Book Review: Origins ( Arrkaya #1)

Book: Origins (Arrkaya #1)

Author: Yashas Mahajan

Publisher: Frog Books

Genre: Fantasy | Thriller

Pages: 378

Price: 395 INR

Blurb:

An ominous cloud prevails over the continent of Nyvarda, as a concealed enemy, with most political leaders already under his thumb, and a sinister army of monsters under his command, threatens to destroy Arrkaya, and the precarious balance between the existing powers...

A group of young heroes, hailing from different kingdoms and classes, come together to prepare against this formidable threat, whilst safeguarding the interests of their people and fighting the mistrust among themselves...

On this journey of self-discovery, they finds secrets that will change their lives, and possibly change the entire world...

Time, however is running out, and the enemy is ready to strike...

My Rating:

Plot: 4.5/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Character Sketch: 4/5

My Review:

Origins is the first book of the Arrkaya series. It is a fantasy thriller which takes place in the fictional continent of Nyvarda. Arrkaya and Heligesia are two large kingdoms in this continent. There is the Forest of Death where no one dares to go, which is connected to Dulce Lago. The way the author has shown the continent of Nyvarda through a map is praiseworthy. The map makes the reading interesting and easier. However, the focus is mostly given on the kingdom of Arrkaya and its people. 

In the first few chapters, we are introduced to a number of characters such as Kind Edward, the king of Aarkaya, Prince Edward, Princess  Zeleina, Lord Scar, Duke Byron etc. Among all the characters, the one character that grabs the reader's interest is Scar. We are not told about his origin, but as the story unfolds, we get to know who Scar is. And the revelation is thrilling. 

In the very first chapter, we see that Princess Zeleina and Scar gets attacked by a a group of hooded figures. With investigation, it is found that the enemy is not a group of normal human beings. They are "The Incomplete Ones", mysterious creatures called golem who are made of mud or sand. They have superhuman endurance, absence of blood, emotions and lack the ability to communicate. 

Once the truth is revealed, Kind Edward realizes that Aarkaya is under threat, but he doesn't know how to defeat these enemies. Edward, Scar and Byron come together to prepare against the threat. 

On King Edward's order, Scar leaves for Dulce Lago and Byron leaves for Arzi to talk to Amma Gulizar. 

The rest of the book is about how the characters find secrets and come across truths at every nook and corner of Aarkaya. A portion of the story is narrated by Rafael, the Prince of Heligesia. 

The thing that I absolutely loved about this book is the suspense and thrill that the author has generated right from the first chapter. The climax of the book is equally thrilling and it just makes the wait for Book 2 difficult. 

The character sketches are impressive. Since there are so many characters in the book, I thought that I won't be able to understand the characters well. But I was wrong. The characters had an individual voice and they were different from each other. I invested in all the characters, be it Scar, Edward, Rafael, Zeleina or Byron. 

The book is 378 pages long and in some places, the pace of the story drops. However, it takes speed again. I think if the book  would have been wrapped up in 300 pages, it would\be better. That's the only drawback I found in the book.

It is difficult to believe that this is the author's debut work. The book is very well edited, with almost no errors. The author surely has good story telling skills.

Here are some lines from the book : 

"Attachment leads to loss, which leads to pain. If I open myself to attachment, I will just have to bear more pain."

"Despite having lost the only woman he had ever loved, he had not lost the love itself. It had stayed with him, and that was the only reason he had survived the thorny and lonely path that had followed."

I would give it 4.25 and would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading a good thriller with a fictional backdrop. 

I got a review copy from the author for an honest review. The opinions are my own.