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cozysabie's Reviews (183)
A comic book that discusses serious topics? I'm down!
No but for real, I've seen Huda Fahmy's books in the past and have never read them because I legit only read comics now once in a blue moon and I guess that blue moon hadn't hit yet (which is a crime, obviously because this comic book was so good?!)
I wont be doing this review in my typical fashion/structure but instead I'd like to talk about how I went and read ALL of Huda Fahmy's book in one go. I am a muslim and arab myself but I did not grow up in the western world. Yet, tell me why it was very relatable, primarily due to the fact that even back home, wearing the hijab in certain communities makes you stand out.
And, me? Well, I decided to wear the hijab when my mom doesnt wear it and if you're from a muslim community, we know the judgemental aunties are JUDGING and not understanding my decision at all. Huda Fahmy represents all elements of our struggles as individuals and is VERY conscious to make sure that she states she is NOT representing all of us hijabi, muslim women. And this is very much needed in books like this because guess what? We don't all share the same experience and that is completely valid too.
And on the whole? The bigger picture? Huda Fahmy's Comic books talk about experiences we all go through as teenagers, being lost in communities and not knowing who we are. Being angry at life for taking certain things that are part of our foundation and make or break who we become in the future.
I'd recommend this as a comic relief (as a comic book, pun unintentional in here haha) but bare in mind that this is a story with depth in it about discovering who we are and finding our identity in a world that tries to pull us apart.
Thank you to Netgalley, publisher, author and Colored Pages Book Tour for the eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.
No but for real, I've seen Huda Fahmy's books in the past and have never read them because I legit only read comics now once in a blue moon and I guess that blue moon hadn't hit yet (which is a crime, obviously because this comic book was so good?!)
I wont be doing this review in my typical fashion/structure but instead I'd like to talk about how I went and read ALL of Huda Fahmy's book in one go. I am a muslim and arab myself but I did not grow up in the western world. Yet, tell me why it was very relatable, primarily due to the fact that even back home, wearing the hijab in certain communities makes you stand out.
And, me? Well, I decided to wear the hijab when my mom doesnt wear it and if you're from a muslim community, we know the judgemental aunties are JUDGING and not understanding my decision at all. Huda Fahmy represents all elements of our struggles as individuals and is VERY conscious to make sure that she states she is NOT representing all of us hijabi, muslim women. And this is very much needed in books like this because guess what? We don't all share the same experience and that is completely valid too.
And on the whole? The bigger picture? Huda Fahmy's Comic books talk about experiences we all go through as teenagers, being lost in communities and not knowing who we are. Being angry at life for taking certain things that are part of our foundation and make or break who we become in the future.
I'd recommend this as a comic relief (as a comic book, pun unintentional in here haha) but bare in mind that this is a story with depth in it about discovering who we are and finding our identity in a world that tries to pull us apart.
Thank you to Netgalley, publisher, author and Colored Pages Book Tour for the eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.
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challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"How typical — The Powerful fearing Power they didn't understand."
"Giving up is still an act of courage, little bird."
"Hatred was not born, it was made."
GENRE: Political & mythology Fantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc
Would I recommend to others?:
Yes, The Prince Without Sorrow is a multi POV (two characters in this book) that follows along with Ashoka and Shakti and is a more character, vibes and following gut instinct rather than a fixed plan and plot. After reading through some reviews, I can see that this book would not be for everyone but I quite enjoyed the folklore in here, the view of pacifism and the way certain characters are influenced by outside factors to stick to their beliefs. I think if you enjoy a middle paced, Multi POV, character based plot, this book is for you.
Who is this book supposed to be for:
The Prince Without Sorrow is an Indian inspired Political or Epic fantasy. I did not think there was much romantic angst as mentioned in the synopsis/blurb but otherwise, I'd fully agree that this is a political fantasy book.
I did have a look through the reviews before deciding to partake in a book tour for this book and after finishing it, I am mildly surprised that a lot of people did not like it but I think it ended up in the wrong audience. This book is not for those who dont enjoy EPIC FANTASY because that's what this is: a political book with witches being prosecuted and heavily based on an Indian folklore. If you dont like Folklores or mythology AND epic fantasy, you most likely won't enjoy this book.
And again, this book has like maybe 0.5% romance and nothing more in the romance department. (I love Romantasy and enjoy them but this book is not Romantasy or Romantic Fantasy in any way.
