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makaylareads's review against another edition
4.0
This book was really good. I loved the writing and the detail the author used. However, I give this book a four out of five because the beginning of the book was kind of confusing. It was hard to understand what was happening. It could just be me that feels this way, but I recommend this to others for sure. It still is a great book.
leahka89's review
1.0
While I appreciate the uniqueness of this book, I also know myself enough to know when a book just isn't for me. I DNF'd this book at about half way because I just didn't connect to the characters, couldn't identify with the cultural references, and just didn't care what happened with the story line. Not bad writing, just not my style.
cjyu's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars
This review can also be found at Thoughts of a Hopeless (Book) Romantic.
*Much thanks for Laxmi and her publicist Ally for sending me a copy of the novel so I can participate in this blog tour. Apologies for the post being a bit late as I had technical difficulties.
I had not previously read of Laxmi's novels, but The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer was quite exciting.
I would've gotten to this novel sooner had it not been something called finals, but when I finally found like to sit down and enjoy this novel, I finished it in one sitting. Laxmi has such wonderful control on the tension and the plotline of this story. It's tense in all the right places, and nothing too revealing is given away which keeps the plot fast paced and leaving you to want more.
Our main character Ruby Iyer is a likeable protagonist who we can sympathize and understand through the story. There are hints to her childhood that give us an idea to why she is who she is today, and it shows why she has such loyalty to her best friend because of her own past. Also. BAD. ASS. Can I please have her fighting skills. PLLLLLEASE?
My own issue was the book was I felt like it needed a bit more to it. I wanted more on Ruby's childhood and backstory, as well as more on the other characters, especially her best friend Pankaj. He's an equally interesting character and there were more things I wanted to know about him! Perhaps they will be explained in the second novel... (BUT I WANT IT NOW).
While the romance was not what I was particularly interested in throughout the story, it certainly didn't take away from the story. So don't worry if you're concerned that it becomes the main issue of the story!
There were so many elements to the story that I did wanted to get some more information on. No spoilers, but I wanted to know why certain things were the way they were or a little more on why this happen the way it did. Whether or not it was because we needed to wait until the second book, I don't know, but I would've like a little extra background to go with everything.
All in all, The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer was an riveting and action packed novel. I'm dying looking forward to the next novel, and perhaps try out Laxmi's other novels.
***********************
That ending was not OK thank you very much
Full review to come
This review can also be found at Thoughts of a Hopeless (Book) Romantic.
*Much thanks for Laxmi and her publicist Ally for sending me a copy of the novel so I can participate in this blog tour. Apologies for the post being a bit late as I had technical difficulties.
I had not previously read of Laxmi's novels, but The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer was quite exciting.
I would've gotten to this novel sooner had it not been something called finals, but when I finally found like to sit down and enjoy this novel, I finished it in one sitting. Laxmi has such wonderful control on the tension and the plotline of this story. It's tense in all the right places, and nothing too revealing is given away which keeps the plot fast paced and leaving you to want more.
Our main character Ruby Iyer is a likeable protagonist who we can sympathize and understand through the story. There are hints to her childhood that give us an idea to why she is who she is today, and it shows why she has such loyalty to her best friend because of her own past. Also. BAD. ASS. Can I please have her fighting skills. PLLLLLEASE?
My own issue was the book was I felt like it needed a bit more to it. I wanted more on Ruby's childhood and backstory, as well as more on the other characters, especially her best friend Pankaj. He's an equally interesting character and there were more things I wanted to know about him! Perhaps they will be explained in the second novel... (BUT I WANT IT NOW).
While the romance was not what I was particularly interested in throughout the story, it certainly didn't take away from the story. So don't worry if you're concerned that it becomes the main issue of the story!
There were so many elements to the story that I did wanted to get some more information on. No spoilers, but I wanted to know why certain things were the way they were or a little more on why this happen the way it did. Whether or not it was because we needed to wait until the second book, I don't know, but I would've like a little extra background to go with everything.
All in all, The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer was an riveting and action packed novel. I'm dying looking forward to the next novel, and perhaps try out Laxmi's other novels.
***********************
That ending was not OK thank you very much
Full review to come
urlphantomhive's review
2.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I couldn't get into The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer, and I've been struggling to find out why. Ruby gets electrocuted and while she's physically okay, from that moment she feels the power of the electricity through her body.
After that things start to get confusing. The setting is Bombay, which is very nice since you don't often read about it, but it is also very unknown and chaotic. The writing here also starts to get more confusing as bad guys and Ruby and her sort of cop buddy are running loose and it is difficult to see what the end game is going to be. I also couldn't connect with the characters, which will not have helped. It seemed interesting but in the end wasn't for me.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I couldn't get into The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer, and I've been struggling to find out why. Ruby gets electrocuted and while she's physically okay, from that moment she feels the power of the electricity through her body.
