Youngadult - The Keysmash Blog

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 3, 2024 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, 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, 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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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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Book Corner, Bookish News & Releases, Home, Other Bookish Stuff

Interview With Sara Michaels, Author Of The Glass Stone

April 24, 2022 tanazmasaba

If you are like me, and you have a love of fairytale retellings, then you must check out this new Cinderella retelling: The Glass Stone by Sara Michaels. A magical tale of hope and love, The Glass Stone is the third book in The Jeweled Fairytale Retellings series, and today, I am super excited to share my interview with author Sara Michaels about her story (along with an exclusive sneak peek into the book below).

Interview With Sara Michaels, Author Of The Glass Stone

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Book Corner, Home, Other Bookish Stuff, Young Adult

Review: Hana Khan Carries On By Uzma Jalaluddin [Exclusive International Giveaway]

June 12, 2021 tanazmasaba

As a South Asian Muslim woman myself, I was beyond excited to get my hands on Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin, a delightful love story featuring a bold, brilliant and ambitious young Muslim protagonist, two competing rival halal restaurants, and a diverse cast of colored characters. I have to admit, this is definitely going to be one of the best book of 2021. Hana Khan Carries On takes all the things you love in a romantic-comedy and gives it a refreshing new twist.

Thank you so much Colored Pages Tour for having me as a tour host for this amazing book, and to Atlantic Books for sending me a review copy. Read on below for my full review (or get the TL;DR version here) & participate in an exclusive giveaway to win ONE FINISHED COPY OF Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin.

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Book Corner, Home, Other Bookish Stuff

Blog Tour: Battle Of The Bullies By Fenix Blue [Excerpt + Giveaway]

June 6, 2021 tanazmasaba

A story about three sisters in high school who are trying to survive bullying and overcoming their personal trauma? It’s not easy to explore such sensitive and important issues, but Fenix Blue does it masterfully in her novel Battle Of The Bullies. I am only half-way through my copy of the book, and I am absolutely in love with the Robertson sisters who have been through so much pain and still refuse to give in.

Blog Tour: Battle Of The Bullies By Fenix Blue

Thank you Rockstar Book Tours for choosing me as a tour host for this book. I can’t wait to share my full review once I am done reading. In the meantime, check out an exclusive sneak peak for Battle Of The Bullies by Fenix Blue below, and enter an exclusive international giveaway.

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