Young Adult Books & Reviews

Beneath The Crimson Circle – A Review

Posted on by Papatia

Assalamu aleikum dear Readers.

Summary:

A dead archaeologist. A stolen artifact. A lost treasure. Are the three mysteries tied together?

That’s what teenage sleuths Zahra, her brother Zaid, and their friends Adam and Layla must discover during their vacation to exotic Noha Island. They are convinced that Idris, a university student, has been framed for the murder and they vow to catch the real killer. Soon, they’re in pursuit of multiple suspects and wriggling out of one sticky situation after another. As they come closer and closer to the truth, danger lurks at every corner.

Unfortunately, time is running out for Idris. As his trial approaches, the teenagers must make one more desperate bid to ambush the enemy. Will their ruse work or are they destined to become the ones ensnared?

Beneath the Crimson Circle is the intriguing fourth book in The Moon of Masarrah Series.

Review: Beneath the Crimson Circle by Farah Zaman is a mystery and fantasy young adult read. In this book, our teenage sleuths are back with another thrilling murder to solve because they are always eager to lend a hand. They call themselves nosy, and I like it! The brave gang easily navigate the deceptive world of adults at times because it’s easy to discount children and sometimes their investigative skills is at their own peril because not everyone is so trusting of children their age.

Layla, Zahra, Adam and Zaid have a dead archeologist, a lost treasure and a lost artifact which might be connected somehow on their hands.

The dead archeologist is “Enemy of the State.” This means anybody this archeologist worked with had a motive.

The lost treasure is believed to be a myth and a folk tale locally but to some believers of lost treasures like archeologists and antique thieves, the lost treasure is not a joke.

Then, we have a missing artifact from a well-known local museum which seems like a distraction. Or is it? That’s the question that Layla and her zumrah decipher wittily and successfully in this tome with the help of other adults and four other students; two of which are West African characters with names well-cherished in their Muslim part of the world. I really wish to see more of these two characters in subsequent tomes.

Finally, we also learn that appearances are misleading among other things. Overall, Beneath the Crimson Circle surprises the reader at every turn and is an absolute page turner! I could hardly put it down in the two and half days I read it. It has been a while since a book has occupied most of my waking thoughts like this book did. I am usually good at turning off my thoughts when I close a book to attend to other tasks. However, this skill of mine turned out to be very difficult to implement with this read. The reason is simple: Beneath the Crimson Circle has an engaging plot. It is well-written and edited. Also cryptic, Zaman delivers yet another compelling YA book in her growing mystery series. Well done.

Rating: 5/5

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The Candle and The Flame — An Interview with the Author

Posted on by Papatia

Between Sisters, SVP!

Nafiza the candle and the flame

Nafiza Azad is an avid reader and reviewer of YA books. Today she is at our bookstore to discuss her debut YA high fantasy novel The Candle and the Flame. To give you a little background on this book, please read the summary below.

Azad’s debut YA fantasy is set in a city along the Silk Road that is a refuge for those of all faiths, where a young woman is threatened by the war between two clans of powerful djinn.

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population — except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is…

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Ayesha Dean and The Seville Secret’s Online Book Launch!

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Interviewer: Papatia Feauxzar

Interviewee: Melati Lum

The Seville Secret — An Interview with the Author

Ayesha Dean is back with another mystery to resolve in The Seville Secret and our bookstore is excited to get an interview with the author.

Q1- Did you have to go on a literary pilgrimage for this second tome?

A1- Yes! Just like I drew on my visit to Istanbul with The Istanbul Intrigue, I did the same with some scenes in The Seville Secret, although I went there many years ago. The first time I visited Seville and Cordoba, I loved Andalusia so much that I found myself back there again a few years later, but I added Granada, Madrid, and Barcelona to our itinerary as well as returning to Seville and Cordoba. Making those trips and seeing so many sights of historical significance to Muslim rule in Andalusia touched me deeply. It felt amazing to walk the halls and passages of our ancient brethren and to imagine what life would have been like in the ‘Golden Age’ of Islam when the pursuit of knowledge in the arts, philosophy, spirituality, medicine, architecture, music, astrology, and beyond was celebrated and encouraged. It was also an excellent reminder of the temporariness of worldly power and how things can change very quickly in a relatively short space of time.

Q2- I loved the story as it shares a lost Islamic history in a non-preachy way. Additionally, I felt like the story had a very platonic romantic vibe; something I appreciated and it’s something that’s rarely done in YA these days. Everybody is dating in almost all YA books. Was the vibe I felt in Ayesha Dean II intentional for the young adult crowd?

