PLOT: 3/5
CHARACTERS: 2.5/5
WRITING STYLE: 2.5/5
CLIMAX: 2.5/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 2.5/5
My Musings
I think of myself as a versatile reader because I usually read almost every genre. Fantasy, however, is one genre that holds a special place in my heart. That’s because my first foray into serious fiction was by the way of the immensely popular and rightly so, the Harry Potter books.
Before that, I was just a kid who picked up books like Goosebumps and Amar Chitra Katha whenever I was in a mood to read. Harry Potter was like the next step in my life as a reader, and I will forever be grateful to J.K. Rowling for giving this gift to humanity.
In recent days, I read two fantasies and loved both of them – Tarikshir by Khayaal Patel and Identity Quest (Dvidha Series #1) by Seshadri S. Mystical Warfare of School: The Dark Rises is a book that recently came my way for review.
Read on to know my thoughts about this book.
What to expect?
Mystical Warfare of Schools: The Dark Rises is a book that is meant for children. It is a fantasy but a fantasy meant just for children. This is mainly because it is written in such a way that will only appeal to children.
Cover, font, readability etc.
The cover of the book is gorgeous. As is quite the norm with books published by Notion Press, the overall quality of the paper is great.
The font, however, is a bit too small for my taste. In my opinion, the book that currently sits at 121 pages because of the smaller font should actually have been a 150-180 pages long book if the font size and page margins were a bit more comfortable.
Let’s talk about the storyline
Jake, Rita and Ajay are the best of friends. They study in a school in Delhi and are always together, standing with one another through thick and thin.
Jake is currently plagued by a strange recurrent dream that is causing him nervousness and unease. His parents have taken him to various doctors but none of them come closer to solving the mystery of the dream.
One fine day, Rita and Ajay too see a similar dream where an asks all three of them to seek him in a beautiful faraway land.
After much thought and brainstorming, the three decipher the enigma of the dream. An opportunity soon presents itself in the form of a student exchange program, that allows the three of them to travel to this distant land and live there for a couple of months.
But what started as a naïve and harmless adventure soon turns into something much serious and sinister when the whole country is terrorized by a series of blasts. Very soon the three children will have a much greater role to play in the scheme of things.
But are they prepared for it? Are they mentally and physically ready for the battle that is coming their way? To know this and much more read Mystical Warfare of Schools: The Dark Rises.
How good are the characters?
When it comes to the characters, the book leaves a lot to be desired. The three children are okay but when it comes to penning the adult characters, there is much that needs to be done.
Most of the characters are unrealistic and highly irrational. They fail to appeal to the reader and do not make them feel invested in their journey.
What about the author’s writing style?
Girish Krishna uses simple language which works great with children. There are a couple of editing mistakes, but they can be easily ignored. The language needs polishing too because it is amateurish.
What strikes you the most, however, is the fact that the book fails to convince the reader of its merits. In a fantasy, you have to create a world which the reader gets invested in; which the reader is eager to know about.
But Mystical Warfare of Schools: The Dark Rises fails to do that. It is unable to aptly portray the world that it talks about. Instead of events that should naturally lead to one another, it feels like a series of unrelated events that the author shabbily tries to patch together in the form of a book.
Many of the chapters and the events that occur in them, end abruptly without a proper reason or rationale. The reader is often left without answers and with nobody to connect the dots. The characters behave irrationally and too naively. In other words, the book leaves a lot to be desired.
Was the climax good enough?
The climax wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. It was uncomplicated at best which, in the end, managed to get the story to a satisfactory conclusion.
What I liked the most?
For me, the best part of Mystical Warfare of Schools: The Dark Rises was its plot. There was a decent plot in place but every other thing – the story, the writing, the characters and the climax failed to make it shine.
It all boils down to the entertainment quotient
As you must have already gauged from all the above paragraphs, the book turned out to be an unsatisfactory read for me.
I rated it 2.5 stars in the entertainment quotient mainly because it was a short read written in an easy breezy style.
Pick up the book
- If you are just getting into reading English novels.
- If you are a child who loves fantasy.
Skip the book
- If you are looking for a serious fantasy.
- If amateurish writing turns you off.
- If you are looking for a 4- or 5- star entertainer.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Mystical Warfare of Schools: The Dark Rises using the links below.
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