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Book Review: Foxglove (Belladonna #2) By Adalyn Grace

January 19, 2024January 15, 2024 tanazmasaba

In 2022, Belladonna by Adalyn Grace was one of my favorite books of the year. Naturally, I had high hopes for the sequel, Foxglove, to blow me away as well.

And while Foxglove by Adalyn Grace was definitely a fun and engaging read, it lacked the charm, the gothic intrigue, and the sizzling romance that Belladonna did. Here’s my full review

Book Review: Foxglove (Belladonna #2) By Adalyn Grace

Warning: this review of Foxglove by Adalyn Grace contains a few spoilers for the first book, Belladonna. If you have not read Belladonna yet, consider reading my spoiler-free review of it here.

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Book Corner, Contemporary, Diverse Books, Home, Own Voices, Reviews, Young Adult

Book Review: Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Gawad

January 12, 2024January 8, 2024 tanazmasaba

To be honest, I don’t know where to begin with this book. It’s one of my favorite books of 2023, but I feel like no matter how succinct I try to be with my review, I will not be able to do it justice.

I’ve had Aisha Abdel Gawad’s debut novel, Between Two Moons, on my most anticipated summer releases list last year and finally got the chance to pick it up from the library a couple months ago. As someone who loves coming-of-age stories, I was super excited to see a book that featured not only Muslim main characters but an entire novel full of Muslim people and the Muslim community at large.

And I knew this book would break my heart, simply after reading the blurb. And yet, I couldn’t stop the tears when I reached the end of the story.

A gorgeous, and truly authentic story about what it means to grow up as Muslim teenagers struggling with identity and faith in a country where Islamophobia runs rampant, Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Gawad is a shockingly realistic novel about family, girlhood, and the immigrant experience.

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Book Review of Orchard of Skeletons by Eli Wilde

Home, Book Corner, Dystopia, Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Reviews, Young Adult

Review: Orchard Of Skeletons by Eli Wilde

August 3, 2023July 25, 2023 tanazmasaba

It’s been a while since the last time I picked up a dystopian horror, but even then, I did not expect Orchard of Skeletons by Eli Wilde to be such an unforgettable and incredible survival story! Centered around two teenagers on the run for freedom, Orchard of Skeletons is a dark and gruesome story set in a post-apocalyptic world where most of humanity have died to a pandemic while the rest that are alive would do anything to survive, even if it means resorting to nightmarish violence.

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Book Corner, Diverse Books, Home, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult

Review: Daughter Of The Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

June 24, 2023June 24, 2023 tanazmasaba

I am the problem, it’s me.

For real though. Highly appropriate Taylor Swift references aside, Daughter Of The Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan is hit-or-miss; you’ll either love it or you won’t. And I…am not quite fond of it. That’s not an issue with the book itself, it’s just a very personal preference.

Sounds ambiguous? Here’s my explanation for those who care to read.

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Book Corner, Contemporary, Diverse Books, Home, Own Voices, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult

Review: The Dos And Donuts Of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

June 10, 2023June 10, 2023 tanazmasaba

As a Bangladeshi woman who has never really seen her culture represented accurately in media or literature, I was beyond thrilled for the release of The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar! It was in fact, number one on my list of most anticipated summer book releases of 2023. The story follows Shireen Malik, a Bangladeshi teenager being raised in Ireland, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in a reality TV baking show.

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I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn Book Review

Book Corner, Contemporary, Diverse Books, Home, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult

Book Review: I Love You So Mochi By Sarah Kuhn

April 19, 2023April 25, 2023 tanazmasaba

Since I seemed to have found a strange sort of obsession with fluffy teen romances in my mid-20s, I have been reading more and more Young Adult Romance novels. And this year, I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn really hit the sweet spot for me!

An absolute sweet treat, I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn is a delightful, heartfelt story about discovering your identity, reconnecting with your roots, mending bridges between your family members, and finding love along the way.

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Book Corner, Historical Fiction, Home, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult

Book Review: The Gilded Wolves By Roshani Chokshi

September 11, 2022May 5, 2023 tanazmasaba

This might be my first book review of The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi, but it is the second time I am reading the story. And once again, I find myself absolutely in love with the glamorous, dangerous world that Roshani Chokshi has created.

Set in the 1890’s, during France’s Beautiful Era, The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is a thrilling, fantasy heist story that deeply explores the gruesome exploitation of Western colonization and systematic racism.

Book Review: The Gilded Wolves By Roshani Chokshi

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Book Corner, Home, Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult

Book Review: The Sacrifice By Rin Chupeco

September 4, 2022May 6, 2023 tanazmasaba

Having read Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch trilogy, I knew I was in for a treat. Let it be known that my expectations for this book were VERY high, and Rin Chupeco surpassed them all!

Book Review: The Sacrifice By Rin Chupeco

Spine-tingling, creepy, and ominous, The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco is a terrifying horror story about a mysterious boy trying to guide a team from Hollywood as they try to film real footage of a cursed island in the Philippines, one where they say a powerful god sleeps, awaiting eight sacrifices that would wake him so he can remake the world.

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Book Corner, Home, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult

Book Review: Belladonna By Adalyn Grace

August 25, 2022January 8, 2024 tanazmasaba

This has to be hands-down one of my favorite Young Adult fantasy novels of the year! A dark, intriguing YA Gothic Fantasy about a girl who can see ghosts but cannot die, and her strange connection with Death himself–Belladonna by Adalyn Grace is equal parts coming-of-age romance and murder mystery combined in one.

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Book Corner, Home, Reviews, Thriller, Young Adult

Review: The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco

August 5, 2022September 4, 2022 tanazmasaba

Riveting and full of suspense, The Girl From The Well is an amazing YA horror novel by Rin Chupeco. The creepy narration style combined with incredibly well-developed characters, The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco is quite an intriguing story, and unique in the way the story is told from the lens of a dead girl.

That’s right, our main character, Okiku, has been dead for several long years now. And she is the one who tells us a horror story about a cursed young boy named Tarquin, who has demons trapped beneath his skin, and a secret family history involving eerie doll rituals and exorcisms that follow ancient Japanese rituals.

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