Book – Pages OF Enchantment: A Journey Lost In A Book by Payal Shah.  Genre – YA Fantasy 

Do you believe in magic? Authors like Oscar Wilde and C.S. Lewis maintained whoever believes in magic will always find a place that’s enchanting and promises an adventure like no other. Author Payal Shah has ventured into these untraversed magical realm with her book, Pages Of Enchantment: A Journey Lost In A Book. 

This book is not only about magic and adventure. The mystique is followed with  self-discovery, self-knowledge, self-growth. This world is new, enigmatic and is dipped in medieval chivalry, a prince, a brewing conspiracy, and a lost princess.

Doris is a carefree, reckless teenager born into wealth. She has has never known depravity or what it’s to struggle and eke out a living every day. When she stumbles upon a mysterious ancient book it changes her life forever. The book  engulfes her within its pages, and into a new world. Once she steps into the world of magic and intrigue, she meets Christine, a young orphan girl, who gives her shelter and soon becomes a great friend. Eventually she comes across Edward and his stallion, Maddox. Twist in the tale, she finds herself drawn towards Edward, and just as she thinks of settling down with him, a series of unprecedented events follow. These sweep them into questioning loyalty and morality. Among them, she and Christine find how the ‘loyal’ Lord Fitzgerald plots to kill the crown prince and intends to take over the kingdom all by himself. The question is will Doris and Christine be able to save the day?

Payal Shah has an innate writing skill, it is both nuanced and compelling. She knits an ethereal world of mystery, magic and adventure using rich prose and vivid imagery. With her compelling pencraft the author doesn’t loosen the narrative thread even for once. The book is chock-a-block with enchantment, finery and mysteries aplenty. 

Author’s imaginative world-building takes us into the fantastical realm that holds unimaginable power. This world is filled with spells and secrets, here destiny is engraved in stars! And while traversing this realm Doris is compelled to face the unforeseen, her own flaws thus embarking on a transformative journey. 

Besides the steadily moving storytelling, what catches your attention is Doris’s character development. Through variegated themes of love and friendship, Doris evolves as a new person, away from her snobbish, selfish, heedless behaviour. As Doris’ illusions dissipate, there is a lot of acceptance we see. She evolves into a valorous, compassionate young woman. 

The narrative questions and explores the themes of entitlement and it’s consequences. Further, the plot deftly presents the complexities of adolescence, inner conflicts and discontent. 

As a reader, over the years and number of books later, we the staunch believers in magic & miracles, know and vouch that magic is not just for entertainment. It is an eye-opener and books like the Narnia series and Alice in Wonderland are a strong testament to that. Pages Of Enchantment falls in step with these classics. It is a spellbinding tale with sprightly characters, an enchanting realm, thought-provoking narrative where we see how the magic truly lies within each of us, yet to be tapped into, yet unexplored, but that which will open a portal to a unique and profound reality. 

Ps – Pick this book if you still heartly believe in Peter Pan.

To buy the book, pls click - Pages Of Enchantment by Payal Shah

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