I read a book( released in July end 2014) and I'm posting the review here. The book's name is "The Secrets of Zynpagua: Return of the Princess" and the author is Ilika Ranjan. There are only minor spoilers. Enjoy the book :) ...

Most fairytales follow the concept of “the damsel in distress” where the princess needs to be rescued, but here in Zynpagua, it is the princess who has to rescue her kingdom. This book takes the readers on a journey into Zynpagua’s world of fantasy, adventure and mystery; and has many lyrical prophecies. It aims at getting children and young adults to get back in the habit of reading fiction. In fact, a few publishers had rejected the book saying that, nowadays, children are not into reading fairytales and classics anymore. This book is published by Partridge Publication. The story has been artfully devised to blend in with the twists and mysteries at every step. I feel that though this is only the second book of Ms. Ilika Ranjan, it is truly a marvel. The author has elaborated Zynpagua such that the reader can almost feel himself there.

The story is about a cursed land called Zynpagua. Once upon a time, Zynpagua used to be a part of the Earth, ruled by King Soto and Queen Sussaina who were much beloved. The queen had supernatural powers, which she used for the betterment of her subjects. But an evil scientist, Drudan, wanted to take over Zynpagua. So he invented a fatal violet light, but it generated catastrophic movements which separated Zynpagua from the Earth. The sun, planets and stars were angry at the king and queen for neglecting their kingdom and took away their blessings from Zynpagua, which, then, became a cursed land. Drudan imprisoned Queen Sussaina behind the Shadow of the Moon, and King Soto could not be traced. While in captivity, Queen Sussaina secretly gave birth to a baby girl and sent her to the Earth, where she reached India and was adopted by an Indian family.  This book is about the adventures of princess Anika and the quests she undertook, along with Vivian (her brother), Femina (Vivian’s friend), Frederick (Anika’s uncle), Leo (Drudan’s son) and Lady Carol (Leo’s grandmother) in her mission of overthrowing Drudan and restoring Zynpagua to its former glory.

The author, Ms. Ilika Ranjan, has done her Masters in Business Administration from Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune, and is an ex-banker and an entrepreneur, blogger and a travelogue-Writer. The poetic talent of Ms. Ranjan is obvious from the lyrical prophecies of the book. The book has Spanish lines occasionally, and Ms. Ranjan has learnt Spanish particularly for this book. Her first fiction book as an author was “Puppets on the Fast Track” which is a satire. She has also written many short stories for children. This is her second book. Ms. Ilika Ranjan also has a passion for travelling.

Characters:-

•      Anika- The story revolves around Anika, a ten year old coy and quiet girl who has the power to read the stars and influence them. She faces the feat of impressing the planets and defeating Drudan.

•      Vivian- Vivian is Anika’s fifteen year old brother. He has magical powers and can influence the nature.

•      Frederick- Frederick is Anika’s uncle who is trapped in an invisible mountain range near Spain called Siepra Nevada and speaks only Spanish.

•      Femina- Femina is Vivian’s seventeen year old friend and the daughter of a fisherman. The women of Zynpagua have been gifted by Venus with bravery, beauty, skilfulness, and other traits, and Femina is one of the best women of Zynpagua. She is brave, beautiful, and skilled with archery, horse-riding and sword- fighting.

•      Sussaina- Sussaina is the mother of Anika and Vivian. She was imprisoned behind the Shadow of the Moon by Drudan.

•       Leo- Leo is the son of Drudan who is destined to kill his father. When Drudan got to know about this, he imprisoned Leo under ice on the Earth, in an unknown place. Leo is the soul mate of Anika and she has to free Leo.

There are also other minor characters in this book. I feel that all the characters are diverse and have been portrayed very clearly. Ms. Ranjan has created the characters in such a way that each of them has an important role to play.

The language is very rich and can help children improve their grammar. Woman-power is clearly portrayed here. There are mysteries at every corner which keep up the enthusiasm of the readers. Unfortunately, the story, sometimes, is very predictable. This negative point should be covered. I am sure that readers would love this book. I am sure that Ms. Ilika Ranjan would become well-known everywhere, and I hope she continues writing such books.

My first poems

1. Books are the best,

    Boring are the rest,

    If you don't read them,

    You won't enjoy the quest.

2.Luck doesn't do everything,

   Even if you're a beggar or a king,

   Dull would he be of sense,

   Because everything he does 

   Would be at his own expense.

3.Internet can be good or bad,

   Its the way you use or view,

   Internet can make you happy or sad,

   If you don't overdo it you'll be glad.

4.Four poems are done,

   I made three Mom helped me with one,

   I realized I too can do it,

   It takes little time and is so much fun.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A HAUNTED HOUSE

                 Now that I am closing for the night, I'd like all the lights to be turned off, so that I can spend the night in peace. I was not always a haunted house. I was constructed in Seville, a place in Spain, where I remain to this day.

                At first, I was a normal house with polished furniture, painted walls and fine rooms. I also had a large and beautiful garden. A young man called Antonio Lopez lived in me. As his parents, who are now dead, were billionaires, he, being their only child, had inherited so much money that he didn’t need to work. He was a very mysterious man who liked to live alone, talk to him-self, and watch the television all day. The only time when he went out of me, was to collect the morning paper.

                One day, while watching the T.V., he discovered that his favorite movie was about to be shown. He immediately went to my hidden underground cellar, to prepare for the movie, by collecting drinks and snacks. On his way up, he slipped, hit his head on the sharp part of the stairs, and died on the spot. The neighbors must have started to feel suspicious, because, in a few days, three policemen entered me and looked around. They saw that I was deserted and Mr. Antonio was nowhere to be seen. But they didn’t find my secret cellar. From that day on, the rumor spread that Mr. Antonio had mysteriously disappeared. Some people even started saying that his ghost was roaming inside me. They started calling me “The Haunted House”.

                From that day, nobody stepped foot around me. I became the talk of the town. Slowly, spiders started building cobwebs in my corners. My furniture started rotting, and my well-tended garden became overgrown with weeds. The paint on my walls started to wear off, my large iron gate started to rust. Rats and insects lived in me. My garden was infested by animals like mice and snakes. Even birds started making their nests on my clean chimneys. I remained in such a miserable state for years.

                One day, an Indian man, called Jai Patel came to Seville. He must have heard the stories about me being a haunted house, because, he cut through my weeds and entered me. He grumbled at my horrible condition, as he inspected my every room with a flashlight. He even found my secret cellar and saw Mr. Antonio’s remains. He immediately reported this to the authorities and soon, a few men entered me, and took Mr. Antonio’s remains for a proper funeral. The people of the neighborhood thanked him.

                With the permission of the local authorities, he transformed me into a horror house and had people pay one euro, to look around, inside me. In a room, he put many types of mirrors, so that, people could see themselves in different sizes and shapes. In another room, he put a remote-controlled rubber skeleton, which would jump out at people, and start dancing in front of them, scaring the living daylights out of them. In one room, he put many coffins out of which, mechanical vampires, ghosts and mummies would pop out and surprise them. He did things like these to every room and even put up a signboard outside me saying “Halloween Horror Haunted House. I bet you won’t walk out without screaming.” He transformed me into such a nightmare, that sometimes, even I get scared of myself. I am very contented with my life, and am hoping this would last forever.