REVIEW: Mandu by Malathi Ramachandran

Set in 16th century India, this novel is inspired by the legend of the young sultan, Baz Bahadur, and the beautiful peasant girl, Roopmati, who come together over their common love for classical music. He is a man who can have any woman, and she a woman too proud to ever be part of his harem.

But night after night, as they sing together in the enchanting world of Mandu, the fortress city lit up with lanterns and throbbing to the beat of ghungroos and tablas, a magic begins to happen. Baz and Roopmati fall in love. But, far away, in Agra, the Mughal Emperor, Akbar, is planning his campaigns and Mandu has been pinned on his map as a kingdom to be captured. 

Will Baz be able to protect his capital, and more importantly, the woman he loves, from the enemy forces? 

TITLE- Mandu: The romance of Roopmati and Baz Bahadur

AUTHOR- Malathi Ramachandran
PUBLISHER- Niyogi Books

FORMAT- Paperback

*Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.*
(All opinions are my own)

Honestly speaking this is my first Indian historical fiction. I love historical romances but I have never ever before read a historical romance that was set up in India and I am glad that I picked this one up.

Set up in the 16th century, Mandu is a beautiful story about love, power, and heartache. 

The story revolves around Baz Bahadur, the last sultan of Malwa, and Roopmati, a peasant girl. They meet by chance due to their same tastes in music, a bond strikes, and love blooms. But love is not easy, it comes with heartache.

This book does not only explores the romance between the main characters but also brings into limelight the politics and warfare of the 16th century. Also, the cultural differences between the couple are beautifully depicted.

The addition of poetry in the book is like a cherry on the top. The poems are so beautiful that you fall in love with them.

Cover- Simple, yet elegant.

Title- The title 'Mandu' represents the book quite nicely, but I personally feel that a better title could have been assigned to this soulful story.    

Kudos to the author for the effort she has put into the research, it shows quite well when one reads the book. 

The writing style is good but the language could be quite complex for the beginners. 

Talking about the characterization, both primary and secondary characters are well developed, and dialogues are beautifully penned.

while some must find the pace of the story quite slow, I found it moderate, however, the ending was quite rushed and could have been better. 

All in all, the book was interesting and held my interest right from the beginning and up to the end. If you are into history or historical romances, then you should give this book a go.