Force of Fire

The Pinki Adventures #1

by Sayantani DasGupta

Pinki hails from a long line of rakkhosh resistors, demons who have spent years building interspecies relationships, working together to achieve their goal of overthrowing the snakey oppressors and taking back their rights. But she has more important things to worry about, like maintaining her status as fiercest rakkhosh in her class and looking after her little cousins. There is also the teeny tiny detail of not yet being able to control her fire breathing and accidentally burning up school property.

Then Sesha, the charming son of the Serpentine Governor, calls on Pinki for help in defeating the resistance, promising to give her what she most desires in return -- the ability to control her fire. First she'll have to protect the Moon Maiden, pretend to be a human (ick), and survive a family reunion. But it's all worth it for the control of her powers . . . right?

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mythology, Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult, Magic

368 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2021

Reviews

[Fanna]

October 06, 2020: OH MY GOD LOOK AT THAT COVER and ahhh I honestly can't wait for this fiery fantasy,,, look at that saree!! okay I'll stop now BUT I WANT THIS

[Velvet Orange · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely loved this magical story.

This is my first Sayantani DasGupta book and I am very excited to delve into the others!
I actually loved it so much that after I listened to it via audiobook, I bought a physical copy to share with my kids. We will be using this for our homeschooling when studying Asia the the Middle East. The audiobook was wonderful but I found myself wanting to see the words that I don't understand and the spelling of the names that I am not familiar with so I can go down those rabbit trails.

The last section when all of the historical events were linked back to the fantastical and magical events of the book was enlightening. I'm so happy this was included.

Very excited for the next installment of the Pinki Adventures!

[em]

they way it deals with topics of colonialism in India is superb. And I am living for the desi MC in a pretty sari, it makes her look so badass, no-nonsense.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the author’s note that shows what she was trying to do with her story and it’s representation of history in India and the U.S.

[S! · Rating 5 out of 5]

/vague spoilers/

Honestly all I can say is that I enjoyed this book SO MUCH MORE than the Kiranmala trilogy and that's amazing. Things I loved in no particular order:

- the dramatic irony. I wanted to bang my head against the wall but I was too busy laughing half the time, Sayantani DasGupta really had it nailed down

- the allegory to the Indian revolution, I enjoyed how it explored themes of culture being passed on through music, poetry and language in a fantasy world and it was a cool experience recognizing specific elements of this that I already knew about (which also happened with the shoutouts to stories I've heard before! It was great)

- the characters!! Especially Pinki, who is just... great. Maybe not the most altruistic person, and she has a sliiiiight penchant for eating humans, but she's laugh out loud hilarious in her selfishness and even relatable at points, and especially likable for her devotion to her baby cousins. And Chandni, the girl who joins Pinki and is wayyyyyy more multifaceted than she seems (hint: look at her name), is wonderful... I REFUSE to believe she has a kid with Sesha in the future, she is way too good for him I also liked Pinki's two classmates, they were just such an odd pair lol

- the humor, it's just very unusual and playful, I'd even say whimsical. The characters all have very distinct and unusual personalities (and I loved all the references to the main character being rakkhosh what with her three hearts and all the casual talking about the human eating Olympics and such) and the world is equally as distinctive and remarkable -- it's a refreshing change of pace

- the conclusion was super satisfying, it didn't exactly end with the characters in a stable environment but it DID end with them all reaching their characters arcs and a sneak peek forward about what they're doing next,, it was almost cinematic. (Also, is there going to be a sequel? PLEASE SAY IT'S GOING TO BE A SEQUEL.)

- the pace, this book was extremely easy to read and never slowed down -- when we weren't having tense action scenes, we were having funny scenes or interesting introspective scenes, and I enjoyed how it was all spread out, never getting either too cloying or too caught up in its own brilliance or too surface-level

- the dialogue. There's this one scene with Sesha and Pinki and her baby cousins, and the dialogue there is just so funny but also emotional and so, you know???? I loved it so much, and the rest of the book has great dialogue also

OKAY BUT DO SESHA AND CHANDNI GET TOGETHER???? PLEASE NO. Also, please say Pinki doesn't become the Demon Queen I know it happens but pleasssseee for the sake of my sanity

[Lopa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A handful of pages into the book, I came across this:

“Why don’t the snakes want us to speak Bangla, Shurjo-da?” one of the human schoolchildren was asking. The teacher they called Brother Shurjo smiled, poured some soil into the boy’s hand, and then closed the child’s small fist tight with his own. “I know this might be hard to understand, but the thing is, destroying a people’s language, not letting children learn the ways of those who came before them, is the surest way to kill a culture.”

