The Woman Who Saw the Future

by Amit Sharma

Sapna Vaid has lived with a unique power for a decade; a power that turned her from a timid, wide-eyed, college-going girl into the most influential and powerful Goddess on Earth. Sapna can see the future and saves thousands of people around the world every year through her record-breaking, popular show ‘Lucky People’. The show had given Sapna’s life a meaning and gives her the courage to sleep every night, where death and blood await her in her dreams.
Even though the world is at her feet, the power costs Sapna her personal life. Thousands of prayers that come her way every year are her only solace, her only reason to live.
When a blinding hatred leads to a desperate act of revenge, a single misuse of her great power triggers a reversal of her fortunes. Now she must decide the path she has to take to preserve her unique gift and her fame, even if it turns her into a murderer on the brink of insanity.

Genres: Science Fiction

276 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 2017

About the author

Amit Sharma's first fiction book titled False Ceilings has been published by Lifi Publications in 2016.
His second novel titled 'The Woman Who Saw The Future' was published by Readomania in Nov 2017.
Amit has been working in a Software Firm for the last twelve years. His hobbies include reading (but of course), watching world cinema, traveling, digging into various cuisines, cooking, listening to music, painting, blogging, making his daughter laugh and helping his wife with her unnecessary and prolonged shopping.
He can be found at –
https://www.facebook.com/AmitSharmaAu...

Reviews

[Vikalp Trivedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapna Vaid, a young, pretty college student who lives with her parents in Delhi. She is in love with Saahil and they seem a perfect couple together. Everything was normally perfect in her life till one night. One night she sees a dream about an incident in which she saw many people dying. The nightmare becomes true in reality. No one believes her until she saves life of a neighbor. Her life takes another turn when she saves life of a business tycoon Kabir Singhal. After this incident the life of Sapna and those around them changed forever.

The book is written in the form of different perspectives of the main characters and it worked out well. The other very good thing about the initial half is the way author has drawn parallel between great art works and the condition of the character. But unfortunately it was not carried forward in the book. The characters are very well defined and strongly built.

I loved the way the author gave a unique form of narration to every character, which retained the freshness of the narrative but only to an extent. Later in the book the narrative was repeatative and dragging in some parts. It was mainly because of the Om-Anupama angle and stratched diary excepts of Sapna (spanning the year 2012). Both of these lead to a delayed ending.

Despite being a mix bag of pros and cons, the book subtly gives a message that our choices defines our fate; the future is never truly set.

3.5 Stars.

[Sulekha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Goodread by author Amit Sharma:

A college going girl, happy and carefree, with a friend, Saahil, who is more than a friend, Sapna should have been happy. But she was destined for other things. She could see the future. This power was given to her unasked. The trauma this little girl goes through could make even grown-ups tremble. Her best friend, Saahil, is her sounding board and is the one who keeps her from unraveling.

Imagine going to sleep every night and seeing dead bodies and hearing agonizing screams of the victims. It is a daily occurrence and not a one-time thing for Sapna. She tries to come to grips with her situation initially but fails miserably. Discussions with her parents help a bit, especially with her mother. Her father distances himself from her and leaves her to her scary dreams.

At first, Sapna doesn’t want anything to do with the gift but gradually begins getting used to it and finally, in the end, she cannot do without it. With great power comes greater responsibility, but Sapna fails to be responsible. She helps people with her television show and finds solace in the good she manages to do through it but something happens to change the course of tide and she is left floundering to stay afloat.

In the midst of all the drama, bloodshed and tragedy I find myself questioning the choices Sapna made and the lengths she went to keep up the appearance of her persona...Read more at https://sulekharawat.com/2018/01/03/b...

[Bhargavi Chandrashekar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure also you have had, as we all have, that mysterious experience of prescience. A moment when, beyond reason and cause, at a word, or a flicker of an eyelid, or at anything at all, one has a sudden foreboding of what, one does not know.

What if all those prescient is about Death? You see a pool of blood, people die in your dreams every single day, have witnessed screams to save their lives. Scattered bodies, missing limbs, torn flesh, vacant face what not! That's eerie, isn't it?

The book starts with the conversation between Aditya and his grandmother. Kalpana isn't finding it all right, the idea of filming a documentary of her daughter's life might end up with a predicament. But why? Aditya wants to say something through his documentary about his mother, what is it all about? What happened with Sapna Vaid? The woman who saved millions of people through her inherited gift of seeing the future. Well, you will find out in the book The woman who saw the future by Amit Sharma.

Sapna has a perfect life, the coolest parents, loving & caring brother. The picture perfect Middle Class Family, they had all the happiness. But there was something waiting for all of them. Sapna's brother Vikram dies in an unforeseen way. Saahil, the love of her life supports her and he is the reason to live. Still no one is ready to accept the fact that Vikram isn't living with them anymore. Soon Sapna starts getting premonitions, and now her life is woebegone. There enters Kabir Singhal with his brainchild show called "Lucky People". Which not only turns Sapna from a cool college going girl into the goddess of life, but also gives an intrepidity for her fear of sleep.

