Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet by Kashmira Sheth.

Publish Post


For some reason I'm fascinated with India, so the hands decorated with Mendhi on this book's cover really caught my eye; plus any book with the colors pink and orange on the cover is bound to catch my attention, as you know. This book is set in modern day India and revolves around a family with traditional ideas about arranged marriages. The protagonist, Jeeta, the third daughter in the family, does not agree with the idea of arranged marriages. She wants to be able to have some say in who she marries.

Jeeta goes about trying to have some independence by sneaking around, and this is not really a good way to try and make change. Jeeta knows this, but also feels powerless within her family. Then a crisis erupts with her sister in America, and Jeeta has to take action, even though she knows it has the potential to throw her whole family into chaos. In the end, she saves her sister, and by doing so, convinces her family that perhaps she doesn't need to get married so soon and that maybe even giving her a little say in the situation might not be all bad.

I did enjoy this book, but it wasn't an all time favorite. I'd recommend it to readers with an interest in India and/or romance (not over the top romance, though). Available at Multnomah County Public Libraries.