Young Muslim's Book Club discussion

I'm not sure if we can do this ourselves but hi

I didn't even know it was possible to make one yourself! I'm sure it's probably fine though.

Anyway I'm reading an epub version so I can't figure out how many pages are in each chapter. Why don't you go ahead and decide how many chapters you'd like to do per day based on the number of pages you want to read? I'm okay with any amount.

Also it looks like your time zone is opposite mine because I just woke up! I'll try checking goodreads before I sleep more often so that the conversation isn't usually this slow haha

Ah ok would you be able to read it by percentage or by chapters? There's 37 chapters in total. We could do six a day?

6 chapters a day sounds good to me! Are we starting today?

Also I saw your update where you mentioned this is apparently Star Wars fanfiction. I don't really follow Star Wars so I almost definitely won't recognize any, but if you ever notice parallels you want to mention I'd love to hear about them!

I think by the time we finish you'll be sick of all the probably pointless parallels I screech about lol

First parallel - the main planet is called Andala - very similar to Anidala - which is the ship name for Anakin and Amidala. The author is a big fan so I don't think it's a coincidence somehow unless it means something in Arabic?

I wish there was a glossary to translate some of the Arabic words but otherwise I'm enjoying it so fat

*far

Tarria wrote: "First parallel - the main planet is called Andala - very similar to Anidala - which is the ship name for Anakin and Amidala. The author is a big fan so I don't think it's a coincidence somehow unle..."

I can't think of anything that it might mean so it might just be a parallel then!

And yeah I agree even as an Arabic-speaker a glossary would be nice because I'm far from perfect XD

Anyway so far I like the writing style and I like how even though the concept of a small village girl being whisked away to live the royal life is pretty much an overdone trope of YA, the author still made it unique and interesting by interweaving the concept of colonization and maintaining culture in the face of it. I'm always willing to look past the typical tropes when an author adds something personal to it like this.

I finished Day 3, up to chapter 18. So far I'm finding Idris a little bit boring, but he seems to have a lot of potential with the backstory he's given so hopefully he gets some more development before the romance starts getting too deep. What are your thoughts so far?

So sorry I'm a bit behind but I'll read in a bit and update accordingly!

Oh no problem at all! Take your time and let me know if you ever want to skip a day so you can catch up or something.

Also the time zones are a bit weird especially since I'm overseas and not used to the change yet so to be honest it's completely possible I mixed up the days and got ahead by accident. Either way don't worry about it!

No don't worry, I've just been quite busy but I'm catching up. Okay so my thoughts:

I really like the author's writing style. It's pretty but accessible. The descriptions of the world are vivid. Though I wish the clothing was described better. The author said she wanted to recreate the lush costuming of the prequel trilogy but I can't picture any of the outfits in nearly as much vividness despite the descriptions going on for half a page.

I agree with you on Idris so far. The instacrush Amani got for him was really irritating. You just met this guy and you have no idea what his motives are. Why are you letting down your guard so easily?

Though, to put it mildly, Idris seems infinitely less toxic than his Star Wars counterpart XD

I completely agree about the writing style. As for the clothing, normally I don't like too many clothing descriptions as they take me out of the story, but in this book the difference between Vathek and Kushaila clothing seems to be parallel to Maram's and Amani's character arcs, so for once I would actually like to see them described more.

Also, I hadn't even considered the fact that Idris was (I'm assuming) Anakin's counterpart until you mentioned it. That definitely concerns me XD He seems nice so far but we'll see, a villain arc could definitely be interesting

Interesting. I've caught up, and while I think Amani was WAY too trusting of Idris (and just listening to him and exposing her identity like that?), I like how she's bonding with the Dowager and Fatar, also the rebellion stuff.

I never considered the Anakin comparison either until this sentence:

He a prince and I a slave in all but name. There was no happy ending to this story, no way for the two of us to make one.

The author swapped the roles around (in SW Anakin is the slave, Padmé is the queen) and given this started as Episode 2 fanfic it's similar to a scene in that movie.