The character of the protagonist, Sapna is very powerful and delighting which holds you right from the beginning. And her transformation, pain, joy, hatred, vengeance everything is narrated in an apple pie order. The every character is so important and the way the author has narrated in their own voices is exemplary.

The descriptive way of narration hooked me up with the book. I enjoyed the second part the most. It's that moment you realize how efficient the author is. However, I didn't like the story at some parts. Felt it was over descriptive, but the story towards pre-climax and the climax lifted the story to the next level.

Overall, I liked the whole story and concept. This book will remain in my memories for a very special reason. And I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

*I received this copy from Bookfever in exchange for an honest and unbiased review*

[Tarang Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating edit: 3.5 stars.


Dreams fascinate me, I mostly remember my dreams. So I found this plot very intriguing and interesting.

Unique theme. Good writing, and a cleverly crafted story.

Sometimes, seems stretched, and for this kind of plot, it made me impatient. And, I wish Kalpana hadn't said 'You know' so frequently. I understand some people have this terrible habit, so it's fine when used in dialogues. But, frequent use in the narration really annoyed me.

Rest on my blog. Soon. Overall, interesting, imaginative and engaging read. If you are looking for a different read, pick it up.

Full review on my blog: http://tarangsinha.blogspot.in/2018/0...

[Ritu Lalit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is extremely well written, taut and gripping. It is a pity that Amit killed her off (spoiler?) in the end. I think this could have been a part of a trilogy.
I loved it and finished it in one sitting.
My only quibble (and its a minor one) is that I wanted to see and visualize the bedroom in which most of the future-seeing is done and sadly I could not find a description of the room.

[Jasleen Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a great treat all in all. It was fast paced at some points and was extremely gripping. I can recommend it to all those who needs a story with suspense and mystery in it. It do have a fantasy element in it or you can say supernatural element in it. There are love stories as well so there is something for every kind of reader in it.

You can read the complete review here:
https://thesubtlebraiding.blogspot.in...

[Anukriti · Rating 3 out of 5]

AS SEEN ON https://wp.me/p8IuG5-cv

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Sapna was a regular innocent girl, belonging to a middle class family, attending a good college and had a great guy. Everything changed when she started having terrible nightmares of people dying and planes crashing. But these were not nightmares; these were premonitions!

When she gets a chance to save countless lives, she jumps on it! These premonitions have haunted her and because of that, her mental health had also deteriorated.
The blurb caught my attention because it had those sci-fi and supernatural elements to it and not your typical romance tropes which I really dislike but are a norm with many of the Indian authors. It was such an interesting concept to see the toll that this job took on Sapna and her family and friends and not about the tragedies as centre point.

The book did start out slow, swinging between present and past but it was pretty easy to keep track. After being like 60 % into it, it picked up some momentum. Many people have felt that the blurb could be shortened so there would have been more of an element of surprise and I’m of the same opinion. I also feel that the book was unnecessarily stretched out at some points which made it quite a drag and there was too much information whereas, less information would have been nicer. What I really liked was that every chapter started with a really nice quote.

This was a very character driven book with 9 point of views! It wasn’t overwhelming at all and what I liked the most about this was that every character had their quirks and way of speaking, like someone may repeat something a lot or someone will swear a lot. Yes, some of the characters did get on my nerves because of their way of narrating, especially Kalpana, Sapna’s mother, who had a very bad habit of using the words “you know” after nearly every sentence! It was very infuriating!! I did find some of the characters voice quite bad, language wise, and just couldn’t connect with them or couldn’t care less about them. Also, I did find one or two characters without whom the story would have moved forward.
One thing didn’t work for me but might work for some: the plot felt away from reality (No, I haven’t forgotten that Sapna can see the future). There were many instances of Sapna meeting important people and celebrities which I just didn’t like and found it a bit hilarious!

I loved how the Kalpana (Sapna’s mother) in the family was so strong and Prakash (father of Sapna) to be emotionally fragile. I also liked how it dealt with the powers taking a toll on Sapna’s mental, physical and emotional health and how it wrecked it havocked on her personal life. The responsibility of so much power can make any sane person crack and Sapna was no different. I also really liked the character growth.

The plot sure is interesting but the story could have been better executed. So, if you are looking for a short and light sci fi/supernatural-ish mystery novel, you can pick this up fo sure.

[Murali Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Woman Who Saw the Future by Amit Sharma, is an supernatural story which revolves around Sapna Vaid and her special ability of able to see the future via dreams. Author perfectly plotted the story without much loop holes. Yet story is predictable as he openly described in blurb, Still I kept on going to identify How is it possible?

Sapna Vaid, A normal middle class college going girl but not after the death of her brother she used to get dreams about random peoples getting accident which came real too. So she decided to help them through a TV show. When she get famous and worshiped as goddess she suffered too. Author characterized well with captivating narration.

Language is lucid and simple makes your read comfortable my only dissatisfaction is predictable story line and bit of drag mid way. Still it gets shaped well as story. To say about cover I loved it, simple and yet elegant.

