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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Rebel of the Sands in Books
May 19, 2018 (Updated May 19, 2018)
Amani is a girl in a country that doesn't value women, and treats them as useless property only good for breeding sons. The country is basically occupied by another country that the Sultan is "allied" with, but lets run roughshod over his people. She has her sights set on escaping her backwoods, dead-end town, and running to the capital city, where the aunt she's never met lives. All of that is derailed when she meets Jin at an underground shooting competition, and then later hides him from the armed forces hunting him.
The country is definitely middle-east inspired, but there's a lot of religion-bashing, and complaining about the culture oppressing women. It's the same problem I have with a lot of knight-and-castle era fantasy - just because historically in OUR world those time periods weren't kind to women, doesn't mean they have to be the same in fantasy. It's FANTASY! It can be anything you want! Break the tropes! It's a fine line to walk, taking the good parts of a culture without just cherry-picking and appropriating the culture, and who's judging what the good and bad parts are, anyway? So I understand it's difficult, but bashing the culture in a book inspired by their mythology is not quite cool, either. I feel like City of Brass, another fantasy book set in the middle east, hit a better middle ground of embracing the culture of the inspiration without bashing parts of it.
That gripe aside, I really enjoyed the world-building. I'm not quite sold on the characters yet - Amani is far too quick to abandon things she should fight for - but I'm interested enough to see how they progress in the next two books.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
The country is definitely middle-east inspired, but there's a lot of religion-bashing, and complaining about the culture oppressing women. It's the same problem I have with a lot of knight-and-castle era fantasy - just because historically in OUR world those time periods weren't kind to women, doesn't mean they have to be the same in fantasy. It's FANTASY! It can be anything you want! Break the tropes! It's a fine line to walk, taking the good parts of a culture without just cherry-picking and appropriating the culture, and who's judging what the good and bad parts are, anyway? So I understand it's difficult, but bashing the culture in a book inspired by their mythology is not quite cool, either. I feel like City of Brass, another fantasy book set in the middle east, hit a better middle ground of embracing the culture of the inspiration without bashing parts of it.
That gripe aside, I really enjoyed the world-building. I'm not quite sold on the characters yet - Amani is far too quick to abandon things she should fight for - but I'm interested enough to see how they progress in the next two books.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Fire Artist in Books
Jan 23, 2020
The cover and the synopsis for <i>The Fire Artist</i> looked so pretty, I had cover fever for a few seconds while trying to decide between 5 plus other books (I planned on walking away with 3 books for 4 weeks, not 100 books).
And the fact it was one of the newest residents at the library and when you own nearly zilch books (two), getting your hands on a shiny copy of a book is a wondrous feeling and a rarity.
<i>The Fire Artist</i> gets <b>straight to the point from the very beginning there's really no stalling going on here.</b> Whitney reveals early on that Aria has problems as a fire artist, and that it needs to be replenished often if she wants to keep her control and not face her father's wrath. But then Aria is recruited by the M.E. Leagues, the highest honor an elemental artist can get, and she has to find another way to continue keeping her fire powers.
<b>The world building here is amazing the peace in the Middle East isn't just "there"</b> simply because someone in a prestigious family did something while everyone else went down to rock bottom, said someone succeeded and as a result, everyone respects the person and bows down to them. The history of how the Middle East came to be in accordance to the book seems to be <b>based off current events in the Middle East, making the book seem a little realistic rather than utmost fantasy</b>. The granters Whitney portrays throughout <i>The Fire Artist</i> aren't just "there" (though they are just "there") for everyone's beck and call <b>the granters seemed to be unified with rules and whatnot rather than each granter working individually on their own.</b>
<b>The romance between Taj and Aria also isn't one that rushes quickly it's slowly developing as the book progresses and it doesn't overshadow the overall plot</b> (a huge peeve of mine). The conversations between the two are entertaining enough that despite the fact Aria takes her time in making her wish, I personally don't mind because I'm too busy enjoying the book to even care.
I do, however, have a little peeve against Aria for stalking the dude before they even met. Surely that never goes well if the dude actually finds out.
Though to be honest, if Aria <i>had</i> made her wish too early in the book instead of stalling awhile, the book would have ended much too quickly. The world building and character development would have been terrible no one (aside from the author) would ever know precisely how the peace in the Middle East really came to be (oh, so everyone just whipped up a treaty?) or gotten the chance to really know Aria and Taj as characters.
