The Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal Search Amazon for other books by or about Shobhan Bantwal. Rating: Reviewed by: Diana Rohini La Vigne

Most first novels are often disappointing while the author starts to develop writing skills. The Dowry Bride is different. Shobhan Bantwal delivers a great story line with vivid characters and a non-stop sense of thrill and intrigue from cover to cover. The story of a young girl, Megha travels from her typical upbringing to her less than glamorous wedding to her post-wedding struggles and the realization of her own family's evil plot to burn her at the stake so her husband can marry someone else offering a decent dowry keeps the reader eagerly flipping pages non-stop.

The balance between this young woman's tragic situation and her new found love for a distance family relative is carefully crafted gradually at some points and quickly in other so the reader can't guess at where the story will end.

The extraordinary journey the author creates will tear at your heart while also giving a glimmer of hope that romance and true love still exist, even in the most dark and dangerous places. Megha starts as a small fragile new bride and ends with a sort of sophistication that only comes with the survival of hard times and plenty of self-awareness.

It's a beautifully written book that explores the morbid side of humanity, the small daily miracles that can happen and the imbalance in life's justice. The Dowry Bride will make you cry, laugh, frown and most of all think. Although it's fiction, it will present a topic that needs more attention because it still happens in today's society. Dowry crimes can be ruthless and result in mental abuse, torture, and sometimes death. Bantwal takes a brave look at an old topic and delivers a piece of work that may just make an impact. Wonderful, Vivid, and Worth Reading.