However, despite all these SW comparisons, I'm glad the story holds up on its own. I've read other books that turned out to originate from fanfics and it was painfully obvious in the quality of the writing and characters but here the author has done a good job making the characters uniquely her own.

I'm glad to hear that the story stands on its own! Just the fact that it took even a big SW fan like you a while to figure out Idris's counterpart really show that she's doing a great job at making the characters distinctive and unique, rather than just copies of the film.

And I agree, I liked the moments with the Dowager and Furat but she was so quick to trust Idris and I was low-key yelling at her in my head for it.

To be honest I'm not really feeling the sci-fi aspects of this story at all. The worldbuilding is great as a fantasy story but every time she throws a droid or holopad in there it feels so out of nowhere that it takes me out of the story for a moment. I think this is because she hasn't properly integrated the sci-fi aspects into the story; if the droids actually played a role they would feel much more natural. The only thing that makes a difference in the plot is her communicator, but considering she still has to actively go and meet someone to hand off her information, that could easily have been written out as well. As it is, the story would be almost exactly the same without any of the sci-fi stuff.

Maybe you'll feel differently because you went in with Star Wars on your mind, but imo the sci-fi aspect just does not stand well on its own.

Yeah nothing about the world screams "space opera" at all. The setting could easily be a normal Arab-inspired fantasy world with different kingdoms and countries, but the scope is far too small for multiple PLANETS.
I agree about the underutilization of the droids. They serve as nothing but set dressings and are never properly described. I just pictured the droids as Star Wars ones but that shouldn't be necessary in an unrelated published standalone book. It just feels lazy to be honest, like the author expects her audience to be familiar with the SW galaxy and world-building aspects.
We're never given an idea of how intelligent or complex the droids are, either - example, why are there still manual farmers when surely it would be much more efficient to use droids to farm everything?
And yes, the word holo has been dropped several times but there's no explanation for what it means, yet another lazy reliance on the target audiences' prior knowledge.

Yes I completely agree, the droids just seem to be copy-pasted from Star Wars. If I hadn't seen you talk about SW I would not have made the connection myself and would never have been able to picture them in the author's world. And it's so hard to imagine the story taking place on several planets. Maybe more depictions of their travel would help (like seeing them use space ships), but the author has a tendency to skip the travel and just drop us where we need to be, so we lose that chance for more sci-fi aspects as well.

Also, unrelated but while we're talking about SW comparisons, I'm starting to think that maybe I got it all wrong and Amani is meant to be the Anakin counterpart, not Idris.

You already quoted how the author switched around the "royalty and slave" roles, and it seems like a lot of foreshadowing is hinting towards Amani gaining power and maybe even taking over Maram's role permanently (her mother saying she looks like a queen, her impressing Mathis with her decision-making, the way she very easily adjusted to being Maram and acting harsh towards others, etc.)

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but Anakin hides his identity when he becomes Darth Vader right? If so, that's another parallel to Amani taking on the identity of an "evil" figure like Maram. So my new theory is that maybe Amani is the one who will have a villain arc instead of Idris like I originally thought.


(Also I am definitely going to be watching the movies after this. Finding parallels with you is already pretty fun with my limited knowledge so I think I'll enjoy looking for more as I'm watching. Congrats, you've recruited a potential new SW fan XD)

I was thinking that something felt off with the travelling and now you mention it you're completely right - the author mentions the planet/moon every time characters travel and not how or how long it took to do so. The ships are occasionally described but nothing outside of aesthetic. I've just been picturing Naboo Skiffs as the royal transport (Padmé and her handmaidens ship) and hyperspace as the means of travel.

I see where you're coming from. Giving Amani a villain arc would certainly add a lot of depth to her character but somehow I feel that isn't going to be the case. Rather, Maram is the one who is softening and the two will probably join the rebellion and riot against the Vathek. Perhaps Amani will have a moment of weakness where she forgets herself in her arrogance then realises that she's become like Maram and is horrified. The two girls who look alike slowly turn into each other. That would be interesting to see though it probably won't happen as drastically.

To be honest I still don't know what to think about Idris's character. So far he's very much the standard YA love interest with a tragic past and a heart of gold. That's why I had hoped for him to get a villain arc; it might spice up his character a bit.