Long Review:
Okay now, let's dive into my actual review. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and in the beginning, I was worried I wouldnt due to the reviews I have been seeing. It captured my attention quite easily, the multi-POV was done naturally in my opinion and we see character growth + development throughout the book and isn't that how reality is? How politics and killing spree done by emperors or rulers really works?
The Prince without Sorrow dives into how we have idealism and concepts we stick to but in a time of war and killing persecutions, can a whole race stick to their codes (which are pacifist in nature) while they are being killed off one by one? This book very much reflects reality in terms of the fact that if the Mayakari, who are known for having pacifism codes, decide to fight back because they can no longer tolerate the elimination of their race that has been happening. And, make no mistake, this happens in real life, we are always coming down with the fact that: If attacked, are we, the opposition and the persecuted side, not allowed to defend ourselves?
It gets even more interesting in The Prince Without Sorrow: the multi-POV that we have are dual characters who are political alliances because they HAVE to be. They are opposite in everywhere and the contradiction between them is as clear as night and day. Shakti is a Mayakari witch, who grew up with pacifism ideals from her family but has taken to violence because she cant condone standing still and allowing others to harm her and hurt her loved ones or her people. On the other hand, Prince Ashoka is the son of the Emperor who is in charge of starting the persecution against Mayakari people. He grew up with violence ideals shoved down his throat, aside from his mother, who taught him ideals belonging to Mayakari or pacifism. He refuses to hurt and kill anything.
Throughout the story, what happens is we see both of these things challenged: Shakti's tendency to violence is challenged and just how far she will go is another concept we see her deal with and grow through it. We also watch Prince Ashoka try to adapt and combine the needs to protect the persecuted and his pacifism ideals. We also see how he tries to not change and become more like his father and siblings.
This plot is very fitting with an epic fantasy, we see world building, character growth and everything set in a place to give us book two and book three (meant to be a trilogy). We watch Shakti balance both parts of her morals: Mayakari Pacifism versus the need to retaliate and seek revenge:
"She wanted to curse him. To use her abilities to gift misery to the Ran Empire's ruler. But she could not. It was not the mayakari way. They were women who used their power to maintain peace, not sow seeds of destruction, it was their code, a mark of their livelihood."
The way the contradiction in Shakti's personality exists throughout the book is one of my favourite themes of The Prince Without Sorrow and I quite enjoyed seeing this fully:
"Why did she leave her late at night to fight?
Because not fighting would have had me end up like you, aunty."
And something that is brought up quite often in The Prince Without Sorrow is how people try to hammer either Shakti or Prince Ashoka based on what they THINK they both should be. This is a continuous theme that is seen throughout the story of how Shakti should be a peaceful, do no harm female and Ashoka should be the prince who is violent, following in the step of his father. What was lovely to see was the fact that Prince Ashoka had a few of his people, who supported him no matter what and isn't that what unconditional love is about?:
"Sau's voice wasn't filled with vitriol. Like Rahil, she never teased him for his softness. He was a weed growing among sunflowers; they had long since understood that he lacked the ferocity of his siblings."
And this brings us into the next theme of the book: Prince Ashoka versus his siblings: Arusha & Aaraya. Arusha and Aaraya are both similar to their father, one more than the other. However, Prince Ashoka being the pacifist, is nothing like either of them. Even in the small things, such as dealing with their winged serpents, Ashoka has to deal with their opposing way of living:
"Arush's apathetic curiosity had hurt something and now Ashoka had to fix it. Typical."
And not only that, but in fact, the sibling who has a tendency to lean more towards violence, addresses killing Mayakari citizens the same way one would address the weather:
"Aarya talked about genocide the way Saudamini talked about the weather."
And let's end this review with one important quote, about a theme we see in many books: how humans and humanity will be the ending of nature, of the world as we know it:
"Ashoka understood then that humanity was a horror beyond anything else he could imagine, and the nature spirits suffered because of it."
Okay, now we will need to wrap up my longer than usual review but please do give this book a chance if you are into epic fantasy and folklore fantasy. You might be surprised as this lovely book one in a trilogy and explore themes we do not commonly see in other fantasy books.
Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tour, NetGalley, the author and Avon & Harper Voyager for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
"There was something different about Serendipity Cafe, a certain spark in the air that no one could quite put their finger on. It was a place where good things happened."
