Notion Press – Read with Me

Publisher: Notion Press

Date of publication: August 25th, 2020

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult

Trigger Warnings: fat shaming, cannibalism, death of a parent (off page), grief, kidnapping

Series: Prince of Typgar

Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Monks of Meirar—Book 1 (review here)

Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Corpse in the Quadrangle—Book 2

Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Temporal Traversal—Book 3

Purchase Links: Kindle | B&N | AbeBooks | Kobo

Goodreads Synopsis:

This is the second in the Prince of Typgar series, the much-anticipated sequel to Nujran and the Monks of Meirar. At the end of the first book, we left Nujran as a teenager who has learned much through his journeys alongside his teacher Amsibh. He experienced romance, conflict, friendship, betrayal, and loss. He grew up along the way.
We begin the second book on the sprawling campus of the prestigious University of Western Foalinaarc, where a body has just been discovered. Who is this girl, and why is she dead? Could it be linked to the mysterious illness sweeping the campus and plaguing the teaching community? Why does Amsibh come to the school, and what does he need to protect Nujran from? Through what twist of fate is Nujran reunited with his old friends, the Monks of Meirar? And why does Nujran end up being a captive again?
The stakes are higher than ever before, with fugitives on the run, turbulence on the university campus, a new romance, a bizarre kidnapping, a perilous escape from prison, and a rescue mission where things don’t quite go as planned. Corpse in the Quadrangle is another fast-paced adventure that will hold young readers spellbound!

First Line:

It was twilight, and all was quiet, the air warm and still. Handac and Iandic had just started their celestial dance in the sky.
Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Corpse in the Quadrangle by Krishna Sudhir

Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Corpse in the Quadrangle begins a few years after the events of the Monks of Meirar. Nurjan attends the University of Western Foalinaarc and is enjoying his studies. His peace is interrupted when a girl’s body is found in the quadrangle and is further disrupted when Honan and his accomplice escape from prison. Things are thrown further into disarray when the faculty are simultaneously sickened with a stomach bug. That is when Amsibh arrives, and the Monks of Meirar come shortly after him. With their help, Nurjan and the other students go back to having a sense of normalcy. But Honan and his followers have other plans. And those plans include kidnapping Nurjan and holding him captive. Can Amsibh, the detectives, Nurjan, and the other students solve the murder? Besides Honan, who is behind the events on campus? How did Nurjan get captive again, and will he be able to escape?

Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Corpse in the Quadrangle (I will call this book The Quadrangle for short in this review) is the second book in the Prince of Typgar series. A reader can read this book as a standalone. But I do recommend reading the Monks of Meirar before reading this book. There are references to events in the first book that are better read than explained after the fact (if that makes sense).

The Quadrangle is a medium to fast-paced book set in Foalinaarc. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book, but it didn’t bother me. The author was able to get the book back on track.

Nurjan was much better in The Quadrangle than in Monks of Meirar. Mainly because he matured, and that was a huge thing. Nurjan in Monks of Meirar was immature, while Nurjan in The Quadrangle wasn’t. In this book, Nurjan recovered from the events of the Monks of Meirar and used what he learned from those events to understand why they happened. The only sore point was his father’s death (and honestly, I was still a little salty about that too).

The main storyline with the death of the girl in the quadrangle, the investigation, and Nurjan was interesting. I liked that the author had a storyline take a different turn with the death. That was the first twist of this storyline. There was also a twist about why this person died, who did it, and why that person did it. I was surprised and saddened when that was revealed.

The other main storyline, which started after Amsibh arrived on campus, revolved around Honan, his accomplice (who I can’t reveal because it is a massive spoiler for the end of book 1), how the girl’s death is involved, Nurjan, the Monks of Meirar, and Nurjan’s kidnapping. Amsibh, as in the past book, was a massive part of this book. He was the one who brought the Monks of Meirar to the University to help. He guided (for lack of a better description) the investigation into the girl’s death and the teachers’ poisoning. The only time he couldn’t help was when the enemies kidnaped Nurjan. But even then, he used his brain to figure out where Nurjan was taken to. I was surprised at how twisty this storyline was, also. There were several twists that I didn’t see coming.

The fantasy/science fiction angle was well written and kept my attention on the plotlines. I loved the time machine that the Dean had invented. Amsibh’s thought machine made a couple of appearances also.

There is a romance angle in The Quadrangle. It is between Nurjan and another classmate. It was clean, with only a couple of kissing scenes. It was adorable and gave me warm fuzzies whenever it appeared in the book.

The end of The Quadrangle was interesting. The author wrapped up the main storyline (the murder), and I couldn’t believe who the killer was. That person was not even on my suspect list!! As for the second storyline, the author wrapped up some of it but left a good part of it open. Nothing was resolved with Honan and his accomplice. That has set me up for book three, and I can’t wait to see how this storyline will be resolved.

I recommend Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Corpse in the Quadrangle to anyone over 13. There is mild violence. There are also very mild kissing scenes, but the book goes no further. Also, see my trigger warning list at the beginning of this review.

