Book Review: "Tantra" by Adi

When I first heard about this book, I was completely taken in by the thought of reading a fantasy (can also be interpreted as horror) thriller. And after reading this book, I can safely say that I have no regrets! Now-a-days, a lot of emphasis is given to the book covers that reveal a lot about the book. Here, the scene of the book cover depicts a night time scene, a lady with blood stained weapons in both hands waiting for the opportune moment to attack, someone overseeing the event and a closer representation of moon (Chandra - in Hindi). It reveals a lot - yet conceals a lot too. The anxiety increases and you will have the urge to know more. My case was no different! 

Target Audience:

1. Thriller fanatics

2. Readers who love supernatural books / movies

Plot: Anu is a recognized Vampire slayer in New York. Due to some personal loss (described in the book) she shifts base from New York to Delhi. She starts adapting to life in Delhi, which includes the behavior / lifestyle pattern of vampires in Delhi, her aunt's constant husband hunting for Anu, her late night adventures etc. She soon realizes that Delhi is a lot different than New York in terms of the vamps you find back home. There's a hierarchy to adhere to, laws that apply to vampires and law abiding guardians too. And then at the root of it all, there's a Tantric, who uses black magic (Tantra - in Hindi) to have supreme power over all. Vampires are like slaves to him. Anu, along with  a local guardian (Amit), tries to decipher the events and decides to fight the evil that will empower Delhi forever. Do they succeed? And how? - forms the crux of the novel. Oh, and by the way, there are prospective Indian grooms lurking around too..

Writing: First and foremost, I respect an author who does his research. Adi is one of them. India has a lot of hidden secrets / mysteries that begs to be explored. And when an author presents some of them through his / her novel, you have to admire them. Explanations are provided in this book for different tantra's, chants, astras, rituals. It makes you feel if Tantra is actually a black magic or has some scientific explanation to it. For people who believe in it, this book provides more to digest and for people who don't believe in it, it's a fantasy book for you. Either ways, you benefit. Author has kept the language simple to cater to a larger reading audience.

Relevance in today's times: I must admit I am not a big fan of vampire books / movies. But this book ensured it had my attention for hours till I read it completely. The thought of a female protagonist was exciting (very much in sync with with thoughtful entertainment has become in critically acclaimed and successful Indian movies). Post the success of Twilight series, I am compelled to believe there will be many book and movies on this genre. The author has hit the nail on the head by releasing this book early (early mover advantage).

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and feels like it has a movie adaptation value to it. I, for one,  won't be surprised if a movie is made with this novel. Just a word of caution though - if you are not into supernatural fantasy stuff, you may chose to give this book a pass. For the rest, this is a must-read!

My Rating: 3.5 / 5

PS: This review is part of the Biggest Book Reviews Program for Indian Bloggers at BlogAdda. A special thanks to the BlogAdda team for selecting me for the review process.