Tag: book

Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

BOOK REVIEW: ZOM-B (ZOM-B #1) by Darren Shan

by Zaheerah1 Comment on BOOK REVIEW: ZOM-B (ZOM-B #1) by Darren Shan

you can find the book at:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Author Website

goodreads summary:

Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones.

my review:

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

“Trust no one. Always question what you’re told. Don’t believe the lies that people feed you, even if they’re your teachers or parents. At the end of the day you have to work out for yourself what’s right or wrong.”

I would just like to disclose that I love Darren Shan’s books. The Saga of Darren Shan inspired me to become an author and is one of my favourite vampire series ever. But I’m just so disappointed with this entire book, and I’m not sure if I want to continue the series.

The summary says it’s ‘a hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism.’ But honestly, it was all bullshit. As a Muslim, who has grown up in the UK, I am so thankful I’ve never faced people like B in my life. I don’t tolerate racism in real life, and nor will I tolerate it in fiction unless it educates the readers. I felt like Shan should have written those scenes differently

B is literally a TSTL character with no redeeming quality. With a non-existent moral compass, B literally has no sense of right or wrong. They pretend not to be racist, but really was, and was extremely cruel to anyone. There’s a scene where they tried to buy alcohol but is denied because they are underage, so they made fun of the Arab man when he denied the sale. A teacher makes a comment about their racist dad, so they slashed the teachers’ tires?

B is also a huge bully. I had really hoped B would grow up and realised their racist behaviour, and hopefully, stop acting in that way. But they don’t, and blames it all on their dad and is weirdly hellbent on pleasing their dad. Later, when the zombies are overtaking their group, B‘s dad tells them to sacrifice the black boy to save themselves, and B actually did it. Then blames their dad, despite the fact that it was their action.

‘He turned me into a killer. He made me throw [….] to the zombies.’ Ummm, B, your dad didn’t make you do shit. B easily had the choice to say no, but they didn’t. And once they come to the realisation that everything they had done was wrong. It was too late, and honestly, B got what they deserved.

The novel does show what influence poor role models can have on children’s behaviours, but honestly, B’s character was too inconsistent, and the likeability in this character was way too low. The art in the book was actually really great, and I liked them. Overall, the zombie scenes were few but were good, it’s just damn shame than B’s is so unlikeable that I’m not sure if I want to continue this series.

Books, Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Romance, Young Adult/ Teen

BOOK REVIEW: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on BOOK REVIEW: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Author Bio

GoodReads Summary:

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common.

But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

My Review:

Rating: ★★★★★

(spoilers in review)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a story of two friends, Ari and Dante, who meet at age 15 and forge a friendship through a summer of sheer boredom. Their developing friendship is sweet and playful, making it a fantastic story of friendship which later develops into love.

The story is narrated by Ari a loner who lives in a state of constant anger: at the secrets, his family keeps from him, at his father for not being open. Then he meets Dante, who is his opposite. Dante’s quick to laugh, an artist and a philosopher. Except as it turns out, they are not so different after all. Ari learns to let go of his anger and goes through a series of moments of self-discovery. It’s fascinating to see that Ari’s narrative is somewhat unreliable because it is apparent that Ari represses his feelings because he doesn’t know them either – and his actions speak louder than his words.

However, I really wished there had been more of a development with Ari and his brother. The mystery behind his brother was absorbing and I wished it was followed through to the end. The ending of the book also felt rushed and abrupt.

Overall, Aristotle and Dante is an engaging coming-of-age story and a thoughtful exploration of identity and sexuality. This story is heartwarming and an extremely worthwhile read.

Books, Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Young Adult/ Teen

BOOK REVIEW: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on BOOK REVIEW: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp


you can find the book at:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Author Website

goodreads summary:

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival

my review:

Rating: ★★★☆☆

~ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review~

Initially, I’m very iffy when it comes to books with multiple POVs. But for this story’s case, it suited. TIWIE is a novel that gripped me at every page, portraying an all too realistic scenario, one that no one can ever imagine occurring happening in their lifetime, but has already occurred 15 in the US alone this year (source: Wikipedia).

In 54 minutes, every student and teacher present in the auditorium of Opportunity High School, Alabama, is fighting for their lives against one boy, one of their own. What was frightening about this story is that it can happen everywhere. But there’s a difference between hearing about that and being thrown into such situation.

This book follows a few different characters during the hour that the shooting takes place. Each character is so completely different and so important in their own ways. I think the central aspect which I really enjoyed was the diversity of the characters. There’s a scene where Tomas is worried for Fareed and how, his faith and heritage, may portray him as a threat to the police officers was a touching moment for me because of how real it was. I really hope more authors begin to write about marginalised character because, honestly, I’m all for seeing more Muslim characters in novels.

However, I do believe the psychology behind the perpetrator’s act was a bit foolish. It boils to the simple “He was evil,” and that’s it. We never really find out why Tyler did it— he goes from being a supportive brother to someone who beats and abuses his sister. It’s too simplistic, and I think that was a fatal flaw in this novel, along with missing out a chance of looking at the psychology of teen shooters and focusing more on the cheap thrills.