It would be perfect read for someone who trying to read different. Also I recommend everyone as I liked the emotional parts where author showcased the love of mother, Care of Dad and Possessiveness of Son.

[Aparna Preethi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Woman Who Saw the Future
- Amit Sharma


With the title, ‘The Woman Who Saw the Future’, you will get a glimpse of the plot. And if so, you are never going to be disappointed because the book is damn good with its unique plot. In recent times we have books of regular genres, lining up from love, friendship to crime and horror. It is not always that an author chose some distinct theme and pen it with confidence.

This story is about the woman, who sees the future. Sapna Vaid, is that woman, and the protagonist. Reading this, you may think it is either about the all good things or her own future life is what she dreams. But this is where the author fools our thoughts.

Sapna, with her parents Kalpana and Prakash, her brother Vikrant, they live a satisfied and content life just like the others. They are more understandable with each other, but then fate has its own plans. The family lose Vikrant in a train accident and each of them are troubled in their own dark void. Sapna suffers to no end and she starts writing letters to her dead brother. Kalpana and Prakash are first worried but they believe she will be alright with the pass of time. But what comes next is more unimaginable for them.

Sapna starts to get weird dreams. Scary ones, not of ghosts but of death. She dreams of people dying, which she witnesses with her own eyes being herself present in her dreams. At first, she tries to ignore them, but when she starts to remember everything vividly the next morning, and when the incidents take place the same way, who can ignore it? From here, the real story begins.

At initial stage, she is too afraid to face the dreams. She tries to hold her sleep, because she is done with seeing deaths, people screaming in all her dreams. All she wishes is to sleep peacefully and forget the dreams the next morning, just like the others. With gradual increase in the number of dreams, she fails to understand what’s happening to her and what she is going to do about it.

It is at this point, she agrees to a decision that instead of running away from the dreams by blaming it as a curse, she has to make use of her power by revealing it to the world and warning the people before the disaster or the death is going to hit them.

With this as the first half of the story, second half deals with more of her personal life, her own problems, mentality, which has made me to read in the psychoanalytical point of view. Though she is considered as the Goddess by the world, only she knows the pain she torments with the dreams. How long can a girl dream and cope up with the deaths? How long can she live for others? But once she gave in, her mind again starts to play with her.

With one mistake, her dreams start to vanish. Fearing it, she commits the next sin. What was really happening to her? What was the mistake that changed her life completely? To unleash the answers, read through the pages.

The author, Amit Sharma has done a brilliant work by choosing such an idiosyncratic plot. The story is not said by the protagonist, but the life of protagonist is seen through the eyes of the other characters of the story, which is remarkable. The story doesn’t rush up to the end, instead it gives a flawless narration. This is one good book I have read in a while.

The character justification is commendable. We have Kalpana and Prakash, parents of Sapna and Vikrant. Both face so many problems but they toil and hope for a better morning. Saahil, the first man to whom Sapna lose her heart. His role will make us fall for his character. Kabir, the one who, knowingly or unknowingly, is the reason for both the rise and fall in the life of Sapna. Sapna gets married to him. Aditya, son of Sapna and Kabir. The character, by whom we will come to know about the story. With him, the story doesn’t end. Mehak, Anupama and Om hold their own importance till the end in acquaintance with the protagonist. Angad, Mehak’s brother, a criminal. Though he comes at the end, he holds major importance for the sequence happening in the second half.

These are some mere information I have given about the tale. But there are much more things for you awaiting to untie throughout the tale. This will surely entertain you this weekend.

[Hema · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's a 4.5🌟 for me...I absolutely loved the concept, writing, plot,characters.. its a complete page turner...thanks to the bookfever team for giving me this opportunity in exchange of honest review... Sapna Vaid a college going student gets an extraordinary power to see the future...but at first she is very scared of all these dreams as there is death and blood everywhere and she has no idea about what those dreams mean...but her family and her boyfriend are with her throughout this phase.. she saves Kabir Singhal who was the most promising, young businessman in India and she explains him everything about her dreams, later a plan comes to Kabir and than they start a show 'Lucky people' with help from others where sapna tells about her dreams and den lives of many people are saved... it becomes a record breaking show in no time.. Kabir and sapna gets married in a very lavish style....After her marriage how everything turns sour slowly and gradually...broken heart, separation from her son, death, makes her revengeful and full of hatred... because of hatred she misuses her power and than starts the play of universe with her... how and what all she does to maintain the show and her fame is just mind blowing..but she has to pay for all the bad deeds and than sumthng happens in the end for that you have to read this amazing book...GO AHEAD GUYS GRAB YOUR OWN COPY NOW!!!

