Review: The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Published: 14th May 2019 | Publisher: Scholastic | Source: Won
Nafiza Azad's Website

Azad's debut YA fantasy is set in a city along the Silk Road that is a refuge for those of all faiths, where a young woman is threatened by the war between two clans of powerful djinn.

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population -- except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar.

But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield.

In this William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist novel, Nafiza Azad weaves an immersive tale of magic and the importance of names; fiercely independent women; and, perhaps most importantly, the work for harmony within a city of a thousand cultures and cadences. From The StoryGraph

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features death, infant death, murder, grief, PTSD, a hostage situation, violence against children, and the threat of sexual violence.

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Review: The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan (#Ad)

I was sent this proof as a giveaway prize by the author for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Published: 29th January 2019 | Publisher: Scholastic US | Source: Won from author
Sabina Khan's Website

Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali tries her hardest to live up to her conservative Muslim parents’ expectations, but lately she’s finding that harder and harder to do. She rolls her eyes instead of screaming when they blatantly favor her brother and she dresses conservatively at home, saving her crop tops and makeup for parties her parents don’t know about. Luckily, only a few more months stand between her carefully monitored life in Seattle and her new life at Caltech, where she can pursue her dream of becoming an engineer.

But when her parents catch her kissing her girlfriend Ariana, all of Rukhsana’s plans fall apart. Her parents are devastated; being gay may as well be a death sentence in the Bengali community. They immediately whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh, where she is thrown headfirst into a world of arranged marriages and tradition. Only through reading her grandmother’s old diary is Rukhsana able to gain some much needed perspective.

Rukhsana realizes she must find the courage to fight for her love, but can she do so without losing everyone and everything in her life? From Goodreads

I won this proof in a giveaway on Twitter hosted by the author.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features colourism, homophobia, homophobic violence, discussion of forced marriage, imprisonment, drugging, a hunger strike, excorcism, a child bride, paedophilia, incest, rape, child abuse, domestic abuse, and murder of a gay person.

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Review: Internment by Samira Ahmed (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Atom via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Internment by Samira Ahmed

Published: 19th March 2019 | Publisher: Atom | Cover Designer:  | Source: NetGalley
Samira Ahmed's Website

Rebellions are built on hope.

Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens.

With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp's Director and his guards.

Heart-racing and emotional, Internment challenges readers to fight complicit silence that exists in our society today. From Goodreads

Trigger Warnings: This book features racism, Islamophobia, imprisonment, violence, violence against women, death, discussion of torture, discussion of internment camps - specifically Manzanar internment camp and Nazi concentration camps, and discussion of the Holocaust.

Review edited on 5th July 2019. My original review was harmful, due to discussing inconsistencies that had me questioning why there wasn't more pain for the Muslim charcters of colour. You can read my acknowledgement of my mistake and apology here. For transparency, you can find a screen cap of the original wording here.

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Review: This Green and Pleasant Land by Ayisha Malik (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Bonnier Zaffre via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

This Green and Pleasant Land by Ayisha Malik

Published: 13th June 2019 | Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre | Cover Designer: Nick Stearn | Source: Publisher
Ayisha Malik's Website

Accountant Bilal Hasham and his journalist wife, Mariam, plod along contentedly in the sleepy, chocolate box village they've lived in for eight years.

Then Bilal is summoned to his dying mother's bedside in Birmingham. Sakeena Hasham is not long for this world but refuses to leave it until she ensures that her son remembers who he is: a Muslim, however much he tries to ignore it. She has a final request. Instead of whispering her prayers in her dying moments, she instructs Bilal to go home to his village, Babbel's End, and build a mosque.

Mariam is horrified. The villagers are outraged. How can a grieving Bilal choose between honouring his beloved mum's last wish and preserving everything held dear in the village he calls home?

But it turns out home means different things to different people.

Battle lines are drawn and this traditional little community becomes the colourful canvas on which the most current and fundamental questions of identity, friendship, family and togetherness are played out.

What makes us who we are, who do we want to be, and how far would we go to fight for it? From Goodreads.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features death, grief, discussion of drug use, racism and Islamophobia.

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My #RamdadanReadathon 2019 TBR

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Titles marked with an asterisk (*) were gifted to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The #RamadanReadathon is back for the third year! Run by Nadia of Headscarves and Hardbacks, the #RamadanReadathon is a challenge to read only Muslim authors during the month of Ramadan - 6th May to 4th June! Check out the Twitter account for updates: @MuslimReadathon.

