The Sorcery of the Senses by Tanima Das - Book Review

The Sorcery of the Senses by Tanima Das

Publication Date: 1st Jan 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Multi-timeline

4.2 Stars 

One Liner: An entertaining debut novel 

Disclaimer: The author is a friend of mine. I won a copy of the book in a giveaway hosted by the publisher. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

Dhruv is at crossroads and unsure of his life when Dristi, the sense of vision, shows him a glimpse of his past life. She reveals his duty for this lifetime and expects that he step up and deliver the results. But can Dhruv take responsibility and complete the mission on time? 

The story comes in the third-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

This book is hard to categorize based on the genre. It blends historical, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, romance, and drama. Despite this, the narration is seamless and easy to follow. 

The beginning is slow and takes a few pages to gain momentum. But once it does, the story flows well, especially in the past timelines (those are my favorite). 

Our main character is a man and not a likable one either. Pretty much a regular guy with very few redeeming qualities. However, his (past) story is intriguing enough to keep the pages turning and know more. I still don’t like him, but I know he is real and commonly found in society. 

The narration alters between ‘showing’ and ‘telling’. The contemporary track is mostly ‘told’, but it works in the book’s favor as it allows the readers to breeze through and get to the past timeline. It also limits character development, which will probably continue in the next book. 

The past tracks with Ghriz and Moong are complete stories. One is set in tribal lands, and the other is a kingdom. They have a few similarities necessary to link the overall plot. However, the characters are independent. 

The characters are flawed and display identifiable human emotions, irrespective of the settings, cultures, customs, etc. Of course, I like ladies with flaws more than the male protag (so he doesn’t get my sympathy).

Having read the author’s works before, I know she combines philosophy with mythology and everyday humor. The book does the same, though the philosophical aspect is carefully reined in and used when necessary. This is a plus for someone who doesn’t prefer too many musings in fiction.  

I do wish the climax was stronger and more dramatic. I wouldn’t have minded a little bit of action or active danger to spice things up and end the book on a high. That dimmed my enjoyment a little, though I’m curious about what happens next. 

To summarize, The Sorcery of the Senses is a blend of genres and themes that create an engaging and intriguing start to a series (duology or trilogy). The ending is semi-open and sets the stage for the next book. I hope the author is working on it. 

***

P.S.: This is what I’d call a desi (Indian) fantasy, though it has elements from different cultures. The contemporary track is set in urban India (sans the caste, religion nonsense). Global readers will enjoy the book if they go with the right expectations.