Rea and the Blood of the Nectar takes you on dizzying flights of imagination. I had such fun exploring the realm of Astranthia with Rea Chhetri, the rebellious and bitter girl who discovers that there’s a whole new side to her family.

The strength of this book lies in the world-building and the sensitive portrayal of complicated familial ties. Astranthia is a beautiful, foliage-themed realm and Doshi’s descriptions are a treat to read.

I could relate to Rea’s emotional tug of war in her relationship with her twin, Rohan, and the bias that she thinks she sees in the way her mother and grandmother treat her twin.

I enjoyed the way the author freely wove Indian terms and names into the narrative without “othering” it by using italics or any other method.

You’ll find the whole package in this book — family strife, friendship and bonding, heartless villain(s), manipulative rulers and gullible common folk, magic, and high-voltage fight scenes that had me on tenterhooks.

Of course, being part I in the Chronicles of Astranthia, the book ends on a cliffhanger that hints at more action in the forthcoming books.

I think teens (and dreamy adults like me!) will enjoy Rea and the Blood of the Nectar immensely.

(I received a review copy from Lonely Pages Book Tours with a request for an honest review.)

You want to know why representation is important in books?
Because I am 30 years old and it is only now that I have found a book that I find my young self, a young Indian girl with caustic and sarcastic attitude who is willing to go to any lengths, no matter how impossible, for her loved ones.

Rea Chettri, a 12 year old girl with a twin brother, Rohan- a brother who is now far more interested in spending time with his friends and “girls” than his own twin sister.

Rea misses the closeness they both shared; and how they would bring in their birthday together. So she is angry enough to actually hate crash Rohan’s midnight cricket match just to remind him.

So what if her mother has been behaving strangely and been making demands and giving orders that make no sense at all?

But it does make sense when her brother goes missing and she along with her friend Leela, travel to an alternate city of Astranthia, where Rea believes her brother is being kept hostage.

Rea and The Blood of Nectar, the first of what I hope is a series - is an #ownvoices adventure filled with twists, turns as well as magic and magical creatures.

The author delivers an intriguing novel about friendship, bravery and loyalty - and one that I do believe would resonate with tweens and teens all over the world and where young Indian girls would find themselves in.

Thank you to Mango and Marigold Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this fun adventure. I'm loving the middle grade adventure books with girls as the main characters. Something I would have been ecstatic to find as a kid.

Rea and her twin brother Rohan were always the closest of friends until Rohan decided to hang out with his school friends instead of Rea. While Rea is still interesting in unlocking the mystery around their father, who died when they were babies, Rohan has moved on to the things 12 year old boys care about, like cricket. Rea is hurt that she's been left behind but also doesn't want Rohan to see that it bothers her.

Despite the new tension in their relationship, when Rohan goes missing and Rea's mother acts as though he will never come back, Rea becomes determined to find him. Little does she know that finding her will lead her to another realm altogether where she will learn about herself and her family. In magical Astranthia, Rea will find a world entirely different from her own but where she just might belong.

Rea is bold and brave with big emotions. Many of her personality traits felt so familiar to me as a neurodivergent person. I don't know if the character is meant to be neurodivergent but she felt like she was. I think a lot of kids who feel out of place among their peers will see themselves in Rea. But the thing that sets her apart is that, even though she doesn't quite fit in and doesn't make friends easily, she also doesn't really mind. That mindset is one you don't see often in kids books and I really appreciated it.

I also loved that she had a friend all along and eventually realized it. Leela was such a sweet, loyal character willing to stand by Rea's side and be just as brave. I loved the opposites the two character's represented and the way they balanced each other. Rea has to work to understand how to be a good friend to Leela (another think I could relate to as a neurodivergent person) and it was great to see that play out in a book. To see Rea's journey as she learns to think beyond herself.

The villain... I'm kind of obsessed with her in the best way and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book! Queen Razya is *glamor* even as she's terror and I'm here for it.

There were times when I struggled to follow the dialogue meaning I wasn't sure who was speaking though I have to admit this could have been because of the way the ARC rendered on my Kindle. My only other criticism about the writing was that, at times, the action would seem to jump out from nowhere but if I were a kid reading this book I don't think that detail would bother me. Neither of these weaknesses are enough to drag down the story or stop it from being an engrossing adventure.