[Sharmishtha Shenoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Woman who Saw the Future by Amit Sharma is an unique story told in a riveting manner. The plot delves into the lives of the Vaid family. After their son's accidental death, their daughter, Sapna, has premonitions ofdeath. Then a business tycoon Kabir comes into her life and creates a reality show called Lucky People wherein she puts her powers to good use and saves thousands of people from imminent death.Even though the world is at her feet, the power costs Sapna her personal life. Broken relationships and separation from her son bring her unbearable pain. Then she starts hating her ex-husband which leads to a vile act of revenge. However, this misuse of her great power triggers a reversal of her fortunes. In The Woman who Saw the Future the author succeeds in bringing to life all the major characters through multiple point of views, a unique style of story telling that had me hooked to the novel. I will definitely like to read more books by this author. Very addictive read.. Kudos to the author for keeping it very interesting till the absolute end.

[Rubina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting tale of a girl who can predict the future. Now one would think that it would make a life wonderful. After all its a rare gift. But every time seeing the death of others is no fun for Sapna. In fact, I feel very sorry for her. I liked the way Amit Sharma has brought out the society's role in creating misery in her life. I remember long ago reading an article about a young girl who was considered a Devi in Nepal. Her life was made miserable with all the worship people did and she never had a childhood. Sapna's life reminded me a lot of that girl. To possess such a gift and yet lead a life of fear. Fear of losing one's life or those who are closest to you.

Sapna has fame and money yet her family life is ruined. This should teach us mere mortals that life as we know it makes us just puppets in the hands of God. Good editing and wonderful storytelling. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

[Lavanya Rajanala · Rating 4 out of 5]

​The woman who saw the future by Amit Sharma is story of Sapna vaid who gets premonitions of deaths about to happen. Every night she gets dreams of people who were about die where she remembers each single detail regarding the person, place and incidents that appears in her dreams. An TV channel telecast a show  called 'Lucky people ' through which she saves thousands of people around the world. Even though the world is at her feet, the power costs sapna her personal life. Broken relationships and separation from her son bring her unbearable pain.when a blinding hatred leads to desperate act of revenge,  a single misuse of her power triggers a reversal of her fortunes. Now she must decide the path she has to take to preserve her unique gift and her fame, even if it turns her into a murderer on the brink of insanity. 

What made sapna life turn up side down? What made her to misuse her power? Where fate land her life?

To know the life journey of the woman who Saw future give it read friends... 

Author did a decent job in crafting the plot. The title and cover perfectly goes with the plot. The characterization and narration are simple and appealing. I recommend this book to all book lovers :) 

[Shivangi Rawat · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the title, book cover and blurb one can guess the story base. I liked the narrative part specifically chapter and how the author have so nice described every thing. The way protagonist write diary for bother show much affection and love and the bond they have shared. Thankew Bookfever for this book. I had a gala read. Pick this awsm fiction for new year starts you will definitely going to enjoy this. This is a full cocktail!

[Kanchana Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I loved about the book is that the author has chosen a rather unusual topic! The story of a woman who can see the future and how that affects her life and that of others. Clearly the author doesn't follow the common path as do many Indian commercial fiction writers. So kudos for that.

The story has very strong characters and will keep you interested in how it unfolds. This is the second book by the author and he writes confidently. I enjoyed reading this book.

[Pratibha Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the blurb when I first saw the book on kindle. And though I had the vague idea where the book headed as I started it, this was a ride I thoroughly enjoyed . Brilliant tight plot and the multiple narration kept the book very interesting and varied.

More details on my blog : a-lotofpages.com

[Priyaranjan Mohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a tale of human relationship going through high and lows in the complex circumstances.
The is gripping and brilliantly written. Book is good from start to finish

A must read book for those who appreciate good writings.

for more visit :

priyaranjanmohan.blogspot.com

[Vipul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have read in a while from an Indian author. Let me commend Amit on being brave and putting such a different concept together. Major catastrophic events from all around the globe are beautifully intertwined with the storylines of all the characters. The style of writing is quite unique, story is gripping, with characters telling their own tales at different times and all of it coming together in the end. I would definitely recommend it !

[Pavitra (For The Love of Fictional Worlds) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer :A Huge Thanks to Writers Melon for providing me with a review copy. My thought, opinions and feelings expressed in this review are, however my own!

It’s rare to find an Indian author who I would have been content with handling the genre of science – fiction, a genre that I have fallen in love with every iota of imagination I have.  

Saying that, Mr. Sharma had my attention with the blurb of The Woman Who Saw The Future (which btw is a spoiler-y, if I say so myself!) – but with my attention, he also had my apprehension about how he would handle this plot. 

From page 1; the author had me hooked – the story in multiple POVs, a brilliant tactic by the author to make sure that the reader gets a 360b degree look at the plethora of characters and their emotions with revolving around the main character – Sapna Vaid. This way the reader gets the glimpse or rather the whole story behind the girl that she was and the woman she became – and the role that everyone plays in her life.  

While I am not going to talk about the plot – I can’t without getting spoiler-y and it honestly is a book that you need to experience yourself. But it was the talent of the author that he made the connection between actual facts and the fictional ones to make the story certainly believable. Although at times, I did believe that the drama was a little bit on the extreme side, it didn’t take away from the pleasure of enjoying the book.  