The Readathon is a little different this year, with a bingo board challenge based on the five pillars of Islam! For this challenge, I think I'll be going for the Salah/Prayer column/pillar, which means reading books that fit the following:

• Part of a Series - Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty*
• Free Space - The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah*
• Comtemporary Fiction - Saints and Misfits by S. K. Ali
• Recently Bought/Released - Internment by Samira Ahmed*
• Number/Name in Title - The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

I have been really looking forward to the readathon this year, as due to prior blog commitments last year, I was only able to read one book. So I've been saving up quite a few books with the intention of reading them during the readathon - and I'm hoping to read more than five! As with other monthly reading challenges, due to my blogging schedule, the books aren't likely to be reviewed on the blog during Ramadan, but they will be reviewed on Goodreads, and I will be tweeting about them.

Here are all the books I have saved up to read! I may not get to them all, but I love that I have such a wide range of stories!

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Review: Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed (#Ad)

Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

I received this eProof for free from Hot Key Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

A searing #OwnVoices coming-of-age debut in which an Indian-American Muslim teen confronts Islamophobia and a reality she can neither explain nor escape.

Maya Aziz is torn between futures: the one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter (i.e.; staying nearby in Chicago and being matched with a "suitable" Muslim boy), and the one where she goes to film school in New York City--and maybe, just maybe, kisses a guy she's only known from afar. There's also the fun stuff, like laughing with her best friend Violet, making on-the-spot documentaries, sneaking away for private swimming lessons at a secret pond in the woods. But her world is shattered when a suicide bomber strikes in the American heartland; by chance, he shares Maya's last name. What happens to the one Muslim family in town when their community is suddenly consumed with hatred and fear?

Trigger Warning: Terrorist attack and Islamophobia.

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Review: The Other Half of Happiness by Ayisha Malik

The Other Half of Happiness by Ayisha Malik (Bought) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Sofia Khan is just married. But no-one told her life was going to be this way . . .

Her living situation is in dire straits, her husband Conall is distant, and his annoyingly attractive colleague is ringing all sorts of alarm bells.

When her mother forces them into a belated wedding ceremony (elopement: you can run, but you can't hide), Sofia wonders if it might be a chance to bring them together. But when it forces Conall to confess his darkest secret, it might just tear them apart. From Goodreads.

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Review: If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan - In this stunning debut, a young Iranian American writer pulls back the curtain on one of the most hidden corners of a much-talked-about culture.

Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They’ve shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love—Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light.

So they carry on in secret—until Nasrin’s parents announce that they’ve arranged for her marriage. Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they have been, only now with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin exclusively—and openly.

Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution. In Iran, homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman’s body is seen as nature’s mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could be the one to marry Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the one she wants, in the body she wants to be loved in, without risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self? From Goodreads.

Trigger warning: This book contains - and my review discusses - homophobia.

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Review: Out of Heart by Irfan Master

Out of Heart by Irfan Master (eProof) - Donating your heart is the most precious gift of all.

Adam is a teenage boy who lives with his mum and younger sister. His dad has left them although lives close by. His sister no longer speaks. His mum works two jobs. Adam feels the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

Then his grandfather dies and in doing so he donates a very precious gift - his heart.

William is the recipient of Adam's grandfather's heart. He has no family and feels rootless and alone. In fact, he feels no particular reason to live. And then he meets Adam's family.

William has received much, but it appears that he has much to offer Adam and his family too.

A powerful tale of love and strength in adversity. From Goodreads.

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Review: The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah (#Ad)

The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah

I was sent this review copy by Scholastic for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Michael is drawn to his new classmate Mina, but they're on opposite sides of an issue that's tearing their town apart. His parents are part of an anti-immigration group, while her family have fled their besieged home in Afghanistan. As tensions rise, lines are drawn and both must decide what they want their world to look like, no matter the cost. From Goodreads.

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Review: Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (Bought) - Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late. From Goodreads.

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Review: Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik (Bought) - "Brilliant idea! Excellent! Muslim dating? Well, I had no idea you were allowed to date." Then he leaned towards me and looked at me sympathetically. "Are your parents quite disappointed?"

Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene.

As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she goes in search of stories for her book. In amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist tube passengers and decidedly odd online daters, could there be a a lingering possibility that she might just be falling in love...? From Goodreads.

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