Kismet

There are some books that you know, from the first few pages, are your sort of book, in the same way that you recognise when you've met one of those rare individuals whose company you will enjoy because you share a way of looking at the world. For me, Kismet was one of those books. Here's what I wrote when I was only 15% in:

"I think this is going to be fun. I like the storytelling style - light touches, swift impressions, a bit of humour, a bit of angst. The set up of a newly self-empowered American Born Pakistani woman, raised in New York by her abusive, predatory aunt and now following her new, rich white friend and Life Coach to Sedona to become part of the 'Wellness through crystals, yoga and mediation' culture, provides fertile show more ground. And those ravens..."

To my surprise, the book had a lot more to it than I'd expected and was a lot stranger than the publisher's summary suggested.

At the start, I thought I was reading a well-observed, low-key satire giving an American-born Pakistani woman's take on being the only brown woman living in a town obsessed with mystical energies and wellness but where, despite Rumi quotes on the wall and the ubiquitous use of namaste (usually mispronounced) as a greeting, explaining that you are Muslim and Pakistani and not Hindu and Indian earns you suspicion (Are you one of the bad Muslims?) and confusion (There's a difference?).

O.K, the opening scene did involve the discovery of predated, dismembered body parts, displayed like a piece of art within decomp smelling distance of a hiking trail, but I was more focused on our heroine, Ronnie's, discomfort at being in the outdoors and having to hike up hill than I was with the whole severed head thing.

It was only when I got to the first passages in the Before timeline that described Ronnie's life with the tyrannical, unloving aunt who raised her after the sudden death of both Ronnie's parents, that I realised that this wasn't going to be just a comedy of manners. Ronnie was more than a mirror to hold up to a town that didn't recognise either its privilege or its prejudice. She was a woman with scars and secrets and a lot of practice in hiding both from the people around her.

Then there were the ravens amping up the woo-woo factor into something that you'd expect to find in a horror novel rather than a thriller. If the ravens work for you, the book will work for you. If you can open your imagination wide enough to let the ravens in, you're in for a great read. If they just press your WTF? button and get in your way, this probably isn't the book for you. What I liked most about the ravens was that I started off seeing them as possible portents or maybe signs of mental illness and ended up seeing them as, well, ravens. You know - smart birds with sharp beaks and wicked talons that mob animals and people that they don't like.

Kismet is a decent thriller that ticks the boxes for a serial killer story: highish body count, gruesome and varied ways of killing, tension around who the next victim will be and tantalising hints at who the killer is. The pacing works and the ending is a doozy.

It's also an amusing satire: a witty fun read, that holds that holy trinity of unconscious entitlement, cultural insulation and racism up to the light and makes fun of it without diminishing its inherent nastiness or its violent consequences.

Best of all though, Kismet is an unashamedly gothic book. It thinks big, dark, bold thoughts and dares you to keep up.

I had a great time with this book. I hope it finds an audience who will love it as much as I do. show less

The major reason why I picked up Kismet is its setting. I visited Sedona several times in the past and found it to be a magical place, especially as I explored offroad trails and Indian ruins. But even then, I could see that the influx of tourists and people coming to live there was a genuine threat to everything that makes the place so special. Kismet proved that I was right, and it was disheartening.

With its Greek chorus of ravens, the book skewers the whole wellness industry under the guise of up-and-comer Marley Dewhurst. Ronnie's best friend soon shows her true colors: she's much more focused on social media likes and followers and is so intent on her brand and becoming an influencer that she actually starts doing harm rather than show more the good she espouses.

Ronnie Khan is a vivid, likable main character. Throughout the book, readers are given glimpses of Ronnie's life pre-Sedona, and the vicious cruelty of her aunt guarantees Ronnie a sympathetic audience even though some readers may begin to wonder how reliable she is. Watching this shrinking violet blossom in her new life is a joy. Her descriptions of hiking and other activities in the Sedona area made me smile. Ronnie is a city girl through and through, and her reactions to the landscape and wildlife reminded me of hikes I took with another city girl. (FYI: Not every hole in the desert floor is a snake hole; no, all rocks and trees do not look alike.) Ronnie is Pakistani, and as a person of color, she often makes comments about the predominantly white population of Sedona. Her comments are true and didn't bother me (and I'm so white I glow in the dark), but I can see her remarks bothering some readers who need to develop thicker skins.