A2- Yes, with respect to the innocent romance. Even though Ayesha Dean and her friends are older teens, I’m conscious of the book being directed at middle-graders, so I didn’t want the love aspect to play too much of a role. ‘Love’ as a pre-teen can be a new and exciting concept, but I think the majority of parents who buy books for their children agree that any ‘love scenes’ should be PG-rated for a children’s book.

Definitely!

Q3- How do you define success in the writing industry?

A3- Success means so many different things to different people. Even within myself, I have different ‘levels’ of success for different aspects of my writing. The writing industry is so wide that it would be difficult to provide an unqualified answer (that’s probably the lawyer in me speaking). I feel like I have achieved some success in writing and publishing a book series that has made a lot of young people happy to see that someone they can relate to is represented in a story book. I’ve written stories that I would have loved reading as a Muslim child growing up as a minority. The positive feedback I’ve received from teachers, parents and children has been an absolute pleasure to behold. But does that mean I think I’ve written a literary masterpiece? No way! In the writing aspect I know I have much to learn. I feel like my writing has improved with the second book, and I fully intend to keep improving as I go along.

Q4- How do you deal with good and bad reviews?

A4- Good reviews are always a pleasure to read! Bad reviews are infinitely less pleasurable. Once I get over the initial hurt of a bad review, I try to approach it with an open mind. I do my best to take constructive criticism on board. But if the criticism isn’t constructive, I try my best to put it out of my mind. I know different things appeal to different people. You can’t always please everyone in life!

Q5- What do you want your readers to take away from this book?

A5- As our world becomes more globalized, and people of all cultures are becoming more integrated in society, I think it’s crucial that more diversity is represented in the books we read. It’s important for Muslims to also be represented among the thousands of heroines or heroes available in children’s literature. I hope that Ayesha Dean can teach children a little bit about Muslims and Islam, and from the resulting familiarity and empathy, both Muslim and non-Muslim kids can benefit by learning more about the world around them.

Melati, thank you for being with us.

Readers, please check out the review of Ayesha Dean – The Seville Secret below.

 

Ayesha Dean — The Seville Secret is the next tome in the cozy mystery series of Australian author Melati Lum.

Summary

Ayesha, Sara and Jess are back in an exciting new adventure, and this time they’re off to Spain! When a fellow passenger’s beloved grandpa strangely disappears, Ayesha and her friends gladly join in the search for the missing person. But as Ayesha delves further into the mystery, the more sinister the stakes become! Ayesha finds a link between the missing person and a 16th century diary that contains clues to an ancient mystery. However, each step closer to discovery seems to pose greater chances of peril. Can Ayesha uncover the truth without putting herself and her friends in mortal danger?

Like Ayesha Dean – The Istanbul Intrigue , book two is also a pleasantly fast read. Ayesha and her friends Sara and Jessica befriend a young man whose grandpa is in trouble. Once in Spain, the girls lend the young man some help to resolve the mystery surrounding his family. This leads them to admire and discover the landmarks in the cities they sight-see, witness the culture and most importantly for me, savor the local food! I happily made Churros while reading this book, and you won’t regret doing the same as it was a good reading companion.

In Ayesha Dean — The Seville Secret, Ayesha upgrades her sleuthing skills. We also find out that Dean can be an Imam and an Accountant with a penchant for the right kind of asceticism. Furthermore, she is a good ambassador of Islam. This is demonstrated by her nice manners such as her willingness to help anyone who asks to pitch in. Dean’s subtle devotion to her faith is a great plus. Thus, her non-Muslim uncle and friends Sara and Jessica have no issue with Islam.

Now, because Ayesha is still young, her uncle doesn’t completely appreciate the fact that she puts the lot of them in danger, and we can understand his concerns. She is dealing once again with unsavory gangsters. Ayesha reassures him to be more careful and takes the necessary precautions to avoid causing harm to herself and her friends.

From devouring delicious Spanish food, uncovering sad and loving family histories and ancestries, evading and exposing dangerous treasure seekers to making appropriate and exciting friendships, this is the book you want your teenager to read in an overly materialistic society.

You can find out about Melati Lum on her website www.melatilum.com.au.

You can follow her on social by clicking on the following:

https://www.facebook.com/melatilum.author/

https://www.instagram.com/melati.lum/

https://twitter.com/melatilum

To end, I highly recommend Ayesha Dean — The Seville Secret to the teen in you and around you who fancy cool and exciting Middle Grade and YA books.

