Blurb: In the ancient city of Ujjayani, the planets align to decide the fate of two starcursed lovers. Born under the curse of Mars, brilliant and beautiful Leelavati, daughter of the famed astronomer Bhaskarya Acharya of Ujjayani, knows she can never wed. But when her childhood playmate, the handsome and rich Rahul Nagarseth, returns from sea, their attraction is rekindled under stormy monsoon skies. As Leela, forced by fate to relinquish Rahul, tries to find solace in teaching at her fathers observatory, a fleeting alignment of the stars is discovered that can help overcome her curse. But Rahul is called away on a war to defend his kingdom. Can he return in time or will she lose him forever to the will of the planets?
Set in turbulent twelfth century India, against the backdrop of the savage wars waged by Muhammad of Ghor and his band of Turkis, Starcursed is a sweeping tale of science, romance and adventure that will transport its readers to another world.
Review:
What if your destiny was written in the stars? What if it wasn't good?
This is the reality for Leelavati in the twelfth-century, India. Her star-chart says that she is a Manglik and if she weds, her husband will die within the year. Leela has grown up knowing that fact and has focused instead on her education. Her father, an astronomer has given her the opportunity to learn mathematics, languages and of course, astronomy. Now that Leela is older, she even teaches some younger students; a privilege most women of the time do not enjoy. However, when Leela's childhood friend, Rahul returns from a long voyage their eyes are set for one another and Leela will go to great lengths to save Rahul from the fate written in her stars.
I loved this sweet love story! Though Starcursed is set in a time period long ago, Leela's voice transcends time and is easily relatable to any woman in any place at any time. Leela is a strong character that desperately wants to overcome her fate, but does not want to risk Rahul's life to see if she is correct. I liked that Leela just didn't throw herself at Rahul or put herself in his path, she does everything to stay out of his way. Although, I did find myself smiling throughout every scene where Rahul and Leela interact. Nandini Bajpai has brought 12th century India to life in this book. I enjoyed reading about a time, place and culture that I did not know a lot about. Here is one of my favorite quotes about the setting:
"It was a day of sun and shadow. That rarest of monsoon days when sunshine could suddenly
streak through the mass of dark clouds to dance on the hills and rivers below. A day for surprises."
The swayamvara ceremony was interesting to learn about, I had no idea that a woman would be allowed to pick from a line up a suitors at that time. Also, the war of Muhammed of Ghor and the Turkis was a new one for me, so I'll have to do some research into that. The science and math throughout was engaging as well, the debate scene was eye-opening into scientific theories and math at the time
Another interesting note, there really was a man named Bhaskara Acharya, who in this story is Leela's father. Bhaskara Acharya wrote The Crest Jewel of Astronomy. The first chapter of the book deals with arithmetic and is named Leelavati.
Buy Links: Amazon I Flipkart
Follow The Tour
26th May
Samarpita @ Words' Worth By Samarpita
A'ishah @ Inksugar
27th May
Nikita @ Njkinny's World of Books
Namrata @ Redpillows
Victoria @ Deal Sharing Aunt
28th May
Stephanie @ 100 Pages a Day
Nicole Hewitt @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
29th May
Jenn @ Book Reviews And Giveaways
Maniparna @ Scattered Thoughts
30th May
Sudeshna @ Proses, Verses and Conversations
Sanchit @ Musings of Immortals
- See more at: http://b00kr3vi3wtours.blogspot.com/#sthash.KITJwLn3.dpuf
Set in turbulent twelfth century India, against the backdrop of the savage wars waged by Muhammad of Ghor and his band of Turkis, Starcursed is a sweeping tale of science, romance and adventure that will transport its readers to another world.
Review:
What if your destiny was written in the stars? What if it wasn't good?
This is the reality for Leelavati in the twelfth-century, India. Her star-chart says that she is a Manglik and if she weds, her husband will die within the year. Leela has grown up knowing that fact and has focused instead on her education. Her father, an astronomer has given her the opportunity to learn mathematics, languages and of course, astronomy. Now that Leela is older, she even teaches some younger students; a privilege most women of the time do not enjoy. However, when Leela's childhood friend, Rahul returns from a long voyage their eyes are set for one another and Leela will go to great lengths to save Rahul from the fate written in her stars.
I loved this sweet love story! Though Starcursed is set in a time period long ago, Leela's voice transcends time and is easily relatable to any woman in any place at any time. Leela is a strong character that desperately wants to overcome her fate, but does not want to risk Rahul's life to see if she is correct. I liked that Leela just didn't throw herself at Rahul or put herself in his path, she does everything to stay out of his way. Although, I did find myself smiling throughout every scene where Rahul and Leela interact. Nandini Bajpai has brought 12th century India to life in this book. I enjoyed reading about a time, place and culture that I did not know a lot about. Here is one of my favorite quotes about the setting:
"It was a day of sun and shadow. That rarest of monsoon days when sunshine could suddenly
streak through the mass of dark clouds to dance on the hills and rivers below. A day for surprises."
