Name: Book Review: Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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

Book Review: Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

July 5, 2024July 29, 2025 tanazmasaba

I became a die-hard fan of Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ever since I picked up her debut novel, Ace of Spades a couple years ago and absolutely fell in love with the way she tells the story of queer, colored teens in the YA thriller/mystery genre. When I heard about her new book Where Sleeping Girls Lie earlier this year, I knew it would be a masterpiece just like her last novel.

And as it is in most cases, I was 100% right.

Flawlessly intriguing, intense and riveting, Where Sleeping Girls Lie is not just another dark academia mystery–it’s a hauntingly beautiful story about girlhood and survival.

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

Book Review: A Tempest Of Tea (Blood and Tea#1) by Hafsah Faizal

June 20, 2024June 17, 2024 tanazmasaba

One of my favorite things about fantasy novels is how it can serve as a medium to look closely at stories of colonization, and the impact of its damage that can be still felt today even after generations have passed. So of course when I heard about Hafsa Faizal’s A Tempest of Tea, I had it on my list of most anticipated books to read in 2024.

I mean, it’s got everything that I absolutely adore. Fantasy heist? Check. A scathing criticism of colonization and white privilege? Check. Ragtag group of misfits who become each other’s found family? Check. A badass gunslinger? Check. Hot, artistic vampires? Also, check.

With all that said, you’d think I’d be in love by now, right? Unfortunately, even though A Tempest of Tea was a fun, fast-paced novel with an intriguing plot, it just missed the mark for me, and I blame it mostly on the story being rushed too quickly. Here’s my full review.

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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 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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Book Corner, Adult, Diverse Books, Home, Own Voices, Retellings, Reviews, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Book Review: Song Of The Mango And Other New Myths by Vida Cruz-Borja

May 5, 2023June 7, 2023 tanazmasaba

If you have been here for a while, then you must know about my love for fairy tales, folklore and fantasy. When I picked up Song of the Mango And Other New Myths, I was expecting a collection of fantastical, whimsical stories rooted in Filipino folklore and mythology, that would sweep me off my feet and take me to places that could only exist in my imagination.

Book Cover Song Of The Mango And Other New Myths by Vida Cruz Borja

I got all of that and so. Much. More.

At times enchanting and captivating, at times unnerving, Song of the Mango by Vida Cruz-Borja is an anthology like no other. With stories that openly and joyfully celebrate Filipino culture and heritage, Song of the Mango And Other New Myths is an epic collection of fantastical stories written with great, vivid imagery, along with elements of Filipino folklore as well as modern and contemporary themes.

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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, Bookish News & Releases, Home, Other Bookish Stuff, Reviews, Romance, sci-fi, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult

Blog Tour: Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin [Review + Exclusive Giveaway]

August 1, 2022August 2, 2022 tanazmasaba

As a big fan of all things science-fiction and fantasy, I was super excited to get my hands on Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin–an upcoming, Filipino-inspired, young adult fantasy novel about an orphaned teenage girl who must step up to bring peace to a war-torn world.

Set in a lush, vibrant tropical world–one where dangerous beasts roam the earth and humans are forced to build entire villages and cities amidst giant spreading trees—Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin follows a young girl named Seri, who is hired as an assistant for Eshai, a battle-hardened legendary commander whose life is dedicated to protecting humans against the attack of beasts.

However, Seri’s world quickly turns upside down when she runs into Tsana, a mysterious girl who can communicate with these wild beasts and seems to be in league with them.

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Adult, Book Corner, Home, sci-fi

Review: Someone In Time by Jonathan Strahan

June 17, 2022July 2, 2022 tanazmasaba

The older I grow, the more fondness I seem to have for romance novels. And the love stories that resonate with me the most are usually the ones where two people need to overcome impossible challenges to find their way back to each other.

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