#atozchallenge #bookreview Ayana by Geetha Krishnan

My theme this year is blogging about my author brand. Wednesdays' posts are for Book Reviews.



Ayana: The Journey by Geetha Krishnan



I absolutely loved this book. I know very little about the many mythologies, legends, and lore from India, but enjoy finding out about them. (I do not know how much of this is a retelling of legends and how much is filled in by the author. Either way, I found it incredibly enjoyable.) My friend suggested this book to me, knowing how much I love these kinds of stories. She was so very right! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories about omnipotent beings disguised as humans. I read the whole book in a few hours, barely able to put it down, wanting to know how it would turn out for Sita.

The plot is complex as some characters have multiple identities and lives, yet it is easy to follow along. The story is entertaining and fun to read. The author, who is from India according to the bio, came off as an authority to me. I would gladly read another work by this author.

I'm not sure where the title comes from or what it means. The cover image with the woman on fire does make sense, and in fact comes in to play in the opening. I'm also unclear as to what a Hala-Hala is, though I'm guessing it's a kind of poison. And what is a Pushpakavimana?  (I found out on Google that it's a self-moving chariot.) I learned myths and a few words from this book.

Third-person POV is used throughout the story, as the thoughts of different characters are needed in some scenes.

A favorite line of mine was, "I am not going to do an unrighteous thing just because I have the power and ability." If I were to guess, I believe that Vishnu is the favored character and diety of this author.

Everything in the book seemed to have a purpose. The settings, especially the paintings, were well done. The friendship between two characters, and the love between two characters, reminded me very much of the similar beings in my own book series. It made me love the story even more. 

I believe the theme, the life-lesson, was not to trick someone into being yours. A very appropriate lesson for this review, which I am writing on April Fools' day. I believe the story about why coveting is frowned upon is beneficial to society.

I don't know this author, but a friend of mine is friends with her on Facebook.


(A missing period, the word 'though' instead of thought, 'on' instead of or, 'life' instead of lift, and the first page of Chapter 63 appears to have been missed by the editor. A shame, as the rest of the writing is so flawless and makes the author seem like a fantastic story-teller. This is well worth ignoring a handful of small typos.)

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What book has a friend recommended to you lately?