Author: Anuja Chandramouli
Publication Date: July 24th 2017
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2 of the Yama's Lieutenant Series
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin Random House India
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam
Blurb Description: As Yama's Lieutenant, Agni Prakash, has diligently been tracking down demons and spirits that threaten peace on earth and dispatching them to his lord's thousand hells. Danger is a constant in his job, but this time an apocalypse threatens his entire world. Agni must go up against a terrifying sorceress-adept in the ancient art of stone magic-and her bestial army of demoniacal creatures who used to be humans before they were transformed into willing killing machines. The witch has a nightmarish vision for a new world that involves large scale culling of the humans-and it falls to Agni to stop her. He must find the Samayakalas, the mysterious keepers of time and reset the clock before all life is destroyed. However, any contact with the Samayakalas is forbidden to mortal and immortal alike and those who flout the ancient decree risk incurring punishment far worse than death. The price asked of him is an impossible one, but Yama's Lieutenant does not have a choice. Enlisting the help of old friends, he must submit to being borne across an ocean of death and destruction to find the Samayakalas before darkness engulfs them all.
And yet, after reading this book, I feel like I should be re-evaluating my decisions.
Yama’s Lieutenant and the Stone Witch was this gorgeous modern spin on an Indian myth that was dark, gripping and had this morbid sense of humour that reminded me of Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight and I LOVED IT.
Let’s break this down:
WRITING:
This was my first book by the author, Anuja Chandramouli, and I loved her style of writing and the way she brought a character as jaded and hurting as Agni Prakash to life through it so much that the minute I reached the end and found out that she is a bestselling Indian author, I wasn’t even surprised. Yama’s Lieutenant had some brilliant writing, whether it was being told from the main character’s point of view or also the stories in between that made all the pieces come together.
PLOT:
It took me a while to get used to how this book was plotted – one chapter from our main character’s point of view and one from another person that was somehow used to give us more insight into the story. It threw me a little in the beginning, especially because I hadn’t read book one and didn’t know if this was how that was plotted out too.
Very soon, I found myself opened to not getting the story from not only Agni Pakash’s viewpoint but also from a lot of others and it really pulled the whole story together. The plot itself was so well thought out but no spoilers so you’ll just have to read it for yourself.
CHARACTERS:
I wasn’t expecting to love Agni Prakash as much as I did. He was a rough sweetheart and I understood him immediately. While the whole dark nature of the book and the writing reminded me of Nevernight, Agni himself initially came of a little like The Hound from Game of Thrones, but with a polar opposite relationship to his sibling.
He was a deep, complex character to get to know and I loved every minute I was in his head, looking at the visions from his eyes and fighting with him.
CONCLUSION:
If you’re looking for a richly told book with Indian mythology, dark humour and a main character flawed and yet, perfect, look no further than Yama’s Lieutenant and the Stone Witch.
Anuja Chandramouli is a bestselling Indian author and New Age Indian Classicist. Her highly
acclaimed debut novel, Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince, was named by Amazon India as one of the top 5 books in the Indian Writing category for the year 2013. Kamadeva: The God of Desire and Shakti: The Divine Feminine are her other bestsellers. Currently all three books are being translated into Hindi, Marathi, Gujarathi and Bengali, a real achievement for one so young. Her brand new book, an epic fantasy called Yama’s Lieutenant has received an overwhelming response.
An accomplished orator, she regularly conducts workshops on Creative Writing, Story Telling and Mythology in schools, colleges and various other platforms. Her motivational speeches have also been well received. According to Chandramouli, her work with youngsters in the rural belt helping them improve their Spoken English and Writing skills has been woama
nderfully satisfying and enriching.
This happily married, mother of two little girls, lives in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. She is a student of classical dance and Yoga. Currently, she is hard at work on an awesome new adventure with Yama’s Lieutenant.
Have you read any books by Anuja Chandramouli? What are some of your favourite books with Indian characters?
I can't wait to hear from all you!
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