After that things start to get confusing. The setting is Bombay, which is very nice since you don't often read about it, but it is also very unknown and chaotic. The writing here also starts to get more confusing as bad guys and Ruby and her sort of cop buddy are running loose and it is difficult to see what the end game is going to be. I also couldn't connect with the characters, which will not have helped. It seemed interesting but in the end wasn't for me.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
b00kr3vi3ws's review
3.0
I picked up this book for two reasons... First being that this is a YA Thriller in Mumbai. Secondly, I have already read the author’s debut novel, The Destiny of Shaitan, and I had thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer, as the name suggests, follows the life of a tea drinking, very independent and sometimes immature Ruby Iyer. She is determined to make her life on her own in the fast paced and overcrowded city. When her best friend gets kidnapped, Ruby has only Vikram to depend upon to see her through the challenges and threats posed by Dr. Kamini Braganza. But is Ruby ready for what’s to come her way and will her bond with Pankaj and Vikram stand the test of time?
Ruby Iyer is ‘The Girl’ now. She is smart, sassy and stubborn. She is not your run-of-the-mill runaway teenager. I loved her for all her flaws and strengths. It was a real refreshing change to read about this ‘bindaas’ girl whose strength of character and very strong sense of right and wrong will have the reader cheering for her in no time. Pankaj, Vikram and even Braganza bring a variety of flavor to the novel. All the characters are very well developed and vibrant.
Mumbai, the tinsel town of India, promises glamour, success and money to anyone who is interested. Laxmi Hariharan breaks down that charm and shows us the real face of the city. From breathtaking scenery to the crowded streets to the polluted air to the poverty stricken slums to the elite strata of the society – the author has covered it all. The detailed description of the setting transports you immediately to this world of Ruby Iyer.
Fast paced and full of twists and turns, this novel is a complete page turner that keeps you hooked till the very end.
http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2014/11/ManyLivesOfRubyIyer.html
penguininabluebox's review against another edition
4.0
4.5*
I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer is the first book in a new, exciting YA Dystopian series. It follows Ruby Iyer, an 18-year-old Indian girl living in Bombay. One day, Ruby gets groped on a train and pushed off it, landing on a live wire, which she should not technically be able to survive, but she does anyway. Afterwards she finds herself with incredible new abilities. When her roommate and best friend Pankaj is kidnapped, she is desperate to save him together with Vikram, who is a cop - and maybe she will also have the whole city of Bombay.
Laxmi Hariharan creates a really great image of Bombay in this book - though I myself have not been there yet, I could see many things clearly in front of my eye, and I think she managed to capture the good of the city while also criticizing everything that goes wrong there. Her characters were pretty well-developped. Unlike many other YA Dystopian heroines, Ruby, while having the typical angst and act-first-think-later attitude, did not get on my nerves on any occasion, which I really appreciated. Other things I absolutely have to mention as really positive parts of the story are the wonderful and strictly platonic friendship between Ruby and Pankaj, the LGBT representation with Pankaj being gay but not making a big deal out of it, the fact that for once our protagonist is not white and even the romance aspect of the story, which was nowhere near insta-love and also not nearly as strange as it is in many other YA Dystopian books.
I would, however, have enjoyed a little more general backstory, but am also open to finding out more about the backgrounds in book 2.
I would recommend this book to any fan of YA Dystopian, but also to anyone looking for a good diverse book and a fast-paced and action-packed page turner.
I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer is the first book in a new, exciting YA Dystopian series. It follows Ruby Iyer, an 18-year-old Indian girl living in Bombay. One day, Ruby gets groped on a train and pushed off it, landing on a live wire, which she should not technically be able to survive, but she does anyway. Afterwards she finds herself with incredible new abilities. When her roommate and best friend Pankaj is kidnapped, she is desperate to save him together with Vikram, who is a cop - and maybe she will also have the whole city of Bombay.
Laxmi Hariharan creates a really great image of Bombay in this book - though I myself have not been there yet, I could see many things clearly in front of my eye, and I think she managed to capture the good of the city while also criticizing everything that goes wrong there. Her characters were pretty well-developped. Unlike many other YA Dystopian heroines, Ruby, while having the typical angst and act-first-think-later attitude, did not get on my nerves on any occasion, which I really appreciated. Other things I absolutely have to mention as really positive parts of the story are the wonderful and strictly platonic friendship between Ruby and Pankaj, the LGBT representation with Pankaj being gay but not making a big deal out of it, the fact that for once our protagonist is not white and even the romance aspect of the story, which was nowhere near insta-love and also not nearly as strange as it is in many other YA Dystopian books.
I would, however, have enjoyed a little more general backstory, but am also open to finding out more about the backgrounds in book 2.
I would recommend this book to any fan of YA Dystopian, but also to anyone looking for a good diverse book and a fast-paced and action-packed page turner.
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