books, Contemporary, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: The Astonishing Color of After

by Zaheerah2 Comments on Book Review: The Astonishing Color of After
Book Review: The Astonishing Color of After

I received an ARC of each book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Leigh is only sixteen when her mother dies by suicide, leaving nothing but the words, “I want you to remember.” And this leads her on a journey to Taiwan in search of a bird, to meet the grandparents she never knew and hopefully learn about the life her mother never spoke about.

I can tell you it’s been a while since I finished a book and immediately started sobbing after completing it. The Astonishing Color of After was a wonderful, visually and writing-wise, novel about grief and family. There’s just so much to it. It’s a mystery with Leigh uncovering secrets her mother buried years ago through memories. But it’s also a love story as Leigh struggles with her relationship with her best friend, Axel. Her mother’s passing changes everything. And both sides of the story are equally beautiful and enthralling. But the family is the heart and strength of this story, and it indeed is so astonishing.

There’s also a magical element to this novel. Leigh experiences the past in the form of burning incense and items such as photographs, and she’s able to experience her family history from the perspectives of her family members. This allowed her to understand what she never could before and to accept the daunting choices that were made. This aspect of this was so, so gorgeous and Pan’s style made this so stunning to experience.

Overall, there are so many words to describe this novel: stunning, extraordinary, beautiful, gorgeous. The lyrical prose, Leigh’s strength and struggles as she tries to connect with a past she wishes she knew and while accepting a new future. She finds what she needed, and the ending was so satisfying. A beautifully-told story, and one that I’ll definitely remember.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | THE BOOK DEPOSITORY

tw: suicide – mentions of it through the book and also the moments just after it. Depression.(if you’ve read the book and feel like I’ve missed something out, please tell me!)

books, Contemporary, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Saints and Misfits

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Saints and Misfits
Book Review: Saints and Misfits
 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

 

I can’t imagine what it means to love everyone, but I’m going to start right here, by loving a bit more of myself. And maybe then the rest will follow.

Janna Yusuf is surrounded by saints and misfits. She’s just trying to make sense of her life, and her feelings for an unreachable boy. But a particular monster, masked as a saint, is making it difficult for her. She can’t ignore him but she isn’t ready to speak the truth and if she does, what will others think of her?

Saints and Misfits has one of the most appreciable Muslim representations I’ve seen in a young adult novel. Ali nicely and quickly captures the life of Muslim teen that felt real. We see Janna living an ordinary life: Janna attends mosque events, wears the hijab while also going through typical teen drama and daily school life. Islam isn’t this HUGE block that’s separated from her, it’s weaved and incorporated into the plot, in a way that felt natural.  It’s a coming of age story that felt normal. There was nothing wrong with Janna being Muslim, and that felt so good to read.

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books, Lifestyle, Monthly Rewind

Monthly Rewind: February, 2018

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Monthly Rewind: February, 2018
Monthly Rewind: February, 2018

L I F E

    • This isn’t a life update, but more of a weather update. It snowed down here in Brighton, like heavily, with enough to settle. There hasn’t been like that like in Brighton in almost ten years. I still vividly remember the time it was. And I took some great pictures as well.
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Processed with VSCO with g3 preset
  • Aside from me getting excited over damn snow, this month was not very active. I’m settling into my second semester at university while also working a few days a week. Just doing what I can to get by, really.

B O O K S

monthlyrewind_feb18

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books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

by Zaheerah2 Comments on Book Review: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Book Review: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

I received an ARC of each book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the fictional world of Orléans, a small number of girls are born with the ability to use magic to create beautiful looks for a dull general population. Camellia and her sister, known as the Belles, have trained their entire lives to be chosen as the Queen’s favourite and responsible for keeping the royal family beautiful.

The world of Orléans is beautiful, a decadent society with a darker history. Everyone is born grey, and it’s the role of the Belles to bring beauty, but it comes with a price. This book is jam-packed with sweet descriptions of a seemly beautiful world until the ugliness leaks out as the story goes on. Clayton’s Orléans is unique and thrilling; while it took a while for it to grip me at first, the ending is where it gets horrific and exciting. A fantasy world means there’s a lot to set up, but once the significant event starts happening, the pace improved.

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books, Other, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Replica

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Replica
Book Review: Replica

Rating: ★★✩✩✩ (2/5)

[So I actually wrote this review back in November, but for some reason, I lost it in my drafts and forgot to publish it]

Replica follows the lives of two seemingly different girls – Lyra, a test subject locked away in a research facility, and Gemma, a lonely teen whose investigation in her family’s past leads to her meeting Lyra and slowly unravelling the truth behind her family.

I tried, really tried, to read and enjoy this. I truly did. Its plot and concept from the outside scream a perfect read for me. Especially with the creative layout, the book can be read from one POV or alternative. I set myself up to read an excellent book, but it just didn’t grab my attention.

You get the impression of an exciting sci-fi novel, but it’s just a very cheesy YA romance with a sci-fi tint. It starts off interesting (I read the chapters alternatively), watching the lives of these two girls and how they differ but you can guess what happens. Nothing is surprising because it’s been done so many times and Oliver doesn’t add anything that makes it stand out, aside from reading format.

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books, Lifestyle, Monthly Rewind

Monthly Rewind: January 2018

by Zaheerah2 Comments on Monthly Rewind: January 2018

Perhaps it’s weird that I can still have a wrap-up without blogging all that much, but I kept a promise to myself to blog more often, even if it means I’m rambling a lot. Despite my inactive first month, I’ve been reading a bit more – not the amount I used to read, but it’s enough to feel like I’m getting back on track.

L I F E

  • New Year’s Resolution | I actually set myself proper new resolutions which I intend to stick to. TLDR: Blog more frequently, read more, improve Bengali and do booktube.
  • Finish the first semester at university | because my timetable meant I only came in two days a week, it didn’t really feel like going to university, if that makes any sense. Luckily for me, my timetable for the second semester is a bit better, and I can plan work and other stuff around it more efficiently.
  • I also remade my Muslims in YA list. The previous one was two years old and severely outdated. You can now find it here (still a work in progress though!!)

B O O K S

monthlyrewind_jan18

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