An original and well-written tale about achieving true love.
In Sklivas’ debut novel, the complexities of love are explored against a backdrop of spiritual and mythological lore.
Beautiful and adored Princess Damayanti has reached the age when it’s time to wed, triggering much speculation in her mythical kingdom. But what she longs for is an enduring, conquering love, one that may not please her royal parents or the kingdom. Defiant, passionate and determined, she sets off on a journey to find enduring love, led by the Great Swan, whose lifelong mating rituals Damayanti envies. The Great Swan instructs Damayanti in meditation and yoga, guiding her toward a deeper understanding of herself and the universe. Filling her mind with ancient wisdom, the Great Swan serves as Damayanti’s spiritual guide, reminding her that the best way to find love is to “be the love you wanted to receive in the world.” Armed with the wisdom from Goddess Shakti and other gods, Damayanti grows spiritually. But even when she is thought ready to accept true love, Damayanti still has many obstacles—some even life-threatening—to overcome before she can be with Prince Nala, her soul mate. As she perseveres and proves herself prepared and eager for love, Kala, the god of time, notices Damayanti and falls desperately in love with her. Determined to come between Damayanti and Nala, Kala uses his powers to try to ruin Nala, leading Damayanti’s quest toward new dangers. Combining ancient mythology, classic tropes and a modern feel, Damayanti’s adventure is one that is timeless and memorable. The unpredictable twists of Damayanti’s journey keep the story well-paced and compelling, calling to mind favorite fairy tales and fables. Sklivas’ prose conveys an otherworldliness that helps this novel stand out as an epic journey. Damayanti’s growth, as she works to find romance, makes her a sympathetic, self-actualized character.
An original and well-written tale about achieving true love.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-0989649605
Page Count: 348
Publisher: HotCore Yoga Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
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