All in all, this is one book by an Indian author that I enigmatically enjoyed every bit! 




For more reviews visit For The Love of Fictional Worlds :)
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[Ushasree N · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chanced upon the book “The woman who saw the future,” at a very strange time in my life. I had just begun asking questions – Am I a believer or a non-believer? Do I believe in the existence of God or even a supernatural entity guiding our lives? I honestly haven’t reached a conclusion to these questions. While I was grappling with the questions and was wondering about the how and why of a lot of things in my life, I encountered the book on Kindle Unlimited and I marked it to read, intrigued by the blurb.

Read the full review here: http://www.literateidiotsclub.com/rev...

[Mugdha Mahajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if you are able to predict future someday? Would you treat this power as a boon or curse?  How will your life change?

 I don't have words to describe how awesome this book is. It is full of every ingredient of thriller, mystery, romance, comedy and horror which makes the book so interesting. The story revolves around Sapna and her bond with other characters in the story. Sapna, an innocent college going girl discovers her power of seeing the future through her dreams.

The book is divided into two parts 'The Rise' and 'The Fall'. The first part states Sapna's journey from being a normal girl to the most influential Goddess. After the death of her brother, suddenly Sapna starts getting premonitions about death through her dreams. She uses her power to save lives of thousands of people. The second part focuses on the evil side of Sapna. How she misuses her power to take revenge, also in order to save her influential position she turns into a murderer. 

I was totally hooked to this book. Even though I had an exam, I preferred finishing the book since it was becoming difficult for me to keep the book down even for one minute :P. The author has beautifully described every detail of the story and its characters. The language used is simple and the story line is captivating.

Its a MUST read for everyone. I highly recommend this book.

My Rating: 5/5

[Dhruv Singhal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since so many bloggers loved this book, I sure did have high expectations when I dived into this book but I wasn’t disappointed for Amit Sharma’s ‘The Women Who Saw The Future’ truly is a feast and if I could, I would have given it all the stars in the world for it blew me away but it’s very disheartening that I can’t. Let me begin by giving you a short summary of the book:

The story starts with the Vaid family after they discover that their daughter, Sapna, has premonitions of impending doom. She gets nightmares about all sorts of disasters leading to people’s deaths around the world, whether they are terrorist attacks, accidents, killings etc. As time passes, the intensity and frequency of these visions increase to such an extent that it jeopardizes Sapna’s mental well being. In order to appease her frazzled mind, she agrees to do a reality show called Lucky People wherein she puts her powers to good use and saves thousands of people from imminent death. But as we all know, “with great power comes great responsibility”, and somewhere along the line, Sapna loses focus on the bigger picture. That marks the deterioration of a once innocent and frightened girl.

To quote the blurb on the book jacket – When a blinding hatred leads to a desperate act of revenge, a single misuse of her great power triggers a reversal of her fortunes. Now she must decide the path she has to take to preserve her unique gift and her fame, even if it turns her into a murderer on the brink of insanity.

The story itself begins in the present and travels back in time. Even then, the events take you on a roller-coaster where everything happens so fast that one has to struggle to keep up. It makes the trip as hypnotic as it is thrilling.

The NARRATION and the writing style, although well descriptive and original, had some repetition of certain phrases like ‘you know’ which even irritated me at times. It was even over descriptive at times and yet it totally lifted to the next level during the climax. The LANGUAGE is plain and lucid and hooks you to the story.

In addition to being gloriously atmospheric with a steady pace, the novel is character driven as well. The readers forms a connection not only with the main characters, but also with the minor characters. The CHARACTERS are powerful and delighting. The story is told from the perspective of at least 9 characters; that’s something I’ve never encountered before. You’d think that it would get overwhelming, but it doesn’t.

My favorite was the FEMINISM factor where the author has portrayed the women in the story as being emotionally strong. I am glad to proclaim Amit a feminist. Sapna’s mother Kalpana is shown to be an emotionally strong person and her emotional husband needs her support in dealing with harsh realities of life. He is the one who collapses during a difficult time in their life while she holds her ground. Sapna is vulnerable to start with but as time passes she develops nerves of steel. Sapna’s friend Mehek is another toughie while her brother, Angad, is not so much. Anupama, the star reporter of a major TV channel, is a fearless, eccentric tomboy who calls the shots in her relationship with her inspector boyfriend, Om. This is an interesting trend to observe in this book and a welcome one too.

There’s barely any stereotyping or cliche. From a heartrending contemporary fiction with supernatural elements, this novel hurtles towards becoming a THRILLER. There’s a bit of sexual content and profanities but nothing too extreme.

Final Verdict:
The Women Who Saw The Future by Amit Sharma reflects the Indian society very well, and highlights the suffering of a family burdened by loss. With its supernatural elements and unique plot, it stands up to its hype and is ultimately a commendable thriller! I’d recommend it to all of you. And hope that for the sake of such excellent plot execution, you can ignore the small issues.

[Shail Mohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written. Read it in one sitting. Amit Sharma is an author to watch out for. I am looking forward to reading more from him.