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar
By Payal Doshi
Rating: 4/5 stars
I received an eARC via NetGalley from Mango and Marigold Press in exchange for an honest review.

***Warning: mild spoilers ahead***

In Rea and the Blood of the Nectar, we follow Rea Chettri, a young girl from India, who goes on a magical journey to find her twin brother, Rohan, after it is discovered he has gone missing on the morning of their twelfth birthday. Rea has difficult relationships with her family members: she feels ignored by her mother, not taken seriously by her grandmother, and unimportant to Rohan. She feels that she can prove her worth to each of them by successfully finding and saving her brother. While on her journey, Rea is joined by her friend Leela. To find Rohan, they end up portaling to the magical kingdom of Astranthia where they meet two new friends: a human boy named Xeranther and a pari (a small fairy-like creature) named Flula. With the help of Xeranther and Flula, Rea and Leela learn more about the land of Astranthia and its evil queen, Razya, while searching for Rohan. Along the way, Rea learns about love, friendship, and what is means to be part of a true family.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story. While this is a middle-grade novel, there were parts of the narrative which dealt with heavy topics: loss/death of loved ones; feeling unwanted and alone. Because Rea felt ignored by her family, she had a hard time seeing Leela’s friendship as genuine. Rea was also a bit selfish and quite impulsive throughout the story; she often got in her own way while trying to work with her friends to find and save Rohan. I would have liked to have been able to spend more time with Rea’s thoughts and feelings as she learned to trust and depend on her family and friends. There were moments when Rea’s mind changed so quickly that it was a bit jarring. However, I did think that the level of introspection was appropriate for the middle-grade age range.

Payal Doshi’s writing really shines in regard to the descriptions of Rea’s home in India and the world of Astranthia. I particularly loved spending time with Rea in Astranthia; all of the flora and fauna were so colorful and magical. Even if a plant did not turn out to actually be a creature, it may have been described in such a way that it felt sentient. This is actually the core of the magic associated with the Blood of the Nectar; Astranthia depends on the Nectar to stay alive. I am interested in continuing with The Chronicles of Astranthia for this reason alone.

I recommend Rea and the Blood of the Nectar for fans of middle-grade fantasy and those who enjoy stories involving well-realized magical worlds.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of a hill station of Eastern India, Darjeeling, this middle grade fiction swings through love for family, friendship, and the chosen one trope. Rea has always disliked the different rules set up for her twin, Rohan, by her mother and grandma so when she comes to know about Rohan's secret birthday plan — a midnight cricket match with his friends — she follows him uninvited. But when the next morning brings the news of a missing Rohan, Rea determinedly visits a fortune teller in the hopes of finding more about his disappearance. Along with Leela, her friend, Rea crosses a portal through a banyan tree to the fantasy land of Astranthia. The quest to free Rohan involves battling monsters, wielding magic, and bringing down the evil queen. The cool breezes of the surrounding Himalayas on this side of the portal and the world of flora wonders on the other side act as a beautiful canopy for brave and growing preteens to take risks, find hidden powers, and discover generational secrets on.

Through the peace of a wholesome home where Amma, the mother, busily works on the aromatic tea fields, and Bajai, the grandmother, cooks desi delicacies like fried banana chips or chilli onion fries or egg thukpa for the young children, the care for one another —which essentially motivates Rea to commence this journey of finding her missing twin, despite the usual sibling rivalry— easily reflects the south asian culture in major context. Slowly progressing through riddling prophecies and an undeterred fight against the dark powers of a wicked ruler, the pacing of the story could've been better but the essence of a young girl discovering her potential after years of having to be placed second and becoming the heroine she is destined to be, is encouraging and uplifting for the target audience. Overall, this debut does deliver in terms of adventure, relationship dynamics, and a rebellion against dictators; even if the plot could've been enriched with more thrill.

Note: One particular creative choice stood out for me like a sore thumb. The name selected for the evil queen — Razya — was so evidently different from the other characters, whether those from Earth like Rea, Rohan, and Leela or from Astranthia like Xeranther and Flula, that it inevitably pulled me out from certain sequences where the cruelty of this queen is highlighted. To be very clear, I am not implying anything specific through this observation and neither am I assuming the author's intention. I'm merely stating what I think, as a reader, could've been a more looked into aspect of a story that's anyway set in an otherworldly land where names can clearly be unusual or uncommon.

