#Nafiza Azad

[the-final-sentence]

“We will be waiting,” he says, and lets go.

Nafiza Azad, from All the Colors of Goodbye

[ya-world-challenge]

Book Review: The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad (🇫🇯 Fiji + others)

[image 1: book cover: Amid violet coloring and flowers are 4 illustrated woman: a blue-eyed, brown-skinned girl with lavender hair, a dark-skinned girl with a jeweled braid, a light-skinned girl with long blue hair, and a dark-skinned girl with a tropical flower in an afro. Tagline says "Their magic will not be vanquished"; image 2: map showing Fiji; image 3: beautiful flower bouquets at a Fiji market; source: wikimedia)

The Wild Ones

Author: Nafiza Azad

YA World Challenge read for 🇫🇯 Fiji

While the author was born in Fiji and is a "self-identified island girl" according to her bio, only a couple chapters of this book took place in Fiji (plus one Fijian character). I didn't know that before reading, but that's okay and enough to count as my book for Fiji. 😘

Review

This was a uniquely written book and I liked it for that. The premise is a sort of magical-girl squad of sexual violence survivors. They are Paheli's "Wild Ones" - she has saved them all in some way and given them magic stars which instill powers. They are able to traverse the Between, a sort of magical hallway between cities, which is usually only accessible to non-humans. When Paheli is reunited with Taarana, the boy who first saved her and gave her the stars, the Wild Ones decide to protect him from the baddies hunting him down.

The book alternates between two points of view - one is Paheli's, and the other is a collective "we" voice of the other Wild Ones. The voice will also sometimes address the reader directly with comments on gender violence and society. This might seem heavy-handed to some readers, or cathartic to others, depending on the person. I found it refreshing to read a different style.

My favorite parts of the book:

The cities! The Between takes us to multiple cities, each one described as a character in itself, so that we are immersed in such diverse places as Marrakech, Morocco and Busan, South Korea.

I wasn't expecting to find such a cute romance. Seriously, they were so cute.

The diversity of the girls. From Africa to Iraq to the Pacific, the Wild Ones come from across the globe (and the LGBT spectrum). I also love that the author did not only choose Western-palatable names, and chose to show that the Widads and Gufrans of the world are just as beautiful (they are!)

I did want to know more about the character's backstories - each has her own poem, though cryptic - but at the same time I felt the message was "our trauma is not your entertainment" in leaving their stories intentionally vague. So, respect to that.

This was a unique book with a fun feminist theme that tackled themes of trauma and violence at the same time. Keep this in mind for the content warnings (there is also on-page suicide), but if you're okay with that this was worth the read.

Here's the beautiful full jacket cover that I didn't get in an ebook! ✨

Other reps: #lgbtq (various casual mentions) #straight

Genres: #magic #contemporary fantasy #social issues

★  ★  ★  ★   4.5 stars

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

JOMP BPC - Feb 4 - Cover Lust

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad certainly has an eye-catching cover 🤩

[bookaddict24-7]

RECO OF THE WEEK!

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad

Synopsis:

"Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing.

With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered.

Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again."

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Check out my review here.

Add this book to your TBR on Goodreads here.

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Have you read this book? Would you recommend it?

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Happy reading!

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad

goodreads

Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing. With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered. Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again.

Mod opinion: I haven't heard of this book before, but it sounds interesting.

[geekynerfherder]

'The Candle And The Flame' by Carlos Quevedo.

Cover art for the novel, 'The Candle And The Flame', written by Nafiza Azad.

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Wild Ones

Author: Nafiza Azad

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2021

Genres: fiction, fantasy, LGBT+, romance, feminism

Blurb: Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favour. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing. With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between - a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself, and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered. Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones...and that is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept ever again.

[aroaessidhe]

Road of the Lost, Nafiza Azad

[just0nemorepage]

The Wild Ones || Nafiza Azad || 352 pages Top 3 Genres: Fantasy / Young Adult / LGBTQIA+

Synopsis: Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing.

With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered.

Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again.

Publication Date: August 2021. / Average Rating: 3.69. / Number of Ratings: ~880.

[signal-failure]

Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories About Living Fabulously Fat

Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories About Living Fabulously Fat

Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories About Living Fabulously Fat, is edited by Cassandra Newbould, with a intro by Aubrey Gordon (from Maintenance Phase!), with short body-positive stories by Nafiza Azad, Chris Baron, Sheena Boekweg, Linda Camacho, Kelly deVos, Alex Gino, Claire Kann, amanda lovelace, Hillary Monahan, Cassandra Newbould, Francina Simone, Rebecca Sky, Monique Gray Smith, Renée…

[the-final-sentence]

The fireworks in the sky.

