Book Review: Aranghya & Jahar Bandahar Series – I by Vidhya Iyer

Aranghya & Jahar Bandahar Series – I
Author: Vidhya Iyer
Publisher: Self Published
Rating: 2.5/5

Fantasy genre is liked by everyone because it has the caliber to transport the readers into a parallel reality that is synonymous with a utopian world. ‘Aranghya & Jahar Bandahar Series – I’ is the first book in the series that tells a tale of the kings and the queens, their far-flung lands and their ruling methodologies as well.

Like we have seen in previous historical fiction, here too, the rulers marry the queens and then eye the woman in the street. The story is about the kingdom of Bandahar which is bifurcated into seven smaller kingdoms. King Mithilesh, the emperor, seeks solace from the arduous matters of the court by convincing his son to marry the princess of another kingdom. The prince obliges but later falls for a common with a mellifluous voice. Amidst a love triangle and unstable polity, the atmosphere of the story intensifies, for the emotions of lust, greed, revenge and hatred become evident.

The plot forced me to draw parallels with Mahabharat because the former has a similar premise. With too many characters in question, the author fails to construct a personality for the protagonists and thus, the readers lose the plot on the whole. Numerous grammatical errors further prevent the story from passing the muster. The cover design is also ambiguous. Somewhere in the process of getting our name printed on the cover, we often forget that any work of fiction has to follow the basic norms of correct grammar and attractive cover design. We all are so keen on becoming famous that we want to achieve success by hook or by crook. It is saddening.

Even though the plot is predictable, the author succeeds in leaving it on a cliffhanger that puts the eyes of the readers on the stalk. Considering that this is the first book by the author, the effort is definitely praiseworthy. However, I wish the author had paid equal attention to proofreading and synchronized plotting as well.

Best wishes!

Buying Link: Amazon