The Gentle Flame by Prachi Vaidya

"The love remains forever, it’s up to you to keep it or throw it.” 'The Gentle Flame' is a fantasy novel by Prachi Vaidya that takes us to a world of superpowers and dinosaurs, daughter and mothers, friends and foes, real and illusion. On one hand, the Princes corresponding to the elements of life - water, air, fire and land, are determined to overthrow each other to attain the supreme power and on another, the humans are oblivious to the impending apocalypse. Rhea, a fire-born half breed is torn between these two worlds of godly powers and humanly emotions, as she tries her best to save her loved ones. I am blown away by the amount of imaginative splendour that the author had put into this piece of work. This artistically crafted plot not only takes us to various fantastical scenes but also beautifully brings out some of the simple yet universal human emotions and attributes like love, envy, wrath, greed and lust for power. The characterization of Rhea is very pragmatic. She doesn't posses the mightiest superpower, neither is she the emotionally strongest of all humans. She is the gentle flame who is bound to win over all the readers' hearts with her heartwarming journey of self evolution. This beautiful combination of fantasy and emotion, highlights the eternal truth that to love is to sacrifice and all the complications in the plot detangles in the end which left me with an overwhelming sense of sadness as well as fulfilment. I recommend all the fantasy lovers out there to pick this one up. You won't regret it.

—Tanisha