DNF. P. 124. I just lost interest and it felt that parts weren't coherent. Or maybe that was the writing. Going back to the library.

This is an Indian version of Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods, and Rick Riordan's GR review of the book is excellent. 13-year old Ash Mistry discovers he has extraordinary power and finds himself trying to defeat the reanimation of the demon king Ravana, battling a wealthy British businessman and his demon helpers. I liked Ash best when he was being trained by the beggars, and when he was lusting after the serpent woman because it made him feel like a normal person. ( )

Ash and his sister Lucky are spending their summer visiting their aunt and uncle in India. When tragedy strikes their family, Ash finds out that he is the reincarnation of the mythic hero Rama. ( )

Fast paced action and good writing. A bit gory near the end, but not awful. My one complaint is the hyper irritating transformation of the main character from chubby to skinny, and the way that's portrayed as him losing his weakness and growing into a fierce hero. Cause fat kids can't be heroes or anything. He even says something like "I guess I just had to diet and exercise" to lose weight. Ugh. I just... chubby or fat kids don't need to hear that more than they already do. I don't know why he couldn't just get stronger, and not have to discuss how "easy" it is to lose weight when "you put your mind to it." For some kids, no, it's not easy. And they shouldn't have to feel ashamed of that, but this message that weight is really simple to control pops up all the time. It's a small part of the overall book, which is partly why it bugged me so much. It would have been VERY easy to leave out completely, and the story wouldn't have been altered.

Anyway. I think kids will enjoy it, I was just annoyed. ( )

Eh. Not nearly as good as his Billi Sangreal book. ( )