Author: Zakiya N. Jamal

Zakiya N. Jamal was born in Queens, raised in Long Island, and currently resides in Brooklyn. In other words, she’s a New Yorker through and through. She holds a BA in English from Georgetown University and a MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in Writing for Children and Young Adults from The New School. She has been published in Romper, BuzzFeed, People.com, Thought Catalog, and more. Her non-fiction essay about her "Cuban Impostor Syndrome" can be found in the Latinx anthology, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed. You can find her on Twitter at @ZakiyaNJamal.

Book Review: Wolf by Wolf

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, they host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The prize? An audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele’s twin brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and stay true to her mission?

Purchase From:

Amazon, Indigo, Book Depository

Review

I was hesitant to read this book because I’m not typically a fan of historical fiction. It’s just not my genre. Although I found the beginning of this book rather slow once it picked up it was amazing and I couldn’t put it down. Wolf by Wolf takes place in an alternate universe where the Axis powers actually won World War II and Hitler has power over most of the world. This is a terrifying idea especially considering current times and that alone made my heart race. The main character, Yael, is Jewish and was in a concentration camp with her mother but was able to escape due to a medical procedure that was done to her in the camp. Yael can now change her skin to look like anyone.

Using this ability she sneaks into a huge motorcycle race called the Axis Tour, and her end goal is to win so she can have the opportunity to kill Hitler and start a revolution. But no pressure or anything.

With everything basically riding on Yael to succeed she is determined to do whatever it takes to win but she also tries not to lose herself in the process. This book was filled with action, a very small bit of romance (just the right amount in my opinion), and a lot of emotions. My heart raced with Yael and I never knew what would happen. I absolutely loved this book and I can’t wait to dive into the sequel.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“The world is wrong. I’m just doing my part to fix it.”

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Checkout The Awesome Book Trailer For ‘Air’

Posted on June 24, 2016June 24, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

https://vimeo.com/168124417

Ryan Gattis, author of All Involved and Kung Fu, recently released his new book Air, published by Adaptive Books and exclusively sold at Barnes & Noble. Air is an exciting new novel about a group of teens in Baltimore that do high-octane sports as a form of social activism. Check out the full synopsis below and make sure to grab your copy today!

Synopsis

After 17-year-old Grey witnesses the tragic death of his mother in Colorado, he is shipped off to live with his aunt in inner-city Baltimore, where he struggles to fit in to a new school and community. His new friend Akil introduces him to the enigmatic Kurtis, the leader of a group that uses high-octane sports as a form of social activism. By challenging the police with death-defying stunts and posting videos of them online, Kurtis, Grey, and their group become unlikely heroes in the fight against the prejudice that surrounds them.

As Kurtis takes Grey under his wing, they create a group name, an insignia, and a cause attracting more and more followers as they post videos of their extreme acts. The lines between social activism and criminal behavior blur and their escalating stunts become a rallying point for the underprivileged and disenfranchised around the country, spreading like wildfire across the Internet. How far will Grey and Kurtis go to push their message, and can their friendship withstand their growing notoriety?

Book Review: After This Night

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Their world was passion, pleasure and secrets.

Far too many secrets. But Clay Nichols can’t get Julia Bell out of his mind. He’s so drawn to her, and to the nights they shared, that he can’t focus on work or business. Only her. And she’s pissing him off with her hot and cold act. She has her reasons though–she’s trying to stay one step ahead of the trouble that’s been chasing her for months now, thanks to the criminal world her ex dragged her into. If only she can get out of this mess, then maybe she can invite the man who ignites her back in her life, so she can have him–heart, mind and body.

He won’t take less than all of her, and the full truth too. When he runs into her again at her sister’s wedding, they have a second chance but she’ll have to let him all the way in. And they’ll learn just how much more there is to the intense sexual chemistry they share, and whether love can carry them well past the danger of her past and into a new future, after this night…

Purchase From:

Amazon, Goodreads

Review

As promised here’s my review of the second book in Lauren Blakely’s Seductive Nights series. I bought After This Night immediately after I finished Night After Night because I absolutely needed to know what happened next. If you don’t want to be spoiled for Night After Night stop reading here!

