ghada_mohammed's reviews
501 reviews

 "golden boy"

In a word, Ocean's Blood is a complicated book: the characters, their actions, and their moral views all had my head spinning.

Let's start with the things that I liked: first and foremost, I absolutely loved the world-building. I really enjoy reading about worlds where the author has obviously spent a lot of time and thought: although there were a a whole lot of details provided about Singers, Verdurs, local customs and other various aspects of the world where the novel takes place, it did not feel like information dumping at all and I could easily follow along; explanations were offered in small doses and only when relevant. The pacing was generally consistent and the plot's flow was quite natural. I also loved the characters to bits, their dynamics especially, and a certain sassy drama queen Kvahad-thed specifically. I had mixed feelings about the narrative, but mostly, I thought the prose was rather beautiful: though some might call it elaborate, I do not think flowery writing should inherently be considered a bad thing.

As for the things I did not like about this book:

Vindt's seemingly inconsistent attitude toward same-sex relationships: even though he had asserted multiple times in the narrative that, according to him, sex between Singers was unlikely/unthinkable because they were all males, when he was later presented with evidence of the act taking place between two men that he personally knew and was in immediate contact with, he accepted it rather casually and just moved on: it felt like a clash between "I'm only gay for you" and the author's either deliberate or unconscious effort not to make him seem outright homophobic. Another thing that irked me was, while the novel's pace was on the slow side for the most part, the scene where he was first bound to Asche felt rather rushed and awkward. While reading it, I had the vague impression that I missed a page or two.

  Still, the worst thing about this book is that it's barely out, but I already want the next one XD.

All in all, Ocean's Blood is truly an enjoyable read with a promising plot and just the right amount of angst, banter, and sexual tension (the holy trinity of quality MM). After taking into consideration the trigger warnings, if you enjoy dark fantasy and morally grey characters, this might be for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

And Shall Machines Surrender subtly touches on the machine vs human power struggle: the question of free will and the moral conundrum posed by the very existence of autonomous AI. It also addresses the fallacy of constructing a utopia within a tightly regulated system: whether perceived harmony is worth the restrictions placed on an individual's agency and identity: how far is going too far in order to maintain that accord?

The worldbuilding is spectacularly vivid and the plot is equally fascinating: Orfea and Krissana's dynamic is fire and I demand a prequel of their time in the Armada. All in all, a delightful and enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

A timely and candid collection of voices that address a variety of subjects including but not limited to identity, sexuality, race, religion, belonging, art, and the various challenges that face individuals who exist in the intersection where Arab meets queer: from homophobia to legal persecution to ethnic stereotyping.

Since similar discussions continue to be taboo within the Arab community, I believe that renders this anthology all the more crucial for showcasing authentic experiences of a lesser represented group of the LGBTQ community. This Arab is Queer does a wonderful job of challenging those taboos and giving voice to what has and still remains unspoken for too long.

Lengthwise, the sheer complexity the author has managed to accomplish in this is outstanding; a thirty-page story has no business being this intense.

The Six Deaths of the Saint is a dark and twisted tale of loyalty, loneliness, and ambition. It poses the question of how far one is willing to go for glory and sheds light on the darker side of legends: the grit, the blood, and the failures that precede the songs of praise.

Despite my enduring mistrust of second person narrative, I have immensely enjoyed the storytelling in this one: as brutally epic as it is privately tender. Truly a masterpiece.

Second Book Syndrome who?

Pacat seems to have dedicated their professional career to eliminate people's inherent mistrust of sequels first with Prince Gambit and now this.

This deserves five stars for the backstory/world-building alone and a perfect hundred on the angst scale. That ending destroyed me.

Like the last, it took me over a hundred pages to really get into this book and once again, I'm glad that I trusted the process: I absolutely loved the character dynamics and the wild plot twists. The narrative was beautiful as well; every few pages, I seemed to stumble over a line that distracted me from the plot.

“He suited the sunset, as if he was part of the light that was slipping from the world.”

Again: beautiful. (I think I'm more in love with the thought of this book than the book itself 🙈)

There is just something that is charmingly forlorn and almost romantic about the very concept of a forgotten world and the few who remember: the ancient regrets, the loneliness, and the frustration of waking up in a body that is not your own in a world that had forgotten. This series has so much potential and this book reignited my hopes for it.

