Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Review: The Prophecy of Trivine by Tnahsin Garg, Pulkit Gupta and Srivatsan Sridharan

Title: The Prophecy of Trivine
Author: Tnahsin Garg, Srivatsan Sridharan, Pulkit Gupta
Publishers: Good Times Books Pvt. Ltd.
Date of Publication: December 15th, 2013
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
Format: Paperback
Length: 264 pages
My Source: Paperback (ARC)


An emissary of an advanced alien race travels to the Earth to undertake responsibility of an experiment that has gone out of control. The outcome of this fateful experiment, which was conceived millions of years ago by her species, now rests in her hands. As she prepares to deliver her final judgment, she comes across three young men in a sacred forest who change her life forever. These three men- a scientist, a hacker and an artist, happen to take refuge in that forest, trying to escape from the oddities of their own unfair lives. Struggling with their dreams and demons, they begin to explore the dark and paranormal behavior of the forest by forging a companionship. From the rare flora and fauna breathing alive on the ground to the deadly wide expanse of the whimsy black sky, everything they find is yet another puzzle unsolved. Little did they know that four of them hold in their hands the future of mankind and much beyond imagination, they are connected through an ancient Prophecy that was long lost in the sands of time.


I had long since stopped reading English books by Indian authors after trying my luck with the over-hyped books by Chetan Bhagat and a few other books of similar category for I found those stories melodramatic, repetitive and utterly unrealistic. So when Tnahsin approached me requesting to read and review The Prophecy of Trivine, I was initially unsure about accepting it, but then going through the book blurb, I had the instinct that it'd be a book worth reading and my instinct did not disappoint me. 
Without further discussing the synopsis of the story, I'd get straight to the things I liked about it.
~The plot and the background of the story: Both are well-thought, well-built and definitely well-executed. This was probably the first science fiction I've read that has its setting in a dark, dense forest, i.e., in the lap of nature, which was very appealing in the first place.
~The concept of Gucutep: It was very interesting, the whole of it. I especially liked the meeting of the Gucutep council, the generosity of Alpha, the skepticism of Xona and the whole new idea of aliens as form of energy! (well, it was totally new to me..maybe that's why I was so excited!)
~The characters: Not only Siv, Phil, Arty and Xona, I liked all the characters, each character was well-developed and true to their nature. So generally speaking I immensely like the characterization.
~The bond between Siv, Phil and Arty. Starting from absolute strangers, how they became the truest of friends was really heart-warming.
~The flow of the story. The style of writing is lucid and witty. It remains a curiosity though how the three authors wrote it together! I mean who contributed which part? Or was it just they thought things through mutual discussions and then wrote it down and edited each others writings? I'd really like to know this!
~The story itself as it teaches you a few things of immense importance. It shows the true face of humanity but side by side displays the worth of human race, it shows the quality of perseverance, it teaches us what friendship actually means. It shows you a lot in the small span of 260 pages!

I'd have given it a 4 stars if I liked the ending better. This was not how I expected it to end..but anyway, will there be a sequel? I wish there is one!

Lastly, but definitely not the least, I want to thank Tnahsin for providing me with the chance of going through such a wonderful reading experience. It was my first ever physical copy of an ARC, so thank you for making this a special read! :)) You people have done a remarkable job indeed! 
That being said, I really want the Indian authors to vent into this kind of stories more than writing the same kind of campus romances, which are really gross!!




The Prophecy of Trivine was written jointly by three friends, who were once together in college, and are now pursuing their lives & careers in distant corners of the world. But they still share the common passion of writing.
​They have come a long way, from the summer of 2010 when it all began, to the beginning of 2014 when the book will be in hands of friends. 

Tnahsin Garg: Tnahsin was born and brought up in India where he got a Bachelor's degree in engineering. After that he travelled to United States in search of higher education and adventure, and ended up getting a Master's degree in 2012.  When tired of his scientific pursuits, he's often found scribbling something unintelligible on some decayed corner of the Internet. He does have a neglected blog for those who like clicking around in curiosity. 
He is currently pursuing a PhD in applied sciences in Northern Europe. 

Tnahsin
Pulkit Gupta: Pulkit is a Computer Science professional who completed his Bachelors in Engineering from Thapar University, India in 2011. He has been an avid reader and an enthusiastic writer since his childhood days. He maintains a number of blogs which are in various stages of decay, but his most recent short story work can be found on his recently createdblog:
He currently works as a Technology Analyst at Goldman Sachs, Bangalore.


Pulkit
Srivatsan Sridharan: Srivatsan is a Computer Scientist, who recently graduated with a Masters degree from Purdue University in the United States. He completed his Bachelors in Engineering from Thapar University, India in 2010. Along with computers, he is extremely passionate about writing. Most of his artistic ideas have taken shape in the form of short stories, speeches, travelogues, and essays. Some of them can be found in hisblog:
He currently works as a Software Engineer at Yelp, Inc. in San Francisco, California.

Srivatsan







Friday, April 04, 2014

Blog Tour: A Beautiful Rock by Lilliana Anderson [Blitz + Excerpt + Guest Post (by the Author) ]


Title: A Beautiful Rock
Author: Lilliana Anderson
Series: Beautiful #4
Date of Publication: April 3rd, 2014
Genres: Romance, New Adult


 After the video of his public outburst catapulted him to superstardom, Marcus now has everything he ever wanted. Or so he thought. Be careful what you wish for, his mother always told him… After spending two years touring the globe, he’s growing tired, and that endless line of women has become a sea of blurry and meaningless faces. When he returns home and receives a visit from Naomi, his previous object of affection, he finally starts to look at himself and what he’s become. He doesn’t like it. Something has to change… On the surface, Lisa is a pretty simple girl. She goes to work, spends time with her friends, and adores her dog, Perry. She loves the quiet life and isn’t interested in the bright lights of Marcus’s world. So when he takes an interest in her, she makes it very clear that she doesn’t want what he’s offering. You see, Lisa has secrets, and being seen with Marcus will be the key to her undoing. Being a man used to getting what he wants, Marcus won’t be taking no for an answer. For the first time, he has met someone who he feels a definite connection with, and he won’t be taking no for an answer – even if it means inadvertently ruining everything Lisa has worked so hard to conceal… Will Marcus and Lisa find a way to deal with her secrets and be together? Or will she push him away, ensuring Marcus is destined to always have his affections unreturned?

***CONTENT WARNING*** 
New Adult Romance for ages 18+ due to sex scenes and adult situations.

Marcus 
I’m a rock star…
I remember that being this great idea that meant all of my dreams would become a reality. I could click my fingers, and anything I want would appear in front of me. Being obscenely famous is as close to magic as you can get.
The problem is, it’s lonely as fuck.
I’ve just spent two years travelling both Australia and the world, singing to audiences in every country imaginable. I’ve fucked more girls than I can possibly count. Done everything I’ve ever wanted to do, and a whole bunch of shit I didn’t even know existed.
I basked in the adoration of my fans. Let all of my values just slip away until I was the quintessential famous dickwad that I am today.
Now, I’m not even sure I’m ok with looking at myself in the mirror.
I used to have friends. I used to have family. I even thought I was in love once… Now, all I have are hangers on, and staff who are paid to nod their heads and make sure I’m happy.
But I’m not. I’m not happy at all.
I think back to where all this started, to that fucking video when I threw a tantrum on stage because I wanted the girl my brother had. I thought I loved her. At the time, I really did. But now I know it wasn’t love. Love is something I’ve never experienced in my whole over the top, gregarious life. Hell, I don’t even love myself. I’m sick of seeing my face plastered around. I’m sick of hearing my name chanted out loud. I’m sick of my own voice.
I need a break, and now that I'm finally back home where I started, I’m hoping that it won’t be long before I get that. Maybe I’ll pretend to be a normal person for a while. It’s amazing how many people believe me when I deny being me..

