A review by phyrre
The Quest for the Ring of Power by Samira Ahmed
4.0
You can read my full review on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Den, here.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Overall
I am all about these diverse middle grade adventures that seem to be booming right now. So when I saw one based on Islamic folklore and legend, I was 100% going to jump on that. It’s something I haven’t seen before and something I don’t know as much about, so heck yes! Plus, not gonna lie, I read the first two pages and really enjoyed the slightly snarky narrative style.
The Amira & Hamza series blends science with Islamic legend and folklore in a fast-paced adventure filled with relatable characters, humor, sibling bonds (and rivalry), and lots of exciting creatures and places.
I had a lot of fun with these books! The folklore is intriguing, as are the creatures, and like nothing I’ve ever seen. I absolutely love jinn in books, and this was no exception. This makes for a nice middle-of-the-road middle grade book. The writing and conflict is a bit more simplistic, with large font, even though the page length is a bit longer. Some of the conflicts were resolved kind of easy, but that’s not unexpected. I sure hope there will be more in this series, because I’ve enjoyed adventuring with Amira and Hamza!
My Thoughts
- This sequel is told from two perspectives, both Amira’s and Hamza’s, and it’s about 1,000% funnier than the first because Hamza is a typical 10-year-old and his perspective absolutely cracks me up. I could see how Hamza’s point of view might frustrate some readers, especially older readers, because he’s immature. I mean, he’s 10, so . . . duh. However, he’s still got that weird self-assurance of kids that age, and he’s also easily distract (which I can relate to). So I absolutely loved to addition of his narrative. He’s snarky, but not in a mean-hearted manner. It’s just how he copes with the extremely stressful situation he finds himself in. You know, being kidnapped by a jinn bent on revenge would raise anyone’s blood pressure. Especially since, this time, Hamza doesn’t have his sister there to encourage him.
- As much as the siblings learned to get along better in the first book, they’re still . . . well . . . siblings. They have their squabbles, but at the end of the day, they also have each other’s backs. I absolutely love sibling bonds in books, and this is no exception! When things heat up, of course Amira and Hanza are there for each other and support each other. But the rest of the time? Well, they behave just like siblings, with their small squabbles and disagreements and arguments. It cracked me up and reminded me of how I used to act with my siblings!
- If you thought the moon crashing to Earth wasn’t a big enough threat, how about an even bigger, badder jinn bent on destroying the world? By which I mean, the Big Bad in this book is the father of the Big Bad in the last book. Which makes him the OG Big Bad, Bigger and Badder. He’s not beating around bushes or messing around. In case you don’t remember, he was imprisoned in the moon, and they don’t do that for just anyone. Actually, he’s the only one that received that sentence, so you know he’s not a team player.
While the threat is greater than the last book (arguably, at least), the tension was much lower. I think a lot of this was to do with Hamza’s funny, often flippant, perspective, which sometimes made it hard to take the villain seriously. Which is not a bad thing at all! I’ve noticed a lot of our most popular books at the library doing this, and I think it works well in middle grade.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Overall
I am all about these diverse middle grade adventures that seem to be booming right now. So when I saw one based on Islamic folklore and legend, I was 100% going to jump on that. It’s something I haven’t seen before and something I don’t know as much about, so heck yes! Plus, not gonna lie, I read the first two pages and really enjoyed the slightly snarky narrative style.
The Amira & Hamza series blends science with Islamic legend and folklore in a fast-paced adventure filled with relatable characters, humor, sibling bonds (and rivalry), and lots of exciting creatures and places.
I had a lot of fun with these books! The folklore is intriguing, as are the creatures, and like nothing I’ve ever seen. I absolutely love jinn in books, and this was no exception. This makes for a nice middle-of-the-road middle grade book. The writing and conflict is a bit more simplistic, with large font, even though the page length is a bit longer. Some of the conflicts were resolved kind of easy, but that’s not unexpected. I sure hope there will be more in this series, because I’ve enjoyed adventuring with Amira and Hamza!
My Thoughts
- This sequel is told from two perspectives, both Amira’s and Hamza’s, and it’s about 1,000% funnier than the first because Hamza is a typical 10-year-old and his perspective absolutely cracks me up. I could see how Hamza’s point of view might frustrate some readers, especially older readers, because he’s immature. I mean, he’s 10, so . . . duh. However, he’s still got that weird self-assurance of kids that age, and he’s also easily distract (which I can relate to). So I absolutely loved to addition of his narrative. He’s snarky, but not in a mean-hearted manner. It’s just how he copes with the extremely stressful situation he finds himself in. You know, being kidnapped by a jinn bent on revenge would raise anyone’s blood pressure. Especially since, this time, Hamza doesn’t have his sister there to encourage him.
- As much as the siblings learned to get along better in the first book, they’re still . . . well . . . siblings. They have their squabbles, but at the end of the day, they also have each other’s backs. I absolutely love sibling bonds in books, and this is no exception! When things heat up, of course Amira and Hanza are there for each other and support each other. But the rest of the time? Well, they behave just like siblings, with their small squabbles and disagreements and arguments. It cracked me up and reminded me of how I used to act with my siblings!
- If you thought the moon crashing to Earth wasn’t a big enough threat, how about an even bigger, badder jinn bent on destroying the world? By which I mean, the Big Bad in this book is the father of the Big Bad in the last book. Which makes him the OG Big Bad, Bigger and Badder. He’s not beating around bushes or messing around. In case you don’t remember, he was imprisoned in the moon, and they don’t do that for just anyone. Actually, he’s the only one that received that sentence, so you know he’s not a team player.
While the threat is greater than the last book (arguably, at least), the tension was much lower. I think a lot of this was to do with Hamza’s funny, often flippant, perspective, which sometimes made it hard to take the villain seriously. Which is not a bad thing at all! I’ve noticed a lot of our most popular books at the library doing this, and I think it works well in middle grade.