At the end of book one we saw Clay and Julia go their separate ways. After being confronted by “Skunk”, the security guy, outside of Julia’s apartment, Clay decides he can’t trust Julia without an explanation. Unfortunately, Julia couldn’t trust him enough to give him one. Thus they broke up and Clay went home to New York, leaving Julia behind in San Francisco, seemingly for good. Until they started emailing again. A day later. Talk about lack of self-control.

From there it quickly got more intense and needless to say they don’t stay apart for very long. Even so, Julia still needs to pay back her debt and she’s determined to do it on her own, without Clay’s help.

This book was even better than the first one. I liked that Clay and Julia already knew each other at this point and they seemed more in love than before, which was super cute. Clay made me swoon and I just love his relationship with Julia. Plus, I really loved the use of the emails and phone conversations in this book. They were playful and steamy and added to the romance. This series is a case where the sequel is even better than the first one. Definitely pick this up if you haven’t already.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Every woman should be jealous of you because of how I feel for you. “

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Book Review: Night After Night

Posted on June 21, 2016July 12, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Their world was sex, love, and lies.
He intoxicated her. Commanded. Consumed.
With a dirty mind and a mouth to match, Clay Nichols is everything Julia never knew she wanted and exactly what she cannot have. He walked into her life one night and unlocked pleasure in her that she never knew was possible. Possessing her body, captivating her every thought. Which makes him way too dangerous for Julia to risk her heart, given that she has a price tag on her head. She ran after one mind-blowing week with him, but now he’s back, and determined to make her his own.
No matter the cost.
She was a sexy drug to him. Fiery, unforgettable, and never enough, Julia is an enigma, and Clay isn’t willing to let her go without a fight. But she’s got dark secrets of her own that threaten to destroy any chance of happiness. She’s a wanted woman—the stakes are high, her every move is watched, and yet the lure between them can’t be denied. Can two people burned by love trust again when desire and passion are met by danger at every turn?

Purchase From:

Amazon, Goodreads

Review:

Lauren Blakely has become such a guilty pleasure for me. I saw this book on sale for Kindle and I had to buy it. Then when I finished it I had to buy the sequel. So far I’ve resisted buying the third one but honestly it’s only a matter of time.

The version of the novel that I got thankfully came with the short prequel novella, First Night, that explained Julia and Clay’s first night together. I thought that added a lot to the story and I couldn’t imagine diving into this book without having that context so I definitely recommend reading that first.

This story begins when Clay makes his way to Julia’s bar when he’s in San Francisco for business, at the recommendation of Julia’s sister who he met in New York. One thing leads to another and Clay and Julia end up hooking up before Clay has to go back to New York.

But Julia has a messy past that’s currently affecting her present and she hasn’t told anyone about it and doesn’t plan to. Julia wants to handle her troubles on her own, which is why she keeps them a secret from Clay and tries to keep him at a distance. Unfortunately for Julia, her heart and body don’t want to leave Clay alone and Clay definitely doesn’t want to leave her alone.

However what Clay can’t deal with is secrets and lies. After being burned by an ex Clay hates liars but Julia has to lie to keep her secret. Clay has to decide just how much he’s willing to trust Julia even though she doesn’t trust him.

I loved Julia and Clay’s relationship. It was like a better version of Fifty Shades of Grey. They even had emails just like Anna and Christian did (which was my favorite part of that trilogy). It even seemed like Blakely was throwing a dig at Fifty Shades when Clay told Julia, “I’m not playing out some childhood trauma in the way I like to have sex.” Shade or coincidence? We may never know.

Clay and Julia were funny and flirty together and although I started skimming the erotic parts (they all start to sound the same to me) it was still pretty steamy. This was definitely a fun, quick read. I finished it all in one day because I couldn’t put it down. So good!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“If it’s that a drink, no. If purple snow globe is a secret code word for something naughty, I’m game.”

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Book Review: The Raven King

Posted on June 16, 2016June 15, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

*WARNING: This review contains minimal spoilers for the first three books in The Raven Cycle series. Read at your own risk!*

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the characters, especially Henry who entered a more starring role in this novel, and the demon mixed with Piper was interesting. I also really liked the relationships and they gave me all the feels. What I really had a problem with was the plot. I wish I could say I understood the ending or the last 100 pages in general but I didn’t. The book kind of went way left in my opinion. Basically everything I suspected to happen didn’t happen and typically I’m happy to be caught by surprise but in this instance nothing made sense to me.