Nafiza Azad, from “Mirch, Masala, and Magic”

[haveyoureadthismgyabook]

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Road of the Lost | Author: Nafiza Azad | Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (2022)

[beareadsbookz]

AAPI Heritage Month Hopefuls

(books I want to read if I can get them)

Rise of the Manō by Leialoha Humpherys

Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo

Hula by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes

Vā: Stories of the Women of the Moana edited by Sisilia Eteuati and Lani Wendt Young

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le

The Do’s and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz

The Marvelous Mirza Girls by Sheba Karim

One Boy, No Water by Lehua Parker

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

The Wonders We Seek by Saadia Faruqi & Aneesa Mumtaz

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier

The Dragon Prince: Stories and Legends From Vietnam edited by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

Muslim Girls Rise by Saira Amir

Fish Swimming In Dappled Sunlight by Alison Watts & Riku Onda

Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocco

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

Force Of Fire by Sayantani DasGupta

Rangikura by Tayi Tibble

Writing In Color by multiple authors (including but not limited to Nafiza Azad, Axie Oh, Joan He, Chloe Gong, and Darcie Little Badger)

I will be reblogging with reviews as I finish these!

[songofwizardry]

belated Ramadan Mubarak!

I try to do a bit of reading every Ramadan, so, for accountability, and so that when I inevitably don’t get through them I can find my list next year—here's my (extremely very ambitious) reading list for this year!

(suggestions are very welcome, with the warning that I very much may not get through them. this year, I’m trying to learn more about Islam and liberation theology and I’m trying to read more abolitionist texts, and of course my standard queer Muslim books, I’m trying to read more poetry by Muslim poets I don’t know well, and every Ramadan I try and only read fiction by Muslim authors, so there’s some sff on here too!)

non-fic:

memoirs:

We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib (reread)

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

The Colour of God by Ayesha S Chaudhry

Love is an Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar

A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi

other nonfic:

Islam and Anarchism by Mohamed Abdou

We Do This Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba (reread-ish? I never fully finished it)

Let This Radicalise You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba

Qur'an and Woman by Amina Wadud (which I also never finished)

The Women's Khutbah Book by Fatima Seedat and Sa'diyya Shaikh

Qur’an of the Oppressed: Liberation Theology and Gender Justice in Islam by Shadaab Rahemtulla

With Stones in Our Hands: Writings on Muslims, Racism, and Empire by Sohail Daulatzai and Junaid Rana

fiction:

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Mirage by Somaiya Daud (yes I still have not read this)

The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah

Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faisal

poetry:

Halal If You Hear Me (anthology)

If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar (reread)

Hagar Poems by Mohja Kahf

Bad Diaspora Poems by Momtaza Mehri

The Fortieth Day by Kazim Ali

Black Seeds by Tariq Touré

Postcolonial Banter by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 We shouldn't wait until May every year to delve into the beauty of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voices. In May, I shared a list of the NEWEST AAPI books out this year. To keep promoting AAPI authors, characters, and stories, here are a few Young Adult AAPI books you can add to your TBR for the remainder of the year!

🏮 The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han 🏮 My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong 🏮 Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi 🏮 When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert 🏮 To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 🏮 I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu 🏮 Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi 🏮 American Panda by Gloria Chao 🏮 When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon 🏮 Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman 🏮 Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao 🏮 Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao 🏮 Want by Cindy Pon 🏮 The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf 🏮 A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata 🏮 Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon 🏮 Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert 🏮 A Pho Love Story by Loan Le 🏮 The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad 🏮 Prepped by Bethany Mangle 🏮 The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn 🏮 Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi 🏮 Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim by Patricia Park 🏮 This is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua 🏮 The Cartographers by Amy Zhang 🏮 The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim 🏮 This Place is Still Beautiful by Xixi Tian 🏮 Chasing Pacquiao by Rod Pulido 🏮 I'm Not Here to Make Friends by Andrew Yang 🏮 The Queens of New York by E. L. Shen 🏮 Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying 🏮 These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi 🏮 Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim 🏮 The Marvelous Mirza Girls by Sheba Karim 🏮 A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin