by 
Title and Author: Embers of Light and the Sacred Secret
Series: Embers of Light
Publication Date: Konark Publishers (February, 2014)
Language: English
Genre: Fantasy, Occult, Epic
My Review:
Five strangers are called to India from all over the world on different pretexts and told an incredible story about an age old civilization of the Vaashis, their journey to Earth and the present problem faced by them.
What starts out as an unbelievable story for these strangers then changes their lives forever!
Who are the Vaashis?
How are they related to these five people who are all from different parts of the world with absolutely no connection with each other?
How is the mysterious sightings of the Y symbol related to their sudden calling to India?
Can they believe this seemingly far-fetched tale of hidden aliens on Earth and a villain returned to take revenge from them?
I am not a great fan of fantasy novels but when Abhi told me about his debut novel, I was intrigued. Aliens, mysterious symbols, Harry Potter style magic and potions; and add to this the idea of Earthlings being the heroes was altogether too good for me to refuse reading the book.
The cover art is noteworthy and creates an aura of darkness, secrets and adventure. The blurb is also intriguing which attracts the reader to buy the book at first glance.
The writing style of the author is simple and he is able to invoke the interest of the reader in the story right from the start. The plot is meticulously planned and executed. It does tends to get a bit heavy at times and I did feel that Abhi should have made the book a little more concise and a bit light considering that it is a series. This was a book that took time for me to read because of the very intricate detailing of the events, unknown terminology of the Vaashis and deep characterization which demands that you read and then process the information.
The characterization is noteworthy and I loved the admirably sketched characters of Rick, Augusto, Elena and Jiang. Strongly portrayed, they are the strong pillars of the story and despite, the fact that Jai is the main hero, I felt more connected with these four than with Jai who is monotonous and just didn’t mold properly into the wronged-commoner-turned-hero part. Satatma is cool, collected and I instantly felt connected to him. He symbolizes our most beloved and respected teachers who taught us some very valuable lessons in life.
The ending felt a bit abrupt to me and maybe, it could have been made a bit smoother to set a base for the next book in the series but I can overlook this due to the great story that I got in the book. 🙂
All in all, a great fantasy that will engage you and make you relive the Harry Potter era, only this time it is more intense, with its engaging plot, great characters, intricately planned events, a whole lot of magic and a world that will pull you right into the middle of all the action. I give Embers of Light and the Sacred Secret
a 4 out of 5 and recommend this book to all fantasy lovers. A very promising book from a very talented author, I look forward to reading more from him in the future.I received the book from the author to read and review and I am very thankful to him. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
A few quotes that I liked in the book are:
1) “…Always remember, it is easy to hurt but difficult to heal.”
2) “I never let my fears decide things for me. If I have the power and ability to do something good, then all I know is that I am going to do it at any cost.”
3)“…it is neither I nor you, it is us who can make the difference.”
Buy From:
Amazon.in: Paperback
|Kindle Ebook
Amazon.com: Kindle Ebook
Flipkart.com: Paperback