Giving Amani a villain arc would make her a cross between Sabé (Padmé's decoy) and Anakin, which is ironically hilarious because the two hate each other but when he becomes Vader they have to work together to solve the mystery around Padme's death (eventually, she figures out his identity).

Yes, Vader tends to destroy those who link him with his past self, who he sees as weak. "Anakin is gone. I destroyed him."

And hurrah! Welcome to the most toxic fandom in existence! The Saga has its highs and lows depending on each person - just avoid the internet and form your own opinions on everything!

Yeah with Amani's arc I definitely don't think it will be as drastic as Anakin's. I guess what I meant by "villain" arc was exactly what you mentioned, where she'll slowly become more like Maram, and though I do still like the theory where she rules instead of Maram, I don't think she'll be straight up evil.

I totally agree though seeing Idris get a villain arc would make him so much more interesting. Right now he's not a necessarily bad character, just a bit boring.

And don't worry, I've been in my fair share of toxic fandoms, I know the drill XD

I really like the exploration of the mixed race identity through Maram. The insecurity of not belonging to a certain group of people, of always feeling like an outsider. As a multiracial person I appreciate discussions like this in books.
Also the scenes of Amani and Maram cooking together and bonding over food were really enjoyable. It's obvious the author's strength lies in these small but significant character moments and less on the world-building aspects. I wish she would focus more on them.

I've finished the book and while I had hoped it would be a 4-star read unfortunately it's going to have to be a 3 for me. Spoilers ahead in case you haven't finished reading:

The ending felt whelming and full of clichés, from the "we can't be together" forbidden love talk to the rushed but gruesome torture scene. Maram's actions in the final pages were so cruel I can't see her getting a redemption and I have no idea why Amani continues to defend her.
I don't know if I'll read the sequel yet (this is a duology).

Sorry my WiFi cut out so I couldn't update, but yes I finished the book! I completely agree that I loved the smaller character moments between Amani and Maram, and even though Idris on his own was a bit boring, I did like most of the moments between him and Amani as well, especially in the middle of the book. Like you said, that's definitely the author's strength. Personally I liked her worldbuilding from a fantasy pov, but her sci-fi integration was definitely weak.

Although I agree that the "romantic" moments at the end were very cliched, I do lowkey understand with Maram's actions. Obviously it was sad to see her regress after all the progress she made with Amani, but I never expected her arc to wrap up neatly in this book considering there's still a sequel.

I'm not saying her actions were completely rational, because obviously Amani still protected her and took her place, but considering how much manipulation Maram's faced her whole life and the fact that she thought she could trust Amani to tell her such things makes her anger at the end a bit understandable. I would only be disappointed if she did a full 180 and never improved again in the sequel.

That being said I can totally see why you didn't like it, it was definitely a far from perfect ending, and in the moment of reading I was also pretty mad at Maram. It’s just that looking back I can see how her actions suit her character and somewhat understand why she did them.

As for my overall rating, I’m thinking this is a 3.5 star book. I’m still on the fence about whether to go 3 or 4 stars for Goodreads (oh how I wish they would implement half-stars), so I might wait a bit before I rate it.

You already know my least-favourite things because you agreed with most of them (namely the sci-fi aspects, Amani being too trusting, and Idris’s lack of personality), but the things I liked the most were the fantasy/cultural world building (I especially liked the way she used symbolism like the birds, the jewelry, and the daan to show the division between cultures), the writing style, and, like you mentioned, the smaller character moments.

I probably will give the sequel a go, though maybe not right away. I liked Maram and Amani and I’m interested in seeing how their arcs turn out, but I didn’t love it so much that I’m in a rush to read it immediately. I might even watch the prequel SW films first so I can pull out more parallels as the character arcs become more clear. I know you said you’re not sure, but if you do ever decide to pick it up and I haven’t read it yet, let me know and I’d love to BR with you again.

