The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva Trilogy II) Book Review
After finding out that even the Chandravanshis believed in the legend of the Neelkanth, Shiva is torn apart and is confused with his prophecy. He then vows to find the Naga that killed his friend Brahaspati.
Shiva is now a man on hunt, restless until he finds the nagas. He now believes that the evil does not lie with the Chandravanshis but with the nagas. The Nagas seemed to have a strong hold on the Branga kingdom which depends on a miracle drug that only the Nagas possess.
The Vasudevs – Shiva’s philosopher guides – take the aid of the dark side, betraying Shiva’s faith. Nothing is as it seems. Shiva travels great lengths of ancient India to track down the kingdom of the Nagas, discovering dark secrets along the way.
Will Shiva track down the naga that killed his friend and now stalks his wife Sati?
“The opposite of love is not hate. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual opposite of love is apathy. When you don’t care a damn as to what happens to the other person.”
- Amish, The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva trilogy II)
I began book two as soon as I finished the first book. The second book introduced us to a lot of new characters. There were few side storylines as well.
There was a lot going on in this book that sometimes you might feel lost. And also due to the introduction of new characters, it was a bit hard to keep up. I kept going back to the list of characters at the beginning to remember the character’s role.
Nevertheless, the story kept moving forward at an incredible pace.
We see more of the Naga background in this book. We get to know their side as well.
There is a point in the book where things happen simultaneously at two different places. The author goes back and forth between them switching right when it gets built up, making sure to keep the readers on the edge of their seat.
“Truth doesn’t have to be liked. It only has to be spoken. Speak it out. The truth may hurt you, but it will set you free.”
- Amish, The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva trilogy II)
Halfway through the book there was a twist that I kind of expected but I was shocked nonetheless. As the story continued, there were things happening and I was waiting for the dots to connect as I could not figure out where the side storylines merge into one. And when it happened, I was mind blown.
I thought the twist for this book was over. But I was wrong. This book is full of twists. We can never anticipate as to what happens next and that is what I loved the most about this book. There were many revelations that might catch us off guard.
You will come to find that the good guys aren’t that good and the bad guys aren’t that bad.
There were a few pages that made me emotional. There were a few pages that made me anxious. And there were few pages that made me feel the pain.
The way you look at the nagas in the first book and in the second book is very different. Also the way you look at the nagas in the first few chapters of the second book is not how you end up feeling about them at the end.
You will find yourself sympathizing with a few characters in this book. The emotional turmoil felt by a few characters could be felt by the reader as well. The side storylines in this book found a proper ending.
“Nothing is more important than life. Nothing. You realize the simplicity of that point only when you confront death everyday.”
- Amish, The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva trilogy II)
As I approached the end of the book, I was not ready for the final twist. The author caught me off guard completely, again. After finishing the book, I had to sit in silence for two minutes to let that twist sink in. I have so many questions and I now open the third book hopeful to seek the answers.
I would say that this book is a successful sequence to the first book. I would rate this book 4.5/5.
This is my honest and unbiased review of the book “The Secret of the Nagas” by Amish.
TITLE: The Secret of the Nagas
AUTHOR: Amish
PUBLISHED: 2011
GENRE: Fantasy fiction
