Book Review : The Soulmate Equation - witty and makes you wonder

The Soulmate Equation
by Christina Lauren
Genre: Fiction


What does it take to find a soulmate? Dr. River Pena and his scientist friends come up with a solution after testing over 100,000 couples. They identify over 3000 plus genes that lead to long term compatibility. They make an app using biotechnology to identify one's soulmate.

Jessica Davis, a freelance statistician and single mom and her friend Fizzy, a best selling romance author decide to try it out on a whim as they have seen River almost every morning at a coffee shop which they all frequent. Jess finds River physically attractive but is shocked to find the app says he is her soulmate. Both refuse to believe it and so he runs a blood DNA test just to be doubly sure and the answer is the same. They are soulmates.

While Jessica agrees to work for River's company which is to be launched in three months and be paid for public appearances with him, she wants to protect her young daughter while River wants it to be a  no sex and emotion involved deal which they work into the clauses of the contract.  River is the one who came up with the technology, so shouldn't he at least find out? If they are soulmates, does this mean River and Jessica can stick to the terms of the deal? Read the book to find out

I found the writing witty and wonderful. I was surprised to learn that Christina Lauren are two people but that doesn't mean it makes the book any less thrilling. It has been a long time since I laughed at science jokes and being the nerd that I am, I couldn't stop giggling and grinning all the while wondering if I would use such an app. What if there is a glitch or it turns out to be something like astrological match making which Indians swear by and use for marrying but is not based on DNA? Is romance over rated and it all boils down to just genetics?

Would you use such an app based on solid science instead of dating or matrimonial sites to look for a soulmate? 

If interested, buy the book here

Book review : Legacy - a fun weekend read

Legacy  
by Nora Roberts
Genre: Family Thriller

For those who follow my blog, the genre might sound strange as there is no such genre but Nora Roberts seemed to have created a new one with this book. It is basically a family saga and a thriller rolled into one.
 
Adrian Rizzo is 7 years old when her father tries to kill her. She is protected by her mother Lina Rizzo, a fitness celebrity who saves her only daughter and in the process Adrian's father dies. However Lina manages to take the heat of the press away from her daughter by dropping her off at her grandparent's home for the summer vacation.

When Adrian turns 17, she decides to start her own business and right then, she begins to get scary poems warning her she would be killed. Though she accepts it as being a part of celebrity life, she has other things to deal with like most people do - family, friends, school, work, love and loss. But the letters keep coming and she hires  a PI. Is she dealing with just a celebrity stalker or is this something more?

The book is fantastically paced, crisp and to the point. Roberts blew my mind by changing the age of the protagonist by a decade in just a single chapter and it works so well that the reader would hardly notice it. That to me was amazing. Another thing about this book is that you would want to get out and exercise even though it is a thriller.

Legacy is a very delicious book and if you are a wanna be author, you can learn the tricks of writing a bestseller while feeling very satisfied reading a darn good story.

If you wish to buy it , click here

Book Review : Queen of Mahishmathi - Book 3 - Bahubali - Before the Beginning

 

Queen of Mahishmathi
by Anand Neelakantan
Genre: Fiction

"Politics is about mining religion and selling what is holy, son"

This is the final book of the trilogy Bahubali - Before the Beginning. It neatly ties all the loose ends and makes the story of the two part blockbuster movie Bahubali sensible. I wish the books by Neelakantan in this series had also been made into movies. This is the much needed back story for any Bahubali fans to understand the characters and their motivations.

Sivagami loves Mahadeva but why does she marry his brother, Bjjaladeva? Why does she treat Bahubali, the son of Mahadeva on par with her own son Balladeva? Why do the Kalakeyas attack Mahishmathi? How does Sivagami end up as the Queen of Mahishmthi whose word is revered by all? Why is Bijaladeva not the king but just the husband of Sivagami, the queen?  

Neelakantan spins a fascinating story that crisscrosses the story of three women - Chitraveni, Achi Nagamma and Sivagami, their strategies and their love for their respective people. Chitraveni who would do anything for her daughter and the matriarchal system, Achi Nagamma who would do anything to preserve nature and Sivagami who rises from an orphan to become the queen of  Mahishmathi. In telling their stories, we also learn about the people they rule over - poor who opt to become soldiers to save their family, young women who would do anything to save their children and people who consciously opt to save nature from the greed of mankind.  During the Covid times, it makes one pause and think about  the destruction humans have let loose in the name of development and globalisation. It also gives us hope that we can change the wave of destruction if we think about all this rationally and work together.

The writing is sharp and just when you think you know what is going to happen, the author surprises you. The book is a page turner. It covers multiple themes in politics, economics, greed, rage, cultural hegemony and life in general. Makes you wonder if the only decent politicians are women and men are mining everything from religion to hunger in politics.

If you would like to read the book, buy it here