Month: September 2021

Bookish Posts, Fiction

Eye On You by Kanchana Banerjee- Book Review

The image designed on Canva shows key points about the book, Eye OnYou.
Eye On You- A quick Glance Source: Designed by self on Canva

Book Details

I got this book as part of Blogchatter’s Book review program in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. So there you go with my thoughts and opinions on the book, Eye On You.

Title: Eye On You

Author: Kanchana Banerjee

Illustrator (Cover Design): Mishta Roy

Genre: Action/ Crime/Thriller

Type: E-book

Page Count: 188

Price: Free with Kindle Unlimited Subscription otherwise, INR 200

Blurb (as on Amazon)

You’re seen, tracked, and followed everywhere you go. Every line & picture you post; someone is watching. All that information in the wrong hands is a recipe for disaster.

You have a smart door, a CCTV; everything is controlled via an app on your mobile phone. All they need to do is to hack into your phone. Anyone can get in, anyone can see you inside your home.

How safe are you inside your home?

Myra is a young, independent, single working woman living in Gurgaon. After a party in her home, she wakes up the following morning and discovers that she has been raped. But she was at home, surrounded by her friends.

Who could have done this to her? Was it one of her friends or a stranger?

Book Review

The author, Kanchana Banerjee has vividly captured the threats that come along with the advancement of smart technologies and the follies of human beings with her engrossing writing.

The fact that this work of fiction, Eye On You, blurs the line between imagination and reality is what makes the thriller more gripping.

Myra, the protagonist, depicted as an affluent, independent woman sharing every passing moment on social media, finds herself raped in her bedroom the next morning after she throws an open house party. What ups the horror factor of the story is the fact that all those invited to the party were her friends.

The plot set in Gurgaon, one of India’s leading industrial and financial hubs, brings out the real picture of the society we live in now. One cannot take Myra or the other characters in the book lightly as some fictional characters as we can easily identify them with someone from our circle and that’s what leaves us wary.

How safe are we in a tech-driven world where every information, personal and official, is just one click away? Honestly, as someone who is always in a love-hate relationship with social media presence, this thriller just sent chills down my spine and I find myself navigating more towards a less/no social media approach.

Author’s writing style

As with the writing, the lucid language with highly detailed characters and plot description, the story just comes alive before you. The way the mystery unravels in this page-turner making us guess and second guess with every twist makes the book unputdownable.

The author finds the right balance in walking us through the emotions of the victim sensitively even while keeping the generally prevalent outlook on a rape victim raw. Very much relevant to our current lifestyle, this book makes for a must-read.

The author leaves the reader (especially women) with many questions on cybercrime, abuse, affluent lifestyles, the pros and cons of technological advancements, etc.

This book is certain to make you take one step back and assess if there’s genuinely the need for your social media handles and the use of smart technologies. Yes, this story makes you ponder beyond the plot.

Wrap up words

What I loved much in the book is the equally detailed descriptions of the characters other than the protagonist that helps the reader immerse themselves in the story, feel one among them and wear their detective hat.

Even while I found the plot slightly hurried and predictable towards the end, I still would recommend this book for the way it keeps the reader guessing and second-guessing since the start. Also, its relevance to the current time makes it a must-read.

Not to forget, the cover design by the illustrator Mishta Roy is well thought of, giving that creepy feeling and perfectly going with the storyline.

Also after reading the story, the title of the book makes even more sense with another interpretation of Eye On You as I On You. The choice of keeping it simply as ‘Eye’ (to sound similar to ‘I’, maybe) and not ‘Eyes’ or ‘An Eye’, makes me think so. If you have read the book you will know what I mean. Let me know if you feel the same too.

Content Warning

There are mention of obscenities that are unavoidable for the storyline and if descriptions of physical abuse trigger you, you may want to stay away. Also, make sure to close your kindle reader while pausing or leaving it alone; you may not want your kid to even accidentally have an eye on it.

Buy here

Haven’t read it yet, then buy it here.

“This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program“ 

Block Title

Miscellaneous

Blogchatter- Bloggers’ Best Bet for Networking & Earning

A Canva design that read Blogchatter-Bloggers' best bet for networking & earning
Designed by self on Canva

If you are a beginner to the blogging world, wanting to earn but shy away from networking or actively using social media, then this is for you.

As bloggers, we start with the hope to be seen. We jump into blogging with the idea that our articles be read and shared instantly. But the ground reality hits hard when we see no visibility for the post for which we laboured in hours. That’s when networking comes to play.

Given the popularity of social media platforms for instant connections, shares and likes, we might think networking is not a big deal. But let me tell you that intentional and healthy networking for bloggers should mean looking beyond those Instagram connections and story shares.

One of the best and dynamic Indian platforms that connect bloggers under one roof is Blogchatter. It helps in better networking and engaging with fellow bloggers with a variety of options. There is something for everyone and you can very easily find and grow your community for better learning and for better reach, of course.

As someone who prefers listening over talking and being alone over partying, networking wasn’t my cup of tea. Also, being an ITP warrior, I’m generally not left with much energy for social media presence too. So right when I was wondering how to get into intentional networking, I chanced upon Blogchatter.

What makes Blogchatter the best bet and a personal favourite is its versatility. Not all bloggers come with the same purpose and same skill sets. While some may blog for a hobby, some do it for business or as a part of learning. While some may be good at long posts, some may steal the show with short video captures. While some bet on SEO, some swear by social media presence. Blogchatter makes every blogger feel seen and heard.

Blogchatter with its carefully crafted features always comes up with campaigns, challenges and contests that are well-curated keeping in mind the dynamism of the blogger world. This gives each blogger the freedom to have their own approach and also find their tribe.

Even if you are an introvert like me, their campaigns like Blogchatter half marathon, book review programs, reading challenge and the easiest of all blogroll submissions can help you get started with networking.

One of my favourite features of Blogchatter is #CauseAChatter. Here’s a quick guideline on how you can write for a cause.

Even while being very less active, being part of the campaigns has helped with the visibility of my website. But the best part is being able to discover like-minded people and their amazing writings. Discovering different styles of writing and also posts from niches outside of ours is an added advantage exclusive of being part of the Blogchatter community.

If you are someone full time into blogging and are an extrovert with social media presence being your strength, Blogchatter’s time to time contest, Twitter threads and their most –favoured #MyFriendAlexa are something that you certainly don’t want to miss.

Well, while visibility alone can give us the boost, Blogchatter gives its community the high of earning money too. You can either choose to just read a book or read and review it; write a single guest post or pen multiple posts for a marathon; write for a cause or for the sheer joy of writing or just do it all to earn money.

The Blogchatter team knows how to bring the best to the blogger world and individual bloggers too. Being a part of the Blogchatter community has been one of my best decisions and this post would just mean my gratitude to them. (This is not a sponsored post!)

So if you are reading this and are yet to join the Blogchatter community, I must say, you are missing out on the best of the blogging world.