The swayamvara ceremony was interesting to learn about, I had no idea that a woman would be allowed to pick from a line up a suitors at that time. Also, the war of Muhammed of Ghor and the Turkis was a new one for me, so I'll have to do some research into that. The science and math throughout was engaging as well, the debate scene was eye-opening into scientific theories and math at the time
Another interesting note, there really was a man named Bhaskara Acharya, who in this story is Leela's father. Bhaskara Acharya wrote The Crest Jewel of Astronomy. The first chapter of the book deals with arithmetic and is named Leelavati.
Buy Links: Amazon I Flipkart
Follow The Tour
26th May
Samarpita @ Words' Worth By Samarpita
A'ishah @ Inksugar
27th May
Nikita @ Njkinny's World of Books
Namrata @ Redpillows
Victoria @ Deal Sharing Aunt
28th May
Stephanie @ 100 Pages a Day
Nicole Hewitt @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
29th May
Jenn @ Book Reviews And Giveaways
Maniparna @ Scattered Thoughts
30th May
Sudeshna @ Proses, Verses and Conversations
Sanchit @ Musings of Immortals
- See more at: http://b00kr3vi3wtours.blogspot.com/#sthash.KITJwLn3.dpuf
About the Author: Nandini Bajpai grew up in New Delhi, India, one of four sisters and many cousins, in a family that liked to read. Although she dabbled in corporate finance, business analysis, and fostering shelter animals, her first love is writing. Her novel Red Turban White Horse: My Sister's Hurricane Wedding was published in 2013 by Scholastic India. She lives in the Boston area with her husband, kids, their dog Yogi and cat Rakhan.
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Read an Excerpt:
I didn’t stop running until I reached the lotus tank. The temple shone in the distance, its lights shimmering on the mirror of the water, music and laughter wafting from its crowded halls with every gust of wind. The lamp tower soared above me, quiet, inviting, deserted. I pushed open its heavy door and started to climb. High up in the tower the sounds from the temple faded, leaving only the echo of my footsteps, and the tinkling of my silver anklets as I climbed. The steep, curved staircase could be treacherous in the dark, but tonight every niche in the tower was lit up in honour of the festival. I pushed the door open at the top and walked to the railing. There was someone there. The clear night sky ablaze with stars framed his lithe form. His face looked serious in the glow of a single flickering lamp. I could see that the tender light of the other day still shone in his eyes—Rahul. He’d been waiting. My mind went blank. I was breathless from the exertion of the steep climb and shocked at finding him there. How had he known where to find me? Perhaps he knew I would try to avoid him, and guessed I might be here. ‘Leela,’ he said, coming towards me. ‘I beg leave to speak with you.’ I looked away, trying to think of a way to stall his words. ‘I’ve wanted to thank you,’ I said, buying time, ‘for saving Loky.’ He would not be distracted. ‘I came to see you,’ he said. ‘But you weren’t home. I sent a message through Loky, but you didn’t reply.’ I couldn’t deny it. ‘I don’t know if you are avoiding me of your own will or if you were compelled to do so…’ He took both my hands in his. ‘We started something on board that ship,’ he said, ‘and I’m determined to finish it. I can’t go away like this, not knowing.’
I didn’t stop running until I reached the lotus tank. The temple shone in the distance, its lights shimmering on the mirror of the water, music and laughter wafting from its crowded halls with every gust of wind. The lamp tower soared above me, quiet, inviting, deserted. I pushed open its heavy door and started to climb. High up in the tower the sounds from the temple faded, leaving only the echo of my footsteps, and the tinkling of my silver anklets as I climbed. The steep, curved staircase could be treacherous in the dark, but tonight every niche in the tower was lit up in honour of the festival. I pushed the door open at the top and walked to the railing. There was someone there. The clear night sky ablaze with stars framed his lithe form. His face looked serious in the glow of a single flickering lamp. I could see that the tender light of the other day still shone in his eyes—Rahul. He’d been waiting. My mind went blank. I was breathless from the exertion of the steep climb and shocked at finding him there. How had he known where to find me? Perhaps he knew I would try to avoid him, and guessed I might be here. ‘Leela,’ he said, coming towards me. ‘I beg leave to speak with you.’ I looked away, trying to think of a way to stall his words. ‘I’ve wanted to thank you,’ I said, buying time, ‘for saving Loky.’ He would not be distracted. ‘I came to see you,’ he said. ‘But you weren’t home. I sent a message through Loky, but you didn’t reply.’ I couldn’t deny it. ‘I don’t know if you are avoiding me of your own will or if you were compelled to do so…’ He took both my hands in his. ‘We started something on board that ship,’ he said, ‘and I’m determined to finish it. I can’t go away like this, not knowing.’
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