I’m not going to spoil it but I will say that to me the ending just made Gansey’s whole search for Glendower seem kind of meaningless. Similarly, I was really confused about Noah’s role and honestly I forgot about him multiple times during this book. I had to keep reminding myself who the fourth Raven Boy was and it felt like the reason Henry got a bigger role was because he kind of took Noah’s place. And I really did like Henry and thought he was a great addition, it just seemed strange to me that Noah was kind of phased out.

Also, the whole “Gansey’s going to die,” thing seemed very anticlimactic to me. We were told from the very first book that Gansey was going to die and then how everything played out just seemed kind of lame to me. I expected more. A lot more. If something’s going to be built up for four books I expect it to be a big deal and not what it turned out to be.

But despite these things I also genuinely loved this book, which is why I’m confused. Honestly if you’re a person that loves characters more than plot than you will enjoy this book. If you care more about the plot than you will hate this book. My favorite parts about this book were the relationships honestly. I could reread those scenes over and over again. Everything else I didn’t really care about to be honest. The magic stopped being interesting to me when I no longer understood it. The end just felt too random and it felt like the rules of magic I began to accept from the series suddenly changed.

Have you read The Raven King? Did you like it? Let me know in the comments! I’m dying to discuss this someone!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Adam smiled cheerily. Ronan would start wars and burn cities for that true smile, elastic and amiable.”

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Book Review: The Unexpected Everything

Posted on June 14, 2016November 7, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

Andie has a plan. And she always sticks to her plan.

Future? A top-tier medical school.
Dad? Avoid him as much as possible (which isn’t that hard considering he’s a Congressman and he’s never around).
Friends? Palmer, Bri, and Toby—pretty much the most awesome people on the planet, who needs anyone else?
Relationships? No one’s worth more than three weeks.

So it’s no surprise that Andie’s got her summer all planned out too.

Until a political scandal costs Andie her summer pre-med internship, and lands both she and Dad back in the same house together for the first time in years. Suddenly she’s doing things that aren’t Andie at all—working as a dog walker, doing an epic scavenger hunt with her dad, and maybe, just maybe, letting the super cute Clark get closer than she expected. Palmer, Bri, and Toby tell her to embrace all the chaos, but can she really let go of her control?

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2016 Reading Challenge.*

I’ve never read a book by Morgan Matson but I’m very glad I picked this one up. I ended up going to her book signing and I fell in love with her as a person and then I read The Unexpected Everything and fell in love with her writing. The beginning started a little slow for me and I almost stopped reading but I pushed forward because I’ve heard only good things about Matson’s books and I wanted to know what all the hype was about.

The book started to pick up once Clark came onto the scene and then I was hooked. I was so hooked that I stayed up until 6:30 in the morning just so I could finish it. I needed to know how it’d all end and I was completely happy and satisfied with the ending.

I really loved the romance and chemistry between Clark and Andie. I like that it didn’t feel like an insta-love situation like a lot of young adult romances are (not that I don’t love those too but I also like change). Clark and Andie’s relationship seemed genuine and I like how they got to know each other and Andie learned to let go with him.

I also especially liked Andie’s friendship with Palmer, Bri, and Toby. I was jealous of it to be honest. I don’t remember my high school experience being as fun as there’s seems to be and the way they all worked together was awesome and really special. Of course, they also had their issues but nothing that they did seemed out of character to me and Matson wrote a really good story about friendship and love.

Now I can’t wait to read some of her other books. I’ve definitely joined the Morgan Matson bandwagon and I have no regrets.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I think there’s something to saying it in front of people. It’s like it means more when you say it out loud, where everyone can hear you.”

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Book Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Posted on June 9, 2016June 9, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.

Mothers can disappear.

Visions can mislead.

Certainties can unravel.

*Note: There will be minor spoilers for The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves in this review. Read at your own risk*

So far Blue Lily, Lily Blue is the most action packed book in The Raven Cycle series. While everyone is looking for Blue’s mother, Maura, new characters show up in town causing even more havoc. It feels like the Raven Boys and Blue are being hit on all sides and they still haven’t found Glendower. The stress and anticipation is building because just as the group discovers more answers they’re also left with even more questions.

