Nura & The Immortal Palace Blog Tour – Book Review

Thank you to ed.pr and walker books for having me on this blog tour! I will be sharing my review as part of the tour!

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Nura has worked all her life in the mica mines, earning just enough to keep her family afloat – and enjoy the odd delicious gulab jamun from the market. Some day she’s going to find the Demon’s Tongue, a legendary treasure buried deep in the mines, and her family will never have to worry about money again.

But when a terrible accident buries her best friend below ground, Nura goes in search of him and passes over into the magical and terrible world of the jinn. Across a pink sea and under a purple sky, she finds her way to a palace, where great riches and a whole new life are on offer.

But it’s not long before Nura discovers this world to be as unfair as the real one, and that trickster jinns will always live up to their reputation…

This book was so wonderful and it was so great to see Pakistani culture and Muslim and Pakistani folklore in the story. From clothes to food everything was so familiar and I just loved it all. The descriptions of the food especially had me craving all of my favourites, especially gulab jamuns! I felt completely immersed in the world and just the small mentions of Ayat al Kursi and Eid celebrations it made my heart so happy!

If anyone says they work for passion or world peace and not the delicious food on their plate, they’re lying.

When I saw this story had jinns and set in Pakistan I knew I had to read it! It did not disappoint. We grow up with stories of jinns and how we each have our own Qareen that influences us to do some…not so great things and then I see how it’s so wonderfully woven into the story and how Nura and Faisal meet their Qareens and are tricked by them and then have to escape. It felt like my childhood stories come to life!

Not only is this story a magical adventure where a young girl is whisked off to the jinn world but through this there are discussions around child labour and exploitation of poor people which keeps the poor, poor and the rich get richer. I really loved how this is woven into the story without it being too heavy and it’s written in a way that young people can understand. I think these discussions are so important especially as it happens globally and so many people suffer as a result. How these people are pitted against each other so they don’t see who is truly causing their suffering.

The poor stay poor because the rich aren’t willing to spread their resources.

I loved the friendships in this book, between Nura and Faisal and how different they are to each other but how well they work together. How they deeply care for each other and go to great lengths to protect and help each other. It was also great to see how Nura slowly learns to work with others too that she initially finds difficult but as she learns she realises how everyone struggles in their own way.

I just loved Nura even though she was quite hot headed and always ready to fight, it felt real for a 12 year old who has had to grow up too quickly and been unfairly burdened by responsibilities that she shouldn’t have had to shoulder at such a young age. I loved how stubborn and resilient she was and yet it was also heart breaking to see her and the other children go through everything they had suffered and how it affected them.

I highly recommend everyone read this wonderful story!

Blog Tour – Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta – My Favourite Quotes

Thank you to Macmillan and Colored Pages Tours for having me on the tour!

I will be sharing my favourite quotes as part of the tour! But before I share them here is the synopsis of Gearbreakers which I think you should all check out!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they’re fighting for a common purpose–and falling for each other–in Zoe Hana Mikuta’s high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu’s Legend series.

We went past praying to deities and started to build them instead…

The shadow of Godolia’s tyrannical rule is spreading, aided by their giant mechanized weapons known as Windups. War and oppression are everyday constants for the people of the Badlands, who live under the thumb of their cruel Godolia overlords.

Eris Shindanai is a Gearbreaker, a brash young rebel who specializes in taking down Windups from the inside. When one of her missions goes awry and she finds herself in a Godolia prison, Eris meets Sona Steelcrest, a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot. At first Eris sees Sona as her mortal enemy, but Sona has a secret: She has intentionally infiltrated the Windup program to destroy Godolia from within.

As the clock ticks down to their deadliest mission yet, a direct attack to end Godolia’s reign once and for all, Eris and Sona grow closer–as comrades, friends, and perhaps something more…

So here are my favourite quotes:

Yeah, we’re small. Yeah, we’re human. But we’re also gearbreakers and we’re here to dismantle the fuckers who thought we’d just sit back and take it.

I cannot choose what I have been made into, but I can choose what to do next.

Remember fear is a waste of time. A waster of breath. I don’t fear death and I don’t fear godoloia and I sure as hells don’t fear what you think of me.

It does not matter if I can survive it. What matters is if I can see it through.

We haven’t lost and we haven’t lost everything so we can keep going.

You do not get to love someone and think they won’t feel it.

Because you choose sides in war and I choose the one that makes me feel human and this I will not apologise for.

