This was a fitting conclusion to this duology. It helped further explore the complexities of characters we had not gotten to see as much of in the last book.


*SPOILERS AHEAD*


Sharzhad’s father was presented as more of a villain in this story. He went from being a father seeking power to help his daughter to someone who selfishly sought power for himself. Thankfully, by the end of the story, he was able to redeem himself. We also got an interesting story for side characters like Despina who is not all that she appears to be the next time we see her. Artan was probably one of my favorite side characters. He added depth to the world and was a fun vehicle to gain insight into the magic of the world. Turns out he ends up being an excellent ally by the end. The scene in the book when he first meets Khalid was one of the most entertaining and I’m sure I’ll be going back and rereading it in the future. 

The romance between Irsa and Rahim helped bring some humanity to the people that were working with Tariq to bring down Khalid. Rahim was the perfect example that in war things aren’t very black and white. He was a sweet person and just wanted to do the right thing and like Tariq was misinformed about the situation. We got to know and care for him as a character so when he dies you definitely feel the loss, so I think he was a good choice for a character death since he acts as an example of casualties of war. 

By the end of the book I was happy with Sharzhad’s father’s character arc as well as Despina’s. Yasmin and her were always underestimated by their father and both of them, especially Despina, were able to prove him wrong which was super satisfying. It was great when Despina’s plan was revealed and she was finally able to reunite with Jalal. It’s also really funny to me that Tariq becomes romantically involved with Yasmin. I would be completely okay with reading that story if it ever becomes available. They are both interesting side characters and I always wanted to get to know Yasmin a little better. Overall, I’m very happy with the conclusion of this duology. I’m looking forward to reading more from Ahdieh. Until then…

An anthology of Disney stories that I enjoyed a lot as a kid and still keep for nostalgic reasons. I do recommend for anyone looking for bedtimes stories to read.

I started reading this many years ago when I was much younger and don't remember a particular reason I had for not finishing it. I might pick it up in the future to finish it, but I mostly keep the  copy I have for nostalgic reasons. It was a gift from one of my favorite teachers. Thanks Ms. Luis.

An excellent resource for learning about the history and development of some of our favorite female DC superheroines.

Absolutely loved this book. Trevor Noah shares his experiences growing up in South Africa during apartheid and his upbringing with his amazing mother. It was great to be able to see his unique perspective on growing up there since he never really fit in anywhere. His mother was definitely my favorite part of the book. He's lucky to have such an amazing mother. His sense of humor and social commentary in between his life experiences and jokes made this book extremely enjoyable. 💯% recommend!

I have never read a retelling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid so I was curious as to how the author would do this. I would say that overall, there are no significant changes to the original myth. Psyche is a strong willed character that is shown to have a gentle heart and it is that kindness that captures Cupid's interest initially. We are able to get both Psyche and Cupid's perspectives allowing us as readers to get to know them as individuals and understand that Cupid's feelings for Psyche were not just caused by his magical arrow, but also influenced by how he got to know Psyche from afar. Cupid always respected Psyche's boundaries and it is clear that for anything they did together he wanted her explicit consent, so if that is a concern for anyone picking this up it's not something to worry about, in my opinion.  The gods in the story are portrayed as vindictive and vein, including Cupid in the parts of the story displaying how he was in the past before meeting Psyche. Cupid has the greatest character development in the story and you get too see how falling in love with a mortal humbles him and causes him to change what he values most. A very good retelling that is fast paced and easy to get through. I do recommend for anyone who is a fan of this myth or Greek mythology in general.