Payal Doshi

On the evening of their twelfth birthday, Rea's annoying twin brother Rohan disappears while on his way home from a clandestine, late-night cricket match. When Rohan fails to return after several days, and Rea's mother and grandmother blame her while fatalistically bewailing that Rohan is now gone forever, Rea recruits her friend Leela to help her get to the bottom of this mysterious situation. In a nearby forest, they discover a portal to an alternate, magical world where Rohan is being held prisoner.

Fairly well done for a debut effort. The characters are likeable and interesting, and the story has unique elements and is a fun adventure with lots of Girl Power. My daughter read it first, and then I selected it to fulfill the Read Harder category "read an independently published book by a BIPOC author."… (més)

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar is a beautiful middle grade portal fantasy. Rea is a 12 year-old girl who lives in the Darjeeling area of India. She resents her popular twin brother Rohan who she feels is treated better by her family. She often feels invisible. On the night of their 12th birthday, Rohan mysteriously goes missing. Rea, along with her friend Leela, portal through a banyan tree to a magical botanical realm called Astranthia, to search for Rohan. The world building is lush and vibrant, with deadly serpent lilies, a blood sucking banshee and an evil queen.
There are themes of sibling rivalry, family, secrets, courage, self-worth and friendship. Rea is a flawed character, often impulsive and sometimes inconsiderate. Yet she is intelligent, brave and determined to do what is right. She grows and triumphs in the face of adversity, and learns to value herself and others. Her budding friendship with the steadfast and loyal Leela is one of the many strengths of the story.
Rea and the Blood of the Nectar is a vividly written, enjoyable, adventure-filled fantasy with important themes that can be enjoyed by teens and adults, as well as middle grade readers. I'm looking forward to the sequel. Highly recommended. #BooksForwardFriends… (més)