30something_reads's Reviews (820)

 "Most days I wanted to call you, feeling a need to tell you what was happening. To explain the war inside me... But each time I picked up the phone, I pictured your scrunched and twisted face, the refugee camps of your childhood, the seven children, the loneliness, a far worse war inside you. Slowly I put the phone down, ashamed."

"Why am I telling you all this? What is the relevance of it? I can imagine how you might respond to these words: You think that’s painful? It’s nothing, nothing compared to what I’ve endured."

This story follows a young Palestinian American woman as she reconciles with the trauma from her childhood and the internalized guilt she feels about being ungrateful for the life she has. It delves into her struggles with marriage & motherhood, finding her own happiness, and her refusal to succumb to the same fate as her mother.

Heartbreaking and yet still hopeful, this compelling story explores the themes of generational trauma, mental health, motherhood, and cultural/ societal expectations in the Palestinian diaspora.

Etaf Rum has a powerful voice and I highly recommend this short story. 

 Minor Detail is a story told in two parts. The first narrative, set in the summer of 1949, follows the events of a detainment, rape, and murder of a young Palestinian woman perpetrated by a group of Israeli soldiers. Told in third person through the eyes of the soldier in charge, it is stark, brutal, and void of any emotion.

The second narrative, told in first person, follows a young Palestinian woman in Ramallah. She hears of this past event and cannot help but be caught up by a minor detail- that woman was murdered 25 years to the day prior to her own birth. This small connection leads her on a tragic journey to discover more information about this woman’s life.

While the first story is horrifying, it is also told in a way that disconnects the reader from the events. Much like how we can feel disconnected from history.

However, the second story really highlights the normalized horrors of everyday life under modern Israeli occupation as a Palestinian. We see a daily life filled with obstacles, borders, military interactions, and the casual violence of having a gun aimed at you for simply trying to walk down a particular street. The reader is actively privy to how standard this all is for our narrator which is its own level of horrifying.

As the story progresses and we begin to see the parallels shaping these two different women's lives, we can only sit in silence once we reach the tragic and inevitable conclusion.

Haunting and incredible. This is a must read. 

Yep.
Agkar > Blizzek

3.5 ⭐

Oops, I was accidentally rooting for the wrong guy there towards the end. 😆  (And now I HAVE to go read the next book because Akgar deserves to find love.) 

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Although, I was slightly caught off guard because the cover made me think this was light and fluffy but the actual story was a little bit darker than I anticipated (ie: war, violence, slavery, ect.)

DNF @ 10%

I've seen mixed reviews on this author from other monster romance readers and I may try another another book from her but this one is not working for me.  

Another one informative read.

If the US wanted to end the ethnic cleansing and genocide.of the Palestinian people, it would and could. But here we are. 

 3.75⭐

I love Wonjin 🥰

This was a delightful little novella and it had my favorite you're injured and I must stand between your big open thighs in order to clean your wound moment. 

3.5⭐

A sweet addition to the series. Rihanna and Zatruk were delightful with their immediate banter. 

Enjoyed seeing the characters from the previous story circle back (even if I did DNF that one.) And I especially love the little look into Wonjin and Lara's relationship (I will absolutely be reading their novella).

 So the thing about this books is that, as a Romance, I did not really vibe with it at all.

But if instead, we focus on the Magical Realism and the story surrounding the Flores family, THAT is where this book really shines. I think what makes this book most compelling is the story of the three sisters and how Sage and Teal must overcome the anger and grief of losing Sky. In my mind, the romance between Sage and Tennessee is secondary to the relationships between the sisters.

I also LOVED the ways in which their magic is explained and the lore surrounding the old gods. That was gorgeous. I also really enjoyed the themes discussing colonialism and environmentalism.

Overall, my suggestion would be to go into this book for the wonderful witchy family story (with a side helping of romance.)

I mostly read this via audiobook and while the narrator does a great job, I kept getting so annoyed anytime there were flashback scenes via AIM messages. Her having to narrate those drove me crazy. So I would recommend this book physically over the audio for that reason alone. 

There's nothing technically wrong with this book. But I kept getting bored and the fact the the MMC was a little too much bird for me just kind of sealed the deal. I'll be trying another book from the series.