There couldn’t have been a better title for Tejaswi Priyadarshi’s Berserk. Though I’d come across Priyararshi’s books often on social media, this was my first time reading his work. And what a ride it turned out to be. The book is unsettling, scary, slightly confusing, and yet absolutely gripping. As a horror-movie aficionado, I thought I’d be prepared, but the sheer amount of gore here still made my heart skip a beat. This is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
The story hooked me right from the prologue. From the very first scene, there’s a sense of dread that doesn’t let go. As we follow Ramakrishna, a schoolteacher broken by tragedy, I kept wondering how the events in the opening chapter would eventually connect. When the threads finally tied together at the end, the payoff was both shocking and brilliant.
What struck me most was the way the characters are drawn. Ramakrishna is not your typical “hero” — he is grieving, vulnerable, and deeply human. His descent into violence feels disturbingly real, and it made me question how grief and anger can distort our sense of right and wrong. And then there’s Coffee Man — mysterious, unpredictable, and morally ambiguous. He’s one of those characters you’re both fascinated by and wary of, which keeps you on edge every time he appears.
The flow of events is fast-paced, almost breathless. The author doesn’t waste time — every chapter pulls you deeper into a world where nothing is straightforward. The suspense builds steadily, and even when I thought I’d guessed what was coming, Priyadarshi had another twist waiting. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, the tension unrelenting.
And then there’s the horror element. This isn’t just about blood and gore (though there’s plenty of that). It’s about psychological horror — the fear of what grief and vengeance can turn a person into. The brutality is described with such intensity that I often had to pause, not because it was gratuitous, but because it made me think of the darkness people carry inside them.
The psychological connections between characters were a little confusing at times, but once things came together, the grand reveal was well worth it. For me, that ending sealed the book’s impact — shocking, thought-provoking, and impossible to forget.
Berserk is a chilling blend of horror, psychological thriller, and moral exploration. It’s unsettling, dark, and relentless, but also brilliantly written.
Wordsopedia Rating 4.4
I received a review copy from Readomania. This review reflects my honest and voluntary opinion.
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