Our Rating: 4.5/5

Original Source: Fofky’s Blog

The Ducktrinors I & II – A Review by The Tsundoku Chronicles

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“I really enjoyed this book. It was so nice to see Muslim characters and I love that more books are coming out with Muslim rep. When I first heard of the book I was really intrigued as it was a science fiction book and I don’t really see that in Islamic fiction.
I enjoyed reading this from the first page. I really liked how brave and courageous that Hanifa was as she lived in a world where any small indication that you practice and religious activity is punishable by death. So no one can pray, fast or anything else that shows you practice a faith. It’s a world where technological advancement is the most important thing. She eventually becomes the leader of a rebellion in which people seek the freedom to practice their religion and she goes in search of the people of cave.
She also gains the support of her siblings and grandfather. I also liked her brother Malik who also plays a main role. We see everything happening from both their point of views.
I loved how the history of the world is shown to us with memories and flashbacks. The plot is great and kept me interested throughout and i loved the build up. It’s definitely worth reading especially for teenagers and young adults.”— The Tsundoku Chronicles

Rating: 4/5

the ducktrinors rrathon

Episode 31 with guest Papatia Feauxzar Author of The Ducktrinors (Book I & Book II)

Posted on by Papatia

Episode 31 with guest Papatia Feauxzar Author of The Ducktrinors (Book I & Book II)

 

Recently I was able to review ‘The Ducktrinors Books 1 And 2 ‘YA. It was a nice change to read a YA book for Muslims, it had a lot of Islamic history and tradition but also addressed some of the issues that Young Muslims are facing in today’s Society. As a mom of pre-teens Its exciting to finally have books for their age group and older.

The Novel was written by Papatia Feauxzar an American author, barista, and publisher of West African descent living in Dallas, Texas with her son and husband. She holds a master’s degree in Accounting with a concentration in Personal Finance. After working as an accountant for a corporate firm for almost five years, Feauxzar decided to pursue Accounting from home while homeschooling her son. She is currently working toward obtaining her CPA license. Feauxzar then plans to obtain her Ph.D. in Accounting. Feauxzar also blogs at Between Sisters, SVP! or A Ducktrinor Mom. She is the Love and Relationship Editor at Hayati Magazine, and she has written for AboutIslam, MVSLIM, and SISTERS Magazine. You can visit her websites at www.djarabikitabs.com or www.fofkys.com.

Summary:

“The world is coming to an end and Hanifa Ducktrinor can feel it. The seculars rule the world. And keeping the sunnah and the deen intact becomes a challenge then. Hanifa, the cadette of the Ducktrinor family, is a courageous young Muslim living in a time where practicing her religion is really hard. She wants to be the courageous educated Coreishy woman she dreams of every day.

She also wants to find the people of the cave and fights alongside with them, Jesus (Issa-aleihi salam), and Mahdi with the vouching cloud when the cave opens and the prediction about Yajud and Majud (Gog and Magog) will occur. When the opportunity presents itself to Hanifa to fight for her dreams, she realizes that she might have gotten in way over her head at the Battle of the Stadium.

Her brother Malik wants to be a teacher. And he knows that be a scholar, you must have ilm-knowledge, amal-obedience to Islam do and don’ts, and ikhlas-doing everything only to please Allah subhana wa ta ala. Malik Ducktrinor really knows this. Since childhood, he has always striven for a steadfast faith so that he could perform a keeramat. Thus, he learned the deen and took his connection to His Creator seriously. Will Malik be able to save the day at the Battle of the Stadium?”

In this Episode we discussed

  • Why Papatia chose a young Adults Novel
  • Which is harder being an Author or Publisher?
  • Which Characters we liked the most
  • How Papatia balances, being a Wife, Mother, Author, Publisher, Accountant, and Blogger.

Here is where you can Purchase the book:

Amazon eBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRHLSCD

Amazon paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947148109

Immediate press release: https://www.djarabikitabs.com/bloge/2018/3/7/press-release-the-ducktrinors-book-i-book-ii-by-papatia-feauxzar

Djarabi Kitab Publishing website: https://www.djarabikitabs.com/bookstore/the-ducktrinors-book-i-book-ii 

Thank you for listening, Don’t forget to Subscribe in iTunes and leave a rate and review so more people can find the podcast.

Original article.

Book Review : THE DUCKTRINORS

Posted on by Papatia

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The Book: The Ducktrinors (Book I & Book II) (Jihad Series)

Author: Papatia Feauxzar

Available at: Amazon (Ebook, Paperback), Djarabi Kitabs Publishing

 

I was eager to read this book-The Ducktrinors – a Muslim science fiction of Young Adult genre because that is a new hybrid genre to get hands on.

