Review: Karmic Hearts by Jhing Bautista + Author Interview!

Fair warning, this is the first Pop Fiction book I've read. I tried to keep my expectation at a minimum, but right after I've read the summary for Karmic Hearts I knew I just had to read the book.

Title: Karmic Hearts by Jhing Bautista
Release Date: May 09, 2017
Published by: Pop Fiction (Summit Books)

Source: From the publisher

Read the original Wattpad story here.

Love. Magic. Fate. Best-selling romance novel author Karmina Joan writes about these things. She believes that every person has a purpose, that every soul has a destiny to fulfill. She thought hers was simply sharing her stories.

Her story unfolds with Cupid, the Angel of Love himself. He brings with him a mysterious vessel and a message from on high. It turns out Karmina has a bigger purpose after all—a mission that will make or break humanity as we know it.

As Cupid teaches her the tricks of his trade, Karmina unknowingly gives him something unexpected in return— something the angel of love will find oddly familiar. This may become the one flaw in an otherwise perfect plan that destiny had in store for them.

Does love truly conquer all or are there limits to what humanity can do in the name of love? Witness as Karmina struggles to find the answers before time runs out on true love.

I have a tendency to swoon over stories about Love, Fate and Destiny. So a story about a girl seeing red strings? Meeting Cupid? With a writer as the character lead? Count me in.

I must admit that I initially had a hard time reading the book. There were grammar and spelling nuances that distracted me from going further faster, and I had trouble connecting with Mina initially, but I powered through for the sake of the story and I am glad I did. There is something magical in the way the story unfolded, and I found myself flipping through the pages until I reached the end. And WHAT. AN. ENDING.

There's something about Jhing's writing that sustains your curiosity and makes you want to read up to the last page.

If Cupid is real (can he be, please? :) ) he'll probably just smile one of those smiles of his upon finding so many people liking him in the story, and that includes me. This charismatic, drop dead gorgeous guy... humorous and witty. And though I did not like Mina at first, you cannot deny the chemistry between the two of them. Karmina does have a bigger purpose, and it is so much more than sharing her stories, I am glad that even if I find her disagreeable at first, she grew into someone I really want to root for in the story.

Staying true to the title and the plot, Karmic Hearts is a story about all forms of love and all the trials and tribulations that comes along with falling in love. It can be tricky to have a mix of the myths, red string, fate and destiny but Jhing Bautista makes you believe in it. If you don't, then this story will make you want to believe. What a heart warming story, and I am glad my first Pop Fiction book reading experience went really well.

P.S.

Call it curiosity on my part but I did read the original version on Wattpad. My reading experience is a little bit different with that one, but the story still delivers nonetheless. I can easily agree with a lot of the readers that the Wattpad format is easier to read, but reading the book form is so much worth the time as well!

Content (plot, story flow, character):

I mentioned the things that made me lose a bit of focus at the start of the book, but this is still a good read! Ah, Cupid...

Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
Super in love with the cover!

And now I share to you, my dear readers, an interview from the author of Karmic Hearts herself, Jhing Bautista. As part of the blog tour, I was able to ask Jhing a few questions about the book, being an author and the transformation Karmic Hearts went through from Wattpad to being a published book. Read it all below!

First things first, where did you get the idea for Karmic Hearts?

Karmic Hearts is a collection of random ideas that I’ve gathered over the years but didn’t know where and how to use.

a. When I was a kid, I used to save coins to buy this 99-peso cologne. The scent was not the thing that made me want to buy that particular cologne. It was the design on the container. Guardian angels.
b. I love movies that tackle destiny and fate, like Serendipity. It’s just nice to know that no matter what happens, if you’re meant to end up with someone, the universe will conspire to get you two together.
c. I love the movie, City of Angels. It’s just so poetic.
d. I was always curious about who I’ll end up with and how we’ll end up together. This made me curious about everyone else’s fate as well.

Since Karmic Hearts was first published in Wattpad, I'm curious to know more about your writing process. How did you go about writing? Do you finish a couple of chapters at a time and post? Or post the chapter as you finish writing them?

I don’t make a draft for each story. I only have a concept, an ending, and some key points along the way. The Wattpad version of KH went through the same process as my other stories. I wrote the first few chapters and figured out the middle part and up to the end. After I write a chapter, I post it on Wattpad right away.

For the book, since I don’t have to post it anywhere, the writing was continuous. However, the only difference from the Wattpad version was I consulted a few people and asked them to read the chapters that I’ve finished so they can tell me if I’m losing the feel halfway.

You have so many stories published in Wattpad, how do you make time to write? What is a typical writing day for you?

I always have time to write. Even when I’m at work, I find the time to write. Writing is not something that I can schedule because inspirations and ideas come at random times. My typical writing day does not only involve writing. I also listen to songs, watch movies, stare into space, eat, sleep, observe my environment.

Any advice for writers, not limited to Wattpad writers only, looking to have their books published?

First, be ready to compromise. I think people who want to have their stories published should keep this in mind. The thing is, even though we want certain things and think we know what is best for our story, that will change once the publisher comes into the picture.

Second, it is best to rewrite your story, remove the fillers, and only keep the important things. The publisher provides a certain budget for our book. The least we can do is to make it worth their money.

The one lesson/idea your readers can learn when they read Karmic Hearts?

Hmm. A reader sent me a message, probably a year or two ago. She said that Karmic Hearts taught her to pray harder and more sincerely. It somehow strengthened her faith in God.

If you can be in Cupid's shoes for one day, whose hearts would you want to connect and why?

I can’t think of anyone I’d want to connect. Haha!

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And there you have it! I am the last stop for the Karmic Hearts blog tour. Check the list of blogs who participated in the tour for their reviews and other interviews related to the book. Happy reading!