Representation: Indian main character, Indian author.

Read this book for:
- Indian MC with the story set part in India and part in a fantasy world
- power of family and friendship
- children going on quests and adventures
- MagIC! FLORA magic

Sadly the negative points:
- the story was kind of predictable (for me at least. Seeing as it is middle grade I think children would enjoy it way more)
- while Rea was flawed, and had great character development, sometimes I couldn't avoid getting annoyed with her and her actions and/or thoughts, making reading the book more difficult seeing as it was her POV.
- while Rea lives in India, the fantasy world she travels to (and spends most of the story in) was just,, very Not Indian. What interested me the most in reading this book was that it was set in India, but it is kind of blurred next to Astranthia

I wanted something fun and easy to read, given how messy the past week was for me and Rea and the Blood of the Nectar was just that. I’d missed how much fun MG books could be, despite not being the target audience for it. It has adventure, family secrets, sibling rivalry and bond and strong friendships.

First, my heart swelled with the Indian rep in this book. I wish I had books like this in my school library back when I was a kid. From the terms used, to the setting, everything was so authentically Indian, I had a fabulous time reading it. Mentions of food like pakoras, roti and dal, thupkas as well the festival of Diwali or kids playing cricket, everything was a delight. Own Voices stories just make me really happy.

From the tea plantations in Darjeeling to the sparkling fantasy world of Astranthia with its plants, fairies, and magical creatures, the beautifully pictured worldbuilding takes us through an action packed story about Rea on a quest to save her twin brother. Also, Darjeeling is a beautiful hill station as it is, you all should really look it up!!

This book thoroughly explores sibling relationships and friendships. Rea starts out as feeling inferior to her brother, not blending with the children around her and pushing people away, which is something children and pre-teens do experience in their lives. As she embarks on her adventure and learns of the secrets she comes to appreciate the people around her. I particularly loved her friendship with Leela as well as the ones from Astranthia. Though, I would’ve liked if there were more moments which showed the depth of the relationship between Rea and Rohan.

Rea’s character development is also commendable. She’s strong-minded and strong-willed for a twelve year old. From drifting apart from her brother to risking her life in an unknown world to save him, she has come a far way. It’s refreshing to see a young girl with magical powers discover familial ties and learn the lessons of life, which could be applied to readers of our ages too. She solved the riddles with her intelligence and till the end she proved to be brave.

❛No memory of her past was worth more than Rohan’s freedom.❜

Did I say I loved the magical world of Astranthia? Let me say it again. Doshi painted a spectacular picture that literally transported me to it. It was so creative and exciting. The characters Rea meets there like Flula the pari or Xeranther and some others, all were significant to the story. We even get glimpses into the villain’s POV that adds to the intrigue of the story.

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar is a promising middle-grade debut about an adventurous fantasy imbibed with Indian culture, vivid settings, thoughtful relationships dynamics and interesting plot. I cannot wait to see what happens in the sequel! If you’re a MG reader or looking for an enjoyable, quick tale or you simply want more South-Asian books, I definitely recommend this book to you.

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar is a promising middle-grade debut about an adventurous fantasy imbibed with Indian culture, vivid settings, thoughtful relationships dynamics and interesting plot. I cannot wait to see what happens in the sequel! If you're a MG reader or looking for an enjoyable, quick tale or you simply want more South-Asian books, I definitely recommend this book to you.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I received and ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rea and Rohan are twins. When they were younger, they played together all the time. Now, Rea feels like Rohan is leaving her behind. He has his own set of friends and no longer seems to need her, as she needs him. On the night of their 12th birthday, Rohan has planned a secret midnight cricket match with his friends. Rea is not invited, but she sneaks along anyway. When she is discovered, the twins argue and Rea heads for home. The next day, Rohan is nowhere to be found. Days go by with no sign of Rohan and their mother seems convinced that he is gone forever. Rea decides to take matters into her own hands and search for Rohan herself. With the help of Leela, a friendly and enthusiastic girl who lives close to her, Rea starts on a dangerous quest that leads her to a magical world full of mysteries and secrets about her past that have been kept hidden for many years.