First things first. The Ducktrinors is the family of the central characters in the book- a seventeen-year-old girl, Hanifa Ducktrinor and her brother Malik Ducktrinor, an eighteen-year-old boy. The story unfolds through the Ducktrinor family- Dad, Mom, Grandfather and the children.

The Plot

The story happens in the future when the world is running on advanced technology. The world is then divided into two- the religious sect and the irreligious sect. The religion haters are ruling the world and anyone who believes otherwise is hunted down. The Ducktrinors is one of the persecuted family who relocates to Brazil at the beginning of the story. With the strong Islamic foundation in the Ducktrinors family, Hanifa Ducktrinor along with her brother Malik Ducktrinor form an army to challenge the evil forces. The plot is how they do it and what happens next.

If you love the plots of series like Harry Potter and Hunger Games, you will love reading this.

The Tone

The best thing I loved about the book is its narration.

The book is a great page turner and lures us till the end. Papatia narrates the chapters from different timelines and this leaves the reader curious until the end. The story reveals through various characters and the usage of self-talk is a win-win. The plot is very fast paced and includes so many characters and details. But telling the story through people makes it simple to follow along.

The book includes a very vast reference to the Islamic history including the Sahabas and Imams and our contemporary legends like Ibthihaj Muhammad. There are a good number of references to Quranic etiquettes, hadith and Duas and religious terminologies(for which a detailed appendix is given).

The Cast

The success of a book is when the characters begin to take shape inside the reader’s head. Though there were many characters, vivid descriptions made them stand alone throughout. The Ducktrinors family is an Islamic household and the relationships between them connect us in a deep level- especially the ties between Hanifa and her grandfather.

Apart from the human characters, there are some very creative futuristic gadgets like the Mechanical Horses and Niqabaya 1.0(metaphorically mentioned as “a safe mode of transportation”) and supernatural things like Vampires that show up in the story.

The Ducktrinors is the family of the central characters in the book- a seventeen-year-old girl, Hanifa Ducktrinor and her brother Malik Ducktrinor, an eighteen-year-old boy. The story unfolds through the Ducktrinor family- Dad, Mom, Grandfather and the children. 

The Message

The author clearly passes an Islamic perspective on various issues through the book. The book demands the youth for a purpose driven life rather than following the crowd. It asserts the importance of standing united despite our differences of any kind- religion, nation, color or creed- when fighting against evil and injustice. However, the book makes it clear that the fight or Jihad is against all kind of persecutors- including Muslim/ Jewish/Christian/atheist extremists who are not inclusive of other religions in their definition of a peaceful world.

The author weaves basic Muslim lifestyle into the story through the life of the lead characters. The references to Muslim history and heroes are add-ons that convey the message to the youth.Hanifa and Malik inspire the readers to start learning and doing something together to make the world a better place.

What I struggled with

The one thing I struggled with was regarding the usage of some present terms in the storyline. The evil forces named “Seculars” hunted the Ducktrinors and other Muslim families. It initially left a confusion in me as it felt like projecting Islam is against Secularism. As I continued reading, I found the Seculars was only a name of the anti-religious sect. Using any other straight word would not have caused this dilemma.

One of the reasons I generally don’t choose to read current Young Adult genre is the unnecessary focus on sensual aspects of characters. Though in a few places, The Ducktrinors also includes such references. The author used them to show the deteriorated moral standards of the society in future and as a teenage fantasy. Yet I felt them avoidable. And in few instances, they seemed out of context.

Another thing is that there are too many Islamic preachings in the book. I loved it while reading but felt like I couldn’t retain much of it later as the plot itself was very rich one.

DISCLAIMER: I was sent a copy of the e-book for review purposes. All the opinions expressed are only my own.

 

About the Author

The book is a definite proof of authors writing craftsmanship and deep knowledge. And it is an inspiration to writers to venture into this new field of Muslim YA fiction.

Papatia Feauxzar is an American author of West African descent living in Dallas.She is also a trader of Muslim merchandise including books at Fofky’s which is an Online Book and Coffee/Tea Shop to compliment Her publishing house (Djarabi Kitabs Publishing). She writes for many online platforms including AboutIslam, SISTERS, Hayati Magazine and Khadija Magazine.

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Original Post.