Lisa
Engrossed in my movie, it isn’t until Perry jumps off the couch and starts barking that I realise that someone just knocked on my door. Picking up the remote, I hit pause and shoo Perry out of the way so I can see who’s there.
Glancing through the peephole, I close my eyes and wish away my visitor. Nothing good can come of this. “I’m not home,” I call out, feeling slightly annoyed that he’s here. Again. What part of ‘I’m not interested’ isn’t he getting?
“That’s ok,” Marcus replies. “I’ll just wait out here until you get back.”
Despite my annoyance, I can’t stop my mouth from quirking in a slight smile at his response. “You’ll be waiting for a while. I’m not sure what time I’ll be back,” I reply, watching him through the peephole.
He smiles and leans against the door. “Ok,” is all he says, as he pushes back and moves to sit on my front steps.
I assume that he won’t stay there for too long and move back to the couch to continue watching my movie.
“Perry,” I call, trying to get my preferred companion to re-join me on the couch. But he won’t budge from the door. He just sits there, looking at it, then at me as his tail wags impatiently. "I'm not letting him in. So you're wasting your time."
Perry starts whining then lifts his paw to scratch at the door. “Seriously Perry, what is your deal with this guy?" Perry responds by looking at me with his sad doggy eyes and continues to whine.
I roll my eyes and walk back over to the door. “Perry, if you still had your balls we’d be taking a trip to the vet after this. You’re supposed to be loyal to your owner. Not to some guy you’ve only met once.”
Seeing me place my hand on the doorknob, Perry’s tail starts to wag like crazy. I’ve never seen him so eager for me to let a visitor in.
“You might as well come in. My dog would like to see you,” I say as I open the door.
Marcus stands immediately and turns his charming smile toward me. “Your dog?”

“Yes. My dog.” 
The Beautiful Series Continues...

I get a lot of questions from readers wanting to know if they need to read every single book in my Beautiful Series. As much as I would like for you to read all of them, the easy answer is no. Each book is the complete HEA of one particular couple, and if you would like some more insight into their relationship then you can generally find a companion novella from my Beauty in Between series to help you out and allow you to spend some more time with your favourites. 

Even though you can jump in at any point, a lot of readers would like to follow the timeline, and read from start to current release. If that's something that suits you then the recommended order is as follows - 

Too Close: The Beauty in Between
A Beautiful Struggle
Phoenix: The Beauty in Between
A Beautiful Forever
Commitment: The Beauty in Between
A Beautiful Melody
A Beautiful Rock

I love writing this continuing series as it gives us a chance to get a glimpse of past characters. You get to see that they are still together, still maintaining their friendships and growing as people. The stories span many different industries and settings, but ultimately, all of my characters are Australian, and all of them are working through their early adulthood, trying to figure out what kind of person they want to be. 

Learning to trust is a huge factor in most of the series. Some of the characters have had distressing pasts and need to find a way to exist in a world that hurt them. 

In A Beautiful Rock, we meet a few new characters as well as getting a glimpse of some of the old. It follows Marcus (we met him in A Beautiful Melody) as he embarks on an inward journey. It's time for him to take a good look at himself and decide what kind of a man he wants to be. 
While he's at war with his own thoughts, he meets Lisa Russell. She's new to the series and seems to be the one person on the planet who doesn't know who Marcus Bailey is. The fact he's a rockstar doesn't impress her, and with a few secrets of her to keep hidden, she'd rather stay as far away from Marcus as possible. However, Marcus isn't very good at taking no for an answer...

Within the story, you'll also be introduced to the couple who will continue the series with my next instalment, A Beautiful Star. I'll be really interested to hear who you'll think it will be. 

Until we meet again, happy reading! 

Lilliana Anderson xoxox


Australian born and bred, Lilliana Anderson has always loved to read and write considering it the best form of escapism that the world has to offer. Besides writing Angelien's biographical trilogy, she also writes contemporary romance and drama all based around Aussie characters.

When she isn't writing she is a wife, and a mother to four children. She has worked in a variety of industries and studied humanities before transferring to commerce/law at university.

She currently lives a fairly quiet life in suburban Melbourne.