Thursday 7 November 2019

Book Review: Haunted by Jay Alani and Neil D'Silva.


Book: Haunted

Author: Jay Alani and Neil D'Silva

Pages: 288

Publisher: Penguin India

Read On: Kindle

How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days

Plot Summary: An entire town that was abandoned overnight
A fort that fell to ruins due to a curse
Mines where twenty thousand miners were trapped and perished
A village where black magic is a way of life
A fair where exorcisms are performed in public

Such are the locations dotting the colourful paranormal map of India. Intrepid adventurers and regular tourists alike have often dared to visit these places to experience for themselves their fascinating lure, and to see if ghosts truly haunt these regions. However, those who have ventured there have often returned with more questions than answers-if at all they have returned.
Haunted chronicles the real-life adventures of paranormal investigator Jay Alani in ten of the spookiest locations in India. 

Co-authored by Neil D'Silva, these exploits provide a ringside view of these hair-raising paranormal journeys for everyone who has an interest in exploring the dark side of the normal. 
Things I Liked: 

1. I am a big fan of all things scary and horror related. Films, stories and TV shows, everything and anything to do with the spooks has my interest. So this book was an easy purchase to make. I wanted to be scared and entertained and this book managed to do both.

2. If you are a horror fan these stories will keep you hooked, especially given that these are based on true instances and experiences. Even if you aren't a true blue horror fanatic give this a read...it's always good to keep an open mind. And while these are spooky enough, none of the stories will leave you scared shitless. They are pretty mild-ish.

3. I loved the sheer range of these 10 stories, you have the usual haunted fort and abandoned village but you also have exorcisms and mines and a village full of black magic. It was varied and interesting and a deep dive into all things supernatural.

4. I read this in the dark, cozy under the quilt and it was just the perfect book to lose myself in. It is honestly the perfect kind of book to read this winter. Ah!

5. The writing was good too, the authors did a good job of taking us to these sinister places and you could feel the fear and anxiety of being in the presence of a ghost. It was atmospheric and still fast paced.

6. The thing I really appreciated in this book were the two stories focussed on dispelling certain myths and superstitions and talking honestly about black magic and certain religious practices. It is so important to not confuse supernatural instances with a ton of blind superstitions and have them hurt people and take over your life. For instance, labelling mental illness as possession is just wrong and hurts so many innocent people in need of medical help.

7. There were some places that I knew of, like Bhangarh and Kuldhara but so many others were new to me and I learnt so much and it spewed my interest in knowing more about these places.

Rating: 4/5

Spooky, fun and atmospheric. I had such a good time reading this book and I highly recommend it.


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