah1 Comment

BOOK REVIEW

Book: A Canadian Werewolf in New York
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Author: Mark Leslie
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Stavyah Vatsarah

Mark Leslie’s A Canadian Werewolf in New York is the kind of book that the cozy confines of genre cannot contain. It may start with a werewolf, a mysterious attack, a bullet wound, and a confused writer waking up in Manhattan with human blood in his mouth, but Leslie soon shows that the real story is far more compelling: the complex business of being human. The disturbing prospect that his body and instincts are now unrecognizable confronts Michael Andrews, the protagonist, while his career as a successful writer brings its own pressures of identity and creative confinement. What you get is a joyous supernatural novel that mixes mystery, humor, tenderness, and philosophical curiosity and shows that to understand humanity, sometimes you just have to put a wolf in it.

A Werewolf with a Human Voice

The opening introduces the wonderfully irreverent character of the novel immediately. Michael wakes in Battery Park naked, injured, and tasting human blood, and his bewildered response is, ‘Michael Andrews, what the hell have you been up to last night?’ It’s both hilarious and ominous. Leslie understands that the supernatural can become more compelling when it is filtered through an ordinary human reaction, and Michael does not behave like the grandiose protagonist of a conventional gothic tale. He behaves like a man confronted with an impossibly awful morning, which makes the extraordinary feel strangely believable.

This comic instinct runs throughout the novel and gives Michael an immediately engaging voice. A particularly striking example is his meeting with Buddy: Michael describes himself as Buddy’s ‘conversational prostitute’ after enduring the older man’s endless monologues. The line is hysterically funny, but it also demonstrates Leslie’s ability to distil an entire relationship into one unforgettable image. His humor never seems ornamental; instead, it is woven into the novel’s narrative bloodstream, keeping the werewolf story lively and unexpectedly warm.

The Humanity Beneath the Fur

But beneath the jokes is a surprisingly tender examination of compassion. Michael’s bond with Wally shows that his transformation has not dulled his instinct to protect others; in fact, his heightened senses make him unusually sensitive to fear and emotional distress. Wally’s question, ‘Do you have to go, Michael?’ is a simple one, but it lends an unexpected poignancy to their short-lived friendship, especially when Michael responds with, ‘Goodbye, my friend.’ What makes this little exchange stand out in a book full of supernatural peril is that affection can be stronger than spectacle.

The meeting also muddies the usual distinction between human and monster. Michael is capable of terrifying violence, but cruelty disturbs him, and he instinctively intervenes when Wally is threatened. His fight with the bully is therefore more than an action scene: it creates a moral tension at the core of the character. The man who looks like a monster may have more conscience than the people who look perfectly human, suggesting the real essence of monstrosity is conduct and not appearance. Leslie doesn’t preach but makes the point, letting Michael’s actions do the arguing. 

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When Identity Begins to Howl

The most compelling literary aspect of the novel is Michael’s struggle to understand what he has become. The werewolf isn’t just a supernatural curse but a physical manifestation of the split self, forcing Michael to confront impulses that he can’t consciously control. His heightened senses allow him to perceive the world as ordinary human beings cannot. His metamorphoses create gaps between what he remembers and what his other self has experienced. So the frightening question is not what kind of creature one is, but how well any person can ever know himself.

It becomes even more powerful when you realize that Michael is also a writer. He has realized the incredible dream of travelling from Canada to New York, becoming successful, and seeing his books made into movies, but even that success leaves him struggling under the pressure of expectations. If his life were a novel, he thinks, readers would be more apt to believe he is a werewolf than that he would ever become a bestselling author. It’s a wonderfully self-aware observation, one which allows Leslie to play with the relationship between fiction and reality while quietly questioning what makes a believable life.

The Writer Who Has to Find Himself

Michael’s creative crisis is an eerily accurate mirror of his supernatural predicament. The pressure to produce another successful novel threatens to turn his imagination into a commercial obligation, just as his transformation threatens to reduce his identity to that of a ‘werewolf.’ His struggle is therefore double and personal: he has to learn to live with the creature inside him, and he has to decide what kind of writer he wants to be. He finds himself through writing, and the keyboard is almost as essential to his transformation as the full moon.

There’s something very satisfying about creativity becoming a way of taking back control. Michael returns to writing after a particularly turbulent period and finds that the act of writing fiction helps him clear his mind and figure out what he has to do next. Thus, the novel suggests that artistic creation is not only a profession or a product but also a way of thinking and understanding oneself. This strand is given added resonance by Leslie’s own experience as an author, for the author’s note at the end of the book reveals that the novel itself evolved over a period of years before finally coming to completion.

