Tag Archives: dual pov

A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi Book Review

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Book Description

Set against the backdrop of Karachi, Pakistan, Saadia Faruqi’s middle grade novel tells the story of two girls navigating a summer of change and family upheaval.

Mimi is not thrilled to be spending her summer in Karachi, Pakistan, with grandparents she’s never met. Secretly, she wishes to find her long-absent father, and plans to write to him in her beautiful new journal.

The cook’s daughter, Sakina, still hasn’t told her parents that she’ll be accepted to school only if she can improve her English test score—but then, how could her family possibly afford to lose the money she earns working with her Abba in a rich family’s kitchen?

Although the girls seem totally incompatible at first, as the summer goes on, Sakina and Mimi realize that they have plenty in common—and that they each need the other to get what they want most. 

Review

CW: Classism, Poverty, Chronic Illness (Diabetes), absent father, theft

Thoughts and Themes: I picked this one up at the library but it was taking a while for me to get into it so I tried it as an audiobook and really enjoyed it. I like that the audiobook has two distinct voices for each of the girls which makes it easier to tell them apart.

There was a lot that I really enjoyed about this book but my favorite are the scenes in which Sakina and Mimi are teaching each other about their culture. I love how Sakina is hesitant at first to allow Mimi into her world and how Mimi doesn’t understand why Sakina responded to her in a way she deemed rude. I liked when Sakina would ask Mimi things about America and Mimi got to explain what was familiar to her and felt like she belonged somewhere.

I also really enjoyed the moments in which Mimi realized how different Sakina’s life was from her and the different expectations that were put on each of them. I also like that both of the girls are keeping things from their families and they trust each other with this information. It was nice getting to see them talk each other through things that they were struggling with.

Characters: This book centers around our two main characters, Sakina and Mimi, and through them you get to meet several other characters in this book. You get to meet both of their families as well as some other people they interact with while they are both navigating Pakistan.

I really liked getting to know both of our main characters and liked reading as their friendship develops. I thought it was great that at first they both needed something from each other which is why they were speaking to each other but that develops into more. I thought it was great that Mimi felt like she could open up to Sakina and share her feelings with her.

I also do enjoy getting to know each of the girls apart from each other and getting to see them act their age when they are with each other. There are times in which the girls are interacting with adults that you forget that they are still kids because they have been forced to grow up quickly because of the struggles their families are going through. I liked getting to see them react like children though and get to see them allow each other feelings that were messy and complicated.

Writing Style: This book is told in the first person through the dual perspectives of Sakina and Mimi. Sakina is a girl who works for Mimi’s mother’s family in Pakistan and lives in poverty, and Mimi is an American girl who is visiting her rich grandparents in Pakistan. I really enjoyed getting the chance to see this story unfold through both of their perspectives because when you first start reading you think that they are so different from each other and come from two different worlds. It isn’t until you keep reading and get to see them interact that you realize that they have some things in common.

Author Information

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author, essayist and interfaith activist. She writes the children’s early reader series “Yasmin” published by Capstone and other books for children, including middle grade novels “A Place At The Table” (HMH/Clarion 2020) co-written with Laura Shovan, and “A Thousand Questions” (Harper Collins 2020). She has also written “Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan” a short story collection for adults and teens. Saadia is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose, and was featured in Oprah Magazine in 2017 as a woman making a difference in her community. She resides in Houston, TX with her husband and children.

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling Book Review

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Book Description

Elise Beaumont is cursed. With every touch, she experiences exactly how her loved ones will die. And after her brother’s death—a death she predicted but was unable to prevent—Elise is desperate to get rid of her terrible gift, no matter the cost.

Claire Montgomery also has a unique relationship with death, mostly because she’s already dead. Technically, anyway. Claire is a vampire, and she’s been assigned by the Veil to help Elise master her rare Death Oracle powers.

At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire, but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death, even if it means sacrificing her own future to secure Claire’s help.

The trouble is, Claire and Elise aren’t the only paranormals in town—a killer is stalking the streets, and Claire can’t seem to shake the pull she feels toward Elise, a romance that could upend the Veil’s mission. But as Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder—can she really trust someone tasked with securing her loyalty? Someone who could so easily kill her? Someone who might hold the key to unraveling her brother’s mysterious death?

Review

CW: Death, Murder, Manipulation, Grief, Sibling loss, abandonment

Thoughts and Themes: I heard great things about the other books by this author so I was pleased to get a chance to read this book. I tried reading it on e-book but since it was slow to start, I couldn’t get into it. I winded up getting it on audiobook and followed along by e-book and that was so much better.

I loved getting to learn about the vampires in this story and the layers of different paranormal creatures that are in the story. I liked learning about Elise being the death oracle and what that means for her and also what it means for Claire. I liked learning about the veil and what that is and how it functions alongside our world and what vampires and other paranormal creatures’ roles are in the veil.

A little over halfway in this book there is a moment that just frustrates me, it just doesn’t really fit the rest of the story. I don’t understand why this is included but I can’t really say much about this without ruining the story for you all.

Characters: In this book, you are introduced to the main characters, Elise and Claire, as well as several other characters through their interactions with our main characters. You get to meet Elise’s friends, Jordan and Maggie as well as other vampires that Claire works with such as Wyn. You also get to see some interactions between Elise and her parents, and there are mentions of her brother, Nick.

I really enjoyed watching Elise build relationships with people as she learns more about what she is and comes to terms with that. I liked how she allows her friends into her world and how she allows them to support her. I think that the character development with Elise is greatly done as we see her grow while still grieving her brother.

I also really liked watching as Claire grows as a person while she is training Elise and then also interacting with the other vampires. I also like learning about why Claire is trying to distance herself from Elise as well as how she became a vampire.

The villain in this story is also pretty well done even though you don’t really realize who the villain is until a little over halfway through. I really like how the villain has a relationship with both of our main characters and how this villain has power over both of them. I also love how the villain pits the two of our main characters against each other and what that adds to the story.

Writing Style: This story is told in the first person through the dual points of view, Elise and Claire. I thought that it was great to see the story unfold through both of their perspectives. I really liked getting to know the history of the species that are involved in this story and the world-building that is done from Claire’s point of view.

I like that we get the story from both of their perspectives because we get to see what each of them is keeping from the other. I liked that we get to see all of this unfolding behind the scenes before each of our main characters gets to see everything unfold in front of them. I didn’t really put everything together as it was happening until our main characters figure things out which made things so much better for me.

Author Information

Isabel Sterling is a writing coach, LGBTQ advocate, and author of These Witches Don’t Burn, This Coven Won’t Break, and the forthcoming f/f vampire novel The Coldest Touch. When she’s not writing, Isabel can be found crocheting projects she’ll never finish, completing crosswords with her wife, and trying not to destroy her garden. She lives in Central New York, where the winters are frigid, the summers are too hot, and autumn is perfect.