Tantra (The Anu Files #1) by Adi

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Anu needed a break in the worst way from her life as a Guardian in New York. Despite all the warnings she had been given, she fell in love and allowed her guard to slip. That lapse in judgement ended badly for Anu and drove her to the land of her ancestors, India, in the hopes of finding vengenance and salvation within each fight she immersed herself into on the city's streets.

Unfortunately for her, the way of life in India is vastly different from that as she had come to know in New York. Her kick-butt-and-take-names-later type of approach doesn't go over well in the area and gets her into more trouble than she first realizes. She soon becomes embroiled in a situation that could impact the lives of everyone in the world. Anu must master herself in order to save those who have become close to her despite the longing to seclude herself from everyone. The only question is will she master it all in time?

Review:
Winning this book in a free giveaway at Goodreads.com allowed me to read a book that I might not have picked up otherwise. Nowadays I'm very reluctant to pick up something that has vampires in because there seems to be a ton of books flooding that particular genre. However this book soon showed itself to be much more than a story about vampires. Though they were present in the story and played a major role, we were also introduced to the spiritual side of India through the story. Ghosts, demons, goblins - they all popped up a time or two to make their presence felt.

Vampires within this story aren't exactly like the vampires we believe them to be. Explained within the view of the Karmic system, they are somehow stuck between incarnations on their way to enlightenment. To me, this was an interesting twist on the usual vampire lore. Combining this with the history of sattvic, tantra, and Indian deities made for a very interesting read.

The story is set at a good pace, neither too fast or too slow. The reader is introduced to the main character, Anu, and the reason for her journey to India early in the story but we're not given all the details. We are just as blind to the way the Guardians work in the Delhi area as she is when she begins her first night in town. The characters' reactions and dialogue seemed truly authentic to the events that happened and each one of the characters maintained their distinct personalities throughout the story.

In addition to all of the problems Anu faced in her working life, we're also given glimpses of the social/home life within Indian society. All of the rules and protocols one must follow to preserve the family's reputation are minefields that Anu must navigate all while keeping her work as a Guardian secret. I really enjoyed seeing the human side of Anu in these situations as they made a definite contrast to her work.

Overall, I loved that the location was somewhere in the world other than the usual locations for vampire lore. It brought a different feel to the story that was really enjoyable. Since this is the beginning of a series, I can't wait to see what other adventures Anu gets herself into. If you like things a little out of the ordinary in strange places, this is the perfect book for you to pick!

Tantra (The Anu Files #1) by Adi is available in both Kindle and paperback forms. The paperback was released in March 2013 by Apeejay Stya Publishing. Both versions can be bought from Amazon.com at the link provided below.
Tantra (The Anu Files #1) by Adi