Tag: blogger

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

I received a free ARC of Zara Hossain Is Here thanks to Edelweiss and Scholastic (Trade Publishing) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. When I sent in my request, I figured it was a long shot, but I just sent so many hopeful vibes out into the universe. You can’t even imagine my excitement when I got the email saying that I’d been approved to read it. 

Y’all, this book lived up to my expectations. It is SO good. It’s timely and poignant. I had so many emotions while reading this. 

We follow Zara who gets targeted at school because she is a Pakistani immigrant. When she stands up for herself things get worse, for her and her family. Things come to a head when an act of vandalism ultimately ends in violence. Because she dared to stand up for herself and speak out against those targeting her, her family may lose the chance to obtain their green cards. Zara is forced to fight to stay in her community, her home, despite the hatred she’s experienced, or face going back to Pakistan, a place she doesn’t remember but where she wouldn’t face racial and xenophobic hatred.

Zara Hossain Is Here: What I Liked

There are so many things to unpack in this story. So many important issues were brought up in this book and I love that Khan didn’t shy away from any of it just because it is targeted for a teen audience.

The characters were likable and the events that happened pulled at emotions, investing the reader from the very beginning. Our MC had supportive friends, which I appreciated, and they were written well. There was nice representation of bisexuality and supportive parents, as well as non-supportive parents for the love interest. There was a clear message in this book: racism and xenophobia have no room here. 

I encourage everyone to pick up Zara Hossain Is Here. Please read this emotionally charged book.

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

Mid-November Check In

Hey y’all. I’m sorry I’ve been a bit MIA the last few weeks. I just wanted to touch base and do a little mid-November check in. Unfortunately, I’ve found myself in a bit of a reading slump. I’m not sure when it started. I surmise that it was because I’ve read too many mediocre books and books that I’d hyped up and which ultimately let me down. I’ve been struggling with this slump for a few weeks. Although I had a rather hefty TBR for this month (7 books!), I’m sadly unable to get in that reading groove.

On top of my reading slump, we had quite a week with the US Presidential elections. I spent the week extremely anxious, glued to the news, casting my reading to the side. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was unable to focus much that week.

If I’m being honest with myself, I’m going to guess that the rest of the year won’t be too prosperous reading-wise. With all of the holidays coming up plus some things going on in my personal life, I don’t expect to go crazy with the amount I’ll be able to get done. That’s okay, though. I typically plan for that.

I’m trying to be gentle with myself and give myself grace. It’s been an extremely difficult year. Not just now, but especially now, I think it’s important that we remember to take the time to care for ourselves when things are hard. We need to remember to take breaks when we need to, whether it is mentally or physically. And while there is so much sadness and negativity going on in the world, we need to remember to do something that makes us happy and keeps us positive.

Mid-November Check In: Focusing On the Positive

Which brings me to the holidays! I’ve always loved Christmas. I know, I know; we still have to celebrate Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat, so an entire holiday dedicated to that is awesome. I will always love Christmas more, though. And I am thankful and grateful, but we should be thankful everyday, not just on one specific day. So, with that being said, what better way to cheer up and get out of my reading-slump-funk than by decorating for Christmas?!

Yup, that’s right, it’s officially Christmas in our house. We’ve got 2 trees up–one for me and one for my son. His windows are decked out in Christmas themed window clings, and we’ve even started putting them up on the bathroom mirrors. We’ve been watching Christmas movies and singing Christmas carols and I’ve been drinking hot cocoa like I’m Mrs. Claus. We’ve only just begun! I can’t wait to get this place the rest of the way decked out for Christmas. The only thing missing is the snow.

Stay happy and healthy my friends.

  • Decorated Christmas Tree - mid-november check in
  • Mini Christmas Tree with Books - mid-november check in

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

I won a free ARC of this book during SDCC online thanks to Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Legendborn is about a girl, Bree, who attends UNC Chapel Hill in a program for high schoolers. Upon arrival, she notices things aren’t as they seem. It appears there is some type of magic afoot. The more she learns about this magical society, the more she realizes her mother’s death isn’t as black and white as she was led to believe. We follow her as she joins The Order and the Legendborn and tries to uncover the truth of what really happened to her mom. But the more Bree finds out about her mom, the more she discovers about her past and truths about herself. What will Bree do with all of the knowledge and thus the power she is searching for?

Let me start off by saying, for some reason I hadn’t really heard much about this book. I saw it during SDCC and I was intrigued, but again, I hadn’t heard much hype. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with that. So, after I was lucky enough to win an ARC of it, I dove right in. That was the best thing I could have ever done for myself.

Y’ALL. I absolutely LOVED this book. It isn’t even on the SHELVES YET and I need to read book two! I can’t rave enough about how good this book is. It’s probably my favorite so far this year. I gave it a 5/5–my first of the year! It will be in stores tomorrow–September 15th. Let me get into why I love it and why you need to go get yourself a copy and read it ASAP!

Why I Loved Legendborn

Tracy Deonn has a gift. Her writing is amazing. It was lyrical and powerful. I felt connected to the characters and each character left me feeling different emotions. I was hooked from the beginning and didn’t want to put it down. The magic system was so interesting, too. I don’t want to go into great detail, because spoilers. But there were two main categories, really, and they were both developed pretty well.

Bree was such an amazing main character. I loved that she was such a strong female character who did what she needed to do despite what others wanted. Her “take no shit” attitude was one of my favorite qualities about her. Another favorite quality she possessed was her determination. Not only did she never give up trying to infiltrate The Order, but she never gave up trying to find out the truth about her mom. Her compassion was also an admirable quality. Even though she was there essentially for revenge, she still cared about the members of The Order and tried not to hurt them. I liked that Deonn included connections between Bree and a few characters (no spoilers!) and I’m so anxious to see where that goes in book two!

I liked the diversity that Deonn incorporated. It didn’t feel like any of it was included just to mark off on a checklist, and it felt more organic. There were a few same-sex relationships and non-binary representation as well. The discussion of racial disparity was a great inclusion in the book. Not only is it poignant as the story takes place in the south with mainly white characters, but it is important that we don’t forget the injustices and discriminations that still are prevalent in our world today.

Legendborn