A Monster Tale with a Literary Heart

What makes A Canadian Werewolf in New York so enjoyable is that it does not sacrifice entertainment for substance. Leslie provides the pleasures of supernatural fiction, but it is also quietly a story about friendship, morality, artistic independence, and the frailties of identity. The novel is riotously funny in one scene and surprisingly reflective in the next, and this tonal elasticity becomes one of its greatest strengths. It is a book that knows how to entertain without taking its reader for granted.

In the end, Michael’s journey is more than simply learning to live with a werewolf inside him; it’s about learning to live with all the contradictory selves that make a person whole. Leslie takes the familiar werewolf mythology and makes it more intimate, asking if the creature we fear sometimes shows us the person we have been afraid to become. A Canadian Werewolf in New York therefore leaves more than the echo of a supernatural adventure. It leaves the delightful suspicion that the boundary between man and monster was never as secure as we anticipated. In Leslie’s hands, the howl is not merely the sound of transformation but the sound of a man finding his voice.

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‘Wish More People Cultivated the Habit of Reading’

Published on by Stavyah VatsarahLeave a comment

INTERVIEW

Thirty-two-year-old Vinisha Panwar is strong and stubbornly earnest. She loves swimming and despises prevarication. As a matter of fact, the Gurugram-based author values honesty so much that when we ask her if there is something that she would want to be changed in the world, she resoundingly says, ‘People becoming more honest with themselves and with others.’ Furthermore, there is a depth in the way she articulates her thoughts, and she loves reading. In an exclusive interaction with Stavyah Vatsarah, Vinisha Panwar talks about her favourite authors, what made her a passionate reader, her hobbies, her schedule, and most importantly, her new e-book A Deceitful Evening. She also gives some pieces of advice to budding authors.

SPECIAL TO LITERARY HARBINGER

Stavyah Vatsarah: A Deceitful Evening seems like a delightful read. How did it come about?

Vinisha Panwar: I have been writing for the past ten years, but I decided to share my work on a public platform only this year. Once school was over and college began, I faced many challenges. To cope with my emotions, I turned to my pen. I simply could not stop writing afterwards! The idea of publishing a short story as an e-book first came to me this March. Finally, in May, I was able to self-publish it through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Since it was a short story, I did not approach any publishers and instead decided to share it directly with readers.

Stavyah Vatsarah: Is this your debut novel?

Vinisha Panwar: I would not call it a novel, but yes, it is my debut e-book. Since it is quite a short read, it does not qualify as a novel. It took me three months to prepare the final edited version of the story and publish it. Editing consumed most of the time, whereas the publishing process took only about a week. I am currently working on my first novel, and it will take a few more months to complete.

Stavyah Vatsarah: What is the book about? What is the storyline?

Vinisha Panwar: Is not the title quite revealing? (laughs)

Stavyah Vatsarah: No doubt the title is electrifying. A freakish romance thriller certainly makes for an engaging read! Be that as it may, might I ask if you consider yourself a pantser or plotter?

Vinisha Panwar: I did have both the plot and the characters in mind before I began writing A Deceitful Evening. I spent a great deal of time thinking about the characters, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they would fit into the story.

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‘I Let My Heart Speak Whenever It Feels Inspired’

Stavyah Vatsarah: You must be an avid reader, considering you have been writing for over a decade. Who are your favourite authors, and how have they inspired you?

Vinisha Panwar: I have many favourite authors—Ayn Rand, Salman Rushdie, Paulo Coelho, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Arundhati Roy, and many others. However, the one who has had the greatest impact on me is Ayn Rand. Her work was pure gold. Her thoughts, beliefs, and words have profoundly influenced countless readers, including me. She was an exceptionally intelligent writer. Reading The Fountainhead was an unforgettable experience. I simply could not put it down. It made me realise how powerfully words can influence the mind. It also transformed me into a passionate reader. I admired the way she made readers live through her words. Ultimately, I understood that words possess the extraordinary ability to shape our thoughts.

Stavyah Vatsarah: I could not agree more. Words are indeed incredibly powerful. Moving on, when do you usually write? Do you follow a schedule, or do you write whenever inspiration strikes?

Vinisha Panwar: I usually write at night when everything is quiet and peaceful. I do not follow a strict schedule because I never want to force myself to write. Instead, I let my heart speak whenever it feels inspired. On days when I do not write, I satisfy my love for words by reading the remarkable works of other authors.

Stavyah Vatsarah: That is understandable. But was becoming an author a conscious decision?

Vinisha Panwar: It was definitely a conscious decision.

Stavyah Vatsarah: I am sure you have many responsibilities besides writing. How do you balance writing with everything else?

Vinisha Panwar: Honestly, there is no balancing act. Whenever I need to write, I simply make time for it. If you are truly passionate about something, you naturally find the time. Passion gives meaning to every moment of your day.

‘If We Never Fail, We Will Never Learn How to Become Better Than We Were Before’

Stavyah Vatsarah: Besides reading and writing, what do you enjoy doing?

