Turns out, all times Kiran's parents told her she was an Indian princess, and all the fantastical stories they told, had a lot of truth in them. Whisked away to another dimension, full of magic and wonders (and demons) by the two princes, Kiran is determined to keep her focus on finding her demon-kidnapped parents. And when the nicer of the two princes gets trapped in a spell, he has to be saved as well.
So Kiran is left with Neel (the grouchier prince, who has a complicated family backstory of his own) to go with her on a journey to the impossible place her parents are trapped, guided by riddles and a map of lands that randomly move from place to place. Dangers and unexpected helpers await, and to her surprise, Kiran finds herself become friends with Neel....
Kiran is a great character who wants to be competent and not need rescuing, and she's well on her way to being that person, but she is (totally understandably, being only just turned 12) a bit out of her depth in this magical dimension in which she has found herself. The bravest thing she does, in all sincerity, is to keep her head when confronted with the impossible. The hardest thing she has to do, also in all sincerity, is not to scream in frustration at Neel, who is really not an open, helpful explainer of what the heck has happened (I'm sore at Neel, for blaming Kiran for something that isn't her fault, and I would have screamed at him like crazy if I'd been there....).
The adventures are exciting, without being overplayed, and the strange-nesses, likewise, are not so over emphasized and overwrought that they become tedious. There are funny elements (funnier if you think demon snot is amusing, which I don't...), disturbing elements involving way too many snakes, and bits that make you think about quantum physics. Plus winged horses whose voices Kiran can hear, that will delight young magical animal fans. So something for everyone!
The Author's Note at the end explains how the story is based on the traditional folktales of West Bengal, India, that the author learned from her own family. Reading this made me mentally add a certain gravitas to my impression of the book, as it is not just a fun story but an own-voices one that is new to the table of American middle grade fantasy. I look forward to Kiran's next adventure!
Here's the Kirkus review, which hits many of the same notes....
I really enjoy seeing all of the own-voices books being published, the one's Rick Riordan Presents are publishing look really good. The Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee is one that I'm particularly waiting on.
ReplyDeleteYes that one sounds amazing!
DeleteAll those snakes on the cover! I'd almost be afraid to hold the book. But you make it sound pretty interesting. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteyeah, there was one bit that had far to many snakes for my taste! but it's a fun one.
DeleteWant, want, want. Love the cover, love the idea of exploring Indian mythology (which I know very little about, but I picked up a gorgeous big illustrated book on the Mahabharata (at Costco, if you can believe it!), and a book like this will probably inspire me to dig into the Mahabharata book to find out more). Swoon-worthy princes on flying horses? Yes please!
ReplyDeleteAlso I have a good friend named Kiran, who wants to write stories inspired by Indian mythology. So I pretty much have to find this book right now!
Indeed it sounds like you must get ahold of it asap! I hope you enjoy it.
DeleteThis sounds like a great book! I'm excited for the release!
ReplyDeleteOoh, is it the start of a series? I hope so! I am already really excited to read this based on the cover and description, but it's even more exciting if it's the start of an adventurey series.
ReplyDeleteIt ends at a good ending point for this particular story, but there is certainly enough room for many more books....
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