Shadows Revealed: Book 2 of Celestial Chronicles

by Rohan Monteiro

About the Book
THE MUCH-AWAITED SEQUEL TO SHADOWS RISING, BOOK 1 OF THE CELESTIAL CHRONICLES.
The most unloved celestial in all the three realms is back! Pursued by assassins, a vengeful goddess, a host of angels and mysterious strangers, Akran must now find a way to heal the rift between worlds or risk losing everything that matters.
India’s first urban fantasy novel of demi gods in modern-day Mumbai is a unique tale of action and adventure laced with wit and irony.

About the Author
Rohan Monteiro always knew he was not meant for a nine-to-nine job in an office. He wanted to be Flash Gordon, Batman and Bon Jovi at different points in his life, but since none of those were considered viable career options, he decided to be a writer instead. This gives him very little fame and very little money but it allows him to spend most of his time avoiding people, which is heaven for an introvert. It also allows him to read a lot of books as ‘research’ and make up stories. Shadows Revealed is the second in an urban fantasy series set in modern-day Mumbai.

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2025

About the author

Rohan is an amateur photographer, an open water scuba diver, a mountaineer, an obsessive bibliophile, an intrepid traveler and a highly successful mutilator of Spanish and the French language (often at the same time) and most recently an author.

Among other hobbies, he can also lay claim to half baked cooking attempts (no pun intended), Chess , computer gaming, board gaming , archery,sky diving, bungee jumping, market research , and a string of other very forgettable endeavors.

He lives in Singapore with his wife and son. Shadows Revealed is his latest book

Say hello to him at rohan.monteiro@gmail.com

Reviews

[shwetha · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best thing to have happened to Indian myth-punk has a part 2!!

Akran, Sars and K continue their tales around mumbai with plenty of interesting characters from the (ancient) past dropping by. Its funny, witty, pun-packed with a multitude of immensely satisfying cultural references.

I did feel word choice here and there could have been better, and Akran's monologuing towards the end was a little predictable.

Rest though, a guilty pleasure anyday easily.

[Tanmay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at the airport not having read part one. Still the writing was easy to read and the story flowed smoothly. Really liked how the characters interact. The only point that I found lacking is that the city itself is not explored that well. It feels like it's in the background at best and it might as well be named anything and not Mumbai.

[Prems Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is intriguing, and the author’s style of narration immediately draws you in and keeps you hooked throughout. I especially enjoyed the sharp mix of sarcasm and wit, which makes the book entertaining and fun to read. The characters are well-written and likeable, adding depth to the story. It makes you feel connected to them and invested in their journey. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read, and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series!

[Rohan Monteiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bits that almost made it into the final output!

The Pandavas were like the Miley cyrus of the Vedic age - they went through kingdoms, dynasties and supernatural events like a wrecking ball!!

*******
Sars perked up. She always did when I spoke about stuff she didn’t know about.

'Is this like the x-files? Unexplained events and Celestials ecrets?

I shook my head. 'More like the Epstein files - the redacted names are there to protect the perpetrators, not the victims

*****

It's a well known fact that the gods work in mysterious ways. Their plans are incomprehensible to mere mortals. In this particular case though, it could be summarized in 4 words…

Let's get Shiva Laid!

[Maitra Khatri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say this, Rohan is the most fresh voice in the Indian Mythological Fiction / Fantasy Fiction genre. No other books balances the amazing world building and being this funny at the same time.

Obviously the fantasy and mythology parts of the book are the highlight but for me the comedy stood out. Because written comedy is very tough but Rohan has pulled it of flawlessly. It feels very natural to the characters. Which also shows how strong the character writing it.

A heads up this book can be read as a stand alone, which is my next favourite thing about the Celestial Chronicles. Today everyone is writing a trilogy and even then they couldn’t do the world building in a good way. Here we have 2 books with 2 separate arc with one the best world building and magic system in the Indian Book Space.

Now coming to the universe expansion, I absolutely love how Rohan has dropped tons and tons of breadcrumbs about different adventures of Akran which can be explored as a separate book or short stories. A very well thought through expansion.

Next comes attention to detail on the world building. Minor spoiler alert !! Rohan has written multiple mythologies in his universe and the setup on: why they don’t interfere each other and when they do then what consequences happen, is very well explained. Nothing appeals me more than a good tight world building.

And and and this book is a treat for Pop-culture fans ! It has references from Marvel/DC to Sitcoms to real life current affairs. It represents how we actually talk with fellow fans, referencing one thing with another. How we connect Indian god’s powers with superheroes.

And the my fav fav part, Akran sharing his views on the events taking place in Indian Mythology. In the first book its Mahabharat and in this one its Ramayan. It feels refreshing to hear his views on the events as he lived through them.

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akran returns in "Shadows Revealed," the sequel to 'Shadows Rising' by Rohan Monteiro, set in modern-day Mumbai. He faces assassins, a furious goddess, and other formidable foes while trying to mend a rift between the celestial and human worlds. The book features fast-paced action, lively humor, and engaging storytelling, highlighted by Akran's sarcastic remarks and pop-culture references. The detailed world-building intertwines various mythologies, offering hints at future adventures. Readable as a standalone, this imaginative fantasy brims with action, magic, and heart, leaving readers eager for Akran's next journey.

[Arti Deshpande · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the second installment in the series by author Rohan Monteiro after Shadows Rising.
Akran is back, this time to heal the rift between the celestial world and the world inhabited by humans. He is pursued by the most powerful enemies while being helped by almost equally powerful friends. He starts on the path to success by defeating a very formidable enemy and getting a strong ally on his side at the end of the book. Looking forward to reading the third part now

[Aurodeep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as fun as the first part, though the plot is a bit weaker