as told by zaheerah

books

Review: Sisters of the Snake

January 28, 2022January 17, 2022by ZaheerahLeave a Comment

*I received a copy from the publisher in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*

The 100 Year Truce is soon approaching its end, and if Princess Rani wants any chance of inheriting her throne with no issues, she must escape her cage and delve into the deep magic of her past. Drafted into a war she wants no part in, trickster thief Ria must parade as her long-lost twin princess sister and discover the real reason why they were separated at birth. As the time ticks, both sisters must work together or risk letting magic tear everything apart.

Rani and Ria have no idea the other exists until they accidentally meet after Ria hopes to use stolen jewellery to fund her escape from Abai. Instead, she is met with Rani, who shares her face and confusion. Desperate to figure out the truth behind her abandonment, she agrees to stay behind in Rani’s place. Ria is left to navigate palace life and see what else lies beneath the walls of her birthplace while also tricking her betrothed, Saeed, and family. At the same time, Rani embarks into the land beyond her city to discover the truth behind the brutal death of her old tutor, convincing Ria’s friend, Amir, and others that she is nothing but a lowly thief.

A significant highlight of this book is the characters. I enjoyed watching Ria navigate the life of a princess in disgust while also rooting her to find the truth behind her birth. Rani is way out of her comfort zone as she is forced to question her entire upbringing while also dealing with dangerous magic that will threaten the world she knows. Each sister has a cast of characters that are equally important and extremely fun to discover. After a somewhat rocky start, the story redeems itself. It keeps you on edge as chapters alternate between the twins barreling through secrets of their past and nation’s history before coming together in a fast and thrilling resolution.

Set in an Indian-inspired setting, the Nanua sisters do a great job of bringing to life the city of Abai, making a clear contract between the clean palace walls to the murky streets below. As the first in a series, Sisters of the Snake would’ve benefitted from more world-building, in my opinion. I see the immense potential to expand Rani and Ria’s story into the surrounding Kingdoms.

If I had to point out a flaw of some kind, the connection between Rani and Ria deserved more screentime than relying on their connection as descendants of snakespeakers. The sweet moments of empowerment and sisterhood fall flat when you realise the girls barely interact in the story at all. For example, Rani is the one who pushes Ria to take her spot and then leaves her with no preparation or instructions. Rani has her pet snake (connected in the same way as a familiar), and it was such an odd decision to introduce Shima as a snake who can talk to Ria through her thoughts but then never have her help Ria at all during her time in the palace. It just read rather strange to me to introduce something that could be useful as a plot device but not utilise it in a way that would’ve improved the story. Especially as their connection as snakespeakers is very pivotal to the plot.

Sisters of the Snake does exactly what it says on the tin. A YA fantasy with deep lore and a fascinating world design. It’s a solid start to a series, and I have to say I was surprisingly impressed by Sisters of the Snake. While my expectations weren’t low, I did find myself enjoying this series starter from the Nanua sisters. While nothing is out of the water, this is a decent start to a series that I’m very interested in seeing to completion.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR

Latest posts

books

Review: You Truly Assumed

January 21, 2022January 4, 2022by Zaheerah1 Comment

*I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*

After a terrorist attack near her home, Sabriya’s summer plans are thrown out the window. Instead, she turns to an online journal to express her feelings. You Truly Assumed (the blog) becomes a hit as Muslim teens gather around the new community. Soon, Zakat and Farah join the team to help, but as their numbers rise, so makes the malicious comments. And the community they’ve worked so hard to build might just come tumbling down if they don’t speak up.

You Truly Assumed is a story that had a lot of potential. And I feel like it almost hits the spot but fails to keep its momentum. Let’s start with the plot. Three girls, Bri, Zakat and Farah. Bri is a ballet dancer whose summer auditions are cut short after a terrorist attack makes her hometown standstill. Her sister encourages her to put her pen to a digital paper and sets up an online blog to discuss her thoughts privately, or so she thought. Instead of auditions, she’s helping the terror attack victims while YTA thrives. She recruits Farah, who is currently spending the summer with her estranged father and joins the team to help run the tech side of the blog. Zakat’s artistic flair brings a new image to the blog; however, her family aren’t supportive of her future in art. When Bri notices an influx of hate comments, a physical threat almost tears them down, and they have to figure out how to control it or risk shutting the site down.

You Truly Assumed thrives in concept. I adored the idea of three young women using the blog to tell their stories, creating a community where they can discuss what they want on their terms. It also highlights the voice and individual levels of three young Black Muslim girls. I really enjoyed seeing the diversity in their lives and how Sabreen explores the different ways a person can experience Islamaphobia and racism.