GENRE: Cozy Paranormal Romance
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: eBook eArc
Would I recommend to others?: YES, YES and YES! This book was so good, you literally go on an adventure with Dina and Scott and like honestly, every single page was better than the last one so I'd recommend this to everyone. It can pass as Cozy Romantasy but definitely look at the list of sensitive topics before heading into it
Long Review:
Best Hex Ever is a lovely book that explores multiple topics: grief, heartbreak, losing oneself due to external factors and self-confidence or believing in yourself. We go on a whole journey with Dina and Scott, we see their downs and their ups, the good and the bad. And the result of it? A beautiful relationship that is built based on reality while still being wholesome and cozy. There is a softness to the magic in Best Hex Ever:
"When she'd been fashioning the spell for the first time, it had occurred to Dina that one day your parents put you down and they never picked you up again, and so she'd made the honey cake to recreate that feeling of childhood comfort."
Dina is a Chef/Baker who owns her own cafe in London and she is half Moroccan (there is a lot of Darija mentions related to food in the book like Zaalouk and Louiza and ahhh my half moroccan heart filled with love reading these things). Dina is proud to be a witch and infuses her pastries with harmless magic that makes her customer's life a little bit better without it being so noticeable.
Dina, however, has a problem. She believes she is cursed and is doomed to be single forever as anyone she loves is guaranteed to have bad luck the minute she loves them. Using this curse, El-Fassi explores self-confidence, loving oneself and how certain experience break us more than we can ever know. Dina talks about wanting to find a love like her parents, the softness of it and finding someone who gets you inside out:
"Dina wanted a love like her parents had: unflappable, unscathed by time."
ANDD the second MC? That is Scott, who is recovering from a break-up that shred his heart and caused him to leave London. He is now back and about to attend a wedding as his best friend's best man and guess who is the maid of honour? Dina! Scott is the type of MC that is so wholesome, feels everything to a whole other degree and wants only the best for everyone around him.
Not only that, he is also a museum curator and believes that every item belongs to where it originated from. He believes every little item he curates is important and has a little magic in it and when he meets Dina? That belief in him gets confirmed:
"He'd always wanted to believe in magic, to believe that the world was bigger than what he saw around him. He'd tried so hard to believe. In a way, he'd dedicated his work to it. But Scott didn't have to try anymore. Dina was the manifestation of everything he'd so desperately wanted to believe in."
Sparks start to fly as they get together and can no longer deny the chemistry between them. Dina tries hard to deny it as she wants to protect Scott from the curse that she believes is following her. Scott is recovering from a breakup and can't believe that he has found someone like Dina (okay, this is like the best kind of MC, one who knows they are lucky to have their loved one):
He'd forgotten how it felt, being with someone like this - the giddy feeling in his chest. He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to spend more mornings with Dina, waking up in their bed, eating breakfast together in a sunny kitchen before he pulled her onto his lap. Imagining a future was a dangerous thing, but for a short time, Scott let himself revel in the idea of it."
"He couldn't even begin to compare Alice and Dina. With Dina everything felt so ... easy. Liking her was easy, and he suspected that loving her would be even easier. It would feel as natural as breathing. Perhaps it already did."
"Home; he felt at home with Dina. Had he ever felt like this with Alice? Scott racked his brains but couldn't summon any memory with such clarity."
On the other hand, Dina was having strong feelings for Scott and loved him but the curse was haunting her. The loveliest thing about the Best Hex Ever is that we have a mother-daughter duo in here and we get to see the beauty in their relationship, get to see them come together and love each other more and more:
"Dina watched her mother's face, a mirror image of what Dina would look like in thirty years. Laugh lines crinkled around her brown eyes, age spots beginning to dot the top of her cheeks. Nour had the ability to remove these of course, if she wished. But Dina's mother had always been one to age gracefully. She'd even kept the white hairs that now blossomed at her temples, saying they made her look distinguished and elegant."
Despite their strong relationship, Dina hides the curse from her mother and internalises the fact that she is not good enough for anyone. She hides the fact that she struggles with self confidence and fully accepting herself. Because of this, she cannot fully confide in her mother and ends up almost losing Scott because of it (not really, but that is what Dina believes):
"She stared at him blearily through her tears. What if she'd lost him, this man who she'd come to care about so deeply? This man who made her happier than anyone ever had, who knew every inch of her body and loved it so well."
Best Hex ever ends in a lovely, satisfying HEA as a romance book but it takes you on a whole adventure. You will have to read it to discover who cursed Dina, how she deals with her internal struggle and how Scott finds his soul mate.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.
