BOOK REVIEW : THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FACE BY SAHAR MUSTAFAH
The Beauty Of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah is a great book that talks about the journey of a Palestinian-American woman Afaf. The story is filled with wisdom, compassion, and grace. We follow Afaf through her different stages in life. We see Afaf struggling with her identity and her lack of self-esteem. Also, the neglect from her mom leads her down a path of bad decisions. In a time filled with personal struggles, she finds strength in faith. Her becoming closer to faith helps her tackle the issues slowly but surely. All of this is told through her memories as she listens to the progress of a terrorist attacking her…
BOOK REVIEW : COURT OF LIONS (MIRAGE #2) BY SOMAIYA DAUD
I read Mirage last month and loved the Moroccan-inspired story set in a star system with the brutal Vathek Empire. I had high hopes for this book as Mirage was a splendid debut with a beautiful world, culture, and traditions. We followed Amani, a young girl who gets kidnapped and brought to play a body double for the Vathek Princess Maram. The Kingdom is expanded further, and we get to see more of the amazing world. The effect of colonization and how the people of the Kingdom are faring after the brutal Vathek conquering is realistically portrayed. The political angle, rebellion is kind of the central theme of this book.…
JULY WRAP-UP
This month was a little late to start for me. I didn't think I would be able to read the books I was able to read. I am so happy I was able to read the 10 books I got to read. I had so many ARCs this month. There are some new favorites and some good ones too in this month's list. How did your reading go this month? Do you have any favorites? Let me know in the comment section down below.
BOOK REVIEW : CHALLENGER DEEP BY NEAL SHUSTERMAN
Neal Shusterman's Challenger Deep is my first experience with the author, and what an experience it was. I had a hard time reading this book, and now even more of a hard time rating it. I don't know if I'll be able to articulate all my thoughts into this review. This was a difficult read for me in every sense of the word. I had to put it down several times and take breaks in between as well. This book requires patience, strength, and determination to push through. The story is about a young teenage boy Caden who struggles with mental illness. We follow his journey and his decline of…
BOOK REVIEW : SCARLET ODYSSEY (SCARLET ODYSSEY #1) BY C.T. RWIZI
Scarlet Odyssey is an epic fantasy debut from the first-time author C.T.Rwizi. The book is an African inspired fantasy filled with a vibrant world and a rich magic system. The story follows young Salo who has learned magic deeply without his tribe's permission. Men of his trib are not supposed to be practicing magic. Their job is to be warriors and training should be what Salo should be spending his time on. A certain mystic attacks his tribe murdering fellow clans people urging Salo to come forward and request permission from the Queen to be a clan mystic for his tribe. While the Queen accepts his proposal he is sent…
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BOOK REVIEW : THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS BY STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES
The book follows a couple of characters and we get to learn their stories as we move forward. The story is about a supernatural entity that hunts 4 Indian men for something that they did in their past. The story combines speculative fiction, horror, and social commentary wonderfully. Lewis an Indian man who left the reservation at a young age moved to the city working as a postal worker. He and his wife were leading their life happily when some hallucinations and certain supernatural events take place that leaves him unsettled. With him dealing with the guilt of what happened ten years ago and struggling to understand the forces that…
BOOK REVIEW : MIRAGE (MIRAGE #1) BY SOMAIYA DAUD
Somaiya Daud's Mirage is the first book in the series by the same name. I got the ARC to the second book from Netgalley and wanted to read this immediately so that I can get to the ARC in August. This is a Moroccan inspired fantasy with elements of African mythology weaved into the story wonderfully creating a fantastical world worth losing oneself in. Mirage is set in a world where an oppressive regime has taken hold of the moon Andala. Amani, a poor farmer's daughter gets kidnapped and brought to a new place to stand-in for the King's daughter. King's daughter faces dangers from the people of Andala who…
BOOK REVIEW : CHOSEN ONES (THE CHOSEN ONES #1) BY VERONICA ROTH
Chosen Ones is the first book I have read from the author Veronica Roth. I was intrigued by the synopsis and wanted to see how the author took the trope of The Chosen One and applied it. The story follows the chosen ones selected to fight against the Dark One who brought terror, destruction, and widespread death to the world. The 5 chosen ones were in their teens when they were recruited by the government. We follow their journey as adults and how their experiences have shaped them. We follow Sloane and we get the story from her perspective and how she battles with the aftermath of the encounter. The…
BOOK REVIEW : DEAD TO HER BY SARAH PINBOROUGH
Thank you, Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily. Dead To Her is my first experience with the author. I found the synopsis interesting and wanted to try some thrillers as I haven't been picking them up as of late. The story is a mystery, thriller and follows Marcie and Keisha. Marcie is the second wife of Jason Maddox. Her entry to the social circle was challenging and gaining acceptance from the other society wives was difficult. However, after some years, she has finally settled into the comfort of her position as Jason's wife. All sense of…
BOOK REVIEW : SKY PIRATES : ECHO QUICKTHORN AND THE GREAT BEYOND BY ALEX ENGLISH
Sky Pirates tells us the story of Echo, an 11-year old girl who is taken as a ward by the King of Albion. The story follows her as she explores the castle, gets into trouble for not being the proper lady she is raised to be. Echo finds out some of the secrets kept by the King and decides to find out the truth behind it. During this process, she sets off on an adventure that will change her whole life and her understanding of the world. The story was fun, engaging, and a great time. The pacing was good. We have the plot moving very quickly forward and the…