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE : THE DUCKTRINORS BOOK I & BOOK II BY PAPATIA FEAUXZAR

Posted on by Papatia

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A MUSLIM YOUNG ADULT BOOK CENTERED AROUND THE DEEN

DALLAS, TX — March 28th, 2018. DJARABI KITABS PUBLISHING officially released  The Ducktrinors Book I & Book II by American and Black Muslim Author, Papatia Feauxzar.

The author has written in many genres but she still feels like a child at heart. “I wrote ‘The Ducktrinors‘ to inspire the Muslim Youth so that they realize that they have more than enough Muslim heroes to fashion themselves after.” — Papatia Feauxzar

DJARABI KITABS PUBLISHING is republishing tome I titled Hanifa with the much awaited tome II titled Malik with this edition.

“Papatia’s work is addicting in that love of the craft is immistakable through her skill. I’m seriously enraptured with the level of detail involved with everything from content to technical aspects of The Ducktrinors and as a word nerd myself I now aspire to the honor of reviewing all her works… Papatia’s world is one of style. May it be laced with Divine grace…it is as Allah wills…”— Maryam Miller, Maryam Miller Writes

“Finally! Papatia Feauxzar has tapped her distinct noveling style into a fast-paced, futuristic novel with a decidedly Muslim flavor. As one of Papatia’s editors, I think that I’ve read almost all of her stories, and Ducktrinors is definitely my favorite, so far. Although it’s written mostly for a younger audience, Papatia has crafted another fun, slightly-awkward, but smart female protagonist in Hanifa Ducktrinor, and I enjoyed watching her problem-solve to save the world (and her own behind!)… I’m also excited that this is a series, as we just don’t get enough of them! Looking forward to more and more from Papatia, insha’Allah.”— Brooke Benoit, A Clichéd Life

“This book is a mixture of sci-fi, futuristic, and it also has a strong Islamic theme. Hanifa and her team have surely grown on me and I can see them being likable amongst the teens. The good versus evil reminded me a lot of the end of times.”— Mrs. Shoohada Khanom, Children Book Author of Kamilah the Butterfly, Imagine, Who Could I Be, and Little Blue Skater Boy.

“… Unique – in a great way. It blends sci-fi, futuristic, and dystopia pretty well. Neat gadgets – mechanical horse and some other tech ideas were pretty neat. Sylas is a bad guy people can hate. Dawud is a great side character. Jihad gets a bad rap these days because of the crazy people running around with suicide bombs. It’s interesting to see the Secular sect portrayed as the bad guys.”— Julie C.Gilbert, The Collins Case (Heartfelt Cases Book 1)

“…This is a wonderful story, written beautifully and filled with great Islamic historical references. It was breathtaking to read a story so relevant today. From the outset you are deeply connected to the main character and her struggles and you’re gripped to read on and discover what will be of her and her family. Such a great, exciting read, with highs and lows and a story that really does take you on a journey of what it means to be Muslim for Hanifa.”— Sarah Javed, Author of I’m So Angry!

The Ducktrinors Book I & Book II additionally received several acclaimed feedback and critics from editors. Feauxzar shared one with us.

“I love that you feature a Muslim protagonist whose faith is important to her, and this aspect of her life is a huge part of the story, yet the genre itself is a poignant (and timely) sci-fi/dystopian. So cool! …One of your best writing assets in this draft is your ability to write engaging, authentic dialogue (yay!). This is no easy feat! “— Kate Angelella, Angelella Editorial. Experienced YA/MG editor, formerly of Simon & Schuster Children’s Books.

Join DJARABI KITABS PUBLISHING from March 31st to April 4th, 2018 for the blog tour.

About the author:

Papatia Feauxzar is an American author, barista, and publisher of West African descent living in Dallas, Texas with her son and husband. She holds a master’s degree in Accounting with a concentration in Personal Finance. After working as an accountant for a corporate firm for almost five years, Feauxzar decided to pursue Accounting from home while homeschooling her son. She is currently working toward obtaining her CPA license. Feauxzar then plans to obtain her PhD in Accounting.

She also blogs at Between Sisters, SVP! or A Ducktrinor Mom . She is the Love and Relationship Editor at Hayati Magazine. She has written for AboutIslam, MVSLIM, and SISTERS Magazine. You can visit her websites at www.djarabikitabs.com or www.fofkys.com.

The Ducktrinors Book I & Book II is available on Djarabi Kitabs Publishing‘s website , Amazon on eBook, hardback and  paperback formats, and Fofky’s Online Book Cafe.

CONTACTS

Djarabi Kitabs Publishing

PO BOX 703733

Dallas, TX 75370

USA

Email: editor@djarabikitabs.com

Originally published at Djarabi Kitabs Publishing‘s website here.