Fantasy Book Critic: Mini Reviews: The Blue Bar and Magic Tides (reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas was high on my radar as it was a mystery-thriller set in my hometown of Mumbai. This debut book was one that I had heard about from last year and there was an extra layer of interest as the author had lived in Mumbai and knew her way around.

The story opens in dual timelines, on one hand we see Tara a bar dancer in 2002 as she grapples with her life and the strange requests, her bar owner places on her. In the second timeline, we meet Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput who’s doing his best to help folks in the moral and legal quagmire of Mumbai. He is also haunted by events of his past and yet he’s still searching. His past however comes crashing into his present when he discovers corpses in a project development area of Mumbai. Soon he and Tara learn that there’s a real-life Ravan running around in Mumbai and they might not see the danger until it’s absolutely too late.

This procedural debut by the author is one that has a brilliant sheen to it, Damyanti Biswas expertly displays the duality of Mumbai and the reality that is espouses. From the sights, smells as well as the traffic, she expertly presents a Mumbai as it is really is. As a person who was born and brought up in Mumbai, I was instantly taken back to my city. I could see/feel the grime, the sweat, the mugginess of Mumbai as the author spotlights the characters as they grapple with questions about life and Dharma.

This thriller is written in such a deft way, that the reader can never be too sure where the story is heading. This unpredictability is wonderful because as a frequent reader of procedural mysteries, I need something to hook myself. This book aces its characterization as we get to see Tara and Arnav amidst their chapters. The author also admirably gives us a terrific side character cast and in this regards, I loved how you could easily visualize this as a TV show.

Lastly the city of Mumbai is a character in itself and for a Mumbaikar, there’s nothing better. The author’s usage of terms, locations and mannerisms is just so wonderfully on-point that it was hard for me to not immerse fully into the story. If there’s a drawback, then it’s the story’s pace. It flows a bit staidly and throughout the story never becomes fast paced. So for some thriller readers, this might be a drawback. I wasn’t bothered with it too much wanted to point that out nonetheless.

Overall The Blue Bar is a fantastic thriller that differentiates itself from being a stereotypical one. Damyanti Biswas has crafted a story that is by turns haunting and by turns heart warming. In this way, this story is all about the duality of mankind, city life & the search for happiness. Check it out if you wish for something different than just a generic thriller.

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Order Magic Tides over HERE

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Magic Tides is the start of The Wilmington Years of the Kate Daniels Saga. But for us Kate Daniels fans, this new beginning is just pure ecstasy as we are once again reunited with our beloved couple. They have settled in Wilmington, around the coast of Georgia. This book is also set a couple of years prior to the events of Blood Heir, which makes things even more intriguing.

The story begins with Kate and Curran who are building their new home (castle) when Conrad reveals something about an abduction and Kate being Kate is off to what she needs to do. This time around though her actions involve Conrad and Curran as they also get to face some music. There’s not much more I can without spoiling the plot but for readers who have read the previous books, you have a solid sense of what to expect. For new readers, welcome to the crazy world of Lennart-Daniels household, you are in for a fun ride.

This is technically a novel albeit a very short one (about 43,400+ words). The story is a bit different from what has come before. For one, we get POVs from not only Kate but Curran and Conrad as well. This was an interesting move on the author’s parts and again it pays off spectacularly. We get extra POVs and get to see so much more of the events than normally we would have. The action in this novel is again jam-packed and I was genuinely surprised as to how the authors fit in that massive climax. There are small snippets of the wider world that are very intriguing for the future stories to come.

Lastly every Kate Daniels has exposed a different mythological aspect and herein we get a brand new mythology to read about. I won’t reveal which one it is but here’s a small hint, it was focused upon in the second KD book in a minor way. The dialogue is snappy as you would expect and we get to meet some new secondary characters. All in all this was a story that I savored as an appetizer for the future main courses to come.

The authors have mentioned that they will be writing more Wilmington Years books before venturing back to Julie’s series as well as we will get some Hugh books as well. It is looking great for all Kate Daniels fans and as the new year starts, this is the best way to start for a bookworm like me.