About the author:

Twenty-year-old Zoe Hana Mikuta is a Korean-American writer currently attending the University of Washington in Seattle, majoring in English with a creative writing focus and minoring in History of Religion. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where she developed a deep love of Muay Thai kickboxing and nurtured a slow and steady infatuation for fictional worlds. She enjoys writing deteriorating worlds inhabited by characters with bad tempers, skewed morals, and big hearts. Her YA wlw sci-fi debut, GEARBREAKERS, is upcoming from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan Publishers June 29th, 2021, with an untitled sequel to follow summer 2022. When she needs to unwind, Zoe sews runes onto the belt loops of her jeans and embroiders ‘Bite Me’ on the back pockets. She hopes if she feeds the crows around her campus enough croutons, they’ll begin to gift her quarters, so she can say her laundry is bird-funded.

Blog Tour – My Favourite Quotes From Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

Hey booknerds! Today, as part of the blog tour for Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin, hosted by Coloured Pages Tours, I am sharing my favourite quotes from the book!

If you don’t know what the book is about here is the synopsis:

From the author of Ayesha at Last comes a sparkling new rom-com for fans of “You’ve Got Mail,” set in two competing halal restaurants

Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighbourhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. But soon she’ll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening Three Sisters.

When her mysterious aunt and her teenage cousin arrive from India for a surprise visit, they draw Hana into a long-buried family secret. A hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana’s growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival restaurant—who might not be a complete stranger after all.

As life on the Golden Crescent unravels, Hana must learn to use her voice, draw on the strength of her community and decide what her future should be.

So here are my top 10 quotes from the book!

Just promise you’ll be careful with your heart, okay? You deserve someone who puts you first.

I only meant that an intelligent young woman – I assume you are intelligent – would not lay all her cards on the table. Gather information, consider your options, and then act accordingly.

I couldn’t hide who I was.

Find your principles and see your story through to the end, no matter what.

Anger was easier, feeling justified in my tactics more satisfying. Trying to change my world was the harder path, and less likely to succeed.

Real change is a boulder we keep pushing, but don’t fool yourself into thinking it doesn’t push back. Because it does. And sometimes it pushes back hard.

If things are changing, that means we’re still alive. Only living things change.

I know now what I will and will not tolerate. I know where my line is, and what I am willing to lose to defend my heart.

Keep chasing the story in your heart.

Choice. That’s what my parents had gifted me. There’s nothing more powerful than being able to make up your own mind about something. Nothing headier than reaching out your hand and saying: This. I choose this.

Do also check out the other posts as part of the blog tour and check out my bookstagram (@thetsundokuchronicles) for a giveaway!

More about Uzma:

I am the author of AYESHA AT LAST (2018), a retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a Toronto Muslim community. My second novel HANA KHAN CARRIES ON (2021) is inspired by the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’ and set in rival halal restaurants. I also write a funny parenting column for The Toronto Star, and have written for The Atlantic. I live in Toronto with my husband and two sons. Find out more at www.uzmajalaluddin.com and thanks for visiting!

Blog Tour – The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani – ARC Review

Thank you to Harper Teen and Qamar Tours for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

I did not choose this fate. But I will not walk away from it.

Children have been disappearing from across Menaiya for longer than Amraeya ni Ansarim can remember. When her friend’s sister is snatched, Rae knows she can’t look away any longer – even if that means seeking answers from the royal court, where her country upbringing and clubfoot will only invite ridicule.

Yet the court holds its share of surprises. There she discovers an ally in the foreign princess, who recruits her as an attendant. Armed with the princess’s support, Rae seeks answers in the dark city streets, finding unexpected help in a rough-around-the-edges street thief with secrets of his own. But treachery runs deep, and the more Rae uncovers, the more she endangers the kingdom itself. 

I loved this book so much, it’s a story about a young woman who is often overlooked and underestimated but she is capable of so much more than anyone gives her credit for and it resonated with me deeply.

Rae isn’t like the usual fantasy heroines we see, she doesn’t have secret magic powers, she’s an average girl who has a family and doesn’t have a tragic backstory. She is however a young woman who will protect those she loves and will fight for the people who no one else will fight for. I think this made her so much more relatable and real because she could be any of us. She is smart and resourceful and she perseveres no matter what obstacles are put in her path. She is kind and empathetic but also knows that not everyone is trustworthy and is cautious about who she trusts.

I assure you I am well aware of what I am capable of

She also has a disability and it affects her mobility which means she is often underestimated and overlooked, she is seen as less capable but I really loved how she didn’t allow that stop her from protecting her loved ones and seeking justice. Her internal conflict was so relatable as someone who also has a mobility disability, I really felt for her, how she will sometimes push herself too far and that fear of being looked down on or pitied if someone finds out about her disability, how her disability is the only thing anyone sees. I loved her arc and how she realises her disability may affect some things that she can do but it doesn’t define her and only she decides who she is.

I also completely fell in love with Bren from the first moment we meet him. From his first conversation with Rae I loved their interactions and how he looked out for Rae right from the beginning without making her feel helpless or self-conscious about her disability. He never thinks less of Rae because of her disability and I just loved that so much. He sees her for who she really is and not just a helpless girl. I loved their banter and sass and how they worked together. It was such an interesting dynamic between them as Bren is a thief and Rae doesn’t always approve of things in his life but she accepts him for who he is. Some of my favourite scenes were between them two.

