Junk. Absolute junk. This book has the worst usage of grammar I've seen in a published novel. The plot was juvenile. The characters intensely dislikable. I can write better than this, and I'm not that great. I was looking for a Sunday afternoon time-waster, and instead I got a tear-your-hair-out-by-the-roots piece of gibberish. I have not hated a book this much since Meyer and the Devil got together to make that vampire farce.

Take a deep breath in, hold it, hold it. Let it out. OK, good. Now that I'm slightly calmer it's time for my review. To be honest the only thing I liked abut this book was the relationship between Tara and her younger brother Suraj. I loved Suraj. He is a lot like my younger brother, and he is so sweet (yes. I am a teenage male. Shut up). Tara is such a goody two-shoes such that even in the scene where there is a slight nod to Orpheus leading his wife from Hades, instead of her failing you just know she's going to succeed. That particular scene is indicative of the entire novel. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has any emotional intensity. If anything the author seems as if she was indulging in a pointless game of "fool the reader", and one which she didn't particularly want to play. ( )

Tara and Suraj live in a small village with their father and stepmother. Their grandfather was the village healer but he disappeared shortly before a stranger turned up saying has more power than anyone else. Their mother went after their grandfather so their father remarried a cruel woman who treats his children like slaves while he does nothing but watch. The final straw comes when she tries to poison them both so Tara takes her brother and they run away to try and find their missing family members.

People from the village have been going missing and it all seems connected to the stranger. He seems to have an unnatural influence over the people and has a pulsating third eye in the middle of his forehead. He is bent on trying to destroy the siblings as only their bloodline can defeat him. Other people have been going missing from the village and other local places, something sinister is definitely going on.

Tara was a great character and has to undergo a series of trials throughout the novel which she comes through fantastically. I loved the Indian setting which made a change from many teenage fantasy books. It was set up nicely at the end for a sequel and I can definitely see myself spending time back in this world. ( )

I've always liked Indian mythology though I can't say that I know a lot of them. Just what I've learned in high school when I had to take World Religion (religion is sort of a requirement in Catholic high schools). Anyways, going into this story, I have to admit that it felt a little foreign to me but when the different gods came up, I was more familiar with the stories. I thought that this story was a great new myth and the cultural references in it makes it a great read. It also emphasizes the importance of courage, growth and righteousness. It is a story of a young girl's fight for survival when she's already lost so much. It's her self-growth and independence as she learns to overcome her struggles and become who she can be without relying on others. At the end, there is a sort of indication that the evil is not vanquished.. but then there's always that balance in the world.. with good, there is evil. As much as I found all these aspects a great thing for a story... I have to admit that the story took a little struggle to get through. I'm not entirely sure what it is. The writing was detailed, descriptive, yet easy to read. The content is filled with inspiration and a great adventure. But whether I would recommend it to others? Maybe to those interested in Indian mythology. For the general population of reader? Well, I guess it's up to you to decide for yourself. ( )

Tara and her brother Suraj do not have a pleasant life. Her mother and grandfather vanished, her father remarried, and her stepmother, Kali, is cruel and demanding. After a failed murder attempt, and then overhearing a second plot on their lives, Tara decides she and her brother must brave the unknowns of the forest, run away, and find her mom and grandpa. ( )