There are no regrets in reading this <i>The Fire Artist</i> is as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-fire-artist-by-daisy-whitney/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
And the fact it was one of the newest residents at the library and when you own nearly zilch books (two), getting your hands on a shiny copy of a book is a wondrous feeling and a rarity.
<i>The Fire Artist</i> gets <b>straight to the point from the very beginning there's really no stalling going on here.</b> Whitney reveals early on that Aria has problems as a fire artist, and that it needs to be replenished often if she wants to keep her control and not face her father's wrath. But then Aria is recruited by the M.E. Leagues, the highest honor an elemental artist can get, and she has to find another way to continue keeping her fire powers.
<b>The world building here is amazing the peace in the Middle East isn't just "there"</b> simply because someone in a prestigious family did something while everyone else went down to rock bottom, said someone succeeded and as a result, everyone respects the person and bows down to them. The history of how the Middle East came to be in accordance to the book seems to be <b>based off current events in the Middle East, making the book seem a little realistic rather than utmost fantasy</b>. The granters Whitney portrays throughout <i>The Fire Artist</i> aren't just "there" (though they are just "there") for everyone's beck and call <b>the granters seemed to be unified with rules and whatnot rather than each granter working individually on their own.</b>
<b>The romance between Taj and Aria also isn't one that rushes quickly it's slowly developing as the book progresses and it doesn't overshadow the overall plot</b> (a huge peeve of mine). The conversations between the two are entertaining enough that despite the fact Aria takes her time in making her wish, I personally don't mind because I'm too busy enjoying the book to even care.
I do, however, have a little peeve against Aria for stalking the dude before they even met. Surely that never goes well if the dude actually finds out.
Though to be honest, if Aria <i>had</i> made her wish too early in the book instead of stalling awhile, the book would have ended much too quickly. The world building and character development would have been terrible no one (aside from the author) would ever know precisely how the peace in the Middle East really came to be (oh, so everyone just whipped up a treaty?) or gotten the chance to really know Aria and Taj as characters.
There are no regrets in reading this <i>The Fire Artist</i> is as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-fire-artist-by-daisy-whitney/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Blake Anderson recommended In a Major Way by E-40 in Music (curated)
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Ahriman: The Spirit of Destruction in Books
May 22, 2019
Espionage. Assassins.Middle East.
Homeland meets Syriana in the near future.
When the CIA intercepts intelligence on a terrorist attack in Kuwait, Petra Shirazi, a former field agent, comes face to face with the Ahriman, one of Iran's deadliest assassins.
The story is led by a strong female protagonist who is pitted against her nemesis. To stop him, Petra must confront her past and the traumatic experience that took her out of the field.
This was a well thought out, well written intricate international thriller. The main character, Petra, is an intelligent and independent woman who is forced to overcome her fears and PTSD from a failed field op in order to prevent a massive terrorist attack.
Ms. Guha does a great job weaving the political landscape of the today’s Middle East with a future (2021) that she’s created. It’s a refreshing change from the majority of spy thrillers in that the author stays away from all the typical clichés that can slow a fast paced thriller down. A great first novel.
Very good strong characters and loved the plot.
Really enjoyed this and highly recommend!
This book was provided to me for free for an honest and unbiased review
Homeland meets Syriana in the near future.
When the CIA intercepts intelligence on a terrorist attack in Kuwait, Petra Shirazi, a former field agent, comes face to face with the Ahriman, one of Iran's deadliest assassins.
The story is led by a strong female protagonist who is pitted against her nemesis. To stop him, Petra must confront her past and the traumatic experience that took her out of the field.
This was a well thought out, well written intricate international thriller. The main character, Petra, is an intelligent and independent woman who is forced to overcome her fears and PTSD from a failed field op in order to prevent a massive terrorist attack.
Ms. Guha does a great job weaving the political landscape of the today’s Middle East with a future (2021) that she’s created. It’s a refreshing change from the majority of spy thrillers in that the author stays away from all the typical clichés that can slow a fast paced thriller down. A great first novel.
Very good strong characters and loved the plot.
Really enjoyed this and highly recommend!
This book was provided to me for free for an honest and unbiased review
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Exit West in Books
Jul 24, 2017
A dystopian current affairs magical realistic fiction
A deeply tragic account of how two people can be caught in circumstances of war, how easy it is to lose everything and the potential hope that humanity offers. Saeed and Nadia attempt to face an apocalyptic situation in the face of adversity despite having a tenuous connection to one another. It is quite a depressing read especially given the current situation in the Middle East - but Hamid does a great job in humanising the characters. They are just two simple people attempting to make a relationship work under intense circumstances. A beautiful account, I just wished the story was slightly more developed as it tended to run from one scene to another.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Dynamite Fishermen (Beirut Trilogy, #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
Since I received my first book by [Preston Fleming] through Library Thing I have been impressed. [Dynamite Fishermen] did not disappoint me. I really enjoy the way he tells a story and believe Conrad Prosser could compete with Jack Ryan. Except maybe not a pure as Ryan which makes him more credible as a government employee.
The setting of Beirut in the 1980's really was in intriguing setting especially growing up in the 1980's and remembering the weekly new reports. This is an often forgotten time of American history when we supported Iraq and Saddam. I hope this book is widely read by a younger generation and gives them a new perspective of America in the Middle East. Also it was an awesome book.
The setting of Beirut in the 1980's really was in intriguing setting especially growing up in the 1980's and remembering the weekly new reports. This is an often forgotten time of American history when we supported Iraq and Saddam. I hope this book is widely read by a younger generation and gives them a new perspective of America in the Middle East. Also it was an awesome book.
M. Night Shyamalan recommended The Exorcist (1973) in Movies (curated)
MaddReads (28 KP) rated I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban in Books
May 18, 2017
Inspirational (1 more)
Well written
An eye opening story about what it's like to be a girl fighting for education in the Middle East
Malala is a true inspirational role model, not simply because she stood up for girls education, in a time and place where it is incredibly dangerous, she got shot at point blank and survived, or for the fact that she is the youngest to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize - it is for the fact that she did all of this, while remaining true to herself, she never pretend to be someone she was not or hide her flaws. I am Malala is well worth the read, even if you don't like the story or the writing, you will learn a new perspective from it, and I think that in itself makes it worth while.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated My Sister's Bones in Books
Sep 7, 2017
Predictable, what an anti-climax!
If I ever hear that another book is the "next Gone Girl" or the "next Girl On A Train", I'm going to rate it 0.
The genre has become predictable. There are three elements to look out for in these books:
1. Neurotic women are usually right
2. Nice men are psychopaths
3. The women won't be believed by authorities until the very end
And so goes this tale of two sisters, one who became a war correspondent suffering from post-traumatic stress, and the other an alcoholic - both abused as children. One's high functioning, the other is a deadbeat mother. In between are the stories of mysterious children appearing here, there and everywhere. And the women not being believed.
The writer attempts to make a difference by bringing in stories of the horrors of the Middle East, which was a nice change - but it seemed more like a tool to follow exactly the pattern. It seemed promising but it falls short.
The genre has become predictable. There are three elements to look out for in these books:
1. Neurotic women are usually right
2. Nice men are psychopaths
3. The women won't be believed by authorities until the very end
And so goes this tale of two sisters, one who became a war correspondent suffering from post-traumatic stress, and the other an alcoholic - both abused as children. One's high functioning, the other is a deadbeat mother. In between are the stories of mysterious children appearing here, there and everywhere. And the women not being believed.
The writer attempts to make a difference by bringing in stories of the horrors of the Middle East, which was a nice change - but it seemed more like a tool to follow exactly the pattern. It seemed promising but it falls short.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2151 KP) rated Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled (Mrs Pollifax #14) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mrs. Pollifax and her friend Farrell are off to Syria to try to find out what happened to Amanda Pym, who vanished after stopping the hijackers of a plane diverted from Egypt. They are constantly being watched and much evade their followers before they can even make contact. With the thinnest of leads, can they find the missing young woman?
This is Mrs. Pollifax, so that means we are off on another wild and fun adventure. Set in the world of 2000, it’s interesting to read this take on the politics of the Middle East back then. The plot features a couple of familiar plot points, but I didn’t care since it was so fantastic to be enjoying another adventure with Mrs. Pollifax. Sadly, this is her last adventure, but I like to imagine she is still out there saving the day against overwhelming odds.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/11/book-review-mrs-pollifax-unveiled-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is Mrs. Pollifax, so that means we are off on another wild and fun adventure. Set in the world of 2000, it’s interesting to read this take on the politics of the Middle East back then. The plot features a couple of familiar plot points, but I didn’t care since it was so fantastic to be enjoying another adventure with Mrs. Pollifax. Sadly, this is her last adventure, but I like to imagine she is still out there saving the day against overwhelming odds.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/11/book-review-mrs-pollifax-unveiled-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.