Tag: rating 4 star

Books, Contemporary

Book Review: Stained

by Zaheerah2 Comments on Book Review: Stained

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* I received an ARC of this book from the author.  This in no way affected my opinion of the book. Also, TW: Mentions of rape and abuse.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Stained is an upcoming debut novel by Abda Khan that follows Selina, a British-born Pakistani young woman who is raped by her close, well-respected family friend. Selina is eager to do well in school so she can get into University, but her grades in Economics are the only thing that’s stopping her from achieving her future.It is then when a trusted family friend offers to tutor her but he preys upon Selina’s trusting nature and sexually assault her. Not wanting to bring dishonour on her family and deceased father’s name, we follow Selina go to extreme length to avoid the imminent scandal.

I really appreciated this story. I loved the character of Selina and her story. Despite facing such awful adversity and horrible trauma, she remained strong. She did her best to keep moving forward and learning to find herself despite all she’s faced. And how everything leads to her not reporting the assault is all too realistic and extremely upsetting. There’s so much to like about this book. Khan’s writing style allows us to fully understand Selina’s action and her situation. I had some issues with the speech sometimes since it felt quite stiff and didn’t read well but that issue is quite minor compared to how much I enjoyed the rest of the novel. The ending is a happy one, well as happy as it could be, considering what happened. It showed great growth in Selina and how she survived everything ordeal. She was given the opportunity to love again, while she doesn’t outright decline it, she simply takes a step back to focus on herself rather than what everyone else thinks. And I enjoyed that.

As relevant this book is, I would be very specific in who I recommend it to. There are so many triggering topics that are brought up: rape, miscarriage, murder etc. It’s important to the mentality of the reader that you’re aware. Stained is short but in that time Khan has created a novel that is so important and addressed such an important issue. I am so grateful that I have been given a chance to read this.

you can find the books at:
GoodReads | Author’s website | Amazon |

Books, Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel

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you can find the book at:
GoodReads | Author’s bio | Amazon | BookDespository
Rating: ★★★★☆

As an Iranian-American, Leila’s different enough but if word got out that she liked girls, life would be twice as hard. But when Saskia shows up, Leila begins to struggle to sort out her feelings.

I really wanted to love this book. It’s diverse, challenging, and absolutely needed in YA. But Farizan’s writing style doesn’t appeal to me at all. What I liked about Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel was that it captured the awkwardness of high school. Leila has a great and sarcastic sense of humour. Her small comments were really funny and I think she’s a well-rounded protagonist. I liked reading about her cultural conflict, in both her sexuality and future. While I can’t relate to the former, I could certainly relate to the latter. This kind of cultural conflict introduces a newer perspective that isn’t really discussed in young adult literature.

However, the story, overall, felt extremely simplistic in terms of plotting and characterisation. And I felt like the story focused way too much on Saskia as an attempt to bring in some drama when Farizan gives us so much more than the novel could’ve focused on if the plot hadn’t revolved around Saskia so much. (Leila’s family, Lisa’s family history, the way she used the Twelfth Night was a favourite part of the novel and I really wished that was introduced earlier into the novel and developed more.)

Despite the problems I had with Farizan’s characterisation, I did enjoy Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel. While the plot was a little cheesy and predictable, but the romance between Leila and a certain character was adorable, and I loved their backstory. I know I’ll be reading more from Farizan.

Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Published October 7th 2014 by Algonquin Young Readers
ASIN: B00KNCWLP2
Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2)

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2)

review_paperandfire

you can find the book at:
GoodReads | Author’s website | Amazon | Barnes and Noble |

my rating: ★★★★☆

Ink and Bone was one of my favourite reads of last year (and as you can tell, it became one of my favourite books ever), and I’m pleased to say that overall, Paper and Fire is a worthy sequel.

PAPER AND FIRE follows Jess and his friends as they attempt to save on of their own from the hands of the Library. But it ends with them being on the run and targets of the Library’s deadly automata. This sequel was much more intense and brutal than the first as no one is safe from The Archivist.

I’ll always prefer the first book but PAPER AND FIRE was no means a disappointed but an exciting development to the series. It was amazing to enter the world of The Great Library again. Caine’s ability to write believable, diverse characters is just amazing and she is excellent at pacing and this series has so much going on to keep readers entertained. It was interesting to delve deeper into the world that the Postulants live in and, especially, about the Library and its violent methods of control.