Though I would have been happier if less of the word count was invested in describing how good-looking James and Cyprian were and barring the prospective moral land mine of free will which sounds like the next book's problem, I cannot wait for book 3.

A thought-provoking analysis of the systematic injustice practiced against women within and by the judicial system in Afghanistan especially in rural areas where mob justice and tradition hold more weight than constitutional laws. It addresses the defective penal code especially when coupled with biased human components that may disregard a suspect's basic rights in favour of vague social constructs like morality and honour on the occasion of said suspect being a woman accused of the blanket term of immorality. The book also calls out both the system and the community who upholds it for its double standards and inadequacy when turning a blind eye to actual religious and legal transgressions but going out and beyond in punishing a woman or even a child for something as friable as a rumour which is, while endlessly absurd and heartbreaking, a rather common theme in MENA societies as well and it satisfies me to see that particular piece of hypocrisy addressed.

A House Without Windows is a timely and crucial read; Nadia Hashimi did a spectacular job of shedding light on an issue of such a large scale all while gracefully maintaining the human aspect and the narrative's relatability: I loved how each and every one of the characters were portrayed as flawed humans with limited strengths and ability to comprehend. I have particularly enjoyed the fact that Yusuf, Zeba's lawyer, was equally imperfect and has not fallen into the Foreign Saviour trope. I also loved that Zeba herself was quite complex and not your conventional victim.

All in all, an informative and most enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

حكاية عن حبّ الذات و عدم الإستسلام لعثرات الحياة و دعوة لأخذ القدر بيديه كي يساق إلى حيث أمانينا.

أنا قبل كل شيء حكاية طفلة فقدت بصرها بحادث ثم استردّته بآخر و رُدّت لها معه نفسها. تناول الكتاب معاناة البطلة (ورد) في ما تسميه (عمر الظلام) ثم معاناتها بعد أن أبصرت من جديد و تعثرت قبل اكتمال فرحتها بعالم غير الذي تركته. 

الرواية ببساطة مفرداتها و ألفة الصور التي عكستها، نجحت في تناول قضايا مجتمعها كما هي دون تصنع أو تكلّف: من مختلف التحديات التي تواجه الأنثى كطفلة يعدّها المجتمع امرأة قبل أوانها و يدفع بها إلى سوق الزواج أو امرأة تُمنع عن حقها في نفسها كأنها غدت طفلة من جديد و تظل حبيسة في الهوامش طوال حياتها. أعجبني أسلوب الكاتبة و استخدامها للألوان البلاغية في تجميل سردها مع احتفاظ النص بصراحة و قوة معانيه.

يعني باختصار رواية جميلة في فكرتها و مفرداتها و إيجابية شديد. لو حاسي الدنيا قافلة معاك ولا محتاج ليك دفعة إلهام، الكتاب دا ليك.

An eye-opening guide to understanding and consequently shedding the stigma and shame culturally associated with expressing emotions in order for one to live true to oneself.

Dare to Feel traces the individual yet common path along which many had been conditioned to conceal their emotions; to achieve external rewards like parental approval, to appearing mature and collected, or to escape the long established social stigma associated with emotions particularly negative ones. This book is a call to acknowledge one's own childhood needs that went unmet and to break the cycle of repression by overcoming our fear of vulnerability and rewiring ourselves not to only feel those emotions but also to celebrate positive and negative ones alike as they come, whenever they come.

While I appreciated the author sharing her first-hand experience, I couldn't fully relate because the book was too heavy on the spiritual aspect for my taste. While this is not objectively a bad thing, for me, many of the exercises/rituals were inapplicable to my own experience and interests so I skipped reading them halfway through and considered the book an autobiography: a revolutionary concept with a rather esoterical relevancy. If you are not spiritually inclined, consider that perhaps this may not be for you.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

An equally heartbreaking and uplifting account of the life of a cancer survivor, spanning the excruciating battle itself as well as both the before and the after. I was particularly impressed by the narrative's candor: the author's hope, pain, strength, frustration—all of them were projected naked on the pages. I recommend.