Many thanks to Novel Cause and Krishna Sudhir for allowing me to read and review Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Corpse in the Quadrangle. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Other books by Krishna Sudhir:

Star Rating:

Publisher: Notion Press

Date of publication: October 23rd, 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Purchase Links: Kindle | B&N | AbeBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

Set on the planet Syzegis, in a distant galaxy, Nujran is the spoiled pre-teen son of King Rababi and Queen Roone in the kingdom of Typgar. Enter Maestro Amsibh, a gifted teacher with extraordinary qualities, and the prince’s transformation begins.
But, why does he have to leave his sheltered life at the palace and his gorgeous friend Zaarica, with the maestro and two bodyguards? Who are the mysterious Monks of Meirar, and what strange powers do they possess? What motivates Hoanan, the villainous politician, who wants to unseat the king and usurp the throne? And amidst all the turbulence in Typgar, can Nujran find his way back home?
With numerous plot twists and turns, the reader will be transported on a fast-paced adventure with our young prince, where he encounters romance and conflict, friendship and betrayal, while building strength and character through his experiences in the real world.

First Line:

“The debate will begin in a moment. It’s going to be an exciting evening!” The announcer’s tone was enthusiastic. Her dress was bright red, her hair shiny black and her face garishly painted.
Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Monks of Meirar

Nujran was born the night his father, King Rababi, debated his political rival, Hoanan. A much-loved child, Nujran was spoiled until his mother, Queen Roone, stepped in and stopped his behavior. That is also when he met Amsibh, a gifted teacher with several unusual abilities. Nujran’s life was perfect until a group led by King Rababi’s ex-political opponent tried to overtake the government. Rushed to safety by his teacher and two personal guards, Nujran worries about the safety of his parents, the remaining staff, and his friend, Zaarica. When the Monks of Meirar arrive at the island, it hastens along events that Nujran was destined for. What is so special about the Monks of Meirar? Why is Hoanan trying to usurp King Rababi? Who is the mole on the inside? And what influential figure is helping Hoanan?

Nurjan and the Monks of Meirar do start slowly. I was put off by how slow it was at first. But, as I continued to read this book, I understood why the author started as slow as he did. He was building several storylines simultaneously, with the main storyline revolving around Nujran. Once I got over the slowness, I started to like the book.

The author included two things that a book like this needs. He included a map at the beginning of the book (with all of the major cities and countries highlighted). But my favorite thing was the glossary at the end. I was so happy that he thought enough to include one. There were so many named characters, and I did have a hard time keeping them straight. But with the glossary, I didn’t have to rely on my notes (which were numerous and sometimes didn’t make sense, lol)

Nujran and the Monks of Meirar take place in Syzegis, on the continent of Angawunder, in the country of Typgar, and in the city of Loh’dis. It also takes place, for a brief time, on the island of Narcaya. The author painted a vivid view of a world that is technologically advanced but, at the same time, keeping things simple (if that makes sense). From what I gathered, much of Syzegis is unexplored. It was also a peaceful world without worries about war, hunger, or poverty. Well, that was until Hoanan tried to take the throne by force. Then that went out the window.

Nujran, who the book is centered around, did start as a brat. I liked that his mother was like, “Hell no,” and redirected him to activities where he could make friends and stop acting so spoiled. I blame his father for his beginning attitude, but I understood why King Rabibi spoiled him. Nujran was a much-wanted child, and his father wanted to make Nujran happy. Nujran’s character growth started when Queen Roone put her foot down on his behavior. But it began when Amsibh took over Nujran’s teaching. I loved watching him grow from a slightly self-involved teenager to one who made critical decisions.

I was curious about Amsibh when he appeared in the book. He is the older man with four arms on the cover and one of the wisest men in their world. I liked that he guided and protected Nujran along his journey. He never told him outright what to do but instead suggested things. He was one of several characters that I enjoyed during the book.

The Monks of Meirar was an exciting group of men and ladies. Each monk had a unique ability that set them apart from regular people. One could go invisible (and make people with him invisible), another could do remote viewing, and yet another could talk to the dead. Each monk contributed to their part of Nujran’s journey, and I liked seeing how they enriched his life.

I wouldn’t be a good reviewer if I didn’t mention Hoanan. From the beginning, I knew he was behind the attacks and the coup (even before he revealed himself). The more I read about him, the more my skin crawled, and I detested him so much. So, I wasn’t surprised when the author chose to end his storyline the way it did.

The storyline with the coup, Nurjan, Hoanan, King Rabibi, and Queen Roone, who was behind the attacks and who was discovered helping Hoanan, was intriguing. While I quickly figured out Hoanan’s role in everything, there were a couple of mystery people I couldn’t quite figure out their deal. A couple of twists in this storyline had me shaking my head in disbelief and sadness.

The storyline with Nurjan, the Monks of Meirar, Amsibh, and Nurjan’s exile was fascinating. The island where Nurjan was kept could be cloaked (which made it perfect for hiding on). I couldn’t get enough of the Monks and was sad when they parted ways with Nurjan and Amisbh. There was a betrayal that I didn’t see coming, and it saddened me.

The end of Nurjan and the Monks of Meirar had me in tears. I can’t get into why but my heart broke for Nurjan. The author resolved all of the storylines but left some wiggle room for another book.

I recommend Nurjan and the Monks of Meirar to anyone over 13. There is violence. There is no language or sexual situation.

Many thanks to Novel Cause and Krishna Sudhir for allowing me to read and review Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Monks of Meirar. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoyed reading this review of Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Monks of Meirar, then you will enjoy reading these books: