Pearl Hills

"Reddy-Goyal sets out to recreate a milieu in which one of India's richest kingdoms played its part in scripting a violent, avoidable tragedy. And her characters, namely that of a woman who begins to come of age, amidst the tumult of what is one of the best kept secrets within the subcontinent's historical lore, help transport readers to an era that exists within the dwindling confines of fading memories."

— Daneesh Majid, Author of The Hyderabadis: From 1947 to the Present-Day

"A gripping debut set in post-independence Hyderabad, where a young woman's elite upbringing collides with the harsh realities of the Nizam's rule over the peasantry, awakening in her a fierce resolve to fight injustice. I found myself as captivated by her journey toward purpose as I was by the sweeping love story at its heart, all set against a complex, little-known chapter of Indian history."

- Deb Lutz, Avid reader, historical fiction

"A sweeping, immersive debut, Shadows in the Deccan captures the beauty, complexity, and heartbreak of a society on the brink of transformation. With vivid characters and a deeply human perspective on history, it is both enlightening and emotionally resonant."

– Raza A. Mir, Author of Murder at the Mushaira: A Novel; Professor, William Paterson University

"Shadows of the Deccan is a coming of age story set in a period of tremendous transformation. Anuradha, on the cusp of adulthood, confronts the limitations of being a girl in a patriarchal system. Outside and around her wealthy and protected world, India is undergoing massive societal change as it gains self-rule in 1947. As she struggles to understand her place in the world and falls in love with her best friend, Sohel, her assumptions and alliances shift and change and she must learn to adapt to the harsh truth of betrayals."

– Sharon Popik, Avid reader, historical fiction