Continue reading “Book Review: Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2)” →

Books, Non Fiction

Book Review: Anyone Can Get An A+ by Geetanjali Mukherjee

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Anyone Can Get An A+ by Geetanjali Mukherjee

25794353you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble (Unavailable)
Author’s twitter

my review:
Rating: ★★★★☆

Anyone Can Get An A+: How To Beat Procrastination, Reduce Stress and Improve Your Grades is a self-help book aimed at college students. Mukherjee uses her own experience alongside research to create a series of tips which one can use to improve their grades and study skills.

As someone who’s currently in the middle of her A-levels, this was extremely helpful in reminding me to rethink my revision strategy. In this book, there’s various ways in which anyone can improve their study skills such as planning your study breaks, creating weekly plans and how to get something out of procrastination. This book really condenses everything teachers tell us but in a more practical and easy way to read and without going into so much detail  and leaving you’re overwhelmed.

I should note that this book is very US-centric which is probably why I didn’t connect to it as much but the tips and information given still stands and Geetanjali definitely knows her stuff. It’s a helpful read that can help you reconsider revision habits, and turn them into more positive strategies.

Kindle Edition, 195 pages
Published September 2nd 2015 (first published August 2nd 2015)
ASIN: B0144W7X4A

 

Books, Children, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Book Review: Behind the Canvas by Alexander Vance

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Behind the Canvas by Alexander Vance

28550408you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:
Rating: ★★★★☆

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

Claudia loves art but never truly understand what’s really under the surface until Pim appears in the painting she sees. She learns that Pim has been trapped in the world behind the canvas for centuries by a witch, and Claudia is now his only way to break the spells that keep him bound in the world of art. Using ancient magic, Claudia enters the world but finds that nothing is truly as it seems on paper.

Behind the Canvas was an exciting read, a really cute story that was filled with adventure. I really liked the anecdotes that appear at the end of each chapter after an artist was mentioned, it was a cool addition to the story though I felt some notes do drag on a bit and take up a bit of space but you do learn some interesting things if you don’t know much about art, like me. They did at first appear too academic to grab my attention but they’re actually really witty and do give better contextual knowledge. What I loved the most was the concept and how it wasn’t set in a random fantasy place but actually links with the real world and the way it works shows clear and deep thought in its creation. (Let’s just hope no one tries to  place their hand with yellow gloop on the actual Mona Lisa…)

However, I felt like the relationship between Claudia and Pim was severely missed out. It skims part where they get to know each other and I felt it should’ve developed that section a bit more to see how their friendship grew but, nonetheless, the way they really cared for each other did come through. I just felt like it was missing something in the beginning.

Kindle Edition, 336 pages
Publication: February 23rd 2016 by Feiwel & Friends
ASIN: B012N46PXQ

 

Books, Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: The Raven King (All For The Game #2) by Nora Sakavic

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: The Raven King (All For The Game #2) by Nora Sakavic

18187013you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:
Rating: ★★★★☆

As I mentioned in a previous review, I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book and I was seriously considering not continuing the series. But I’m so glad I continued because Nora Sakavic doesn’t disappoint in this sequel. The Raven King picks up straight after the events of book 1, continuing the story of Neil and the Foxes as move forward with the game season, counting down the days until they have to face the Ravens. Alongside this, Neil struggles with hiding his past and keeping it together in the presence of Riko’s menace.

The way Sakavic writes is really simple, not too OTT, considering the events of the novel which is what made it really nice to read. It’s fast-paced but not in a way that leaves you confused as she reveals more about the characters and their determination in the rough world of Exy. The characters are developing, as are their relationships, and it’s fascinating but you do find yourself having to stop and think about who is who with some of the other team members, but I was so focused on Neil and Andrew that didn’t bother me as much as it did in the first book.

Also, Neil’s one of those characters that you just want to pick up from their novel and place them somewhere safe. BECAUSE SO MUCH BAD STUFF HAPPENS AND HE JUST DOESN’T DESERVE ANY OF IT.

And I forgot to mention that the first book in the series is free and the rest are 99p.So cheap for a series that’s so good.

Kindle Edition, 181 pages
Published July 10th 2013 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN: 139781301824298