After finishing the first one in the Trilogy, how could I stay sane without completing the second?
It begins with these lines:
Unlucky are those who search the seven
seas for paradise
Fortunate are those who experience the only heaven
that truly exists, the heaven that lives in the company
of our loved ones
I am truly fortunate.
This reminds me how loved and grateful I am for everything I have and Hoping my readers would have the same positivity in their life as well. With this sense of gratitude, I started the book.
This sequel turned out to be much better than the first one. Like the first one, the humane side of Shiva, its characterisation, emotion was well developed where he was portrayed to be more in acceptance of him being “The Neelkanth”. Hindu Philosophies like karma, righteousness, devotion, duty and loyalty were beautifully amalgamated with myth, history, tradition, and legends. The way in which Amish unfolded the scenes and the unimaginable revelations in the storyline keeps you on your toes. The number of characters increased and, so did the thrill of knowing what will happen next. The suspense sticks till the last word of the book and is loaded with loads of nail-biting moments.
The plot starts with where we left the first book. Shiva wanting to avenge Brahaspati’s murder sets on a voyage to Kashi and the Branga Kingdom to find out the way to the Nagas. Here he discovers about the Plague that was making the Brangas kill Peacocks and got to the root cause of the plague. On the other hand, Sati discovers her relationship with the Twin Sister and Naga Queen, Kali and his elder Naga son Ganesh while battling with a Liger. Shiva and Sati came in acceptance of the Nagas and their Kingdom along with others like Nandi, Veerbhadra, Parvateshwar, and prince Bhagirath. The book is filled with secrets, shocks and betrayal that have affected both lives of Sati and Shiva. The relation between Sati and Daksha came to strange terms after she confronted him for the truth of Kali and Ganesh. The fascinating narrative of the meeting of the Vasudev Bandit Parshuram who later turned a great ally of Shiva, while another Vasudev Gopal guided Shiva to understand The Evil. The most shocking revelation among the lot is the one where Shiva finds out that his friend and brother is alive. (See, I told you lots of twists and turn, even more than in a Gordian knot).
Although the initial chapters were a tad slow, the plot unfolded as it proceeded. The characterisations required some development, like Kartik who is growing up unusually fast and is unnecessarily motivated to learn the war skills to help his elder brother during the war. I felt his character was kind of exaggerated. However, my favourite character in the book is Anandmayi. She is truly a treat to read about! She is everything, that Sati couldn’t be. She tried hard to get the love of his life, even knowing that General Parvateshwar had taken a vow of celibacy. But it is love alone that possesses sufficient force to bend the unbendable old age vow. Though some more build-up could have been done on her story as well. (Maybe another book just for Anandmayi, Let me know if you would love that as well.)
Some of my favourite quotes from the book:
Nothing is more important than life. Nothing. You realise the simplicity of that point only when you confront death every day.
If anything appears random, it means that we haven’t discovered its purpose yet.
You don’t need anyone else. have faith in the one person that loves you the most: Yourself.
You don’t live with the consequences of other people’s karma. you live with the consequences of your own.
Definitely, I would give a 4/5 for the book. This book definitely meets the expectation and even gives out more to the readers. With this, I will sign off for the day. Happy Reading.
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With Love,
Lax.
P.S: If you planning to buy the book, you can check them out from my Amazon Affiliate Links below:
- The Secret Of Nagas By Amish Tripathi
- The Secret of the Nagas (Gujarati) – Nagvansh Nu Rahasya (The Shiva Trilogy)
- The Secret Of The Nagas (Shiva Trilogy-2)
- The Secret Of The Nagas (Shiva Trilogy-2)
- The Secret Of The Nagas (Hindi)
- The Secret Of The Nagas (Malayalam)
- Nag Rahasya: The Secret of the Nagas – Odia
- The secret of the Nagas
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