About the Book:

THE PRICE OF A PROMISE. PAID IN BLOOD.

The deadly Halahala, the all-devouring poison churned from the depths of the White Lake by the devas and asuras, was swallowed by Shiva to save the universe from extinction.
But was the Halahala truly destroyed?
A small portion still remains – a weapon powerful enough to guarantee victory to whoever possesses it. And both asuras and devas, locked in battle for supremacy, will stop at nothing to claim it.
As the forces of Devaloka and Patala, led by Indra and Shukracharya, plot to possess the Halahala, Shiva turns to mankind to guard it from their murderous clutches. It is now up to Samrat Vikramaditya and his Council of Nine to quell the supernatural hordes – and prevent the universe from tumbling into chaos!
A sweeping tale of honour and courage in the face of infinite danger, greed and deceit, The Guardians of the Halahala is a fantastical journey into a time of myth and legend.

My Thoughts:

A truly fascinating story set during the rule of Samrat Vikramaditya, this book is the first in a series of four books. In this book, the author has taken a tiny part of mythology and merged it with a historical setting to bring us this entertaining plot. The reader is introduced to a myriad of characters, each part of Vikramaditya’s council and his immediate family. We are also introduced to Devas and Asuras, ensuring the perfect mix of mythology and historical characters on the Earthen plane. The concept of the story is simple, but the plot progresses in an interesting manner.

Even though the book is initially a little slow, the pace is understandable as the author sets the context and brings the kingdom, it’s neighbouring lands and the other kings into focus. Alliances are made and some are lost as the story progresses, teasing of wars on different fronts, both human and supernatural. The bonds between the principal characters and the understanding they have is wonderful to read about. The story starts to gain pace once Vikramaditya is entrusted with keeping safe the last remaining portion of the Halahala, coveted by the Devas and Asuras alike. The author’s style of writing is poetic and flows so well, that I was not able to stop reading! The description of the settings are amazing and so deatiled that it is easy for the reader to picture the scenes as they happen. The book pulls you in until the very end as each character’s personality unravels and their dynamics together are established and later shift.

This book is truly a wonderful start to a great series and I cannot wait to read further!