Overall, it was an exciting read. Though some scenes felt strange, I don’t want to judge because who on earth would know what they’d do in this situation when they don’t know what else is going to happen?

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

BOOK REVIEW: Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe

by Zaheerah1 Comment on BOOK REVIEW: Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe


you can find the book at:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Author Bio

goodreads summary:

In a future London, Concentr8 is a prescription drug intended to help kids with ADD.

Soon every troubled teen is on it. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Keep the undesirable elements in line. Keep people like us safe from people like them. What’s good for society is good for everyone.

Troy, Femi, Lee, Karen and Blaze have been taking Concentr8 as long as they can remember. They’re not exactly a gang, but Blaze is their leader, and Troy has always been his quiet, watchful sidekick – the only one Blaze really trusts. They’re not looking for trouble, but one hot summer day, when riots break out across the city, they find it.

What makes five kids pick a man seemingly at random – a nobody, he works in the housing department, doesn’t even have a good phone – hold a knife to his side, take him to a warehouse and chain him to a radiator?

They’ve got a hostage, but don’t really know what they want, or why they’ve done it. And across the course of five tense days, with a journalist, a floppy-haired mayor, a police negotiator, and the sinister face of the pharmaceutical industry, they – and we – begin to understand why …

my review:

Rating: ★★★☆☆

~ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review~

Concentr8 takes us into London, where the increase of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents have reached epidemic levels. Concentr8 has been used by the government as a form of social control until the use of Concentr8 was abolished, wiping out the availability of its supply to the public. A group of teens kidnap a random worker from the Mayor’s office for hostage although it is clear that they don’t know why they did it or what they actually want by doing it.

Personally, Concentr8 had the potential to be so great, but it really wasn’t a readable novel. The multiple POV change too quickly for my liking, and at some points, I didn’t know if it was really that necessary to capture the perspective of every other character in the story. I hoped it would give a clearer picture, but it just didn’t work.  The narrative voices all sounded alike and would have been better off with one or two POVs rather than the mashup we got.

However, this book does have some strong points that are interesting to read in a YA novel. The psychology of nature versus nurture is a longstanding debate and this novel really work with the issues of ADHD and Ritalin. It’s a quick read, with an intriguing premise and well-imagined story, but it could have been executed better for me. Still worth a read though, for anyone interested.
Books, LGBTQIA, Science Fiction & Fantasy

BOOK REVIEW: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

by Zaheerah1 Comment on BOOK REVIEW: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

you can find the book at:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Author Website

goodreads summary:

When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn’t expecting much. The Wayfarer, a patched-up ship that’s seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.

[..] Until the crew are offered the job of a lifetime: the chance to build a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet. They’ll earn enough money to live comfortably for years… if they survive the long trip through war-torn interstellar space without endangering any of the fragile alliances that keep the galaxy peaceful.

But Rosemary isn’t the only person on board with secrets to hide, and the crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.

my review:

Rating: ★★★★☆

~ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review~

To begin with, I honestly never thought I would ever get emotional over an AI system.

Long Way is an absolutely beautiful debut novel by Chambers. Using a vast variety of human and alien characters, mixed with interesting and exciting cultures, Chambers tells an extraordinary story about what makes us human.

Rosemary, a young Martian woman, running from her past, joins the crew of Wayfarer, a ship that drills wormholes for intergalactic travel. The team takes a job on the other side of the galaxy which could make them rich, but on the way, they face the challenges and dangers of the multicultural universe. Chambers pulls you in the life of her characters (humans, aliens and AIs alike) and builds a whole galaxy through the lives of her characters, dealing with struggles that are all too human, even when the character is alien.

However, there could have been a more significant conflict but considering this is a debut –  The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet was something new and refreshing. I definitely recommend.

Books, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

BOOK REVIEW: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on BOOK REVIEW: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

you can find the book at:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Author Website

goodreads summary:

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home.

But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.

Gorgeous prose and themes of social justice and family shine in this richly imagined Cinderella retelling about an indomitable inventor who finds her prince . . . but realizes she doesn’t want a fairy tale happy ending after all.

my review:

Rating: ★★★☆☆

~ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review~

I’m so disappointed with this book because it had the potential to be brilliant. Like other Cinderellas, Nicolette is at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and sisters. She’s treated like dirt and forced to work as a servant in her own family home. Unknown to her stepfamily, Nicolette has a talent for engineering and hides her mother’s old inventions away in her workroom. She plans to sell her designs to make enough money to leave and, hopefully, repurchase her family home from her stepmother’s clutches.

The concept is fantastic. Nicolette wants to save herself, remove herself from her toxic environment but on her own terms. The emphasis is not on romance but on the importance of friendship. And the importance of loving yourself rather than loving the prince. But there is no climax. The story flows quick and easy, but there’s nothing that fuels excitement, no internal conflict that was satisfying to read.

Overall, this book was enjoyable. How likely I would recommend this book will be varying, depends on my mood I think. But the ending was was cute, and honestly one of my favourite for a fairy tale retelling.