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A review by veronique5199
The Dying Day by Vaseem Khan
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
<i> Thank you Netgalley, Vaseem Khan and Hodder & Stoughton for the Advanced reader copy. </i>
The Dying Day is the second novel in the Malabar House series. This book is set in 1950s India after the second world war and the independence of India. It follows Persis Wadia, India's first female police detective, in her investigation looking for the stolen Dante Manuscript. Various riddles lead her on a scavenger hunt through Bombay while the stakes are getting higher.
<b>Representation: </b> Indian main character, post independence India
<b>Content warnings: </b> murder, deaths, suicide, sexism, discrimination, World War two references,
CAWPILE Rating: 7.57 => 4 Stars
Characters: 7.5
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 8
Plot: 8.5
Intrigue : 7
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 8
I never read the first one but this did not alter my enjoyment of this book. I actually might go back and read the first novel.
I really enjoyed this treasure hunt of a book, It felt like the DaVinci Code set in India. Really enjoyed all the historical integration of post-independent India and WWII.
Parsis was a really interesting character to follow, being amazing at her job but having to fight discrimination being a woman in a men's world. Vaseem Khan also integrated the relationships and the views on relationships between Indian and English people at that time were really well.
I definitely can say I learned a lot of history from this novel.
The side characters were however a bit flat, I also constantly forget who was who and had to read a few lines before I remembered how they connected into the story
The mystery was also interesting and gave a great treasure hunt through Bombay where the stakes were getting higher and higher throughout the novel. That in the end the Nazi's were involved was not something I saw coming
I do have to say one of the lesser points was that as the reader you could not solve the riddles with the main character. Parsis constantly had eureka moments and would go to that place and there was not enough info for the reader to come to this ourselves.
The Dying Day is the second novel in the Malabar House series. This book is set in 1950s India after the second world war and the independence of India. It follows Persis Wadia, India's first female police detective, in her investigation looking for the stolen Dante Manuscript. Various riddles lead her on a scavenger hunt through Bombay while the stakes are getting higher.
<b>Representation: </b>
<b>Content warnings: </b>
CAWPILE Rating: 7.57 => 4 Stars
Characters: 7.5
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 8
Plot: 8.5
Intrigue : 7
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 8
I never read the first one but this did not alter my enjoyment of this book. I actually might go back and read the first novel.
I really enjoyed this treasure hunt of a book, It felt like the DaVinci Code set in India. Really enjoyed all the historical integration of post-independent India and WWII.
Parsis was a really interesting character to follow, being amazing at her job but having to fight discrimination being a woman in a men's world. Vaseem Khan also integrated the relationships and the views on relationships between Indian and English people at that time were really well.
I definitely can say I learned a lot of history from this novel.
The side characters were however a bit flat, I also constantly forget who was who and had to read a few lines before I remembered how they connected into the story
The mystery was also interesting and gave a great treasure hunt through Bombay where the stakes were getting higher and higher throughout the novel.
I do have to say one of the lesser points was that as the reader you could not solve the riddles with the main character. Parsis constantly had eureka moments and would go to that place and there was not enough info for the reader to come to this ourselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Sexism, and Colonisation