I'm finding myself drawn in. The emphasis on the patriarchy is a little heavy to me.
Thank you to BookishFirst and Hafsah Faisal for the chance to read and review the first 48 pages of the book.
First off, I LOVE THE MAPS at the beginning of the book, and appreciate them being included in the review portion of the book.
Ms. Faisal was effective in introducing the social and political environment in which the two primary characters, Zafira and Nasir, are operating. After reading this, I still don't have a clear picture of the characters in my mind, although I can visualize how they act, if that makes sense. Zafira struggles with her role as a woman, in a male dominated society, which actively surpresses the social and economic contributions of women, going so far as to mock or delegitimizing their works. Zafira is forced to pose as a male hunter to provide for her family. Meanwhile, Nasir struggles with his father and family, as they pursue a political life he finds distasteful, but due to the patriarchial society, he is bound to cooperate and participate, albiet unwillingly, in things he would rather not do.
The characters are vibrant and the environment compelling. The only reservation I have with this book is that the story is clearly structured to portray a male dominated society negatively. While I am accustomed to an author showing different societies and negative aspects of such societies, usually the reader is left with some positive aspect to alternate social and economic arrangements, unless it is a dystopian book. While approximately 50 pages does not give a complete feel of the entire book, I am concerned that this may have a similar "everything in this society is bad" vibe, despite it appearing to being modeled on some current or recently past social and political models from our world. Not concerned enough that I wouldn't keep reading of course, but it would affect how I describe and share the book. I don't know if, based on what I've read so far, if I would consider this to be a good Young Adult offering, or rather simply a good Fantasy offering.
I want to finish the book and will keep my eye open for its release so that I can grab a copy. Thank you Hafsah Faisal for sharing this with us!
First off, I LOVE THE MAPS at the beginning of the book, and appreciate them being included in the review portion of the book.
Ms. Faisal was effective in introducing the social and political environment in which the two primary characters, Zafira and Nasir, are operating. After reading this, I still don't have a clear picture of the characters in my mind, although I can visualize how they act, if that makes sense. Zafira struggles with her role as a woman, in a male dominated society, which actively surpresses the social and economic contributions of women, going so far as to mock or delegitimizing their works. Zafira is forced to pose as a male hunter to provide for her family. Meanwhile, Nasir struggles with his father and family, as they pursue a political life he finds distasteful, but due to the patriarchial society, he is bound to cooperate and participate, albiet unwillingly, in things he would rather not do.
The characters are vibrant and the environment compelling. The only reservation I have with this book is that the story is clearly structured to portray a male dominated society negatively. While I am accustomed to an author showing different societies and negative aspects of such societies, usually the reader is left with some positive aspect to alternate social and economic arrangements, unless it is a dystopian book. While approximately 50 pages does not give a complete feel of the entire book, I am concerned that this may have a similar "everything in this society is bad" vibe, despite it appearing to being modeled on some current or recently past social and political models from our world. Not concerned enough that I wouldn't keep reading of course, but it would affect how I describe and share the book. I don't know if, based on what I've read so far, if I would consider this to be a good Young Adult offering, or rather simply a good Fantasy offering.
I want to finish the book and will keep my eye open for its release so that I can grab a copy. Thank you Hafsah Faisal for sharing this with us!