With the end of the great war of Sompur, two brothers cum bosom friends part ways, each in search of his destiny. While Aryavir’s destiny as King of Kamalkund is written large on the wall, Sitanshu’s destiny is hidden deep within layers of suspense. Riding towards his destination i.e. Aryavartha, Sithanshu gets ready to perform a task on the success of which lies the destiny of Aryavartha, and all that lies south of it. Will he or will he not succeed?........To know that one must delve into ‘Ambuj’ which incidentally is the third and last part of The Guardians of Blue Lotus Trilogy.
Packed with some interesting insights into the way a person’s character changes with time and situations, ‘Ambuj’ is a revelation in itself like its prequel ‘Sitanshu’. Here one gets to see the darker side of King Ambujakshan’s life and reign, as well as palace intrigues plus loyalties. But at the heart of ‘Ambuj’ is actually a story of gruesome murders and the thirst for revenge. Packed with suspense, ‘Ambuj’ sees love blossom in unexpected quarters.
The characters, a sizeable number, are well etched, and the pace as well as style are perfect. Then what is it that holds me back from saying, ‘Wow’?
While ‘Aryavir’ was perfect in every sense except for the typographical errors that held me back from giving it a 💯, ‘Sitanshu’ which was definitely a notch above ‘Aryavir’, had me floored, so much so that I couldn’t wait to lay my hands on ‘Ambuj’. The expectations were really high, so the disappointment at not receiving a truly riveting read like ‘Sitanshu’ was great. The end is a cliffhanger, and thus the realization that this is the end of the series, left me disappointed. It feels like one is driving down a well-constructed road, enjoying the scenic beauty around, only to be suddenly come face-to-face with a deep chasm. The sudden application of the brakes mars the mood. So I hope the saga continues, and the author comes up with another book that picks up from where ‘Ambuj’ ends.
VERDICT
An interesting read, which will leave you thirsting for a sequel.