Fifteen-year-old Adi Yoshi isn’t exactly what you’d call a hero—he’s timid, a regular target for school bullies, and just wants to escape his oppressive upbringing under his Naani’s disinterest and cruelty. But Adi is also a Marut, someone who can “silhouette” into an animal form. While Adi’s silhouette, a lowly twig snake, isn’t all that impressive, he learns that his lineage is: he’s heir to the Naga clan, and at the heart of a world-ending prophecy. Whisked away to Wantra—an alternate realm for celestials, monsters, Maruts, and their enemies, the Boors—on a literal magic carpet, Adi is pulled into a war that’s centuries older than he is. There, he meets unlikely friends, powerful adversaries, and mythological creatures. Reluctantly he embarks on a quest to stop Rahu, a dark god intent on gaining power and destroying everything—and everyone—Adi cares about.
As Rick Riordan introduced young readers to Greek myths with the Percy Jackson series, author Tara Rewa delights with a fascinating, fresh take on Hindu myths with THE LEGEND OF TRIQUETRA. From Kalpavriksha, an entire celestial world within a gigantic tree that is inhabited by both gods and monsters, to the Maw, a forest of vampire trees rotted by neglect and environmental abuse—the world building of Wantra and beyond is dense, expansive, and inventive. There are also invisibility scarves, magical ladders, and realms of celestials and paladins. Not to mention all of the different Maruts, foes, immortal gods, and creatures in between—such as the gruesome winged Yechs and the malicious, conniving Dakinis.
Adi proves to be a complex protagonist, torn between love for his little brothers and his resentment toward his Naani’s emotional neglect throughout his young life. As with all good reluctant protagonists, his journey of growth and self-discovery—gaining confidence along the way—is a universal one for adolescents. His companions make for a wonderful cast of characters, too. Anku’s intellect and wry wit match Adi’s humor perfectly, Surp’s bravery and skill is admirable in the midst of their most perilous fights, and even the minor side-characters all seem to have their own quirks, secrets, and interesting powers to add a little something to this winding narrative. The stakes climb higher with each startling twist as the blood-blue moon (and its eclipse) approaches.
Adi does mention several times that he uses both hearing aids and special orthopedic shoes to help him with his disabilities, though it comes across as an afterthought rather than something that’s an inherent part of him. These disabilities also become magically cured at times when he’s most connected to his Marut power, which is a little disappointing. It might’ve been interesting to see him succeed in all worlds as a disabled Marut, lending another layer to his already wonderful character development.
The pacing around the middle does get a bit unwieldy, as Adi and his friends jump from one location to the next and other characters weave in and out of the action. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep track of where everyone is and what current goal they’re after, as the book has a lot of material to work with and juggles several unexpected turns. Adi is also fed a lot of plot-important revelations through “Naga sight” dreams and eavesdropping on conveniently useful villain conversations. It’s not always a bad plot device, but, when overused, it becomes somewhat contrived and almost too convenient. In spite of this, though, the adventure is a captivating one, and the clever spins on Hindu mythology are brilliantly worked through the novel. Everything comes together with shocking clarity in the third act, which is both emotionally stirring and filled to the brim with surprising plot turns and character revelations, setting the stage for an exciting new Young Adult series.
Author Tara Rewa delights new readers with a fascinating, fresh take on Hindu myths with THE LEGEND OF TRIQUETRA, a captivating YA debut. Inventive, dense world building, fun characters, and high stakes make for an exciting fantasy adventure.
~Jessica Thomas for IndieReader