Magic Square

Magic Square is a fast-paced novella written by Salini Vineeth.

Amudha, the main protagonist, is a research student based in Bangalore. Dheeraj, her friend is struggling with his PhD submission, so she takes him to a library. They stumble across a mathematics book filled with annotations and a verse in Tamil. It has solutions to the puzzles Dheeraj was working on. Amudha is fascinated with the book, and its owner.

The story is about her bid to trace the mathematics wizard who has solved the complex questions. Her quest, however, is not straightforward.

The characters are well developed and relatable. Their progression over their story comes out clearly. I liked Vineeth’s narration style. It is engaging and gripping. Her command over the language is good.

I was, however, disappointed with the ending. The ultimate revelation failed to match with the suspense created all throughout. Most of the discoveries being plain co-incidences dimmed the thrill factor. The clues fell into the protagonists’ lap way too easily!

Magic Square is not an action-packed thriller. It is more of a curiosity arousing read with decent twists and turns. There is scope for improvement, but it’s a decent debut.

Thanks to Himalayan Writing Retreat for providing me with a complimentary copy to read and share my honest review.

Wordsopedia Rating 2.5/5

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About the Author

Salini Vineeth is a fiction, and freelance writer based in Bangalore. She has worked for ten years as an engineer before turning to full-time writing in December 2018. Since then, she has published four books – Magic Square (novella), Everyday People ( short story collection), travel guides for Hampi and Badami. She has also published several stories on anthologies by Eka Publications, The Hive, Anonymous Writer, and Literatures Light.

Get in touch with the author at Facebook, or on her website