I am always on the lookout for books from authors/set in countries other than the UK or the US so I was excited to read this story and hopefully add it to the books in my classroom library. I'm so pleased that this book lived up to my expectations. I know there are some children in my class who will find the Indian setting very familiar and enjoy seeing themselves in Rea. For those in my class who do not know much about India, the descriptions are so authentic and vivid that they are bound to know a lot more after reading the book. I'm sure they will all love the quest-style adventure and magical world of Astranthia.

While this story can feel a bit info-heavy at the beginning, but Rea as a character is a treat to follow. She is determined and stubborn and oh so relatable.

Alice in Wonderland meets the Chronicles of Narnia!

Our past forms most of us; because of which we can leave behind a legacy.

Rea is a 12-year-old girl in search of her twin brother; only to discover that her efforts are a part of something bigger.

An adventurous journey awaits for every reader! For every person who fantasized about being on an expedition with Dora when they were kids!

Written in a single POV, even if the story was unnecessarily long and included irrelevant details, strong character development makes up for it.

My heart swelled with the Indian rep in this book. I wish I had books like this in my school library back when I was a kid. From the terms used, to the setting, everything was so authentically Indian, I had a fabulous time reading it. Mentions of food like pakoras, roti and dal, thupkas as well the festival of Diwali or kids playing cricket, everything was a delight. Own Voices just make me really happy.

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar is a promising middle-grade debut about an adventurous fantasy imbibed with Indian culture, vivid settings, thoughtful relationships dynamics and interesting plot. I cannot see what happens in the sequel! If you’re a MG reader or looking for an enjoyable, quick tale or you simply want more South-Asian books, I definitely recommend this book to you!

Rea and Rohan couldn’t be more different. Brother and sister, one popular and one not so much. They both sneak out for a cricket match on the night of their birthday even though Amma has told them to stay inside. How was Rea to know Rohan would disappear on his way home. Rea finds a threatening note and has disturbing dreams. She and her friend find their way to a fortune teller who leads them to a Banyan tree. After portaling through the tree, they befriend a boy and his pari friend. Obstacles come up but are met and defeated. Good first book. Nice start to middle grade fantasy series.

This was a lot of fun, full of whimsy and culture. I like Rea as a main character and seeing her growth throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is exactly what younger me wanted: a 12-year old protagonist living in India, a girl that looks like me and gets to go on a magical adventure and make friends along the way!

When Rea finds out that her twin, Rohan, has plans to sneak out for a midnight game of cricket without inviting her, on THEIR birthday, she crashes their game. But when Rohan disappears that night, Rea is desperate to find him. With only a few riddles that will lead her to the magical land of Astranthia, Rea recruits her only acquaintance, Leela, a girl she struggles to call a friend.

Rea was too scared, uncertain, and unused to receiving faith from the people around her to immediately become friends with Leela. It was a whole process, and honestly my favorite part of the book! Rea learns so much from her friendship with Leela, like how we don’t actually know what people are dealing with. She learns that being a loner is NOT the same thing as being independent. That you don’t need to have things in common to be a good friend. That it’s so nice, easy, and helpful to open up to a friend, and to support them as well. That you can ask your friends for help, and help them out too. That platonic love is so beautiful and worthy of commitment.

Also, I love Leela SO MUCH!! She is the literal cutest and has SO much patience with Rea as she learns how to be a better friend with every mistake and stumble! The magical world is insanely whimsical and mysterious and so wonderfully imaginative! Perfect for middle graders to dream about and want to visit!

I loved this book and I am so excited for the second book! I highly recommend, especially to any middle schooler. My only criticism/question is, why did all the characters have completely different "Astranthian" names?

what an incredible, moving read. i absolutely loved rea's journey both as a lost princess but also as a simple girl, trying to find her way in the world. i related to a lot of the problems rea has with her family on earth and found it so, so heartwarming to see her overcome her struggles. moreover, rohan's heroism was a true turning point in the novel for me. it didn't even feel like a middle grade fantasy anymore - i was, at 21 years old, completely enthralled.