Yeah I agree that Maram's anger was probably justified, it's the punishment of Amani that was extreme. I don't know if she was aware of the family torture thing, but still, condemning her to that for days? And why does Amani keep convincing herself Maram is entirely innocent? She seems to have some sort of Stockholm Syndrome. Idris and Furat both had horrible childhoods and lost their families but neither are as cruel as Maram.

Something I realised was that Idris' backstory reminded me very much of Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto. Again, another villain. I'm still hoping there's a hidden dark side to him that will probably be explored in the next book.

And yes I wish there was a half star rating. I was thinking of settling for 3.5 too but I rounded down. Ultimately, I didn't feel like a whole lot happened, which made sense for a character-driven novel but the multiplanetary aspect felt like such a missed opportunity. Perhaps it'll be addressed better in the sequel.

I agree about the cultural aspects being the strongest and the sci-fi setting being the weakest part of the novel.

I would like to read the sequel at some point but as I have a ton of books on my tbr it wouldn't be just yet, however I'd love to BR it with you when I get the chance.

And go ahead with SW when you can, the prequel trilogy is much more popular and beloved these days than it was upon release but the movies are still controversial amongst some fans - either way there's something to enjoy for everyone.

There's also the movie novelisations if you prefer to read over watch, the Revenge Of The Sith one by Matthew Stover is considered to be one of the best movie novelisations of all time.

Whatever you decide to do, avoid internet opinions from dudebros at all costs!

Oh I didn't even realize the family torture was for several days, I must have skimmed that part! Then yeah I agree it's definitely extreme.

I'm starting to realize that naivety is just a part of Amani's character. She trust Idris and the Dowager easily, she joins the rebels almost immediately without knowing anything about them, and she easily grows to care about Maram. Even if it's a bit annoying (and by a bit I mean "constantly makes me want to yell at the book") at least it's consistent. That's more than one can say for most YA main characters XD

I've never watched Naruto but I like that you're drawing parallels with other series. I don't think he would turn against Amani for obvious reasons, but I could definitely see him take an "ends justify the means" view on the war and cross the moral line. I personally think that kind of "villain" arc could suit Idris pretty well; not only would it work with his backstory and make sense with his relationship with Amani (considering how much the Vathek and Maram have hurt her), but it would make him significantly more interesting.

Also I'm sure you already saw it because I posted the update before you sent your response, but I ended up rounding up the rating for Goodreads to 4. Even though I (mostly) agree with your points on the ending, at the end of the day the writing style and the way the author wove in cultural aspects really won me over. The book is far from perfect but I enjoyed reading it.

I think your point about expecting an epic sci-fi world makes sense, since you went in with SW expectations. I personally didn't even realize there were supposed to be sci-fi aspects until we'd already started, so I went in with less expectations on that front and therefore was less disappointed.

(Also surprisingly, this is the probably the first time I've liked a book more than a buddy-reader)

Yeah the torture scene was really unexpected. It was mostly off-screen but it was Amani's reaction that was horrifying to read about.

And I agree, I'm still hoping for a villain arc for somebody in the second book. I have a feeling Nadine will be a key manipulator of Maram and continue to abuse Amani.

Honestly I went in expecting Star Wars parallels and I think that's what let me down - I wasn't expecting world-building as stunning as the SW galaxy, which has been built up for 45 years, but a story set in space should be a lot more expansive and creative.

That's really interesting, because I usually rate books higher than buddy-readers because it's the activity of discussing everything with others that can make reading a terrible book slightly more bearable for me. And while I did enjoy this book (and especially the discussions with you), there were just too many key aspects that didn't work for me and lowered my overall rating.

Unrelated, but I'm wondering if there are any mod applications open here because this group has been extremely quiet for seemingly ages. I ended up making this thread myself because there was no mod to do it (I did ask like I'm supposed to but there was no response). I'm a very active user and I think I could give it a go insha'Allah.

I'm always the opposite, as much as I love discussing books with others, coming up with things to talk about usually makes me realize more of the issues with a book, which is I guess why I usually rate lower than reading buddies.


As for the mod thing, I have no idea how that works but you could definitely try messaging one of them and seeing if they'd be willing to add you as one. Tbh when I first joined I actually thought you were a mod because of how active you were, so I think you'd be perfect as one.