Title: Yogini: The Quest for the Gate
Author: Dinkar Goswami
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 1984559702
Pages: 242
Genre: Fantasy
Reviewed by: Liz Konkel
Hollywood Book Reviews
Yogini: The Quest for the Gate is an exciting fantasy adventure with a refreshing take on mythology and destiny. Gerua gets the opportunity of a lifetime when her friend Kally asks her to take a trip to India and learn yoga. Their trip starts off like a dream. They meet the handsome Tony and his dashing friend and are whisked away for a trek to the Himalayas. Everything changes after betrayal leads to the loss of Kally and she discovers sanctuary with Masters of yog who train her and guide her when gives birth to a son whose destiny she’s only beginning to understand. Gerua and her son set out to find an ancient Gate that can change its form and move around time and space. Staying alive won’t be easy as they encounter dangerous beings and are being watched by yogi Bubba who has joined forces with the Asura.
Gerua’s journey consists of everything that makes a hero’s journey endearing, picking up when she’s cast away from her carefree life, trains under mentors, fights supernatural beings, and embarks on a dangerous quest. It begins with two friends embarking on a trip to India with everything too good to be true, idealistic and carefree. They meet two handsome men who are rich and charismatic and quickly sweep the friends off their feet. The loss of Kally is a thread of mystery carried throughout Gerua’s journey as she seeks answers and mysterious clues are provided by her son. After Gerua is betrayed, her story changes from a carefree adventure to a life of power, purpose, and responsibility. Her life is saved by opening her mind through yoga and the guidance of Masters who help her gain a higher understanding and a way to handle this world filled with Deva, Asura, Naga, and other powerful dangerous beings.
Gerua’s story also weaves in Danta’s origin story by exploring his literal beginning with hints at his greater destiny. His story is as important as Gerua’s as his destiny is a crucial part of the story and his abilities are a key part in their quest as he has a way of simply knowing things. Author Dinkar Goswami has created a vibrant world where mythology comes to life and an ordinary woman is pulled into this fantastical world where her fate changes and yoga guides her onto a path unlike anything she could have imagined. The structure is set in a quest format as Gerua’s life is divided into three important treks: her carefree adventure to India, her life-changing trek through the Himalayas, and her dangerous quest to find the Gate. Time moves quickly from Gerua’s trip in India through an overview of her son’s first five years of life and her training in yoga before delving into the Gate quest.
Goswami weaves in detailed descriptions of various beings with thorough appearances which add to the visual of the world by bringing to life the dangers of the aghoris and the attitude of the Asura. This gives life to this story by surrounding you with this world and pulling you into this deeper understanding of yoga. The story primarily goes between the perspectives of Gerua and Bubba. By seeing Bubba’s side Goswami makes Bubba a little more sinister and provides some suspense as he’s after Gerua but she doesn’t know.
Yogini: The Quest for the Gate is a dangerous adventure about the higher calling of yoga and finds mother and son embarking on a quest filled with powerful beings, betrayal, understanding, and mythology, woven together to brings this world to life.