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A review by haikx
The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book for early access to this book.
This book reminded me a lot of The Book Eaters. I valued the message transmitted through the story, but some details refrained me from loving the book in its entirety.
The fight for women's rights and the challenge to the patriarchal system, together with the topic of hegemonic masculinities from a gender perspective, is something I haven't encountered extensively in the fantasy genre, and I appreciated it.
This book handles all of the above issues in a direct, entertaining, and nonetheless crude way. Injustices and oppressions are constantly present in the story, but also the spirit of effort for a dignified life, equality, and respect for the rights of all people, regardless of their gender or personal beliefs. I loved the incorporation of the topic of alliances among minorities, along with the emphasis on raising awareness of the privilege that cis men have in society. (Something extra that's been widely discussed in gender equality studies, that was also addressed in the story, is that being a queer male does not inhibit anyone from following the behaviors of hegemonic masculinity).
Now, some elements prevented me from giving the story a 5-stars rating.
First, the world-building is little, if not nil. It was difficult for me to situate or reference the story to a particular time period, and I mostly felt confused about how to picture a particular setting inside my head. The magic system is not something new in the genre, but it could have been managed more interestingly. It never became clear how it works, and where it comes from to the point it felt very extra to the story. Finally, overall I found the book to be predictable and the pace slowed to a point where I considered abandoning it.
It hasn't been one of my best reads, but I think that for a debut, it was pretty satisfying.
This book reminded me a lot of The Book Eaters. I valued the message transmitted through the story, but some details refrained me from loving the book in its entirety.
The fight for women's rights and the challenge to the patriarchal system, together with the topic of hegemonic masculinities from a gender perspective, is something I haven't encountered extensively in the fantasy genre, and I appreciated it.
This book handles all of the above issues in a direct, entertaining, and nonetheless crude way. Injustices and oppressions are constantly present in the story, but also the spirit of effort for a dignified life, equality, and respect for the rights of all people, regardless of their gender or personal beliefs. I loved the incorporation of the topic of alliances among minorities, along with the emphasis on raising awareness of the privilege that cis men have in society. (Something extra that's been widely discussed in gender equality studies, that was also addressed in the story, is that being a queer male does not inhibit anyone from following the behaviors of hegemonic masculinity).
Now, some elements prevented me from giving the story a 5-stars rating.
First, the world-building is little, if not nil. It was difficult for me to situate or reference the story to a particular time period, and I mostly felt confused about how to picture a particular setting inside my head. The magic system is not something new in the genre, but it could have been managed more interestingly. It never became clear how it works, and where it comes from to the point it felt very extra to the story. Finally, overall I found the book to be predictable and the pace slowed to a point where I considered abandoning it.
It hasn't been one of my best reads, but I think that for a debut, it was pretty satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Sexism, and Police brutality
Minor: Abortion and Sexual harassment