CONTAINS SPOILERS - DON'T READ IF YOU PLAN ON READING A SKY BEYOND THE STORMvia Amani's copy of A Sky Beyond the Storm My initial thoughts on A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir This is a brief, spoiler-free version of A Sky Beyond the Storm before I dive into my spoiler section. A Sky Beyond the Storm is both heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time.I absolutely adored this entire series and while some of what happened in the book was devastating to read - I am incredibly grateful that I got to be one of the many readers who went on this epic adventure. I had to sit with my feelings after reading this book. Spoiler Reaction on A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir In Chapters One - Six it was interesting to see how Laia was so close to the commandment with her invisibility but Keris (the commandment) notices. I also knew early on that the Nightbringer being in the spirit world could not mean anything good will happen. Chapter Eight - We’re told that if one dies,they all die referring to Keris, Laia, Helene, and Elias (if I’m not mistaken). Chapter Nine - My favorite quote: “A Scholar rebel and a martial blood shrike are friends and the sky didn’t fall in. Whatever shall we do?” It was so nice to see how far they have all come since the beginning of the series where they wanted to kill each other. How time flies. Chapter Ten - It’s kind of sweet how Darin keeps reminding Laia she’s not alone and that she shouldn’t have to face The Nightbringer alone. Harper and Helene’s romance really blooms in this one. It also brings more humor to an otherwise dark fantasy series.When I got to virtually meet Sabaa Tahir through the Third Place Books event attendees found out that Renee Ahdieh is the person we have to thank for the romantic scenes. Thank you, Renee! The quote that talks about how the world is not only full of bad things seem to be an ode to 2020. In Chapter 12 - The part where Helene is like “The last time the three of us were in the same room I was about to kill you. Do you want to talk about it?” This part was hilarious and it was also the part where I had a feeling Helene might die. Laia leaves later on and we find out that Helene wished she had said goodbye but also admires her for moving forward with her plan. In Chapter 24: I almost thought a main character was going to die, but it turns out that the Nightbringer was just threatening her. Phew. Thank goodness! Chapter 34 of Sky has one of the best lines: “Damn my traitorous heart to the hells.” I thought it was amusing how Helene kept trying to put distance between her and Harper. But, this is the moment she realizes how much she loves him. Chapter 38: The moment in Sky when Helene tells Darin how she’s like “Yeah, I gave you an escort because otherwise your sister will have my head.” Darin and Laia’s sibling relationship really improves in this one. Chapter 39: It’s about time our main leads kiss. I’m talking about Elias and Laia. I also adore the arabic references like Illyas, Banu-al-mouth, etc. Chapter 41- We finally get a Harper and Helene kiss! Wow, Sabaa is really going all out on this book. Sabaa uses arabic phrases and includes a story about Jinn who also walk the dessert. In this chapter, we’re introduced to Karina and it’s hard to tell if she’s good or evil. Chapter 47- When Darin said, “Can I kick him? Just a little bit?” is one of my favorite Darin lines. Chapter 50- Keris shows an ounce of humanity - WHAT? I was not expecting that. Chapter 54: The part where Elias tells Laia she’s his temple and the answer to his prayer is my favorite quote. It also reminds me of the song Evermore from Taylor Swift’s recent album. Chapter 56 - That scene between Helene and Harper was heartbreaking. I was hoping she’d get some kind of happy ending. Chapter 59 - OMG - NOT DARIN! Also a major character comes back and it blew my mind because I wasn’t expecting that. Overall thoughts: I had so many emotions running through my head as I read A Sky Beyond the Storm. It’s been a long time since a book has made me feel like that and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Sabaa. I know I’ll want to read it.
0 Comments
Originally created by star is all booked up! (i was tagged on twitter (@starshynebrite on Twitter) If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, I'm @goldenseeker97. Thank you to Rameela or Star is All Booked Up for creating these stunning graphics! Evermore came out this week and I can't stop listening to that and Folklore. My favorite songs are: Gold Rush, Dorthea, Ivy, Closure, Evermore, 'tis the damn season, willow, champagne problems, tolerate it, and long story short! I can't pick one. Okay, so for this one I'd have to go with Zeyneb from Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali. I think it was so brave of her to stand up to her Islamophobic teacher and she also got a romance with Adam. I, mean, who wouldn't want someone like Adam in their life? Zeyneb is one of my favorite YA characters and I absolutely adore her. I would have to pick Lucky from Somewhere Only We know by Maurene Goo. It's told in a dual POV and it's the perfect book for Korean Drama fans! For Gold Rush, my anticipated release was A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir and it's easily the best book of 2020 in my opinion. Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines has the perfect small town romance. It also involves a murder. The story is centered around West Ashby and Maggie Carleton! I would say this could also be unrequited love and for that I have to select The Upside of Unrequited Love by Becky Albertalli. It takes place in the same universe as Simon Spier and if you're a fan of Love, Simon or Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda or Love, Victor then this is for you! Sophia from Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron. I think if she wanted to, she could get away with it. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal, and Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali! I think all of these authors are incredibly talented and I resonate with the characters. They also have a way of making their book comforting and making you suffer alongside the protagonists. I have to go with The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis because it's the first time I fell in love with the stories and it inspires a lot of my books. I also have to say it's one of my favorite series to reread. "That's the thing about pain - it demands to be felt!" -John Green. I think Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters fit this song perfectly. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins because Katniss crept up on Gale in the beginning of the book and I think it suits the series pretty well. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh reminds me of this! It's a 1001 nights retelling that also has an enemies to lovers trope. I hate to say this one because it was a book I was really looking forward to but I have to go with A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi. I'm a huge Shatter Me fan and I thought it would focus more on the Muslim part of it but it didn't and I just hate seeing the same "white boy comes to save the Muslim girl" story. I'm well aware a lot of people loved it/resonated with it but I just want to see more stories like Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali. I have SO many for this one!! I think Once Upon An Eid edited by Aisha Saeed and S.K. Ali, Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) by G. Willow Wilson, That Can be Arranged by Huda Fahmy, and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone all have a beautiful message for readers! "Please, leave me alone I don't want to think about the hurt you caused me."- Closure lyrics. I am going to have to go with Internment. It had the potential to be an incredible, ground-breaking novel but it chose to go through a different route and I'm so sick of books like this one. Especially when it's being promoted as a Muslim book. As a Muslim reader, I find it highly offensive. I loveee this song so much and I have SO many recommendations for this one!! I think Shine by Jessica Jung, Frankly in Love by David Yoon, Saints and Misfits by S.K.Ali, Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Crowning Soul by Sahira Javaid, and The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan. Hope you liked this tag by @Star is all booked up! i don't know who wants to be tagged, but if you'd like to do this feel free to tag me on twitter so i can see your blog posts!Got an idea for a blog post ? Leave a comment down below! Graphic created by Amani Salahudeen. Ausma provided the picture of her headshot. Ausma Zehanat Khan is a crime fiction and fantasy writer. Her recent book The Bladebone came out in October 2020, and is the final book in her Khorasan Archives fantasy quartet. It’s the perfect series to binge read while waiting for A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir to come out. This series is also about a corrupt society and I got to talk to Ausma Zehanat Khan for a podcast episode on my podcast, Raise Your Words and on here for Muslim. On our podcast episode, we talked a lot about Ausma’s writing rituals and what it was like to finish a series. In this interview, we talk more about her characters and her writing advice. 1. What inspired the One-Eyed Preacher ? The One-Eyed Preacher stands for any tyrant who governs without the consent of the governed, and in his case, someone who tolerates no dissent on how scripture may be interpreted. He’s clearly an ideologue, and I thought in the first instance of Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, but also of Dajjal—who is a figure similar to the anti-Christ in the Islamic tradition. 2. Do you have any writing advice for those who want to be writers? I offer writing advice with the caveat that you have to find what works for you as an individual. But what I’ve found helpful is to read widely not only for pleasure, but to study craft and technique. There’s so much to be learned about pacing, character development and the art of storytelling by studying those writers who do it really well. And I also point out that the more you practice, the better you get. My first drafts are far from perfect, but I get them down and then I continue to edit and refine. 3.Who was the easiest and hardest character to write? Arian and Sinnia were easier to write because I had a very clear sense of their personalities, their background and their story arcs from The Bloodprint all the way through to The Bladebone. I knew their histories well, and with Arian in particular, I was writing very close to my own background, history and heritage so that allowed me a fullness of expression that maybe other characters did not. The hardest characters to write were Rukh, the Black Khan, and Ilea, the High Companion of Hira. With Rukh, I didn’t know him inside out from the beginning, so there were shades of Rukh that I continued to explore throughout the series, and I realized in the end that this was because he has an ambivalent nature, and that’s never easy to pin down. But it does also allow for a great deal of creative freedom. With Ilea, I had to keep asking myself what she wanted, as she had some forward progression from the first book to the final book that I wasn’t entirely expecting. 4. You mentioned that “Call the stars, Rukh!” is your favorite line. Why? The line is actually from my favorite scene in The Bladebone. It’s said by a character named Arsalan who is the Commander of the Zhayedan, the Black Khan’s army. The Zhayedan are defending the capital of Ashfall from two besieging armies. The city is on the brink of collapse, but the Zhayedan are indomitable and battle on, led by Arsalan—a warrior whose skills and commitment to his people are unparalleled. Arsalan is a very straightforward character, the closest friend and confidant of The Black Khan, so in this scene as battle rages all around them, and the city’s fate seems hopeless, he continuously encourages Rukh (aka the Black Khan) to make full use of his gifts and his power. His faith in Rukh—who is a very dubious character—is what gives Rukh faith in himself, so you have this moment of quiet intimacy between these two men while chaos rages around them. That was hard to pull off but it felt beautiful and true. 5. What inspired you to write the Khorasan Archives? The story holds that this is the oldest written record of the Qur’an, compiled by Caliph Uthman, the third leader of the early Muslim community after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Uthman was assassinated while reading it, and it is said that his blood stains the pages of this Qur’an. I was in the presence of a bloodstained manuscript—the Bloodprint, in other words. For those who are unfamiliar with Ausma’s work, “The Bloodprint” is the first book in The Khorasan Archives. I wanted to capture that sense of reverence in the presence of the written word, and also that sense of mourning—the idea that a faith community was still mourning the death of this revered figure, and in the presence of his bloodstained Qur’an, we were deeply moved. 6. What is one thing you hope readers take away from this? I hope readers come away from all my books with a greater sense of curiosity about the world, and with greater empathy for histories, traditions and communities different from their own. You can purchase The Bloodprint here and The Bladebone here. Follow Ausma on Instagram and Twitter @askhanbooks to keep up with her adventures, books, and to see cute cat pictures. |
AuthorAn avid reader, mocha iced coffee drinker, and Kdrama obsessor. Archives
December 2020
Categories |