The Yogi Witch – Bloodlines and Legacies #BookReview

Publisher -‎ HarperCollins India (20 June 2023)
Language -‎ English
Paperback – 352 pages
Genre – Fantasy

I enjoy fantasy as also reading about ancient Indian mystic arts. A book that brings together both those elements would top my list of favourites. However, fantasy writing in the Indian context, is still a very new genre. It will perhaps be a few years, maybe more, before it comes of age.

The Yogi Witch – Bloodlines and Legacies by Zorian Cross is definitely a step in that direction.

What it’s about

This is the story of Jai Gill, a Yogi Witch of mixed Indian-Irish descent (sounds so good, right?). He has been brought up by his maternal grandmother Adele, and aunts Meg and Claudine, all of whom are witches too. They teach yoga by day and by night, they fight demons.

Even before Jai comes into his witching powers, he has other demons to overcome – demons that plague every child who is ‘different’. Branded a ‘fag’ at school he is bullied viciously leaving him scarred.

But then love finds him and life is suddenly beautiful and exciting, all about stolen moments and new discoveries.

However, the path of love is never easy and also, as the saying goes in witching circles, love is a curse for witches. So it is for Jai, who finds himself embroiled in a far-reaching plot that endangers much more than his love-life. Is he strong enough to take on and protect his love while also saving the world?

The Yogi Witch is an LGBTQ coming of age novel along with supernatural elements.

The first half of the book, (despite Jai’s troubles at school) is a warm easy read. The second part, with the entry of the anti-heroes goes a little haywire. The parts on world-domination lacked clarity and became too twisted for the reader to identify with the horror of it.

On the concept level I loved the book. The execution however, left much to be desired. But first, let me begin with the good bits.

What I liked

The first thing that stands out is Jai’s heartwarming family. The aunts are distinct colourful characters as is gran. I loved the laughter and the teasing. I could completely imagine the four of them singing together with abandon or sitting around the dining table with Aunt Meg’s fresh-from-the-oven croissants and Jai drinking delicious lavender tea from his periwinkle cup.

(There were a few jarring factors though — the ease with drugs and the liberal use of the ‘F’ word in the family setting made me uncomfortable. But then I’m from the time when even shi* was considered a bad word, so there’s that).

The author also gets the crush/first love dynamic spot on. The attraction, the social media stalking, the butterflies in the stomach — so good. The idea of forbidden love makes the read even more exciting as also that of a young man singlehandedly taking on powerful evil forces.

As I mentioned earlier, I love Indian mystic arts interpreted in a modern setting. The author, it would seem, is well-versed in many of these arts and the descriptions were fascinating. Tarot, yogic and even tantrik practices come together in an intriguing mix in the book along with Greek and Latin and Sanskrit philosophies. With folk tales and pop culture thrown in for good measure, it’s a winning combination.

What could have been better

I have two major issues with the book.

The first one is about magic. When writing fantasy, the author has to challenge all that’s usual or ‘normal’ and yet make it believable. The skill is in making magic real and plausible. That’s a hard balance to strike. That’s the balance author’s like JK Rowling have perfected. And that’s where The Yogi Witch falters.

Magical descriptions, at many points, are basic and childlike, almost like they are written for a children’s book which it most certainly isn’t, considering the explicit sexual content and instances of casual drug use. So then the sequences needed to be crafted with greater finesse.

Magic is used as a convenient tool to tide over impossible situations. Each time Jai is stuck in a tough spot a white light/fog appears and he finds himself in a safe place with no recollection of how that happened.

That said, this seems like the first book of a series and I’m not ruling out the possibility that a sequel might offer an explanation.

The other big issue for me is the description of tantrik practices. While it might be true that tantriks indulge in gory and/or sexually deviant practices, I had to skip through most of those unpleasant details – specially the ones that involved dead bodies.

Also, I found myself wondering if one really needs to indulge in casual sex and drugs for a complete yogic awakening.

Oh and I spotted more than a few typos. Always avoidable.

Last thought: If you love fantasy, you might want to pick this one up.

Click on the image to buy the book at Amazon.

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