And I knew I would love this book! And I was right!

Sayantani DasGupta just has a way of taking the stories, mythology, lore, and history of the culture I was born into and love and retelling them in a fun yet pertinent way that still fits our current times. I was raised to feel passionately about the South Asian fight for freedom from the British, the Bangladeshi fight for our language, and the Thakurmar Jhuli stories, so for me it's amazing to see a story that incorporates all of that but makes it accessible to a modern day readers and a younger audience. I feel like I say this in every review of her books that I write, but I wish these books existed when I was a kid. I'm glad they exist now and hope the younger generations learn a lot from them.

Even if you're not interested in any of the above, this is still a fun adventure story about finding friends who become like family and finding your own voice to defeat the bad guys and I think anyone would enjoy that! Highly recommend. Would give it more than 5 stars if I could.

[EpicLiteraryNerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book!!!!!! SOOOOOOOO good. Pinki is hilarious. That is a fact. This is so much better than the Kiranmala series. Even if you were slightly underwhelmed or just underwhelmed with Kiranmala, but liked the premises, I highly encourage you to give it a try. The things I didn't like about this book were mostly problems I had with the characters future selves in Kiranmala. And by problems I mean depressing lives.
Things I liked:
-PINKI. She is awesome. She is hilarious. She is just great.
-The characters! All of them were great. Except for Sesha. He is the worst.
-The cousin relationships.
-It was SUPER hilarious.
-Pinki's sari on the cover. It is just AWESOME.
-The fast pacing.
-Pinki
-THE WRITING (It was sooooo good).
-PINKI
Things I didn't like:
-SESHA
-SESHA
-Pinki's "crush" on Sesha.
-Yep, you guessed it. All my complaints with this book have to do with a certain character.
-The fact that you know that Sesha and Chandni grow up and have a kid together. That is CREEPY.
-The fact that you know that Pinki isn't going to have a happy ending. I mean, her character in Kiranmala is just depressing.
-The fact that Pinki was in love with Sesha at some point in her future teenage life. That is just....sad.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun story! Pinki is a rakkhosh with fire magic and may very well be the strongest rakkhosh of her generation. Unfortunately, she does not have control over her magic, a problem which often results in the accidental destruction of benches, trees, and other parts of her school. In addition, she is often made fun of as a result of her inability to control and use her magic.

After one such even in which Pinki loses control, she and her three young cousins go for a walk, leaving the school grounds. They end up coming across a human male teaching language to a bunch of small children. Though rakkhosh and humans are enemies, Pinki actually saves them from the larger enemy of the serpents by scaring them away. The serpents are then able to capture Pinki and her 3 cousins, and they only agree to release them after gaining an agreement to find missing moonbeams that the serpents needs to complete a weapon of mass destruction. Reluctant at first, Sesha, the son of the Serpentine Governor, gains her agreement by promising to teach her how to control her magic.

And thus begins an adventure in which nothing goes according to plan.

But it is that failure to go according to plan that makes the story so wonderful. From Pinki's struggle to protect her cousins to her intense desire to be able to control her magic, from her desire to have familial closeness to her beliefs about her mother. From her desire to have people believe in her while holding herself apart from everyone.

I loved seeing the way that Pinki grew throughout the story, and I don't mean her ability to use her magic. There are so many twists and turns in this story that even when the story was coming close to the end, I wasn't sure that it actually would end. It did, though, and I loved the way it did end.

The audiobook, which was narrated by Ulka Simone Mohanty, was absolutely fantastic. Mohanty gave a fantastic performance and I hope that as the author continues writing more stories in this world and with these characters, Mohanty will continue to be the narrator. I also really liked the author's note at the end of the audiobook (I do not know if it is included in the ebook or printed book, but I hope it is) which talks about the background of the mythologies and stories upon which this book is based, as well as the discussion on colonization and how it affected Indian history and the stories told as a result.

I definitely recommend this book for kids and adults. It is good enough for anyone to enjoy.

[Sirah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pinki is a selfish fire demon who can't control her fire power and faces constant ridicule from her classmates. When one of the snake oppressors tells her he can give her control over her fire in exchange for a rare weapon, Pinki decides to team up with him, even though it means betraying the resistance that her parents died or were imprisoned for.

I told myself at one point that if this book said "fart" or "snot" one more time, I'd DNF it. I did not keep that promise. I struggled to get into this book, primarily because the main character was unlikable. This I can deal with, but paired with the fact that for most of the book, it's unclear what the right choice would even be, I struggled to keep up with the plot. Had I been the one writing the book, I probably would have tried to make it clearer early on that Pinki's reticence about joining the resistance is personal, not noble. I went back to Goodreads to read some reviews and found that a lot of people liked the way this book parallels the Bengali freedom fight, particularly its fight for native language, and this book was further inspired by the Native American reeducation systems that still have echoes today. Armed with this information, I was better able to appreciate this book and found myself enjoying the ending to some extent. I can only blame myself (and the American school system) for the fact that I have almost no knowledge of Bengali independence, but coming into this book with at least a vague idea of those events would have made my reading more meaningful. It would not have made the potty humor any less juvenile, though. The book does end on something of a cliffhanger, but it's remarkably satisfying nonetheless, so I give it a lot of credit for making the character arcs so fulfilling that I don't mind that we have no idea who wins or survives in the end.

[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique read! The writing style aside, this almost felt more like a YA story. I appreciate that this author felt moved to share content on social organizing and political revolution with young readers, especially content that explores the risks (which at this target age, most don't). With that said, considering the amount of violence and death in the story, it's definitely a better fit for readers 10+, and I absolutely wouldn't recommend this without mentioning that content first.
The story becomes about 10% stronger with the addition of the author's note. There is so much detail that readers who aren't familiar with India's colonial history would definitely miss.
All that aside, the story was funny and easy to follow, the characters were well written, and the ending is satisfying.

[Sarah Couture · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pinki est un personnage récurrent de la première série et on ne la connait pas beaucoup et on ne sait pas si on l'aime ou non. J'ai donc apprécié avoir un aperçu de son passé et de la connaitre davantage. Je vais certainement écouter les autres lorsqu'ils sortiront.

Le thème principal est très clairement la colonisation. Je trouve que c'est une belle manière d'aborder un sujet plutôt lourd avec des personnages fictifs qui ne sont pas humains. Bien que ce soit un sujet qui peut être souvent utilisé, je l'ai rarement vu abordé de manière aussi claire. On constate aussi bien le cheminement de pensées d'un des personnages par rapport à cette situation.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All right, ding-dongs! Let's go down in a blaze of glory!"

Once I found out that DasGupta was writing another series set in the Kingdom Beyond, after Kiranmala's outing, I decided it was a good reason to first do a re-read of the original trilogy, since I was afraid I might miss some things, otherwise. Such as: Who the hell was Pinki? Did she already feature in Kiranmala's books?
Well, yes, actually, she's the Demon Queen, which I had totally forgotten, so that was some luck on my part.

This book is set during her and her friends' teen years (they all seem to be a bit older than Kiran, Neel, Lal, Mati and the others were, maybe about fifteen or sixteen) and things are very different, really. We get a different view of the Kingdom Beyond now, which makes it all the more interesting. At times, it's a bit confusing, but the fact that there's hardly any astronomy involved in the book also makes it easier to follow in another way. People who'll read the appendix will find out this story relies much more on actual history - but then, with a fantastical twist of course. Very interesting!

It's action-packed, honestly. It starts out like most other books in the genre, but somewhere about halfway into the book, things start happening and the story just keeps on spinning out of control. It's a very wild and bumpy ride! At times, it could even have benefited from a few calmer scenes, just so you can take a breath, but fine, apparently the author wants us all to get cardiac arrests... I can appreciate that!

Apart from Pinki herself, there are several other characters that will be familiar to readers who've visited the Kingdom Beyond before: Sesha, the principal at Pinki's school, Chandni... It's a lot of fun seeing them in their younger years, and Pinki has a terrific voice. Her character is nicely rounded, just like her other friends. There are also new characters original to The Fire Queen books, such as Kumi and Aakash, and they're also given their own characteristics.

Force of Fire didn't quite immediately catch my attention as much as the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond books, but it still definitely has enough to keep you occupied in your seat for a couple of hours. Now it's just waiting for Book 2. I'm excited!

