divyatejas_venkatesh's reviews
55 reviews

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini

adventurous challenging funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Though the book is not as interesting as the full novels. The short stories are good enough to keep you engaged throughout. Most engaging short story is the worm. If you wanna have a glimpse of what happened after the end of inheritance book. It will serve you well, else you might regret reading the first two stories as it is a bit slow compared to the novels.

400 Days by Chetan Bhagat

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is the masterpiece of all the Chetan Bhagat's Book. Just like he said it is his best. The book keeps you hooked till the end. It is interesting and also makes you wonder what kind people are living among us. The story is more interesting and keeps you engaged than the previous two books. The crime story is more intricate and makes you wonder different people as the main suspect at different instance of time. It is the fastest read book I completed around 280 pages in a day.

 I love the description part in this book it has really good and vivid description which I have not seen in any of his before books. 

This book is not similar like the first two books in the series where the books have kind of a similar set of the base plot. Here it is fully different and more emotional and is more engaging. The culprit is the least suspected in the whole story which makes it even more a better plot.

One Arranged Murder by Chetan Bhagat

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The book is as interesting as the first book in the Keshav -Saurabh series. Though the book is a continuation of the story of Keshav and Saurabh's life it can be also read as a standalone. Though if you have read the first book the effect of it will be much better as you know about what are the things these two guys are going through in their life. 

If you have read the story see the spoiler below if not don't see as it kind of narrates the whole story of both the books 'The girl in room 105' and 'One Arranged Murder'

This book is feeling similar to the first book" The girl in room 105". In the previous book also the main suspect looks like the father himself- Safdar Lone in the previous book here it is Ramesh Malhotra. The innocent death due to wrong accusing in 'The girl in room 105' is Zara's brother Sikander Lone and here it is Aditya Malhotra. The culprit who both misdirected also acted as if they wanna get justice is Raghu in 'The girl in room 105' and Anjali in this book. I hope at least the next book does not have such a similar plot lines

The Girl in Room 105 by Chetan Bhagat

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The book was interesting .The main part that kept me reading is the friendship and love story as much as the mystery. I liked how the mystery unfolds and how the mistakes by the journalists and detectives have the effect on the peoples life. Keeps you engaged throughout. No signs of slowing down. The description part is kept as much as needed and was not so descriptive which makes the reading experience good when you are not reading patiently. But if you like really good descriptions of the surrounding this is not the book to look for. The protagonist character development is brief but not so brief to not have a feel about it. So overall it is a good book and a write size as it is not dragged a lot.

I have not read a crime thriller book without the method of saying a story with selective omission of information so I can't judge a book that this book is also having the same method of delivering the story.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

NO SLOWING DOWN FROM THE BEGINNING. I loved it. I haven't seen such an amazing ending in the book wrapping up everything that is needed to be done. It was so emotional in the last. It made me sleepless in the night for 3 hours.

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles, Héctor García

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.0

It is interesting to read and not boring. But the values and the mindsets taught in this book are looking like mostly repeated. It is not worth the hype though.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The book is interesting and no signs of slowing down. Here we can see how the things he has learned is put into use. The story is well constructed. There are many twists and many surprises. Sometimes it will leave you gasping after revealing something.

In this book too you cannot understand why the book is named Brisingr or why Glaedr's image is portrayed in the first page until the last, but if you can judge what action does Glaedr does to deserve such a thing you can easily say that his death itself will give such importance as for his experience any feat would look small.

Book is so interesting I completed it in 5 days.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Book is amazing, but if you expect the book to be like Eragon you will be disappointed. As the first book is full of adrenaline it is fast and there will be no places you will feel like the story is slow. But in this second book the world is well defined and Eragon learns from the elves as told in the first book. Where he gains many wisdom and some of those are shared. Though in the first three quarters Eragon's story is slow and filled with details and may sometime feel boring, it is compensated by what is happening in the Roran's part of life and Nasuada's part of life. There are some twists but if you read carefully and think properly in all the angles you may judge what is going to happen. Till last fifty pages you could not understand why the book is named as eldest and which dragon's image is in the first page. I loved the lifestyle of elves. Still no fortune told to Eragon has happened yet

Overall it is a good book, if you wanna learn more about the world after reading the first book. If not some may feel like it is starting to get boring.

Here Comes the Shaggedy (Goosebumps: Most Wanted #9) by R.L. Stine

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The story was a bit boring and you can expect what is gonna happen. But I cannot complain as it is a children's book not a book for a 20 year old. The characters are interesting and there is two unexpected twist in it, other than that there is not much surprises. But the conversations are funny and interesting enough to keep you going.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved the  book very much. This is the first high fantasy book I am reading. I loved the world building and character building. The story starts weel and it goes on, there are not any part which i felt boring and felt like it could have been omitted because it has all the things in a necessary proportion like the description of things, persons character and explaining about his pasts. I liked the way how the author introduces and builds the world by making a character who does not have much knowledge about the world and he learns it through another person.
There are many surprises, twists and turns. The book is made as realistic as possible in a fantasy world and sometimes I felt like some of the  magical ability's limitations are less than that of what indian priests claim they are capable of! I liked how the situations make a person who he is clearly by seeing the characters Eragon and Murtagh.

 

The suspense is well kept and when it is revealed there was a flash of events in my mind about what happened before and made me analyse all his actions in a moment. That was amazing! I loved it when Murtagh revealed he is Morzan's son and when Brom revealed himself to be a dragon rider.
For a long time I wanted to see Saphira breathing fire and it finally happened in the last scene. Onle one of thing happened of what the fortune teller angela told. Still waiting to see who is the princess Eragon is going fall for it is not clear yet, whether it would be arya or nasuada.

The battle scene was brief and I didn't like it when he didn't reveal what has happened on the end of the battle fully. But I am happy that it left me in a cliffhanger which will motivate me to take the next book. 

It never siezes to amaze how a 17 year old boy completed such a complicated novel and how he created such  a world. 

Overall it is amazing and I would recommend anyone who love dragons and adore different types of creatures like elves,dwarves. If someone likes Lord of rings and hobbit they will surely love this book.