I have to say this book was my favorite so far. We learned a lot more about each of the characters and it really feels like the Raven Boys and Blue’s friendship is super solid now. Also the addition of Gansey’s friend, Malory, to the group was really funny and interesting since he’s an old man. It was cool seeing how Ronan and Adam bonded over their annoyance with Malory, and Malory’s dog was also an interesting addition.

The ending of this book really took me by surprise and once again I absolutely loved it. I definitely understand now what Maggie Stiefvater was saying about how she always ends her books on a cliffhanger. She really does. I’m so glad I already have The Raven King because if I had to wait to get it from the library I would’ve been very upset. I don’t know how people waited years to know what happened next. I would’ve lost it.

I’m super excited and also very nervous to now be on the last book in the series. I don’t want it to end but I also really want to know what happens. If you haven’t picked up the Raven Cycle series yet make sure to do so ASAP. It’s definitely worth a read.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

There was something unfamiliar about him. Something ferocious about his eyes, some sort of bite in his faint smile. Something altogether hectic and unsettled. She stood on the ledge of his smile and looked over the edge.

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ARC Book Review: You Know Me Well

Posted on June 7, 2016July 12, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis from Amazon:

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other — and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

*I received a free digital advanced reader’s copy of this book from St. Martin’s Griffin via NetGalley. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on June 7, 2016.*

I wanted this book to be like Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares (which I loved) and not like Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List (which I didn’t finish). This book fell somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. I really liked Mark. I thought he was sweet, witty, and kind of dorky and I totally related to his relationship/friendship with Ryan. I also liked Kate. I understood her anxiety and her fear and I found that 100 percent relatable. I hated her friend, Lehna, though. She was so irritating and I kind of skimmed her dialogue and I agreed with Kate in that I didn’t understand why they were friends.

Truthfully my biggest issue with this book was how it was written. That’s not to say that the writing itself was bad. It wasn’t. It was really good actually and I feel like I learned a lot about the LGBTQ community and some of their struggles that I myself as a cisgender straight woman could never understand. What I didn’t like was that the chapters didn’t say if it was Matt or Katie’s point of view. For the most part they just switch back and forth except there are two chapters of Matt back to back at one point and that threw me off for a second before I caught on. I found that irritating and I just think it makes sense to identify the narrator when you have a book that alternates POV.

Also, based on the synopsis I was under the impression that this book would take place in the span of one night but it didn’t. It took place in the span of about a week, which is fine but it just threw me off. I also wish that we got to be a part of the fun party that Katie and Mark go to. We get details about all that really happened later but they just completely skipped it in the present, jumping to the next day, and that really bothered me. I wanted to know what happened. Like I said we get details later but I just didn’t see the point in skipping it and then coming back to it later.

Lastly, I had trouble believing Katie and Mark’s insta-friendship. I just didn’t buy it and it seemed kind of strange to me. Maybe this is just because I’ve never experienced this but they’re immediate friendship didn’t seem genuine or organic to me at all.

Honestly, I just didn’t love this book as much as I would’ve liked to. There were definitely some moments that made me laugh and the poetry slam made me cry, but the book as a whole just didn’t really do it for me. This one has to be a borrow for me.

Stars:

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From Page to Screen: Me Before You

Posted on June 4, 2016June 15, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in From Page to Screen

I was lucky enough to win two “free” (up to $12 value which in NYC doesn’t cover the whole ticket) tickets to see Me Before You and I was super excited because I absolutely loved the book. I feel like I read the book recently enough to do a full comparison between the two and thus begins a new segment on my blog I’m calling From Page to Screen. I hope to do this with some other books to movie/TV in the future but for now here’s my full assessment on Me Before You.

*Note: If you don’t want to be spoiled about the movie and/or the book look away!*

Characters

Emilia Clarke was the perfect Louisa. She was totally awkward and quirky, exactly as I imagined she would be. And the outfits! So spot on! Sam Claflin played such a good Will Traynor and the chemistry between the two of them was undeniable. I absolutely loved it.

Matthew Lewis as Patrick was surprisingly good. Not to say that Matthew is a bad actor but it’s always hard to see an actor who you know as one character (Neville) become someone completely different. But Lewis did an amazing job. I hated Patrick almost as much as I hated him in the book, which was the point.