A young Desi girl has to track down and rescue her (totally annoying tbh) brother after he is lost into the magical realm of Astranthia, where gods and monsters and stories live. Whelp! Luckily Rea is clever, and brave and determined to get her brother back. Full of love, friendship, and learning how to be brave and strong, and what is worth fighting for, and that even though you may be totally mad at annoying brothers who SPOIL YOUR BIRTHDAY, you love them anyway.
Working in a bookstore, the absolute best part of my job was always that moment when you see a child truly connect with a book. Happily, we seem to be living in a golden age of children's fiction, with more and more authors and protagonists of colour on shelves. Young bipoc kids get to see children who look like themselves right there on the cover!
And this one is actually set in India! For those waiting on the next Aru Shah, or who loved Narnia but totally needed descriptions of Amma’s fried banana chips instead of weird British things.

This was a lot of fun. The biggest stand out to me was the friendships.

Rea and Rohan are twins getting ready to turn twelve. They live with their mom and grandma and don't know anything about their father. They don't have much money and their mom works two to three jobs. Rea feels like her family loves Rohan more and he gets to do what he wants. Rea overhears that Rohan is having a cricket match at midnight on their birthday. But when she asks Rohan, he lies about it. Rea decides to sneak out and follow him. She doesn't really have friends, but she asks a girl, Leela, to come with her. Amma was acting weird and told Rea to stay home and keep the door locked. Rea followed her mom to the house of a fortune teller and it just confused her mom. Amma didn't believe in those things. The cricket game goes well, but Rohan never made it back to bed that night. Amma acted like he would never come back and Rea didn't know why. So she decided that she would be the one to find him.

Rea and Leela visit the fortune teller and get clues to find Rohan. What those clues lead to is another world that they didn't know existed. Once there, they need to find help to get Rohan from where he's being kept. They also need to stay alive. All the secrets of her family start to come out and Rea finds out that she has the blood of the nectar in her veins. She just needs to awaken the magic.

I gave this book 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my earc.

Warnings for talk of suicide, blood magic, death, captivity.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mango & Marigold Press and the author for the advanced reader’s copy of Rea and the Blood of the Nectar in exchange for my honest review.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar got some very good early reviews and #ownvoices fantasy debut with an Indian main character! I'm always up for some good middle-grade novels to tone down the seriousness and adultness of my usual TBR, so I immediately grabbed this ARC copy!

THE STORY:

The story follows twelve-year-old Rea Chettri as she's thrust into a new world that is just a portal away from her little village of Darjeeling. Everything starts on her twelfth birthday when her twin brother Rohan goes missing. Rea and her friend Leela embarks on a bit of mystery-solving and stumbles upon the magical world of Astranthia, where mythical creatures roam and citizens live in flower bud homes. As Rea meets new friends and searched for Rohan in this mysterious new world, she soon comes to realise that there is more to the story behind this kidnapping and that there are some secrets from her past that are starting to catch up with her.

THE CHARACTERS:

Initially, I found it a teensy bit hard to actually like Rea and by the end of the book, I think I understood her a lot better and I sort of wanted her to work on herself like she did throughout this book. She was initially what I would call a brat; she has this habit of blaming others for everything that goes wrong, and she had this annoying lack of trust in almost anyone. Her uneasy family dynamics explains a lot of it, but I found it a bit frustrating at times. However, she really grows through her friendships and experiences, becoming more loving, selfless and powerful in a way that is very satisfying to me as the reader.

I don't feel strongly about Rea's family yet since a good bit of the book is of Rea and her friends on their quest, but I find them complex and layered from their past experiences, so I'm hoping there will be more direct interactions with them in the next book.

I loved Rea's friends though! My absolute favourite character here was Leela, Rea's friend from Darjeeling who gets roped into this mission. Her patience and understanding of Rea and the way she tackles Rea's tantrums were great! She practically had more patience with Rea than anyone else, myself included.

THE PLOT:

What I really liked about the plot was that it was fast-paced. It really conveyed the urgency of Rea's mission and got me excited as the reader. It really delivered on the adventure and magic that it promised in the blurb. I really like how the portals into Astranthia reminded me of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that childhood me loved!

Since this was publicised as an #ownvoices novel, I had high expectations and I am happy to say this book met all of it! There is even a glossary in the back for all the phrases that anyone who isn't familiar with Indian culture would not understand.

There were a few plot twists in Rea and the Blood of the Nectar, some I saw coming and some that made me gasp out aloud. I did like that about it because too many plot twists in a story that is already as adventurous and fast-paced as this one would have been way too much.

THE WORLD-BUILDING:

Aside from the village life that Rea and Rohan grew up in, Astranthia plays a major role in this story. I really liked how the author weaved a common theme of nature being magical. She really incorporated a lot of natural entities, like flower buds as houses, lilies with serpentine lethality, clothes made of flowers and many more! Overall, it was very strong world-building and I loved the originality of it!

I also loved how the author handled everything to do with royalty and how the throne passes down from royal to royal. It was unique and I loved the concepts.

Also, let me stress that Doshi used some amazing language in this story. I was constantly highlighting beautiful lines that burst with imagery and richness! However, I did notice that some words, such as "augury" and "pnigalion", are way too advanced for a middle-grade read, in my opinion. I still loved Googling them though!

THE THEMES:

I loved that Rea and the Blood of the Nectar was mindful of the fact that it is a middle-grade novel and discussed many relevant themes. My favourite theme from this book was Rea's growth. Since the whole story is narrated through her POV, it was very obvious when she started to realise her own mistakes and make conscious efforts to correct herself. I think this is a very pertinent theme for kids this age. Rea learnt a lot about taking responsibility, being a good friend, and taking others' feeling into consideration. I feel like twelve-year-old me would have been very impressed by everything Rea goes through and taken these lessons to heart.

Family dynamics play a major role since most of Rea's initial personality is molded from her experiences with her Amma and Rohan. I liked how Doshi used this and Rea's growth to show the importance of friendships. It certainly made me appreciate how much Rea's friends did for her throughout their quest.

FINAL VERDICT:

It took me some time to warm up to Rea and the Blood of the Nectar but it is hard to resist the lure of the excellent world-building, the magical writing and the satisfying character development. I ended up breezing through the second half of the book when my interest really picked up and I loved it!

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Review A desi middle grade with magic and fantasy worlds that is set in the hearth of Darjeeling? Gimme gimme!!

Reading about young south asian girls in fantasy has my heart. Silent girls coming of power and age. Brown girls fighting back. I love it.

When I came across Rea and the blood of the nectar last year, I was so intrigued. And so lucky that I got an e-arc from Netgalley to read!!

Here, we follow Rea and her family on a mysterious trail of magic and secrets when one night, her brother disappears. With the help of her best friend, Rea discovers a doorway to a whole new world, and secrets that she could never imagine to be true.

RaTBoN is an adventurous tale of family, friendship and sibling love. I loved the writing style of the author which was so easy to grasp and vivid. The story was laid out very well I feel, the mystery building up from the first chapter itself. In its course, we get to see Rea's dilemmas and her second thoughts about herself, her doubts. It was so good, I think, to get into her head that way. And very relatable for many, I'd say.

The mystery element in the book was superb. I was hooked right away and it kept me turning my page, making me finish the book in a day. I was so eager to know what was gonna happen, if it was going to be a happy ending. The without handled it really well.

One qualm I had was the pacing. While the plot was well drafted, I felt like most of the parts were very rushed and happening too fast. Now, I do enjoy high stakes fast paced fantasies, but here, I needed a breather I guess. In the sense that too many things were happening all at once. And in the midst, Rea's inner monologues get a little annoying I'd say. Very little.

However, I did enjoy this fantasy adventure and for anyone looking for a nice middle grade desi story, I'd say read this!

"Rea And The Blood of the Nectar" by Payal Doshi is an Ownvoices middle grade desi fantasy novel with an Indian main character and so much more to offer. The book definitely will adventurous and full of short and sweet twists and turns. The story is about a twelve-year-old Rea Chettri, who portals into an otherworldly realm to go on a secret quest to find her missing twin brother Rohan. The clock is ticking in this fast-paced, thrilling, and exciting adventure rife with evil creatures, a ruthless villain, and unforgettable friendships.

First set in a small town called Darjeeling, in India and then in an outwardly realm and place called Astranthia. I loved the character of Rhea and Leela. The Indian culture explained is just perfect. Seeing an indian girl made me think of myself and related with Rea and her journey.

I haven't seen many Indian Culture based fantasy novels, for that matter I can say this was my first such middle grade novel that I read and I absolutely loved it. The Indian culture and Literature has so much more to offer. Payal Doshi's writing style is flawless and lucid. I absolutely loved her descriptions of various characters. Loved how Rea's character grew as well as others along with her on the journey.
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Thank You NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for a honest opinion.