Zaheerah

Books, Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Non Fiction, Romance, Social Sciences, Young Adult/ Teen

Mini-review: Soft on Soft and Women of Resistance

October 3, 2018November 8, 2018by ZaheerahLeave a Comment

Soft on Soft by Em Ali

Rating: ★★★☆☆(3/5)

June Bana is a growing make up artist whose looks are gaining traction by the day on social media. But to June, the real her is a quiet homebody and lives a life less eventful than the pictures on her feed. Then she meets Selena Clarke, drop dead gorgeous model, who loves June for who she is.

A soft sweet tale of two women learning each other and falling in love. A rapid contemporary read with little to none conflict. This title is very fitting. Soft on Soft is precisely what you get. This story centres two women of colour falling in love. The writing is simple and easy to follow. Pop culture references abound!

Its uneventful plot makes a bit tricky to read since you can hardly tell what is going on at the moment. I don’t expect something tragic to happen to make it interesting, but something a little more eventful would’ve improved the pacing a lot.

Overall, there’s something to love in this. Em Ali has a bright future in of them. I know I’ll read more.

UPDATE: Purchase links for Soft on Soft are not currently available as the author has taken them offline for further edits. I will upload a longer review once it’s available.

Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism – Edited by Danielle Barnhart and Iris Mahan

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

when a girl pronounces her own name
there is glorywhen a woman tells her own life story
she lives forever

A feminist poetry collection that discusses race, gender identity and sexuality. I really enjoyed the variety of poetry styles that each contributor used. There’s a variety in content and form. I am not sure each piece is beautiful and exciting. The collection encompasses the works of a diverse range of poets who I’ll definitely want to check out. I don’t read that much poetry, but this collection of works from such inspiring people was indeed a hidden gem.

I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected by opinions of the book.

| Goodreads | Amazon |

Monthly Rewind

Monthly Rewind: September 2018

October 1, 2018October 1, 2018by Zaheerah6 Comments

B O O K S

I am so impressed with the fact that I managed to read 14 books this month. It was most likely spurred by the fact that I start my second year of university in October so I really wanted to read as much as I could before it’s limited by deadlines and essays. Also, I’ve been cheeky and just stolen snippets from my own reviews for this post.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon | (3/5) | TSIAAS is one of those books where I’m genuinely in the middle. Like I didn’t enjoy it, but I didn’t absolutely love it. I feel like there’s a bit of switch here for me. But it’s ending was really good and the way Nicola Yoon jumps into different bystander’s voices without affecting the main plot brilliantly done. I like how it showed we are all connected in some way or another

Circe by Madeline Miller |(4/5)| Miller’s ability to re-present the classics never fails to amaze me. Seven years since TSOA was first published, four years since I had read it, and I can definitely say that Circe was definitely worth the wait.

How She Likes It by Carla de Guzman |(5/5)| Isabel Alfonso is next in line to be CEO of her family-owned company. But she’s also risking her own business to take it. Single dad Adam Sevilla is just going by, raising his daughter while also allowing her to reconnect with her distant mother. Isabel and Adam are two very different people, but they work well together. And so does this story. Its pacing was well, and it was a relatively fun and enjoyable read.

Lions Can Always Learn to Roar (Until Lambs Become Lions, #2) by Charlotte Anne Hamilton |(5/5)| After nearly dying at the hands of the Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood and her merry gang are on a deadline after the Queen Mother appears to have sent her people to Nottingham. Robin has no idea what’s ahead of her but she’ll do anything to keep her family safe.

Margot & Me by Juno Dawson |(3/5)| Fliss and her mother move in with her cold grandmother. Fliss discovers the diary she kept during the war and learns all new secrets about her seemingly distant grandmother. I don’t know what, but this book just didn’t work for me.

Continue reading “Monthly Rewind: September 2018” →

Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Review: Vicious (Villians #1)

September 26, 2018October 6, 2018by Zaheerah2 Comments

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Victor and Eli began as college roommates, almost friends, where curiosity leads to near-death experiences and development of supernatural powers. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison determined to exact revenge on his old friend. Both are armed with terrible controls, a product of their actions ten years prior, but who will survive?

I think I’ve found a new favourite book. And I haven’t found one of them in a while. Vicious was a delightful surprise. I have never read a V.E (or Victoria) Schwab before, and Vicious sounded like the safest options out of all her books to try. And, is this what all her books are like? Because you can now count me in the Schwab hype train.

Vicious from the get-go was so different. A true twisted tale of a friendship gone wrong. Victor and Eli, former friends, now current foes, are reunited after Victor breaks out of prison for revenge. Both developed supernatural powers from experiencing near-death experiences. In their case, they forced it to happen to test a theory that Eli was developing. Eli believes his capability puts him above others and sees others like him as a rodent that must be exterminated. And Victor may be the only person that can stop him.

Victor and Eli both see themselves as the hero and the other the villain, but neither can be categorised as good or evil. And that’s what makes me them so appealing. Schwab really is a killer at this. The story unfolds in a way that would appear disorienting, but it’s deliberate, and it works well. The constant jumping back and forth between everything, it goes from their time at college, their time in prison before bouncing back to the present time.

