Sunday 19 March 2017

A Thousand Splendid Suns | Khaled Hosseini




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A thousand splendid suns that have broke my heart into a thousand splendid pieces... 

I didn't even mean to read this and all of a sudden I'm more than half way through the novel, teary eyed clutching my aching heart trying to comprehend my thoughts for one of my typical witty reviews. I read this on my kindle because for some reason I had a spur of the moment decision that I wanted to read this and I didn't have the book so I revived my kindle*. That is also why I don't have nice beautiful pics of this book. I finished this in less than a day, you know that feeling a book leaves you when you finish it and it was so good? Hollow, emotional, happy, upset, mixed emotions? That's how I feel.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a historical fiction, stand-alone novel. It is not historical fiction, historical fiction like The Book Thief but it has an historical aspect to it. The book, which spans a period of over 40 years, from the 1960s to 2003, focuses on the tumultuous lives and relationship of Mariam and Laila, two Afghan women. Mariam, an illegitimate child, suffers from the stigma surrounding her birth and the abuse she faces throughout her marriage. Laila, born a generation later, is comparatively privileged during her youth until their lives intersect and she is also forced to accept a marriage proposal from Rasheed, Mariam's husband. This is the goodreads synopsis. 

I got maybe 10 pages in and I knew I was going to give this a 5/5 rating already.  is honestly such a blessing to human kind. The first time I even heard of him was when my Dad let us watch The Kite Runner, the movie adaptation of the book. I was young, very young then so I didn't pick up on any of the plot or climaxes then. Later, I would encounter Hosseini again but this time it would be that exact book and I would be analysing it in my english class.

The novel follows Mariam and Laila. I don't want to give much away because I really want everyone I know to read it. It was so good. I still catch myself thinking about it constantly. They were crafted so well, we get enough backstory of these characters and we see them emotional, happy, grieving and growing. We learn everything we can about these characters and we grow achingly attached to them. I knew what I was getting into with a Hosseini book, as I had previously read The Kite Runner but nothing prepared me for this absolutely brilliant book!

Hosseini includes symbolism in his writing. If you weren't specifically analysing it or are prone to it already because of school, you would not pick up on any of it. There is great symbolism in this book of people/objects. Additionally, Hosseini's fantastic use of foreshadowing scenes in this book. I really adored this book guys! I don't want to give anything away but if I want anything to truly resonate with you, it's that you need to read this and that I predicted nothing. I was blind-sighted by everything, Hosseini writes as though you cannot predict, I love that! 

There was a stage in this book where I thought all hope was lost of these characters. Where I felt so useless as a reader; all I wanted to do was console and help them somehow. Hosseini did that, he created this experience for the reader and that is why he is such a fantastic writer! I am in awe of his writing, its unbelievable! The characterisation of Maraim and Laila was phenomenal. I was rooting for these characters, they were so real to me and I empathised with them every step of the way. What they had to endure was so raw and restless there were parts of the novel I was crying hysterically and time when I did not want to read on for what would happen next. What these women endured is what MANY women are still enduring because of war, famine, religion and tradition. Everything is so real and Hosseini allowed for these themes to come to light. This is so hard for me to think and write because it's so raw I don't know how to explain it. This book left me just so warm, wholesome and questioning, I have not read such a good book in a long, LONG time. When was the last time I gave a book 5/5 stars on this blog? I don't give them out to just any book. 

 There is a historical aspect of this book as well, something I wanted to comment on in this review. Hosseini brought us into the lives of these characters in Afghanistan as war and peace collide. Their conflict becomes our conflict. We learn about the communist presence and then about the Taliban. There are many more elements politically that we learn in this novel and it really aided the readers depiction of situations and atmospheres. If you are extremely unfamiliar with these events then this book really does give you a greater scope into the issues and experiences individuals endured. 

 The romance aspect of this book was interwoven so well I am truly just at a loss for words. Everything was just so well crafted, I am going to just slow clap it out for Hosseini. He is now becoming one of my favourite authors...ever. You bet your ass I am going to be reading: 'And the Mountains Echoed', maybe not just yet but soon. I still need to recuperate after this book. 

Hosseini's writing is up there with Murakami, for me at least. They are both in no means the same ~type~ of writer, or have the same style. However, their writing leaves me feeling the same type of way. Murakami is a bit more poetic and flowery (I have a review of Norwegian Wood by Murakami here) but Hosseini is just....amazing. If you have never read a book by him, YOU SHOULD, you could even start with this one!

*If you are wondering where I got my edition of the kindle or where I got the green case/cover. I got it all of Amazon years ago but I'm sure it's still on there.



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Tuesday 14 March 2017

The Wrath & The Dawn | Renée Ahdieh




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*I'm sorry these images are sub-par compared to my pervious ones. I've been so busy and these pics don't represent how beautiful this book is! also my blog did a thing where the entire format f'ed up, I'm so angry so I have been trying to fix that fml....enjoy this tho! 

POC?
WOC?
Hot POC guy?
POC NAMES?
HIT ME THE HELL UP!!!!!! 
THIS WAS TREMENDOUS AND SO PROFOUND I AM STILL SHOOK 

Sorry I was away for two weeks? I had mock exams. Anyways, lets please take a moment to appreciate this book cover. It. Is. So. Beautiful. 

Even though this did give me Winners Curse/Red Queen vibes, it is nothing like those books at all!
This was such a different type of fantasy book I have ever read. I haven't read all that much tbh to be an expert but I have read enough to comment on this. (If you're curious, I have read four of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas (Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows both of which have reviews on this blog), Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, two books in The Winners Curse by Marie Rutkoski, Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo)
This is predominantly a romance fantasy book. I mean I wish the world building was more of a focus interwoven with this beautiful romance but its not.

This is the goodreads synopsis:
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?


I actually don't know what type of area geographically this is based of. Like I know its fantasy and its a made up world - Khoressan. But there are cultural parallels to desi culture, maybe Persia/Arabia/India/Pakistan that is referenced throughout, additionally tales and myths that are also referenced related to the culture. This makes me believe the is some intertextuality in this book, none of which is bad at all! I really loved how diverse and 'not-white- this book was; it was really refreshing for me to read. Especially after reading fantasy books where predominant central characters are pale ghosts.

I honestly wish I loved it more. I wish this became my fav book ever but it was ~alright~. Kinda predictable in my opinion. I mean when you hear the synopsis is about a girl who is almost a 'tribute' to marry a King to only be killed at sunrise is like saying 'yeah ok but this is our main character and obvs she won't be killed, rather she'll live and they'll fall in love because she is sooo special'..... I mean come ON. I saw all of that coming the minute I read the premiss. I don't think I will be reading the next book in this series. I am actually shook that loads of book reviewers I follow avidly, all loved this book (5/5 star love) and I'm just not feeling it when I wished (I so wished) I did. I just wanted more out of it....I really don't know how to feel about this. I didn't expect the main character Sherzhad to be obsequious at all and she isn't but I also wasn't expecting this to be kinda predictable.

Another major thing that irked me was the lack of world building in a powerful fantasy novel. I think just a little backstory or definitive remarks on the world, the magic, the people would have benefited me more. I just wish....there was more. There is probably going to be more in the next book that is already out but I just don't think I have the time and effort to continue because it was just 'okay' nothing that blew me away since I legit predicted the entire book from the start.

(Sorry it's v short, I've been hassling loads of work/revision before my exams and I just wanted to get something up!) HOWEVER, do check out these linked posts below for some actually legit reviews. I will probably come back to this review and edit it more because it is short and meh.

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