I liked Amina Akhtar's gift of characterization and setting, and the mystery is a very good one; however, one thing bothered me. In all the blurbs and synopses of Kismet, I was repeatedly told how funny the book was. Granted, there were some amusing bits here and there, but I didn't find it anywhere close to being as "wickedly funny" as it is described. That's the trouble with humor. It's so subjective that, while some people may roll in the aisles with laughter, there are going to be others who remain in their seats and wonder what on earth is wrong with those people on the floor.

Regardless of my reaction to the humor (or lack thereof), I still found myself liking Kismet and Ronnie Khan, and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery. show less

You know, now that I look at the cover, I should have had a hint, maybe? But this was such a weird read. There were whole chapters from a raven's POV. And the story was a bit. . .lyrical. It almost felt like there was supposed to be magic or. . .something. It was so odd and not the straightforward mystery I thought it would be. Interesting but I didn't love it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I identified a lot with Ronnie but as the novel progressed and I was kept guessing about who the serial killer was, I began to have my doubts about all the characters. I didn't see the ending coming but it also wasn't surprising. The ravens as another character was an interesting addition to the novel.

So, this one was weird, so, so, weird, bizarre, creepy, dark, and disturbing - it was too disturbing once I figured out the twist and the ending. Also, the ravens were creepy too - gave me a whole new perspective on ravens.

This was a very different mystery/thriller type book. It's about Ronnie, who's ready for change and to leave all her old life behind and become a new person. Ronnie follows her life coach, Marley in a big move across the country from New York to Sedona, Arizona and they move in together to live a healthy life with yoga, crystals, healing, and everything. The relationship between Ronnie and Marley is a bit strange, to say the least. I mean, who picks up and moves across the country with their life coach and then moves show more in with them? Then there was mention of Ronnie's past life with her aunt, who was very nasty, mean, and abusive and it seemed like Ronnie realized the unhealthy nature of her aunt and their relationship - can we say codependency, etc and then went and repeated it in her leaving that past life.

Once they get to Sedona, AZ, things get weirder with how murders start happening and other things with Ronnie, Marley, the ravens, and Caroline - a new 'friend' they make and also the twins with the store where Ronnie gets a job. Ronnie tries to figure out what's happening some, stay safe and keep Marley safe, but then things take a turn with the twist at the very end and it gets very bizarre, dark, and disturbing.
If you like unreliable narrators, dark, disturbing, a bizarre mystery, thriller, and suspense books, then you'll like this one, but I am not a fan.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

So, this one was weird, so, so, weird, bizarre, creepy, dark, and disturbing - it was too disturbing once I figured out the twist and the ending. Also, the ravens were creepy too - gave me a whole new perspective on ravens.

This was a very different mystery/thriller type book. It's about Ronnie, who's ready for change and to leave all her old life behind and become a new person. Ronnie follows her life coach, Marley in a big move across the country from New York to Sedona, Arizona and they move in together to live a healthy life with yoga, crystals, healing, and everything. The relationship between Ronnie and Marley is a bit strange, to say the least. I mean, who picks up and moves across the country with their life coach and then moves show more in with them? Then there was mention of Ronnie's past life with her aunt, who was very nasty, mean, and abusive and it seemed like Ronnie realized the unhealthy nature of her aunt and their relationship - can we say codependency, etc and then went and repeated it in her leaving that past life.

Once they get to Sedona, AZ, things get weirder with how murders start happening and other things with Ronnie, Marley, the ravens, and Caroline - a new 'friend' they make and also the twins with the store where Ronnie gets a job. Ronnie tries to figure out what's happening some, stay safe and keep Marley safe, but then things take a turn with the twist at the very end and it gets very bizarre, dark, and disturbing.
If you like unreliable narrators, dark, disturbing, a bizarre mystery, thriller, and suspense books, then you'll like this one, but I am not a fan.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

The write up for this book sounded good, but the way the actual story played out was not for me. But I'd read another book by this author that was ok so I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with a single character. I rounded the stars up because I like ravens, though am not sure how I feel about these particular birds.