[Literary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5
I really loved the storyline and how the author has managed to cleanly and distinctively arrange the perspectives of each of the primary characters. While the repetition of “you know” during Sapna’s mother’s narration made me feel disturbed at times, it also pointed out the flaws and stress of both old age and extreme pressure of the aftermath of her disclosure, which made it more realistic. The extremity of Sapna’s fame seems a bit far fetched, mostly due to the mention of realistically existing high power of different countries and also of gruesome real calamities and devastating incidents. It’s unnerving how the story fitted inside it too much to portray calmly. The book itself throughout had excitement stitched into it’s crispy pages. The real events have been carefully arranged into the book’s timelines so delicately that you might even think if there was a story of such a woman really present at that time or not. Well researched, carefully and thoroughly thought out, this book is a very entertaining, short read which gives quite a number of details on Greek mythology, enough for those who do not have a knowledge on the subject would be triggered to dig in more. Also the book bring to light various philosophical and literary ideas and extracts. It is fascinating for it gives an in sight to the author’s own interests in the subjects. If you are interested in a short read with multiple characters, glimpses of greek mythology, extract from well known philosophers and literary pieces, the inability of science to make sense of everything with their logic, this one is for you. I would definitely recommend people to read at least once.
To read the full review head on to my blog.

[Piyusha Vir · Rating 4 out of 5]

When has anyone not vaguely lamented if only they could have seen it coming?

The Woman Who Saw the Future not only deals with this concept of prophetic predictions in detail but also discusses the impact it has on Sapna and her family and friends.

With a concept this unusual, it has already got piques my curiosity. Furthermore, the story, narrated through the recollections of various characters.

At no point does the author let go of the plot or the tautness in the writing. Loose ends are cleverly tied up through different narratives of the various characters, and via journal entries. It makes for a very engaging read- akin to a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces come together to present the complete picture.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and (because of its various elements of mystery, humour, emotion) would happily call it a complete masala entertainer.

[Meera Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amit Sharma's The Woman Who Saw The Future is a feast in its entirety. The plot delves into the lives of the Vaid family after they discover that their daughter, Sapna, has premonitions of impending doom. She gets nightmares about all sorts of disasters leading to people's deaths around the world, whether they are terrorist attacks, accidents, killings etc. As time passes, the intensity and frequency of these visions increase to such an extent that it jeopardizes Sapna's mental well being. In order to appease her frazzled mind, she agrees to do a reality show called Lucky People wherein she puts her powers to good use and saves thousands of people from imminent death. But as we all know, "with great power comes great responsibility", and somewhere along the line, Sapna loses focus on the bigger picture. That marks the deterioration of a once innocent and frightened girl.

I want to give this book all the stars in the world. It blew me away, like winds on a dandelion farm. But it's very disheartening that I can't give it a full rating. So I'll start off with the minor points that I didn't really like. The writing style, although punchy and well articulated, had some repeated usage of word(s) that bothered me. For example, Sapna's mother Kalpana uses the words "you know" way too often! Similarly, with Mehak, she says "Lord" as a way of exclamation too often. And it doesn't really gel with what's happening. So these two occurrences stood out like a sore thumb. Secondly, there are sections in the book where either Sapna or her mother or some other character recounts the various calamitous incidents that Sapna has helped prevent. Those sections weren't seamlessly embedded in the narrative and felt a bit like they were being presented as bullet points. Finally, a couple of instances were a bit hard to believe. 

Now, lets get to all the good stuff. And there's a lot! So bear with me as I rave about how fantastic this book is. (This review is going to be a long one.) The plot is very unique, not because of the "premonitions" aspect, but because the author introduces a reality show as a plot point. This very fact allows us to glimpse how thirsty the society is to revere someone, to idolize a person and place them akin to God. And also, how fragile that belief is. The part that takes the crown is how this story unfolds. It is told from the perspective of atleast 9 characters; that's something I've never encountered before. You'd think that it would get overwhelming, but it doesn't. And even in those chapters, what every character divulges is carefully tailored so that bits of the story wonderfully unravel at a time. Moreover, the narration jumps back and forth between the past and the present, which adds more substance to the novel. 

There's barely any stereotyping or cliche. From a heartrending contemporary fiction with supernatural elements, this novel hurtles towards becoming a thriller. There's a bit of sexual content and profanities used, nothing too extreme. One of the highlights of this novel, for me, has to be the characterization of Sapna. The arc is so impressive! You can't help but be bewildered as you watch her turn from a stubborn, strong daughter to a scared, unsure girl and then a cold, pompous maniac. Believe me when I say that these aren't just adjectives. These parts of her personality surface at different parts of the book. The ending couldn't have been better. I just really wish that those tiny flaws had been smoothed out and I didn't find anything problematic. Nevertheless, I'm certainly going to recommend this book to everyone. And hope that for the sake of such excellent plot execution, you can ignore the small issues. 

What do you get out of it? Tears. Joy. A package of a book that highlights the suffering of a family burdened by loss, reflects Indian society, brings out interesting supernatural elements and is ultimately a really good thriller. 

Thank you Writers Melon for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

[Ashfiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review :


* I wholeheartedly declare this book a 5 star read.


The Woman Who Saw The Future is the first book I read of Amit Sharma and I must say that it has successfully earned it's place in my favourites list.
What I liked the most about the book is that, it had no unnecessary events and characters, everything was on point. If you would have read my earlier reviews (if not, do read them =P) I always talk about two mains factors that has the potential to ruin the entire plot and the story no matter how strong its foundation is. First, the Cliffhangers, and second Loopholes. But thankfully, I didn't find any of both in the book. Also, the narrative of the author was extremely commendable, each character had his or her own narrative. I would talk in detail about the character development of the story below.

The author has crafted the elements of the book quite admirably, so I am gonna dissect those basic organs which made the story as a whole below :

1) Plot : The plot of the book was quite simple. But inventing a credible twisted tale from a simple plot was very innovative. The story begins with an ascend of the life of the protagonist who later turns into an antagonist. Now you might be thinking that the plot in itself is a spoiler, but no, the real story embarks when the protagonist transforms into a negative character. The question is HOW ? Well, for that, you have to read the book. And I urge you to, don't pass it unread.

2) Setting : The author has very intelligently selected the setting of the story, in order to create events which could be related to national issues. The setting of the book is placed in Delhi, the capital of the country, where all the functioning of the country is approved and executed. So, it resulted to be more convenient to develop a story in such a setting.

3) Characterisation : Now here comes my favourite part. The Narrative is divided among all the characters respectively. What fascinated me the most is that, despite there being a number of characters. Each and every character had it's own unique personality. It felt as if they were actual persons and not just characters of a single man's imagination. The divided narrative also played a pivotal in understanding the plot without any doubt and disclosing the climax.

Lastly, I would like to say that, it has honestly made a place in my favourites collection. As the story proceeded towards the end, it gave me chills to read those last 50-60 pages. They felt so real, as if there is actually a lady named Sapna, and she is literally going through all those events described in the book. I still get goosebumps re-imagining what I read then. I would absolutely recommend this book. As I said earlier, do read it, don't pass it unread, you would be missing of the the excellent part of literature.

I humbly thank Bookfever Publications and Community for sending me this incredibly great book. It is true, once you start reading, you won't be able to keep it down.

Blurb:
" Sapna Vaid has lived with a unique power for a decade; a power that turned her from a timid, wide-eyed, college-going girl into the most influential and powerful Goddess on Earth. Sapna can see the future and saves thousands of people around the world every year through her record-breaking, popular show ‘Lucky People’. The show had given Sapna’s life a meaning and gives her the courage to sleep every night, where death and blood await her in her dreams. Even though the world is at her feet, the power costs Sapna her personal life. Broken relationships and separation from her son bring her unbearable pain. Her parents and the thousands of prayers that come her way every year are her only solace, her only reason to live. When a blinding hatred leads to a desperate act of revenge, a single misuse of her great power triggers a reversal of her fortunes. Sapna begins to lose her ability to see the future. "

Thank You

[Taanya Ahuja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: The Woman Who Saw the Future
Author: Amit Sharma
Publisher: Readomania
Published on: 18th November 2017
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 276
ISBN: 9789385854552

BLURB

Sapna Vaid has lived with a unique power for a decade; a power that turned her from a timid, wide-eyed, college-going girl into the most influential and powerful Goddess on Earth.Sapna can see the future and saves thousands of people around the world every year through her record-breaking, popular show ‘Lucky People’. The show had given Sapna’s life a meaning and gives her the courage to sleep every night, where death and blood await her in her dreams.
Even though the world is at her feet, the power costs Sapna her personal life. Broken relationships and separation from her son bring her unbearable pain. Her parents and the thousands of prayers that come her way every year are her only solace, her only reason to live.
When a blinding hatred leads to a desperate act of revenge, a single misuse of her great power triggers a reversal of her fortunes. Sapna begins to lose her ability to see the future.Now she must decide the path she has to take to preserve her unique gift and her fame, even if it turns her into a murderer on the brink of insanity.


COVER PAGE

The cover page of the book is very simple and decent in white colour which is very eye catchy. The cover has an image of an eye which is the future and inside that eye is the picture of a woman who can see it. Thus, the cover page is very much relevant to the story. The title of the story is written in capitals and specially highlighting the WOMAN in red colour to give an emphasis on it. Overall, a nice and a simple cover page.