My main issue with You Truly Assumed is that while the plot is engaging, the writing simply isn’t. It felt weird reading the story of Sabriya, Zakat and Farah because it reads like three stories forced into one book. It’s one big book telling the readers what happens and not an ounce of showing. We are told their blog is thriving, yet we only see three, maybe four, posts within the book. If I can recall correctly, only two of them were actually blogging content. We are told these girls have become close friends, but their conversations are limiting and most of their development happen off-page. This entire book hinges on the emotional connection between these girls, but the emotion isn’t there, so readers are left just to watch it all happen.

Overall, I wasn’t impressed. The heart of the story is so there and close within our reach. It feels like a story incomplete, and it was exhausting to read, mainly because I was imagining what the book could’ve been.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR

Latest posts

books

Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

January 14, 2022January 3, 2022by ZaheerahLeave a Comment

*I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*

Storms have ruined Mina’s homeland for generations. Her people believe that once the Sea God has found his true bride, he will end his people’s suffering. Shim Cheong is fated to be the true bride, but doing so means leaving Mina’s brother forever. So on the night, Cheong must be sacrificed, Mina and her brother break the rules and follow her to her fate. Desperate to save her brother and her friend, she throws herself into the water instead. Stranded in the Spirit Realm, Mina finds the Sea God trapped in an endless sleep and to wake him; she must face every lesser god and beast who wishes to keep him asleep.

I’ll be honest; the story starts in not the strongest footing for my taste. Mina is already boarding the ship destined for Shim Cheong’s demise, and her sacrifice is made so quickly it feels like we almost miss the moment. Her descent into the spirit realm is fast, and in moments, we’ve already made it halfway through the book’s own synopsis. I have been highly anticipating this book, so I was apprehensive it would go downhill from there.

I can gladly say I was very wrong. Once in the Spirit Realm, Mina really takes off. With time ticking, she must figure out how to wake the Sea God and return her homeland to prosperity only a month before she is stuck forever. And the only person who can give her any information is the mysterious god named Shin and his rogue men, Kirin and Namgi. She is also momentarily accompanied by other spirits who you will love and mourn all the same.

The crumbs Axie Oh drops in the story slowly come together in the most heartbreaking way. The world-building is in the same vein as Ghibli movies, whimsical and childlike. Mina is strong and compassionate who continues to grow in each chapter. It’s kind of a shame this is standalone because the potential to delve into other folklore through the Spirit Realm is vast. If anything, the only remotely disappointing aspect was that the romance could’ve been developed a lot more in the beginning. Still, towards the end, I was rooting for Mina’s happiness like my life depended on it.

Spirited Away meets Korean folklore in this standout retelling from Axie Oh. A world of gods and beasts can’t compare to softspoken Mina, who steals the show in her honourable journey to save her homeland.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR

Latest posts

books

Review: Of Trust & Heart

January 7, 2022January 3, 2022by ZaheerahLeave a Comment

*I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*

As the daughter of an Earl and fast approaching her 25th birthday, Lady Harriet Cunningham finds herself in a New York speakeasy when she should be finding a husband. That is until she sets sights on Rosalie Smith, a beautiful woman with a voice that blew her away. And now, she must decide between expectations or her growing feelings for Rosalie without ruining her family name.

Of Trust & Heart was highly disappointing. I personally found it boring, which hurts me to say considering I have enjoyed the author’s previous works a lot. Concept-wise, this story had a lot of potential to be a passionate and emotional tale, but its execution left it feeling messing and underwhelming.

Lady Harriet is sent to New York by her family in order to find a husband, despite knowing that Harriet is a lesbian. Aware of her predicament, Harriet finds solace in her cousin Charlie, a closeted gay man. Together, they bond over their inability to feel comfortable in their surroundings truly. Here, Charlie invites Harriet to a speakeasy hidden within a bookstore. One last night she promised herself before finding a man to settle down with. And when she meets singer Rosalie, her plans fall apart.

The main reason why I couldn’t really invest myself into the romance is that there’s nothing there to really root for. Harriet and Rosalie exchange mere words, Rosalie writes a song about her and then we are told how utterly in love Harriet is. I was expecting more from the two, interactions, inner thoughts, development, anything! Harriet spent more time with her suitors than she did with Rosalie. Everything was extremely flat, and the story failed to rise to the tension and conflict occurring within the story. The people, the locations and actions felt so impersonal and empty.
Despite my negativity, it was a quick read and somewhat fun to read, Hamilton clearly writes well, but I don’t consider this a great showcase of her writing. (I would recommend her Until Lambs Become Lions series) The ending is somewhat awkward, which I wouldn’t have minded if there weren’t clearly other ways of fixing their problems. With a prohibition-era backdrop, there is genuine potential for this story and that I just think it doesn’t reach its fullest potential.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR

Latest posts

books

YEAR IN REWIND: 2021

December 31, 2021December 31, 2021by Zaheerah2 Comments

Hello! Another year, another rewind. Don’t expect anything spectacular. I think 2021 might be my worst reading AND blogging year yet. One of my biggest goals for this year was to go back to blogging regularly and to find a full-time job. Sadly, I failed on both of these goals. Job searching and still working at my part-time restaurant job really made moving on really difficult and I feel like this entire year was just wasted. I am determined to make 2022 a better year, both for the blog and my own life. While I didn’t read as much, I did manage to find some new favourites this year.

L I F E

As I mentioned, this entire year was mainly working at my restaurant job while also searching for a full-time job. We were still in lockdown at the beginning of 2021 so there was not a lot going on at the moment for me. One shining moment was I was able to take my graduation photo! My university wasn’t the greatest at communication so we never really understood whether we were going to get a ceremony or photos. We did get online graduation which was just as awkward as you’d expect. And I managed to get my photos taken during the summer!

I struggled a lot to read this year. Not having that certainty of a full-time job made it really difficult to balance my time since working in a restaurant during a pandemic is very, very stressful (and tiring). I used to really enjoy being a waitress but after this year, I don’t see myself returning to working in food/retail once I’ve moved on from this role. I know I sound all doom and gloom, but the thing I am proud of is that I’ve returned to drawing! I used to draw a lot when I was a teenager, but I didn’t really enjoy using a graphics tablet. We used to have a hand-me-down but after getting an iPad in March, it made me realise that I prefer drawing directly to the screen.

If you follow me on Twitter, you would know during this year, I started playing Genshin Impact. It is an action RPG gatcha game where you follow a traveller who is searching for their sibling in the fantasy world of Teyvat. My friend from work had been pushing me to play since last year and I finally managed to get my clunky laptop to run the game. I was immediately hooked. The story, the art and the music (listen to the ost now!!!) blew me away. I’ve played a few mobile gatcha games growing up but I never really committed to games, unlike Genshin. I was sure I was going to be a free-to-play player but I was introduced to a red-headed character called Diluc and I could slowly feel my money slipping away from me.

If I had to look back on my year, Genshin and drawing are two things that took the spotlight. Both were a great source of comfort for me in what was a pretty terrible year overall. Here are some of my artwork from this year. (yes they are mainly Genshin Impact fanart shhhh … let me live in my brain rot)

Continue reading →

books

Review: The Boy with Fire

December 13, 2021December 5, 2021by ZaheerahLeave a Comment

*I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*

In a world teetering on the edge of war, one man’s hunger for power might just doom them all. Yassen Knight was once a notorious assassin, now he’s on the run and his only ticket to freedom is defending the princess of Ravence. Elena is counting down the days she ascends the throne, but her inability to hold Fire threatens her crown. Leo isn’t ready to give the crown up yet, not when a looming prophecy threatens everything he holds dear. As the clock ticks till the coronation, the people of Ravence must prepare for change or fear seeing the land burn.

What stood out about this book for me was the writing. I think Verma is a phenomenal writer. I really enjoyed how she writes, it’s rich and filled with details that make the world of Sayon come to life. She writes quite smoothly in a way that seems very experienced. There are too many good quotes from this book. I’m sure my Kindle copy is more highlights than plain lines.

However, when I finished this book, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. The world-building is well done, and I enjoyed the universe Verma has formed. But I couldn’t seem to place where my disappointment lay, but I think, in the end, the characters themselves didn’t live up to the world they resided in. I feel like we really only got to understand the characters at a surface level.

Elena and Leo were interesting, and I liked the parallel between father and daughter as Leo struggles to make sure Elena will inherit a world worth fighting for, but fails to understand what is really best for his land. Yassen is introduced strong and I was prepared to adore him, but again there really isn’t any significant action aside from Leo’s chapters so much of the book is rather slow. It’s a constant cycle of being reminded that Elena can’t control her fire ability and Yassen is a former traitor. The book is advertised as “enemies to lovers,” but the energy between Elena and Yassen isn’t there. Elena is engaged in an arranged marriage between Samson, a friend of Yassen, and it feels like they had better chemistry.

It’s been some time since I finished this book, and I still can’t figure out where I stand with it. Conceptually, its plot and characters should appeal to me but reading this book felt like a drag. Pitched as Dune meets The Poppy War, The Boy with Fire struggles to light a flame to its comp mates. The potential is there, and for another reader, it will be perfect, but the story barely made a mark for me.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR

Latest posts

Archives