She has more power than the stories grant her.

It was also great to see Thorn again and especially see her happy with Kestrin and how she dealt with her family. I loved seeing their wedding celebrations and it reminded me of a big fat desi wedding! The beautiful clothes and all the functions and food and traditions. I just loved seeing it in the book. It was also a great contrast between the rich and the poor and how different the lives of nobles are compared to the average citizen.

There is also discussions of the violence women face and how they have to adjust the way they live and how they don’t always feel safe. Even Thorn has to deal with this and it was chilling because it was her brother and he was enabled by those around him who didn’t hold him accountable, instead ignoring what he did to her. The comparisons to how this happens a lot in our society was easy to see and I could relate to how Thorn and Rae felt.

While this is a character driven book where we see everything from Rae’s point of view we also got to explore a lot more of the world outside and the politics of the nobles too and how the nobles ignored what was happening to the children as it didn’t affect them directly. We see how it affects Rae and the frustrations she feels and it makes her more determined to help, it was interesting to see Thorn as her ally but she was also limited in many ways because of the politics at play. The end of this book and the plot twists and revelations shook me, I was not expecting them at all. And then the book ends in a cliffhanger which has me dying for the next book!

As much as we ask for help. We have to help ourselves.

I highly recommend this wonderful story with a main character you will fall in love with and root for and I cannot wait for the sequel as there are things which were alluded to in this book that I think will come into play in the sequel, especially the fae angle! Everyone please go read this book!

This is the tour schedule so do check out the other bloggers posts too!

Here are some quote art designs I made with some of my favourite quotes!

Blog Tour: Wings of Ebony by J. Elle – ARC Review

Thank you to the publisher Caffeine Book Tours for sending my an ARC in exchange for an honest review and for having me on this blog tour for Wings of Ebony.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue’s taken from her neighbourhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon—a hidden island of magic wielders.

Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.

Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon—an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighbourhood before the gods burn it to the ground.

I really loved this book and the magic system that the author has created. But mostly I just really loved how Rue and her whole community looked out and helped each other. How when she needed people to have her back they were there for her even though they aren’t her blood relatives because family isn’t only those who you are related to, it’s the people who are there for you when you need them.

The story starts and we are thrown right into the it and throughout the story we are told through flashbacks what happened in the last year that lead to the moments we see in the first chapter. It was really interesting to read the story like this as we are slowly fed information about the magic system, Ghizon and East Row which made it more intriguing.

When people we love are in danger and we have the means to stop it – we do something. Even if it’s against the rules.

Rue is such a wonderful character, she doesn’t take crap from anyone and fiercely protective over those she loves but she will still call them out if they do something wrong and honestly that’s the best type of friend. She is empathetic and caring but she’s also stubborn and finds it hard to rely on anyone or ask for help because she feels it’s her against the world but I loved seeing her slowly realise she isn’t alone. One of things about her I really loved was that she is afraid but it doesn’t stop her from doing what is right and to get justice for those who couldn’t get it for themselves. Her protectiveness over her sister was so relatable as I’m also an older sibling and I just felt for her that she feels responsible for her sister and the guilt at not being able to do more for her.

It was also so heart breaking to read about her grief for her mum and her complicated relationship with her dad as she only meets him after her mum dies and he just drags her away from everyone and everything at a time when she needs those who she loves and knows. I really liked seeing that over time she slowly becomes more open to speaking to her dad but that doesn’t mean she absolves him of never being there or dragging her away to Ghizon, even though he explains why. It just felt so much real. Basically I just really loved Rue and I cannot wait to see what she will do in the sequel especially after that ending!

Who expects their history be erased?

I also loved the discussions on colonisation and erasing history and twisting to make the colonisers the heroes. It was just so real and hard hitting and it would make me stop reading to just think and reflect on what I read. I also loved how Rue calls Bri out for centring herself and making herself the victim when Rue tells her how the magic was stolen. I was literally screaming YESS when I read those scenes.

There was also some incredible discussions on how people view certain communities, always assuming the worst from those people when all they are trying to do is get on with their lives and they want to provide the best for their kids just like the white people from more affluent neighbourhoods. How the people there are mostly ordinary people who live in fear because of the violence that could come for them any day. How youth are killed for refusing to be forced into a life of crime. How a young person can be manipulated by adults into a life of crime and violence and then find there isn’t a way out. How often the one doing this isn’t even from their neighbourhood but from somewhere else and yet it these people who suffer.

We gotta be twice as good from the start to get half of what other people get. People everywhere waiting for us to fail.

This is such a wonderful book with an incredible story and a great main character. I highly recommend reading it!