NOT WORTH LIVING FOR Paperback – 1 January 2019

Story in a nutshell:Ishita is a college student leading happy life with her parents and friends. She has joined St. Pierce’s College with a hope of living and making her life better. She has moved on with her life, thinking of her past relationship to be a good memory. But, her ex-lover hasn’t. He keeps following her to every place she visits. He seems to scare the hell out of her. Will he ever stop stalking her?At the same time, Shweta wakes up on an unknown planet, Isthenope with no memories about her past. Every day at Isthenope brings surprises to her. She meets Alexander and instantly feels a connection with him. What is Alexander’s story? Why are they on Isthenope?How is Ishita’s and Shweta’s life connected to each other? Is there some secret?Review:I had just one word “Wow!” for this novel. I am amazed by the author’s story-telling skills. He knows what part of the story to deliver when. He presents the simplest things in a very interesting manner. This makes you wonder whether you are ready some exciting part of the story. It keeps you hooked.The story has been plotted well. The author has paid attention to all the details. He has kept in mind all the aspects before bringing this story out on the paper. He has done a lot of research. You will know it once you read the book.The story has been narrated in third person narrative. I liked the simple and lucid language. The narration has a personal touch to it which makes you feel home. You will instantly feel connected with the characters. This story has been written from heart. There aren’t any twists and turns. This book is like dal – adequate amounts of all spices (emotions) and the cereal has made it just perfect.Reasons why you should read this book –- New and interesting plot. It has a love angle to it. Not like those clichéd novels.- Excellent narration- Amazing transition in between the two worlds. Not for one second would you disbelieve in what you read.I rate:Cover: 3.5/5Characters: 4/5Story: 4.5/5My overall rating for Not Worth Living For is 4/5 stars.

Not Worth Living For by Shreyan Laha is a sci-fi thriller fiction. Sci-fi thriller if written well can be a very entertaining read. The story is set in two different worlds: Earth and an unknown planet of Isthenope.The story revolves around Ishita Singh and Shweta. Ishita Singh is a student at St. Pierce's College living normal college life with her group of friends. Everything changed in her life when the past come knocking on her door and destroy everything. Will she be able to find her way out of it? Is there a larger conspiracy she is unaware of? What will happen to her? Shweta wakes up on an unknown planet name Isthenope. At first, she is skeptical about everything, but as she spent some time, getting acquainted with the world along with Alexander, she started to adapt and like the world. What will happen when reality comes to light? Will she be able to accept what lies ahead?The author's ability to create a world like Isthenope with vivid imagery and details was astounding and a joy to read. Both the stories were well-paced and went well simultaneously. Few characters were written well and I would have loved some back story on some of them to get a better view of their characteristics. Alexander's character was most exciting with the whole former spy arc and mission and details.The language is pretty lucid. The narration is slow-paced and the narrative could have been a little better too. The author has done well in creating two different timelines and bringing them together with ease. Although the climax was interesting although ended abruptly I hope the author is going to continue the story as mentioned cause there are so many unanswered questions. It was an interesting read.

Not worth living for is an amazing novel that follows two stories. In the first, we meet Shweta who wakes up in a strange cold place known as Isthenope, she vaguely remembers the past events but none too clearly. Surrounding to its oddity, she meets the group of weird-looking folks who claimed to have saved her along with a few other people. As she learns about this place and the people residing here, she meets Alexander. He is friendly and sweet to show her different places as well as introducing her to others. Then in the storyline, we make acquainted with Ishita, a girl from Jamshedpur who joins the St.Pierce college and at the beginning, everything seems normal. She attains classes, make some good friends and had a senior roommate who was thankfully not bad. But she failed to perceive the danger she was in, Ishita was being stalked and one day she became a victim to a horrendous crime that left her scarred for life.And as the story continues we left to face the questions. How did Shweta end up on Isthenope where a single day consists of 16 hours? And who exactly is Alexander? What will happen to Ishita now that her life was not the same after being subjected to brutality?Two stories with two destinies running parallel to each other and as they merge, the realization will come as shock to the readers.This is a sci-fi/contemporary novel and when I read the blurb I was intrigued by it. The combination of these genres along with good characterization makes this book more enjoyable. The plot was engaging and there were many likable characters and some not so much because of what they did. I won’t say their names because that would serve as spoilers but I will tell one thing though the person who had ‘feelings’ for Ishita didn’t deserve her. He was not brave enough to stand alongside her through all the difficulties which in my opinion, was a failure on his part. I will deem his helplessness as an act of cowardice because if you truly care for someone then you stand by them no matter what the consequences.Anyways, Not worth living for was a thrilling read. What I liked the most about this book was that it included the past stories of other characters such as Alexander’s. I didn’t feel left out because the author gave ample information regarding their character arc.I would definitely recommend this.