12 year-old Aarti has lived on a remote Scottish island with her Aunt Amalie for as long as she can remember and has no memories of her parents who died when she was little. She and her aunt are the only ones on the island and survive on the land, with a few animals to support them; other than Chand, her fox, Aarti has no-one. She knows that her aunt loves her but she can get angry and Aarti spends much of her time trying to predict her moods which can make life difficult, especially when she is forced to do lengthy daily ballet and carry out heavy chores and fishing in the freezing cold. She longs to learn more about her parents but her aunt won't tell her and keeps her bedroom locked so any secrets remain hidden. However, one day, she manages to sneak into the room and discovers an piece of her past which leads her to begin to question everything. But can Aarti discover the truth about her past and can her call for help into the winds really bring answers?
From the beginning of the book, you realise that Aarti is living a very different life: alone on a tiny Scottish island with no friends and only her temperamental aunt for company, this is certainly no normal upbringing. Amalie is clearly troubled and has her own issues which she is dealing with - she seems to love Aarti yet there is a dark side to her which is threatening and intimidating. It creates huge amounts of conflict in Aarti who is torn between keeping her aunt happy and discovering what happened to her parents and I found myself rooting for her from the very first page.
Magic and myth play a big role in this book: one of Aarti's favourite books is her Krishna book and it is whilst reading that that she begs to know who she really is - the book is her companion and keeps her company. When Euan arrives on the island, washed-up after being ship-wrecked, she finds a friend and the links between Indian and Scottish myths are woven beautifully together.
I have to give a nod to the setting of this book: having spent so much of my time as a child visiting my grandparents in Scotland, I have a real affection for the country so to read about the landscape and the weather was wonderful; however, the real treat for me was the description of potato cakes and tablet! Having the piece of tablet there to nibble on was perfect and I've already searched how to make potato cakes 'cause I now have a real craving for them - Jasbinder's description of them made me drool! In fact, her description throughout create such a strong and compelling atmosphere which drew me in kept me enthralled.
Aarti & The Blue Gods is a journey of self-discovery; a story of isolation, friendship, finding yourself and facing your fears. It's a wonderful read that had me in floods of tears! Aarti is a young lady who will stay with me for quite some time and her strength is to be admired.
Released on the 2nd September, I highly recommend you read Aarti & The Blue Gods with a supply of potato cakes, tablet and tissues!
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