The whole Clark family was spot on but I definitely liked Treena more in the movie than I did in the books. I think that’s mainly because we don’t really see a lot of her in the movie. In the book she was very bratty to me and I didn’t like how she just expected Lou to pick up the slack and support the family while she went off to school. In the film Lou and Treena are very close and you don’t really see the different dynamics to their relationship as much as you do in the book.

Also, I don’t remember Lou’s mom’s religion be the explicit reason why in the books she didn’t approve of Lou going to be with Will in Switzerland, however in the movie it is heavily implied that that’s the case. Still this was something minor and the fact remains that they got the character of Lou’s mom perfectly.

One character that didn’t make it into the movie was Will’s sister, Georgina. Honestly, I didn’t really miss her that much. She didn’t play a big role in the book so her being taken out wasn’t that big of a deal.

Plot

Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at Jun 28, 10.27.36 PM.png — Source: Wander or Ponder

For the most part the movie stuck to the book but I was very upset that they removed Lou’s rape scene in the maze. This was a major part of the book and the main reason why Lou was so stuck in her town. If you didn’t read the book, Lou went out with her friends and got very drunk. They, along with a group of guys they met, went to the castle and went in the maze. Lou got lost and couldn’t find her way out and she was surrounded by those guys. The next thing she knows she wakes up naked and alone, and Treena had to take her home.

Lou and Treena never spoke about that night again, Lou never hung out with those girls again, and Lou never told anyone about that until Will challenges her to go through the maze and she has a panic attack. Lou finally opens up about what happened that night and how she cancelled the trip she was supposed to take and decided it was better and safer to just stay in her little town.

That was a major plot point and the fact that it wasn’t even mentioned in the film was devastating to me because when I read that in the book I finally felt like I understood Lou. It explained so much about her and why she was the way she was. More than that, to me, it made her relationship with Will seem more real. Will helped her in a lot of ways but Lou opening up to him about that night was a huge turning point in their relationship. To me, that’s when they really started, or at least realized, they were falling in love with each other.

Some smaller plot points that were missing was Mr. Traynor’s (Will’s dad) affair and Lou moving in with Patrick. Both of these weren’t really that big of a deal to me. I hated when Lou moved in with Patrick in the book so I didn’t miss seeing it in the movie. And I was glad Will’s dad was less of a jerk in the movie, plus you could still see how Will’s parents marriage was strained in the movie, just without the affair.

Overall

As always the book was better than the movie. Still, the movie came pretty close and I would definitely see it again. It made me cry just like the book did and I loved seeing these characters come to life on screen. It’s definitely worth seeing if you haven’t already.

Have you seen Me Before You yet? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below!

Now I'll Tell You Everything Book Review

Book Review: Now I’ll Tell You Everything

Posted on June 2, 2016June 1, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

It’s Alice—for the rest of her life! Yes, the very last Alice book, and it reveals every last bit you’d want to know about Alice, including whether she spends the rest of her life with Patrick! “This is the book where Alice, every girl’s girl, turns into every lady’s lady” (VOYA).

Alice McKinley is going to college! And everything, from her room to her classes to her friends, is about to change. Stoically, nervously, Alice puts her best foot forward…and steps into the rest of her life.

Will Alice’s dream of becoming a psychologist come true? Are she and her BFFs destined to remain BFFs? And with so many miles between them, will Alice and Patrick find each other again? Will there be baby Alices in her future? As Alice well knows, life isn’t always so predictable, and there are more than a few curveballs waiting to be thrown her way.

This is it. The grand finale. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Alice McKinley will be revealed!

I’ve read the Alice series for years with my mom and it was so sad to see it come to end but Phyllis Reynolds Naylor ended it perfectly. We get to see Alice go to college, get married, have kids, and so much more. My mom and I were surprised to see how fast the book went in terms of time but Naylor didn’t leave any loose ends.

It was great seeing Alice, Gwen, Liz, Pamela, and Patrick grow up and see what they became. I loved this book but I’m so sad it’s over. I grew up with Alice and so many things she went through were so relatable to me. I’ll miss reading about Alice and her life but I’m just so happy with how it all ended that I can’t complain.

If you haven’t read the Alice series yet I highly recommend it. It’s long but it’s totally worth it. Check it out!

Stars:

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