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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
5/10
This has been on my tbr for a long time but I convinced a friend to read it with me and that got me to finally pick it up. Overall I was disappointed. This book had so much potential but I was bored almost the entire time and never wanted to pick the book up to keep reading. I'm not sure how a book with such an interesting and heartbreaking story could be so bland but there I said it. Really bummed out with this one.
TW: bombings, attempted rape, violence related to war, death by drowning
This has been on my tbr for a long time but I convinced a friend to read it with me and that got me to finally pick it up. Overall I was disappointed. This book had so much potential but I was bored almost the entire time and never wanted to pick the book up to keep reading. I'm not sure how a book with such an interesting and heartbreaking story could be so bland but there I said it. Really bummed out with this one.
TW: bombings, attempted rape, violence related to war, death by drowning
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Trafficking, Death of parent, War
Minor: Rape
FINALLY! I shockingly haven't rated a book five stars since July of last year. I was really starting to think the problem was me (and maybe it was), but this book honestly felt like a five star read from the first chapter, so maybe I just haven't been picking up the right books. I was immediately engaged by the writing and it only got better from there, which came as a pleasant surprise considering I couldn't really connect with Joukhadar's second book, Thirty Names of Night. This novel is beautiful but devastating, unrelenting but ultimately hopeful. Nour and Rawiya's parallel stories complemented each other so perfectly. I loved how the poems that opened each section eventually connected to the narrative. I'll forever be crying over Abu Sayeed. What a special book this turned out to be!
I wanted to love this, but struggled. I think the narrative voice was off for me- the 12 year old narrator was alternated between too wise and too naive to feel like an authentic person. The parade of horrors the contemporary characters faced felt a lot like a Hosseini book.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. The writing is fantastic, the characters are well-developed, the story wraps you up and does not let go. I love the way that the two stories parallel each other, and I think this is an important read for anyone, especially those of us in the West who have the opportunity to provide a refuge and a listening ear.
It’s very rare that I give up on a book completely. It was too slow, too sad, and too repetitive for me to get any sort enjoyment out of it. The alternating stories were jarring and I started skipping through the fantasy story completely. Gave up about halfway through.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
While this book is not based on a true story (though some of the historical figures did exist), it is one of those books that reminds us that terrible things are happening in our world and life can be more bitter than sweet. This book follows the journey of two girls, centuries apart, each trying to find themselves and make their way back "home." The author weaves the two disparate, yet hauntingly similar, tales together with beautiful language, a strong setting, and characters that call to the reader. This book is about coming of age and finding your place in the world, and I suggest it to all readers.
3.5 rounded up. I think I would have liked each story as a standalone, rather than intertwined. I also was confused how a middle schooler who doesn't understand basic concepts about life because she is too young, happens to have a vocabulary and voice of an adult, describing colors and feelings in vibrant similes. She also is weirdly wise at the end, so I wish the author had made Nour a teenager or even in her early 20s. I also wish I knew a bit more of the geography of Northern Africa and Syria, but it was otherwise enjoyable.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes