Review of Free Radicals

 

Book Review of  Free Radicals 

Book Name - Free Radicals

Author - Lila Riesen

✒️✒️ Favourite Quote - "If Rafi finds out what I’m doing. If anyone does. There’ll be no rising from the dead."

My Views - The book is about 16 years old Mafi Shahin, an Afghan-American girl in her sophomore year. She has many secrets to hide and the most dangerous one is that she seeks revenge for those who aren't able to do it themselves under the name Ghost of Santa Margarita High. She has a strict Afghan father who always keeps one eye on his children for their safety and tells them to blend with the Americans and hide their ancestry. Mafi also has an older brother, Rafi who is a high school basketball player and Mafi has a high crush on her brother's friend, Jalen. She was always on the invisible side until this year when she accidentally exposes her family secrets, putting her family back in Afghanistan in danger.

The book is not just about the teen life crisis or identity crisis, it is also about standing for what is right, family issues, mental health. This book tells more about the Afghan community and their crisis.

I love how the author has given a strong voice to the protagonist character. Her life is messy, her decisions are sometimes flawed but she is not afraid to stand for what she feels is right.

The book has a very interesting plot with authentic characters. The writing style is also quite funny. It is a great coming of age book.

📖

My Rating - 4⭐/5⭐

Thank you @lilariesen , @coloredpagesblogtours , @penguinteen for the free copy.

#freeradicalsbooktour #freeradicals #partner #coloredpagestour

Rosewood

 

Book Review of  Rosewood: A Midsummer Meet Cute

Book Name - Rosewood : A Midsummer Meet Cute

Author - SAYANTANI DASGUPTA 

Thank you coloredpagestours , ireadya and SAYANTANI DASGUPTA  for the free copy.

✒️✒️ Favourite Quote - “What do you care? You hate Jane Austen anyway.”

“I’m sorry, excuse you, please!” I protested. “I do not hate Jane Austen. I just prefer more literary writers, like Shakespeare!”

“But what about those other modern adaptations, like Bride and Prejudice? Yes, hashtag representation matters, but just because we are Desi does not mean I have to give a pass to Aishwarya Rai’s terrible acting!”

Synopsis - Eila Das is used to following her head, rather than her heart. When she meets Rahul

at Rosewood, a summer camp where campers are being scouted for the hit

Bridgerton-like TV show, she experiences…feelings. Between the drama of the show

and the drama of the camp, Eila will have to keep her wits about her to make it

through the summer. But when she has to choose between her head and her heart,

what will she do?

📖

My Views - Being from South Asia and specifically from the Bengali Community, the characters feel a little closer to heart and that beautiful expression of calling Mallika "Bonti" by Eila is really cute. The book is a mix of Bridgerton and classic literature that is set in the modern world. Both the sisters are invited to a Regency Camp where the producers of the international hit television program "Rosewood" will be scouting for extras. Eila doesn't want to go there but Mallika somehow manages to convince her. There they meet some very nice and some not so nice people. There Eila also meets Rahul, and she starts to have feelings.

.

The storyline and the narration is fun and enjoyable. The book has a lot of mentions of Shakespeare and Jane Austen and I believe the readers of classic books will love to read the references.

.

It's a really fun and cute romantic read.

📖

My Rating - 3.5⭐/5⭐

#coloredpagestours #Rosewood  #partner

Discovery of the Five Senses ( The Urban Boys)

 

Book Review of  Discovery of the Five Senses (The Urban Boys)

Book Name - Discovery of the Five Senses (The Urban Boys)

Author - K.N.Smith

✒️✒️ Favourite Quote - "some secrets were not to be revealed. The trick? Imitating the blades’ mastery of secrecy throughout the decades."

Content - A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory super powers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.

📖

📖

My Views - Five high school friends are gifted with a heightened sense of Smell, Sight, Sound, Touch and Taste after a suspenseful incident in the forbidden preserve. They have to defeat evil Druth and save mankind before it's too late.

The story is an action packed , exciting read and the readers will thoroughly enjoy the book. It's a bit confusing at the beginning as there are many characters introduced but as the story is picked up speed, we can see the main characters and the storyline begins from there.

The author has done a very good job in developing the characters and creating such an amazing world that will pull you in right away. The narration and the plot are super thoughtful and interesting. The story also showcases friendship, loyalty, family bond etc. which feels nice to read. 

Overall a very exciting and fun read.

My Rating - 4⭐/5⭐

#coloredpagestours #DiscoveryoftheFiveSenses #partner

We also have a $50 Amazon gift card tour-wide giveaway (open internationally) . don't forget to join this super awesome GIVEAWAY 🎉🎉.

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/77b5716f45/?

 

Book Review of  The Severed Thread

Book Name - The Severed Thread

Author - Leslie Vedder

Publisher - Penguin Teen

Thank you coloredpagesblogtours , penguinteen and leslievedder for the opportunity and for the free Arc copy.

Author Information - Leslie Vedder is a YA author who loves girl heroes and adventurers. She grew up on

fantasy books, anime, fanfiction, and the Lord of the Rings movies, and met her true

love in high school choir. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a

BA in creative writing, and currently lives in Colorado with her wife and two spoiled

house cats.

Content - Fi has awakened the sleeping Prince Briar, but the battle of Andar is far from over yet. She has to get rid of the Spindle Witch, the Witch Hunters and her own Butterfly Curse before she can think of a future with Briar.

Shane is always there to save Fi's back but she is in for the fight of her life against Red, the Spindle Witch's right hand. How much she wanted to avoid her, but somehow she is there for Red whenever she needs saving.

Briar Rose is determined to restore his kingdom at any cost but there is darkness inside him ready to plunge out at any time and which would cost him everything he held dear.

All the hopes of restoring Andar rest on solving a mysterious book code, finding the hidden city of the last witches and uncovering a secret lost for centuries - which might hold the key to the Spindle Witch's defeat.

Read the book to know if they are successful in retrieving the secret and defeating the Spindle Witch.

📖

📖

My Views - The Severed Thread is the second book in the Bone Spindle Trilogy. The story started from the cliffhanger from the first book where Fi and Shane along with Briar and the Paper Witch started their journey to find the hidden city of the last witches to uncover a secret that might help them defeat the Spindle Witch.

Like the first book, in this one also, the dynamics between Fi and Shane are a treat to read. They clearly go on with each other all the time but underneath that they have love and respect for each other and are always ready to protect each other's back. In this book, more background stories are added to all the characters including Red. Her character definitely added more interesting elements to the story. Her journey from being their enemy to friend and her past, her connection to the Spindle Witch, everything added more excitement to the storyline.

This book is as interesting as the previous one with more adventures, magical hidden cities and more secrets to unravel.

This book also ends in a cliffhanger as it is the second book of a trilogy. I am intrigued to see how the author takes the book to the finale.

Overall, this one is a very exciting and fun read.

📖

My Rating - 4⭐/5⭐

#TheSeveredThreadtour #partner #coloredpagestours #TheSeveredThread   

✒️✒️✒️

Favourite quotes - 

“I had to. I couldn’t stand to lose . . .” You. The word stuck in her throat. “Someone I care about.” - Fi 

“You are the key to the Spindle Witch’s defeat. Whatever happens, we cannot risk losing you. For the sake of all of Andar.” - The Paper Witch

"If I could do it all again— even if I’d known everything from the beginning, I’d still try to save you." - Shane

"Our darkest thoughts are most powerful when we are unconscious. In dreams, whatever weakness lies buried in your heart will try to pull you in— and if you succumb to those nightmares, you can become lost in your own mind. Forever. Surely you understand why you of all people must never dream walk alone, Briar Rose." - The Dream Witch 

Book Review of  > Love from Mecca to Medina

Book Name - Love from Mecca to Medina

Author - S.K. Ali

Publisher - skalibook/ simonteen

Thank you coloredpagesblogtours , simonteen and skalibook /sajidahwrites for the opportunity and for the free Arc copy.

.

About the Author - S. K. Ali is the author of "Saints and Misfits", a finalist for the American Library Association's 2018 William C.Morris award, and the winner of the APALA Honor Award and Middle EastBook Honor Award. "Saints and Misfits", and her second novel, "Love from A to Z", were both best YA books of the year as named by Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and the American Library Association. "Love from A to Z" was the first teen novel chosen for NBC Today Show's Read with Jenna book club. Her newest novel, "Misfit in Love", was a People Magazine best book of summer 2021. "The Proudest Blue", her picture book co-authored with Ibtihaj Muhammad, was an instant New York Times Bestseller. Along with Aisha Saeed, she's the co-editor of a critically acclaimed anthology of middle grade stories called "Once Upon an Eid".

.

Interested in a variety of genres and literary forms, S. K. Ali is currently working on books that reflect this love. She can be found on twitter (@sajidahwrites), on instagram (@skalibooks), on TikTok (@skalibooks), and reached through her website's contact page: www.skalibooks.com.

📖

Content - Zayneb and Adam, perfectly matched. Painfully apart.

.

Adam is in Doha, Qatar, making a map of the Hijrah, a historical migration from Mecca to Medina, and worried about his next paycheck as he is a freelancer and doesn't have any gig currently. Zayneb on the other hand lives in Chicago and is in law school. But she is also in a bad situation where she doesn't have any place to live and an absurd situation is making her life miserable and making her future dwindling in turmoil.

.

Then a marvel occurs: Adam and Zayneb get the chance to spend the Thanksgiving week on the Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. Adam is thrilled, an opportunity to pray for a Hijrah in real life, to migrate to Zayneb in Chicago. Zayneb was reluctant at first as she had envisioned another kind of vacation with Adam, but then she decides to join the pilgrimage to be with Adam.

