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aahmed's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
clayrmorrell's review
I LOVED this book. The premise is like no other YA book I’ve read, and I was immediately sucked in and didn’t want to stop reading til the very end. Captivating and smart, clever and beautifully written, this is an amazing story I’m so glad I got to enjoy.
vidhi26p's review
4.0
“We build our worlds out of vestiges of history and the fairy tales adults tell us and scraps of poetry we hear: Beauty is truth, truth beauty.”
Well this was a cute and fun story!
Well this was a cute and fun story!
libeerian's review
3.0
Free advance copy provided from the publisher via Netgalley.
This one had me a little perplexed. It started off seeming very much like a love-triangle romance between Khayyam, her (ex-)boyfriend and Alexandre Dumas, the hot Parisian descendant of the writer Alexandre Dumas. But at a certain point it switches to a Dan Brown/National Treasure-esque hunt for clues and documents about a women from the 1800s that inspired art by a variety of well-known people, incorporating some (valid) points about women historically taking the backseat to men in the collective memory of society.
If that sounds like a confusing mish-mash, that was pretty much how I was feeling while reading the book. The writing is excellent, but Khayyam's character was very inconsistent and the plot was just too outrageous at times. An interesting attempt, but not one that paid off.
This one had me a little perplexed. It started off seeming very much like a love-triangle romance between Khayyam, her (ex-)boyfriend and Alexandre Dumas, the hot Parisian descendant of the writer Alexandre Dumas. But at a certain point it switches to a Dan Brown/National Treasure-esque hunt for clues and documents about a women from the 1800s that inspired art by a variety of well-known people, incorporating some (valid) points about women historically taking the backseat to men in the collective memory of society.
If that sounds like a confusing mish-mash, that was pretty much how I was feeling while reading the book. The writing is excellent, but Khayyam's character was very inconsistent and the plot was just too outrageous at times. An interesting attempt, but not one that paid off.
nicolekukral's review
4.0
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book truly had everything: a compelling story, characters I genuinely cared about, and poignant messages.
The protagonist, Khayyam, is in Paris with her family after a particularly challenging few months, and she meets Alexandre, a descendant of Alexandre Dumas. What ensues is an engaging treasure hunt that causes Khayyam’s life to be entwined with a mysterious woman who lived well over a century earlier.
Through their quest, Khayyam has powerful revelations about herself and about the sisterhood of all women.
It’s a beautiful and important read.
This book truly had everything: a compelling story, characters I genuinely cared about, and poignant messages.
The protagonist, Khayyam, is in Paris with her family after a particularly challenging few months, and she meets Alexandre, a descendant of Alexandre Dumas. What ensues is an engaging treasure hunt that causes Khayyam’s life to be entwined with a mysterious woman who lived well over a century earlier.
Through their quest, Khayyam has powerful revelations about herself and about the sisterhood of all women.
It’s a beautiful and important read.
meret22's review against another edition
Just couldn’t really get into it. I found the writing to be hard to just get lost in.
sleepiebear's review
3.0
I liked it, but in places it felt like less of a storie and more of a rant. And like I agree with the points made, but it took me out of the storie in places
reading_rachel's review
4.0
Samira Ahmed is one of my favorite YA writers right now. All of her stories feature such strong and complex protagonists. In this book, she made me care about the history surrounding Alexandre Dumas, and author I’ve never really been interested in reading. But she’s not telling Dumas’s story, but a woman who most likely inspired him and other romantics of the time. #writeherstory
joonswifey's review
4.0
this book was exactly my type. historical and modern voices, young person of color, powerful story. i didn’t really love the modern day love line but i loved everything else.
katisfullybooked's review
5.0
My second 5-star read of 2021! And it's only the 11th! I am on a roll.
In all seriousness, this book was so great. It was light, a little romantic, had some mystery. I kept wanting to turn to the next page, I couldn't put it down! The ending was simple, sad, but happy. There was a lot of feminist and female-empowering aspects, POC-empowering aspects, everything. Seriously, stop reading this review and go read this book!
In all seriousness, this book was so great. It was light, a little romantic, had some mystery. I kept wanting to turn to the next page, I couldn't put it down! The ending was simple, sad, but happy. There was a lot of feminist and female-empowering aspects, POC-empowering aspects, everything. Seriously, stop reading this review and go read this book!