Official Review: Daisies and Dragon Slayers In The Equator

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Kibet Hillary
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Official Review: Daisies and Dragon Slayers In The Equator

Post by Kibet Hillary »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Daisies and Dragon Slayers In The Equator" by Penny Singham.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Daisies and Dragon Slayers of the Equator by Penny Singham is a historical fantasy set in Malaysia. It falls under the genre of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. The book contains approximately three hundred and seventy-two pages. Penny Singham holds both bachelors and masters in law from the National University of Singapore. He has lived and worked in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Singapore. He has also lived briefly in Queens, New York City. Currently, the author is an ex-lawyer. His experiences in the job market have informed the writing of this book that mainly highlights the plight of the minority Indians in Malaysia.

The book narrates in depth how life was for the minority Indians who were treated harshly and unfairly in Malaysia. Dr. Ratnam, Oormila’s father, is an ex-surgeon who is currently serving as the Deputy Director of the Chief Medical Health Office of Sembilang. Some changes were effected when the British left and Malaysia gained independence. This included altering the national language from English to Malay. As a result, people like Dr. Ratnam who hail from India stand a little chance of holding a civic office since all government businesses were being conducted in Malay. Consequently, foreigners holding public services are fired without any valid reason. Unexplained transfers are also executed. Do you think Dr. Ratnam, his family and other people like him will continue living under this condition?

What I liked most in the book was Oormila’s decision not to marry Kevin Venkat Kandasamy, VK. Arranged marriages were common amongst the Indians in Malaysia. Dr. Ratnam did not impose anyone on his daughter. However, Oormila’s mother and elder brother, Radha, were advocating for her to marry VK. Oormila called off the wedding three days to it. Her decision was the cause of many catastrophes. This was a bold decision since VK had paid fifty thousand dollars to put up an advertisement on a billboard at one of the most bustling areas of Kuala Lumpur. The advertisement had been made to utter the words ‘Oormila, will you marry me?’

What appealed to me least were the lengthy descriptions on how life was for Oormila, her family and other characters in the book. At times, the narrations would be flat and hence got boring. Therefore, this book is unrecommended for those who like stories packed with actions. The narrations revealed various traits of the characters. They were adequately built since the author revealed both their flaws and strengths.

The story was utterly authentic. The key themes handled were racism, religion, dealing with change, cultural practices, witchcraft, and family. Some traditions that were shown in the story were arranged marriages and the naming of children based on their physical traits. Racial discrimination was the key issue that was handled. It appeared both in the government and also in the families. These themes are unstrange. Racial discrimination is still an issue in almost every part of the globe. For this reason, I believe this book could be mirroring the society as well.

The author employed a variety of stylistic devices. Reading it was immensely enjoyable. However, there are some typos in the book that call for another round of editing. These grammatical errors include wrong tenses, misspelled words, and unnecessary repetitions. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because of the typos. The rating would have been lower were it not for Oormila’s decision that brought some life to the story. Reading it was immensely enjoyable. I recommend this book to those who enjoy books that deal mainly with character development.

******
Daisies and Dragon Slayers In The Equator
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Post by Book Lover 35 »

He must of really wanted to marry her. Did she go for it? Sounds like a very interesting book and educational. Thank you for the review!
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Post by fredrick otieno »

quite saddening how sometimes we are hindered from our desires due to certain believes and cultural practices. this is a great that I must read. thank you for this great review.
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Post by Rosemary Khathibe »

The book seems to cover a lot of themes. I'm mostly interested on racism and how the Indians were treated in Malaysia. Awesome review!
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Post by Ijeoma Kikelomo »

This book seems like a truly enjoyable read. The setting, plot, themes and characterisation all make for a well-written story. Lovely review!
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Book Lover 35 wrote: 20 Nov 2018, 01:40 He must of really wanted to marry her. Did she go for it? Sounds like a very interesting book and educational. Thank you for the review!
Thanks for the reply. Should I tell you what happened? It is an interesting read indeed. I'm glad that you took time to drop a comment.
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Ijeoma Kikelomo wrote: 20 Nov 2018, 04:09 This book seems like a truly enjoyable read. The setting, plot, themes and characterisation all make for a well-written story. Lovely review!
It was a wonderful read, especially the last quarter of the book. Thanks a lot for the reply. Feel appreciated.
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Post by gen_g »

It is such a pity that there were multiple editorial errors, but it's great that the characters and plot were well-developed. Thank you for the review!
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Post by Zimall »

Themes sound great but what about the dragons and daisies? And why it is sci-fi/fantasy??
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Post by kandscreeley »

I agree with Zimall... I'm a bit confused about why this is sci fi/fantasy. I didn't really see any of those elements. Still, it sounds like it has some good themes, but I just don't think it's for me. Thanks, though.
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Post by Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha »

Glad you found this an enjoyable read. Pity about the typos! This is not my usual genre, but I might leave my comfort zone and read this one. Thanks for a great review!
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

fredrick otieno wrote: 20 Nov 2018, 03:21 quite saddening how sometimes we are hindered from our desires due to certain believes and cultural practices. this is a great that I must read. thank you for this great review.
This is very true, especially on the part of arranged marriages. I am still perplexed at how they used to work given the trend of marriages nowadays. Thanks for the reply.
“It just hurts too much to admit what is wanted so badly when there’s no guarantee of its availability.”
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Rosemary Khathibe wrote: 20 Nov 2018, 03:45 The book seems to cover a lot of themes. I'm mostly interested on racism and how the Indians were treated in Malaysia. Awesome review!
Sure, a lot of themes are handled and all of them seem more real than fictional given that the author wrote this book from his experience as well. Thanks for the review.
“It just hurts too much to admit what is wanted so badly when there’s no guarantee of its availability.”
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

gen_g wrote: 20 Nov 2018, 05:13 It is such a pity that there were multiple editorial errors, but it's great that the characters and plot were well-developed. Thank you for the review!
I am very grateful for the reply as well. My hope is that the author will consider another round of editing for the book.
“It just hurts too much to admit what is wanted so badly when there’s no guarantee of its availability.”
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Zimall wrote: 20 Nov 2018, 08:17 Themes sound great but what about the dragons and daisies? And why it is sci-fi/fantasy??
I never got the connection of the title and the content or what it alluded to quite well. Thanks for the reply.
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