.

But the trip is nothing like what they expected, from the appearance of Adam's former love interest as their travel group leader to the anxiety that is gripping Zayneb. As one after another drives them apart while they make their way through the rites in the holy city, Adam and Zayneb start to wonder: was their meeting just an oddity after all? Or their love can transcend everything else.

.

Read the book to get the answers.

📖

📖

My Views - The book is a portrayal of  love story and long distance relationship and also the spiritual journey and upliftment. This book is the sequel of the author's previous book " Love from A to Z" where the couple met for the first time. Though I have not read the previous book yet, it will not hinder the enjoyment of reading this one. In this part, the couple is facing hardship in their respective lives ( Adam with his illness and unemployment and Zayneb with her life and career) but still giving time to each other every day for at least one call. They are matured enough here and even though they are very far from each other, they are mentally supporting each other.

.

Each chapter in this story starts with an artefact(possession) and what does it represent before going deeper in the story. The book is mainly based on the Islamic History and Culture and the author has beautifully described and explained each and every representation. For anyone who doesn't belong in this community will not have any problems understanding and will thoroughly enjoy the book. 

.

The author has very realistically described the couple's life and the experiences they had gained on Umrah and the realistic emotions they were having. This is not just any love story where it is portrayed that everything is fine, but a spiritual journey as well for a couple who wants to be together.

.

The author also showcases the difficulties of a person suffering from MS( Multiple Sclerosis). The characterization is really amazing and the narration is very enjoyable. The addition of the feline character is surely a cherry on top though the name is quite mouthful.

.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and definitely wish to read the other works by the same author.

.

Highly recommended.

📖

My Rating - 4.5⭐/5⭐

#coloredpagestours #LovefromMeccatoMedina

 #LovefromMeccatoMedinatour

.

.

See the full tour details here - Love from Mecca to Medina Tour

Review of Sherlock and Devdas

Book Review of  Sherlock and Devdas

Book Name - Sherlock and Devdas

Author - Manav Vigg

“𝓙𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓪 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓱 𝓮𝔂𝓮.”

.

Content - Sherlock and Devdas are poles apart from each other from every aspect, where Devdas belongs from a rich family and is a broken-hearted drunk, Sherlock is a newbie detective trying to get his first big case and has an exceptional deduction capability. When Devdas's family heirloom artefacts got stolen mysteriously including his very dear painting "Raasleela" , he got really upset and appoint Sherlock to solve the case and retrieve those precious items. When Sherlock took up the case and started investigating, somehow Devdas also got involved in the case and together they got involved into dangerous situations to get back the artefacts.

.

Will they be successful? Who stole those valuable items and how? Read the book to go deeper into thi mystery.

📖

📖

My Views - We all are very familiar with Sherlock and Devdas and their stories. In this book also they play the same role as they are famously known as. But the author has brought them together to make a unique storyline. In this story also Devdas is a rich person who has drowned himself in alcohol to forget his one true love Paro. Where as Sherlock is a new detective who has an exceptional deduction capability. But the main twist here is that Devdas here had to auction his family heirlooms and those mysteriously got stolen and Sherlock was appointed to solve this mystery. The author has beautifully portrayed both the characters differently without changing their original key attributes. 

.

The storyline is full of twists and turns and the climax is really unpredictable. Both the characters support and compliment each other. The story starts in a very mysterious way and along the wayit again merge with the main storyline to give the story a perfect closure.

.

All the characters of the book are beautifully designed and very important for the story to go further. The language is quite easy.

.

Overall a very interesting thriller.

📖

My Rating - 4⭐/5⭐

Review of Journey to the Island of Dolls

Book Review of  Journey to the Island of Dolls

Journey to the Island of Dolls

Author - Banasmita pati

📖

📖

Content - Lucy and Norky for their thesis, they chose mexican and Aztec culture and to take a survey and make their data, they went to Mexico. Recently Lucy comes to know about " Isla-De-Las-Muñecas aka Island of the Dolls which has become a worldwide attraction. Lucy and Norky went there despite the warnings of local people, to have a chat with the only man reside there. But whatever happened there was beyond everyone's darkest dreams.

.

Read the book to get the full creepy vibe.

📖

📖

My Views - We all more or less know about the "Island of the Dolls" in Mexico where decaying and disfigured dolls hang from trees. The Island is rumoured to be haunted. The story is basically based on this island. In the first few chapters ,the story is building, so the pace is slow and there are some new words and Spanish words. So, it can take a little time to get into the story but once the story takes pace, the storyline is very interesting and creepy as well. One will definitely get goosebumps reading the story. 

.

The narration is smooth and the eerie feeling is there throughout the book. 

.

Overall a very creepy yet enjoyable read. Definitely waiting for the second part.

📖

My Rating - 4⭐/5⭐