Overall, I loved Vicious. It’s a grim tale that had me gripped from the beginning all the way to its sinister ending. A story of corruption with its evil moments and moments of sweetness that worked well. Extremely thrilling with a cast of complex characters, Vicious was a difficult book to put down and once finished, I never wanted it to end.

Goodreads | Amazon | Author

Content warning: self-harm, suicide, extreme violence, torture, murder.

Media, Other

ASTRO (아스트로) 2ND MAKESTAR PHOTOBOOK UNBOXING

September 24, 2018September 19, 2018by Zaheerah2 Comments

Today’s post is going to be a little different. I’ve decided to do an unboxing review of ASTRO’s Second Makestar Photobook. For those who don’t know ASTRO, they are a six-member K-Pop boy group, and they are my absolute favourite!

I became a fan around the time the first photobook was happening. But I never bought it because of 1. I hadn’t yet realised how much I would love them and their music yet 2. I actually couldn’t afford the photobook at the time. So when the second time came around, I knew I had to purchase one!

I will include a youtube video I made of me unboxing the photobook, the toy stamps and the extra goodies we received every time we reached a stretch goal. (We received photo cards, postcards, bookmarks and then a poster) I also do a little flip through of the book. (Not all of the book though, it’s pretty massive and would’ve made the video twenty minutes long) I did intend this to be a speaking unboxing but I, unfortunately, was sick at the time of filming but imagine me fangirling as I go through the goods because I was!

Continue reading “ASTRO (아스트로) 2ND MAKESTAR PHOTOBOOK UNBOXING” →

Books, Contemporary, Romance

Review: Crazy Rich Asians

September 21, 2018September 19, 2018by Zaheerah1 Comment

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (2.5 going on 3/5)

Rachel Chu agrees to come to Singapore to celebrate her boyfriend’s best friend’s wedding. She expects a traditional wedding like any other. But what she doesn’t realise is that Nick comes from one of the wealthiest families in the world. And she has no idea how big the target on her back truly is.

Crazy Rich Asian was weirdly entertaining and strangely absurd. And I think that is the best I could say about this book. I wouldn’t call this the best book ever, but it was reasonably entertaining. The way these characters behave are so over the top. Reading this was like looking into a whole new and different world. It was fascinating to read. Kwan has a talent for writing interesting descriptions of this affluent society, its architecture, fashion, cuisine and goods. I read this frustrated at every single of these characters, but there is some humour within. It’s more outrageous than it is funny.

When it comes to the flaw of this book, I don’t know what else I can say that hasn’t already been said. (x, x – note that these articles are about its 2018 movie adaptation but nonetheless they can still be applied to the novel) I didn’t expect this book to the answer to all Asian representation and I don’t think it can be done in one book. But here it’s evident that Asian effectively means east Asian or ethnically Chinese. And there’s a whole lot of ugly in this book. That includes racial slurs towards Black people, Indian people and Romani. A ton of classism and loads of prejudice from Asians towards other Asian ethnicities.

Overall, there’s a lot that goes unchallenged, but the sheer outrageousness of this novel was probably why is it so well received. The plot is a rollercoaster ride, with one bad thing happening after another with this group of wealthy elites. I’m entirely sure if I want to continue the series yet.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR

Content warning: TBA.

Books, Contemporary, LGBTQIA

Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post

September 19, 2018September 18, 2018by Zaheerah1 Comment

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

* I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post begins at the end of her parent’s life. Cameron is relieved because now they’ll never know she had a kissed a girl. But the struggle doesn’t end there, we follow Cameron from the ages of 12 and as she grows to 16. Life is different, but Cameron is an expert at blending in. Until she meets Coley Taylor. And then one thing leads to another, and Cameron’s forced to join a conversion camp by her ultrareligious Aunt to “fix” herself.

This was a very detailed and passionate read. The story shifts with its array of characters, each vibrant and different from one another. The story starts off with a summer fling, a more happier vibe, where everything seems to be going well. Until it takes a dark turn and punches you straight in the stomach. While I didn’t find it emotional, but nonetheless, it was difficult.

For me, there are two parts to this story. The first is Cameron coming to terms with her sexuality and learning who she is. The second is where its all ripped away from her, and she’s forced to join a conversion camp. There’s a middle lull in this book where nothing really seems to happen. And this is where, from other reviews, everyone seems to drop off from the book. I’m not going to lie, even my interest started to falter after a few chapters but I held on and I’m glad I did, but I don’t expect anyone to force themselves through a book they find slow.

I can’t speak for certain rep in the book, like the Native American rep. I’ll link to this post that speaks on it much better. There’s a lot of language that’s quite negative towards Native Americans and very ableist so watch out for that.

Overall, Cameron Post was an intriguing read, while I didn’t love it, the story is important.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR

Content warning: ableism, anti-Indigenous language, use of multiple slurs (f*g, d*ke etc.), lesbophobia, sex scenes, a lesbian character being outed, underage drinking, conversion therapy, self-harm with a suicide attempt that is graphically described. (TO BE ADDED)

Author: Zaheerah

Monthly Rewind: September 2018

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