Vinisha Panwar: I love swimming, especially in deep water. It clears my mind and refreshes my thoughts. I am truly a water baby.

Stavyah Vatsarah: Tell me a little about your works in progress. Do you plan to become a full-time author?

Vinisha Panwar: Yes, that is my dream. As I mentioned earlier, I am currently working on my first novel. It is a work of new adult fiction centred on the struggles of a teenage girl in her late teens. It explores a wide range of emotions that we often ignore or hesitate to express.

Stavyah Vatsarah: What advice would you give aspiring authors who lose motivation when some of their work does not receive the response they hoped for?

Vinisha Panwar: If we never fail, we will never learn how to become better than we were before. Making mistakes is essential, but learning from them is entirely within our control. So keep writing, and keep writing more. Do not rush the process. The first draft is never the final draft. Seek feedback from fellow readers and writers, and most importantly, act upon that feedback. Connect not only with local writers but also with international authors, readers, and book bloggers. Finally, engage with both your existing followers and potential readers through social media. Discover which platform works best for you and use it effectively.

Stavyah Vatsarah: That was quite comprehensive, I must say. I am curious to know what a typical day in your life looks like.

Vinisha Panwar: Reading, writing, reading, writing… (laughs) No, honestly, that has been my routine throughout the lockdown. Outdoor activities have been cancelled; otherwise, I would have been swimming. I also enjoy watching films in the evenings. I am a huge movie buff.

Stavyah Vatsarah: It was wonderful speaking with you, Vinisha. I wish you every success. Before we conclude, would you like to leave our readers with a final thought?

Vinisha Panwar: I simply wish more people would cultivate the habit of reading. We all enjoy watching films and videos, but reading is often considered old-fashioned or tiresome. I hope people never allow their reading habits to fade away. The more we read, the more worlds we discover, and the more hidden truths we uncover through stories.

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Making mistakes is essential, but learning from them is entirely within our control. So keep writing, and keep writing more. Do not rush the process. The first draft is never the final draft. Seek feedback from fellow readers and writers, and most importantly, act upon that feedback.

~ VINISHA PANWAR

PS: This interview was originally published in August 2020 in Literary Express. It is republished here with the author’s permission.

A Poignant Tale of Love, Loss, Hope, Reunion, and More

Published on by Stavyah VatsarahLeave a comment

BOOK REVIEW

Book: Pretty Flamingo
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Author: Perry Martin
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Stavyah Vatsarah

Love. Hate. Betrayal. Romance. Horror. Hope. Separation. Reunion. Perry Martin’s debut novel, Pretty Flamingo, promises all of this and much more. It is a sublime tale that oscillates primarily between two time periods and two places: the late 1960s set in Brisbane, Australia, and the early 2000s largely set in California, the US. A poignant story of loss and separation, the novel does its best to address a metaphysical question you may have given a thought: Is it possible that we have ever lived before?

An Emotional Ride

As a reviewer, I am pretty darn sure the book will make you laugh and cry at the same time, surprise you with its wondrous twists, and possibly ensure you brood over questions that you might have considered way too philosophical hitherto. And even as it may cause you to shed tears of joy and sadness, it will most likely touch a part of your soul left untouched, thereby kindling a new magical spark. But does the book promise a happy end? Well, you will have to read the book to find that out!

Reading Pretty Flamingo, I found myself crying, shocked at the way certain events unfolded, and pleasantly surprised by the way the author ended it. It gave me what I needed – a break from the real world. I also found the plot resonating with me because I staunchly believe in the afterlife and the fact that the souls often assume a form based on the good and bad karma accumulated over thousands and millions of births. Nevertheless, I liked the way the author decided to build the main narrative around just two characters, detailing the time they spend together, the bond they share, and the uncanny activities they indulge in.

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Heavily Influenced by Music

It is also worth mentioning that the story wonderfully goes back and forth, expounding the ‘forgotten’ days of the main character named David Perry and the life he is leading at present. The narrative is heavily influenced by music, leaving us convinced that the author, being a musician himself, does enjoy everything musical.

The main part of the story, anyhow, details David’s efforts to recover lost memories from a certain period during his teens. How does he come to forget such a significant part of his life? What happened back then?

My Take

I strongly suggest that every avid reader give Pretty Flamingo a read, for it will take you on a tootle that you may have never taken before, the return journey being as mystical as the initial one, if not more. 

Perry Martin, I believe, is set to emerge as an author who will be read by millions in the near future. His is a style that resonates with readers who love simplicity, who like commonly used words being given a new meaning, and who wish to escape the real world with the sole intention of returning to it with something intriguing. So read Pretty Flamingo, for I know it will not disappoint you, and after you finish, you will only plausibly find yourself evolved, metamorphosed, and… experienced.

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