REVIEW

The Woman Who Saw The Future by Amit Sharma is one of the most interesting book that I have read in the year 2017. It is a page turner which made me stick to my reading corner till I completed reading it.
The book has a really tightly bounded plot written in a simple and a fluent way making it a very intriguing. It is written from the different perspectives of the characters which is very unique and the characterization of the book is very well developed and very relate able.
I really liked the concept of Diary entries which the author has written for Sapna's character. The story is set in the capital city of India i.e. Delhi. The various events in the book whether the documentary or the dreams that Sapna saw are very well described. I was very much keen on reading this book after reading the blurb and I enjoyed reading this book thoroughly.
In the story the author has conveniently conveyed about that one actually doesn't knows what the future holds for us. The way the change is portrayed in the story that a simple middle class girl becomes famous and wealthy which changes her completely and ego which is a small word but is of a great value and how it affects her loved ones.
The book is written in a very nice manner that made me even feel the different emotions such as of pain, happiness and others. At various points, I cried because the words had so much power. Till the end, the author has maintained the central theme and the story can be visualized by the reader very well. The ending of the book is written very nicely and cleverly which was also filled with suspense.
Overall, the book is very much engaging and it covers various themes from family, pain, fame etc. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend this book to everyone if you want to read a book filled with suspense.
*I received a free copy of the book from Writersmelon in exchange of an honest and an unbiased review.

[Deepti · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course, they actually become the person they seem.”
The Moon and Sixpence – Somerset Maugham
Nostradamus could not have done it better than Sapna Vaid, the protagonist of Amit Sharma’s ‘The Woman Who Saw the Future’, a timid young girl who despises cornflakes, adores Greek mythology and has healthy spats with her mother. Her parents, Prakash and Kalpana, have built their future together at Dilshad Garden, “piece by piece. Togetherness for us was creating this small world for ourselves... filling it with things we loved.”
Vikrant, Sapna’s brother, is the anchor that Sapna clings on to, as she writes letters to him, her way of communicating with him. She confides in him all her fears, her insecurities and her ups and downs, even after she meets a boy in college, Saahil, who soon becomes part of the family. Her fears overwhelm her. “What if I am a harbinger? What if the deaths happen in reality because of my presence in the dreams? What if I am not a witness but a bad omen?”
It is in 2002 that Kabir comes into Sapna’s life, with grandiose ideas of turning Sapna’s gift of prophesying the future into a TV programme, ‘Lucky People’ meant to save as many people as possible, a platform to use her powers effectively. Mehak, a brilliant sketch artist, and Anupama, a fearless star reporter, are roped in to ensure that the show catches eyeballs with its authenticity.
Soon, the whole world is watching!
Sapna turns into a star, but slowly, things get complicated as she is trapped in a life slowly spiralling out of control.
Will Sapna be able to hold her head above water, and manage her relationships at the same time? Will the baggage weigh her down as she continues to make her predictions? Can she survive on the thousands of prayers that come her way, even as she strives to make sense of a life, turned chaotic?
These and many other questions are answered as the novel moves on at breakneck speed, till it culminates in a consummation that shocks, throwing the reader off balance.
Amit Sharma uses an unusual technique of propelling his tale ahead, that of diary writing. Sapna’s innermost hopes, fears and desires are conveyed to the readers through her diary entries to Vikrant. It finally takes an act of atonement to bring peace to her life and to the lives of those who love her.
This is a wonderfully readable book that brings the myth of Narcissus to life in many ways, maybe a tribute to the author’s obvious fascination with Greek mythology.

[Murtaza Kuwarawala · Rating 4 out of 5]

So basically, I was provided this book to give a honest feedback on this. Though my experiences with Indian authors have always been an average one, this book promised me that it is different from the regular off-the-mill romance drama that most new Indian Authors churn up with these days. After I finished reading the book, I tried to look up a bit on the author (which I generally do before I buy a book) and it turned out his previous book was quite interesting as well. The book was beyond what I had expected and has certain uniqueness to it.

Blurb:

Sapna Vaid has lived with a unique power for a decade; a power that turned her from a timid, wide-eyed, college-going girl into the most influential and powerful Goddess on Earth. Sapna can see the future and saves thousands of people around the world every year through her record-breaking, popular show ‘Lucky People’. The show had given Sapna’s life a meaning and gives her the courage to sleep every night, where death and blood await her in her dreams. Even though the world is at her feet, the power costs Sapna her personal life. Broken relationships and separation from her son bring her unbearable pain. Her parents and the thousands of prayers that come her way every year are her only solace, her only reason to live. When a blinding hatred leads to a desperate act of revenge, a single misuse of her great power triggers a reversal of her fortunes. Sapna begins to lose her ability to see the future.
What's good in the book:
The storyline was quite new. We have all heard of novels where the protagonist can see the future, but this one takes up situations from the current affairs and blends it quite well with the story.
The characters were quite relatable for someone who has been born and brought up in a middle-class family.
The narrative was crisp and does not drag bringing an interesting narrative.
What's wrong with the book:
Within the first 50 pages, one can easily predict the climax of the book which was disappointing. The entire premise hence only rests on how the story unfolds (which wasn't disappointing a bit)
The book reaches its low in the last 20 pages once again and lost some of its sheen over there.
My take on the book:
For a book written by an Indian author, my expectations are generally quite low but this book surpassed those. One should surely pick up this book if they are interested in a book with quick narrative and without a cheesy storyline.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟 🌟 out of 5

Book in Three Words: Brilliant. Crisp. Fast-Paced.