The novel starts with the story of the heartbreaking divorce of Yoshita's parents, and the author has brilliantly narrated the effects on the nine year old, her emotions, beliefs, all the time not taking sides with either of the parents. This is totally from the viewpoint of the young kid, and forms the core of the story.
The story then ventures into the second marriage of Mr. Ray, to a widow Mrs. Bannerjee, thereby adding Tanay, her son to the story. While Yoshita's belief in fairy tale and fantasy have disappeared since the great debacle that is the divorce of her parents, Tanay is still strong about these and is a true believer. Add to it the age difference between the two, and that explains their disagreements most of the time.
The author has refrained from taking the usual route of wicked step mom or the wicked step dad, and kept the premise simple, real and more positive. This is laudable, and gives better scope in reflecting the feelings of the young kids, and ponder on why they feel the way they do, is it because of the circumstances that led to their parents becoming single parents or due to their age?
On Tanay's tenth birthday they accidentally end up at a magical place, The Charmed City. What unfolds is a really awesome adventure for the two and the reader. It's a magical ride through known fairy tales, characters already heard about, but kept simple and lovable. The conversation between the characters are funny and make an interesting read.
Aniesha Brahma has given a wonderful tale, reinforcing the need to believe in magic, and have hopes. The end of the story suggests the adventure is only briefly closed, so a series could be expected, wish the series keeps the interest of the readers intact.
I would definitely recommend this book to kids aged 9 and above.
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