7.2/10

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Scholastic Press through Edelweiss+.
DasGupta has begun a new series which draws from Bengali folktales. Readers see the Rakkhosh and human kingdoms under the control of the Serpent King. They also see a young Rokkhash, Pinki, figuring out who she is and overcoming her resentments and anger at her parents for being more involved with the revolution for freedom. She learns to trust others and to master her own fire powers to battle back against the serpents and reclaim their land.
The story weaves character development with plenty of action to keep readers engaged. This is book one so much of the story was spent on developing the characters who will form the unit that sets out to reclaim their realms from their enemies. Be sure to read the Author Notes at the end for further background information.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of the Kingdom Beyond books returns with a stand alone novel set in the same universe. Pinki is the daughter of two of the most renowned rakkhosh members of the resistance to the take over of the Kingdom Beyond by the snakes. But Pinki resolutely refuses to join the resistance, focusing on herself instead. She is a rakkhosh who has fire magic but can’t control it at all. So when a handsome snake prince offers her a way to learn to control her fire, she agrees to find the hidden moonbeams for him. But the moonbeams are not what Pinki had thought they were. As she follows the trail to find the moonbeams, she finds herself learning about what the snakes are doing to people and children in particular, including one of Pinki’s own little cousins, who has lost the ability to speak. But can Pinki forgive her neglectful parents and find a way to embrace her fire and her heritage?

The world building here is marvelous, full of beings from Bengali folktales and stories. As they journey through cave complexes, into ornate palaces and beneath the sea, the entire landscape not only is revealed but becomes a large part of the story as it is impacted by the snake magic and decrees. Readers will also see ties to the Indian Revolution against British rule throughout the story, something that is mentioned in the Author’s Note at the end of the book. This use of a real tyranny as a basis offers a strong foundation for this fantasy to rest upon.

The characters are well drawn. Pinki in particular is a delight of a female character, full of pride in her largess, her horns and her talons, she also struggles to make friends and to rely on others for help. This is all made understandable as her personal story is revealed. She is a character who starts out as surprisingly selfish and steadily proves that she is not, again and again. With funny characters who add charm, like the egg-gifting little cousin, the book also has a lot of humor throughout to offset the darkness.

Fiery, fun and fabulous. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this, the first of a planned series, Pinki, a rakkhosh, struggles with being able to control her fire power, and her missteps provide great amusement for her classmates. Despite being descended from ancestors who fought to end oppression from the snakes, she is more concerned with her own image and figuring out how to harness her abilities. When she allies herself with Sesha, the son of the Serpentine Governor, she agrees to find something special that he needs in exchange for his assistance in harnessing her powers. But Pinki realizes that she can't trust Sesha at all, eventually finding allies in the most unexpected places. Parts of the story will resonate with anyone familiar with the boarding schools in Canada and the United States whose purpose was indoctrination or anyone aware of how certain languages or self-expression methods are valued more than others. Filled with references to Bengali folklore and the colonizing and subsequent division of India, the book is filled with action, adventure, humor and a narrator who epitomizes the meaning of snarkiness. It's pretty hard to resist the charms of Pinki's egg-loving little cousin, Deembo, although I wondered how she managed to secret so many eggs in her pockets over the course of the book. While readers are likely to enjoy this one on its own merits, it's also possible to see much of the story as an allegory for how the British treated their colony for decades. Its theme is beautifully summed up in the book's final lines: "We had felt freedom. Freedom from our own fears, freedom from society's dictates, freedom from old habits and old ideas. We had tasted freedom and we wouldn't stop until it spread across the land, flowing like air and water, burning like fire, shining like the sun, moon, and stars" (p. 341). The last half of the book kept me fully engaged although I had to push myself to get through the first 60 pages or so because Pinki is just so unlovable.

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pinki is a member of the Rakkhosh demons, who are known for wanting to overthrow the rulers of the land: the snakes. The story follows Pinki as she decides which side of the war she stands on, gains more control over her demonic powers, and grows to be more accepting (just slightly) of her friends and family. She starts off alone but gains a nontraditional crew on her journey to discover what she values and wants to work to become. Hints of romance are simmered throughout the story, but nothing too strongly is suggested.

