How do you choose, when the same route can lead to ruin – and refuge?
Animal-whisperer Aria and beast-soother Zayd flee into an unknown wilderness as their lives are upended by monstrous forces in snow-clad Kashmir. Their only chance of survival: the intriguing, magical train – The Homebound.
This is no simple escape, though. Onboard, they meet five other runaways, each carrying their own scars and urgent hopes: the three Channi brothers, searching for belonging; Mehera, escaping a forced marriage; and Aarushi, desperately seeking her lost parents. As the train's mysterious driver, Aurasen, reveals that their journey to the mystical Manidvipa is no accident, a terrifying truth begins to emerge.
Thrust into a universe teeming with ancient magic and perilous secrets, these seven unlikely allies must confront not only the darkness threatening their world but also their own deepest wounds. In the end, their extraordinary quest will decide the fate of everything they cherish – and utterly redefine where and what home truly is.
Rosemary Marandi is a journalist-turned-communications specialist by day and a storyteller at heart. Born into the Santhal tribe of West Bengal, India, she has spent years reporting on business and economy, and indigenous rights. But her true passion lies in fiction, where mysteries, philosophy, and the magic of ordinary lives collide.
When she's not writing, Rosemary can be found wandering through bustling Indian bazaars, hunting for hidden stories and regional delicacies, or trekking to different corners of the country in search of forgotten tales. Her slightly mischievous dog, Zola, often joins her on these adventures.
Her debut novel is a love letter to the places she's wandered in (metaphorically and physically) and the stories that linger long after the last page.
How do you choose, when the same route can lead to ruin – and refuge?
Animal-whisperer Aria and beast-soother Zayd flee into an unknown wilderness as their lives are upended by monstrous forces in snow-clad Kashmir. Their only chance of survival: the intriguing, magical train – The Homebound.
This is no simple escape, though. Onboard, they meet five other runaways, each carrying their own scars and urgent hopes: the three Channi brothers, searching for belonging; Mehera, escaping a forced marriage; and Aarushi, desperately seeking her lost parents. As the train's mysterious driver, Aurasen, reveals that their journey to the mystical Manidvipa is no accident, a terrifying truth begins to emerge.
Thrust into a universe teeming with ancient magic and perilous secrets, these seven unlikely allies must confront not only the darkness threatening their world but also their own deepest wounds. In the end, their extraordinary quest will decide the fate of everything they cherish – and utterly redefine where and what home truly is.
Rosemary Marandi is a journalist-turned-communications specialist by day and a storyteller at heart. Born into the Santhal tribe of West Bengal, India, she has spent years reporting on business and economy, and indigenous rights. But her true passion lies in fiction, where mysteries, philosophy, and the magic of ordinary lives collide.
When she's not writing, Rosemary can be found wandering through bustling Indian bazaars, hunting for hidden stories and regional delicacies, or trekking to different corners of the country in search of forgotten tales. Her slightly mischievous dog, Zola, often joins her on these adventures.
Her debut novel is a love letter to the places she's wandered in (metaphorically and physically) and the stories that linger long after the last page.
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