Note: I received a free digital ARC of the book via the author in exchange for an honest review

I love all things Hindu mythology and when an opportunity to read this book came along, I just couldn't resist. It's quite small and I got through the entire collection in a span of mere hours. The stories are accompanied by some adorable illustrations too. My favourite part was the little author's note at the end of each story in which he discusses the themes and the motivation behind including them.

Hindu mythology has an abundance of source material, with 18 volumes of Puranas alone containing stories that are contradictory in nature. To distil them into crisp short stories with a clear beginning and end is an extraordinary feat. The author has definitely done his research and it's evident that each story has been compiled with care. I was familiar with almost all the stories, having heard them multiple times during my childhood and reading this collection filled me with nostalgia. My favourite story was 'Fate', which follows a South Indian female protagonist, Kannagi. I'm not very familiar with the myths from South India (even though I'm South Indian myself, which is a shame) and I really want to explore these stories in depth in the future.

I would highly recommend anyone looking for an introduction into the vast world of Hindu mythology or culture to pick up this book. I was listening to The Indian Jam Project while reading this and had to stop because I was so overwhelmed by the beauty and variety in the Indian culture that I cried actual tears of joy and pride. This one definitely makes it to my favourites shelf!