I think Force of Fire is moderately good. It gives a unique story for young adults to read about themselves through the mind of a self-proclaimed human hater (which is more of a satire than a truth throughout the novel). I really enjoyed the beginning where the protagonist was portrayed to have a lot of potential. Though, I was disappointed with how the sweet ending of the book. In my opinion, a good young adult book should have a character with a lot of potential go through a journey with somewhat irreversible hardships along the way. There were betrayals in the book, but they quickly resolved themselves in 10-20 pages.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequel of sorts to the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series, focusing on the Demon Queen Pinki, who here is a young rakkhosh with trouble controlling her fire breath. She makes a deal with Sesha, the attractive son of the serpent Governor General, but finds that he's not exactly true to his word. Pinki becomes part of the resistance against the snake overlords who rule the Kingdom Beyond at this point, and brings an army of ghosts to rescue her fellow rakkhosh from an underwater fortress. Kiranmala's mother, the Moon Maiden Chandni, plays a role, as does Tuntuni's father, who's just as prone to terrible jokes as his son. Ai-Ma, Pinki's dotty and doting mother, also appears. The author intended the fight against the occupying serpents to parallel the fight for Indian independence, and there are references to their trying to erase the demons' language, particularly their rhyming speech.

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the first book of Sayantani DasGupta's The Pinki Adventures Series for Reddit Fantasy's 2023 Bingo Square Angels and Demons. This book qualifies for hard mode as the protagonist, Pinki is, as described in the sequel's Author's note rakkosh: those carnivorous, snot trailing demons who liked to speak in rhyme while chomping on innocent villagers. Apparently rhyming is climbing their corporate ladder!


The book started in typical middle grade fashion with Pinki being a rebellious, snarky smart ass and I was immediately turned off, wondering how on earth am I, a mature adult, supposed to put up with this kind of teen protagonist who thinks being disrespectful to their elders is the epitome of cool.


And then, this came up.

“Why don’t the snakes want us to speak Bangla, Shurjo-da?” one of the human schoolchildren was asking. The teacher they called Brother Shurjo smiled, poured some soil into the boy’s hand, and then closed the child’s small fist tight with his own. “I know this might be hard to understand, but the thing is, destroying a people’s language, not letting children learn the ways of those who came before them, is the surest way to kill a culture.”

All right, now we realize it is Pinki's defense mechanism, fighting against expectations since she hails from a long line of rakkhosh resistors who have spent years building an interspecies coalition to overthrowing the Snake oppressors. Also, she's basically a teenager with teenage concerns like like maintaining her status as fiercest rakkhosh in her class and looking after her little cousins, because to teens, those things are more life and death than resisting oppression.


To be frank, this book is aimed at middle graders and reads as such. I was not a fan of the prose, but I understand why the author did it. She is using the YA formula perfected by Rick Riordan, which consists of a rebellious "different" protagonist, who has powers they have yet to learn to control (water for Percy Jackson, fire for Pinki), they're snarky, there are lots of pop culture references and jokes to keep the young readers entertained so she can secretly educate them on REAL issues, while expanding their knowledge of Indian mythology and Culture.


I think in this respect, Sayantani DasGupta succeeds. I was able to read between the lines to realize this is a discourse about the evils of British Colonialism, hidden in an entertaining children's book that also teaches us a lot about Indian mythology. Edutainment wise, it's a win. I'm not a fan of the writing or some of the characters, which feel like thinly veiled caricatures, so I liked (but didn't love) this book as much as middle graders might.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this book on its own, but one thing I have learned over the course of the 3 Kiranmala books, and now this prequel, is that reading the author’s note at the end is an absolute must. So much of these stories draws from traditional Bengali folklore and epics, as well as history and science. In this book DasGupta also ties in American history with references to the residential schools for Native Americans across the USA and Canada. As I write this, the last several weeks have been filled with news stories of the uncovering of mass graves at these schools of native children in numbers sometimes reaching upwards of 700. Having that fresh in my mind made certain portions of this story particularly poignant. This book was a fun quick read with a lot of depth.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The world is very interesting, the plot is pretty good, the writing style is great, and I enjoyed the characters overall. Pinki was definitely a fun character, especially her development throughout the story. I felt like things went kind of fast, but I also binged most of the audiobook in a few sittings so that might have something to do with it. Speaking of, I loved the narrator in the audiobook and it was nice to hear how all those names were meant to be pronounced. Anyway, altogether this was a fun read, but I kinda felt like it was below my level and targeted towards a younger audience. The ending and all its morals felt a little forced in my face. Not the most amazing thing I've ever read, but worth reading.

[Cheyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so I got about 4 chapters left to read in this book but I decided to wait to finish reading it when I get my hands on the second book in this series. Because I'm afraid that it's gonna end on a cliff hanger and I do not want to get to the cliff hanger and not have the second book on hand to keep reading. Because I'm absolutely loving this book so far.
I love the India representation, the folklore and the myths. This book is great for children but also for adults because it has great India representation but with a touch of fantasy and action that can really keep someone hooked and interested in it.
I can't wait to get the rest of the books in this series by this author and start reading.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is great for young readers, and it was definitely interesting to get a look at the prior generation in Kingdom Beyond. As the book progresses, the writing and the protagonist mature, and I think the key element was the inclusion of Deembo, for reasons you'll discover. Yes, it still has the corny jokes and grade school taunts that annoy most adult readers, but the payoff in the third act is better than you expect.

I will continue reading the series because (1) I wish I had these books when I was growing up and (2) there was some great, layered character building in this one. It has me hopeful.

[Marzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful entry into the Kingdom Beyond series, Force of Fire tells the backstory of our favorite rakkhosh Pinki, and Sesha, the Serpent King. Billed as The Pinki Adventures #1, this subseries set in Kiranmala's world provides a strong female character coming into her own. Pinki is utterly delightful!

The audiobook, narrated by Ulka Mohanty, is really marvelous.

Strongly recommended for middle-grade summer reading. It's easy to step into the series from Pinki's vantage point and circle back to the Kiranmala books for further enjoyment.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Force of Fire is the fourth book by Sayantani DasGupta that I've read. The other three were The Serpent's Secret, Game of Stars and The Chaos curse, all part of the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series. I'd rated each of them 4 stars. Force of Fire serves as a prequel to those books, kicking off a new series detailing the early life of Pinki the Demon Queen, including her history with the snake king Sesha, who is only a young prince in this book. It is the first book by Sayantani DasGupta that I've given a 5 star rating to. It was awesome, and I can't wait to read more books about Pinki.

[Melissa Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute and action packed read for my sixth graders. I think they’ll love the silly humor. And I love how it incorporates elements of Bengali mythology along with messages celebrating the Indian independence movement. Even better, the author includes an explanation of those historical connections at the end of the book. Four instead of five just because it got a little too silly and random sometimes - like a bird that cracks jokes to dead souls - but I’m sure that won’t be a problem for my kiddos.

[Jenessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 8 year old. For reading alone I would recommend a 10 year old. The main character is sassy and snarky, which was definitely unexpected from my child’s point of view. She considered her a bit rude in fact- an example of what not to be. But as the story progresses, we see our heroine change and adapt and be a good person. The bigger themes of the novel include racism, colonization, ambiguity. A good book to read with your kid!

[gowri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really pleasantly surprised by the strong anti-colonial message that the book portrays so well; honestly I would definitely recommend for kids to read. Some parts were honestly cringey (it's for middle schoolers so no one to blame but me) and there are some parts where I felt like the writing could have been better but regardless I am absolutely sold on this series and am looking forward to the next book.

[Cande]

what a wonderful story! it was great to see so many of my favorite characters from Kiranmala series and their origin stories. and the new characters! adore Pinki’s cousins! as always, Sayantani delivers a beautiful story about friendship, culture, revolution and coming of age and power. can’t wait for the next installment!

[Raina · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 for the author, and 10/10 for the audiobook reader
This story takes place in a world based on Bengali folklore, where rakkhosh demons and humans all live under the rule of the oppresive serpentine government. The main character, Pinki, starts off wanting nothing to do with her family heritage of being resistance fighters. But along the way, comes to embrace her true power within and learn the power of community and culture. Somehow this middle grade fantasy made me laugh a lot and cry a lot all in the same story.

I also listened to this book, which I cannot recommend enough!! The narrator really brought each character to life, each had their own tone, cadence, speaking style, and it really made for such an immersive reading experience.

[JaTonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed quiet to read the beginning and get into it. It was very different than what I am used to. I might have mispronounced the character named in my head, but this story was amazing. I loved the culture weaving and saw historical events within this book. It’s amazing and a welcome read. It’s strong with cultural experiences and very emotional.