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: Gilded

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting into a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she’s next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There’s also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae’s heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae’s been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she’s always been looking for.

*I received a free digital copy of this book from Skyscape 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 is now on sell at Amazon.com.*

According to Amazon, this book has been on my wish list since February 22, 2014. Therefore you can only imagine my excitement when I received a free copy of it. You can then fully understand my disappointment when I didn’t love it.

Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate this book. It had a great plot filled with mystery and a romance that I really enjoyed. But the spark wasn’t there. I was excited to keep reading. I was never on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen next. The protagonist, Jae Hwa, didn’t draw me in. I wanted to feel bad for her and everything she was struggling with but I just didn’t. I couldn’t get invested in her character.

My biggest issue with Jae Hwa was how often she discovered she was wrong about something. “I was wrong. Again,” was one of her most popular lines. At first it was fine because of course she wouldn’t fully understand how to fight against an ancient demi-god that’s been kidnapping the ladies in her family for centuries. Who would? But after a while it just got annoying. At some point you’d think she’d get the hang of things. Or, at least not be so surprised when she was, once again, wrong.

Moreover, her father infuriated me. I could understand why he wouldn’t believe that a demi-god was after his daughter. What I couldn’t understand was him not being around a lot but towards the end of the novel suddenly being really stressed about losing his daughter, especially since he lost his wife to cancer. He was so adamant about how he’d be devastated if something happened to Jae Hwa but dismissed her concerns about living in Korea over and over again. I understand plot wise why he couldn’t very well say, “Yes, Jae Hwa. Let’s leave Korea.” But if that’s the case don’t make it seem like his greatest desire in life is to keep her safe or at least don’t wait until the end of the book to make those feelings evident.

My favorite characters of the whole novel were, Marc, the love interest, and Michelle, the best friend who in my opinion did not get enough scenes in this novel. I really liked Marc. The romance between him and Jae Hwa is mostly what made me push through this novel. And I loved Michelle. She was honest and a little sassy; my favorite combination.

Overall, this book had it’s downfalls but I think the idea behind it was good and maybe it just wasn’t for me. Either way, I’d say if you’re going to read it, borrow it.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow.

Stars:

2 stars

Favorite Line:

“Disbelief is the root of the impossible.”

Other Reviews

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Book Review: The Girl On The Train

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Honestly, I’m not sure if The Girl on the Train or Go Set Watchmensold more copies this year. Either way, The Girl on the Train was a runaway bestseller and I can see why.

I absolutely loved this novel. This is what I like to call “Miss Your Stop On The Train” good. I was so sucked into everything going on this novel. Told in three different women’s point of views: Rachel’s, in the present; Anna, the wife of Rachel’s ex, also in the present; and Megan (“Jess”), in the past.

Recently divorced and an alcoholic, Rachel is having a tough go at it. She’s struggling to let go of her past with her ex-husband, Tom, and gets enthralled with a couple that lives a few houses down from her former home. Referring to them as “Jess and Jason” Rachel sees them as the perfect couple she wishes she and her ex-husband could be, or rather, could’ve been.

Paula Hawkins perfectly weaves the narratives of these three women together, giving readers and air of mystery by making us wonder who to believe. Each woman has her own story of events and it’s impossible to figure out the truth until the near end. I was happily shocked once I figured it out and wasn’t disappointed by the ending at all.

At times, I will say, Rachel and the other narrators did annoy me with their whining, but I’d say the only one I really couldn’t stand was Anna and I believe she had the smallest parts so that was fine. Rachel was my favorite. Although she definitely has her faults, I couldn’t help but root for her to get better. Of course a lot of her troubles were of her own doing but not all of it was and I felt sorry for her. More than that, Rachel consistently tried to do what she believed was right and I loved her all the more for it.

I greatly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I’m interested to see what Hawkins will come up with next.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!! So great. I’d love to give it a second read, knowing how it ends now.

Favorite Line:

It’s possible to miss what you’ve never had, to mourn for it.

Stars:

5 stars

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The Ultimate Man Crush Monday Is …

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

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Jace Wayland from The Mortal Instruments! 

Winning with 66.67 percent of the votes, Jace has been declared the ultimate Man Crush. With his fierce, golden eyes, Shadowhunter bod, and magical way with words it’s no surprise he’s the winner. I fell in love with Jace when I quickly read through the whole Mortal Instruments series these past few months and I still enjoy his way with words.

In a not so far off second place was, Maxon Schreave. Loveable, a little dorky, and now a hot dad, Maxon is totally crush-worthy and I’m surprised this final battle wasn’t closer. Maxon is also known for his excellent love quotes and sweeping women off their feet. He’s the kind of prince some girls dream about. If you haven’t checked him out in The Selection series yet you absolutely must. You’ll fall in love.

This wraps up my Man Crush Monday series. To learn more about what’ll be happening (or not happening) with MCMs and WCWs in the future just click the link for more information and stay tuned for the Woman Crush Wednesday face off.

The End of MCMs and WCWs

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

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Hi followers! Some of you may have noticed that there was no Man Crush Monday this week and in recent weeks they’ve been getting posted later and later in the day. If you haven’t noticed this then don’t worry about it and check out my latest book review by clicking the link in the side bar or just scroll past this.

The truth is I’ve just started a new job and besides that I’m also just working on some other writing projects. That being said I’m just busy and although my blog is a high priority there’s certain parts of it (book reviews) that are more important than others (Man Crush Mondays). Therefore, for the time being Man Crush Mondays and Woman Crush Wednesdays are on hold.

I’ll be posting the winner of the Man Crush Monday Face Off this Friday and that’ll be it for Man Crush Monday. There will be a Woman Crush Wednesday Face Off in the future but I can’t promise when. For now there will still be book reviews posted every Tuesday and Thursday as well as other book related content including occasional polls and some new stuff I want to try out.

For the most part my focus for this blog will be the book reviews. That’s the main reason I started this blog and I think I owe it to you guys to continue to do it but more than that I just love reviewing books. I will continue to write as much as possible and give this blog all my love and care because it’s a site I’m really proud of and I have no intention of letting it go anytime soon.

Thank you to all my followers that have stuck with me this long and to my new followers, thanks for joining this crazy group of book nerds.

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Book Review: Why Not Me?

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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Synopsis from Amazon.com:

In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.

In “How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet’s Confessions,” Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, (“Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn’t the land of appropriate–this is Hollywood, baby. Out here, a dark-skinned woman’s traditional hair color is honey blonde.”) “Player” tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.”) In “Unlikely Leading Lady,” she muses on America’s fixation with the weight of actresses, (“Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they’re walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.”) And in “Soup Snakes,” Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak (“I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.”)

Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.

I loved Mindy Kaling’s first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, and although Why Not Me? was great, I don’t think it was as good as her first book.

For this book I actually bought the audiobook, which is something I rarely do because I cancelled my Audible membership so I have to pay the outrageous price to get it and I don’t have money like that. However, for Kaling I did it because I love her and honestly I don’t regret the decision because it was great to listen to the book but it’s definitely not something I needed to purchase.

Kaling had me laughing as she recounted stories about starting her own show, her dating woes, and what it means to be confident. I loved her anecdotes, especially her one about meeting President Obama, and she gave valuable life advice. Honestly, my only complaint about this book was that it felt like it was missing something. Maybe it was because I couldn’t help but compare it to her first book, but this one just didn’t do it for me the way her first book did.

I will say I loved learning more about her and B.J. Novak’s interesting relationship, or as they affectionately refer to it, “Soup Snakes”. That was one of the highlights of this book for me. Also, if I ever do meet her in person my first question is going to be is the airplane scene between Mindy and Danny on her show based on the airplane scene that she describes between herself and Novak in this book? I would guess it is because the two scenes are too similar not to be.

Overall, I do recommend this book to read but not to buy. I don’t think this is one I would reread. I think I got everything I needed from it in the first read and although it’s nice to have it’s not a necessary addition to my audio bookshelf. Definitely check out if you haven’t yet. It is pretty good.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow.

Favorite Line:

If someone really wants to see you they always find a way. Always

Stars:

4 stars

Other Reviews

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Book Review: City of Heavenly Fire

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Shadowhunters and demons square off for the final showdown in the spellbinding, seductive conclusion to the #1 “New York Times” bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian–but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance… Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change. Who will survive the explosive sixth and final installment of the Mortal Instruments series?

If you’ve been following by blog for at least the last month then you know that I have fallen deeply in love with The Mortal Instruments series. I have now read every book in the series and have made most of the main characters either a Man Crush Monday or Woman Crush Wednesday. Needless to say I was obsessed. And, sadly, now it’s all over and I’m at a loss as to what to do with myself.

Thankfully, there’s more books to read! The Infernal Devices! The Bane Chronicles! The Dark Artifices (which hasn’t come out yet but I will get my hands on it as soon as it does or as an ARC if I can)! I can’t wait to get my hands on these.

Until then I’ll be taking a break from the Shadowhunters world to read other things to cater to those of you that don’t actually read books by Cassandra Clare (although you really, really should!). If you haven’t read the first five books in the series please stop here unless you want to get spoiled. It’s review time!

City of Heavenly Fire was everything I needed it to be and more. There were some parts I could do without and definitely some sections I skimmed but overall I absolutely loved it. The story began with Emma, a young Shadowhunter in L.A. who will be the main character in the spin off series that comes out next year. I loved Emma and her friend, Julian, and their whole story and I’m excited to get to know them better.

The focus of this novel, however, was Jace, Clary, Alec, Isabelle, Simon, and Magnus. So much happened in this book and I was enthralled by it all. By beginning the novel with new characters I was thrown off a little bit but liked how Clare didn’t just jump into the drama right away. She eased us into it, showing us just how bad things were for the Shadowhunters and what Sebastian was doing.

Sebastian is probably my favorite character to hate. He’s so diabolical but also a cunning, evil genius. He’s smart, which is what made him successful. Thankfully, Clary and Jace are smarter. I loved seeing Jace and Clary work together in this book. Of course, with every war there were many losses in the novel as well, some of which I wasn’t expecting at all, but there was also victory and romance and enough happy moments to keep me satisfied.

Clare’s ability to bounce from character to character, setting to setting, in her novels is what makes them so great. I never got bored because as soon as we spent time with one or two characters we were then moving along to the next. The third person narrative really works here and I loved reading this book. I found myself so sucked into the story there was definitely a day I almost missed my stop on the train because I was so into the story.

The ending of the book didn’t satisfy me and honestly that’s probably because of two things. One, I hadn’t wanted the series to end but also, for Clare the story’s not really done. Sure the spin off will focus on Emma but it’s still a continuation of this story and I’m sure we’ll be seeing Clary and her crew again.

Even so, I wanted something more final about the ending. I won’t spoil it but I will say I was a little disappointed with the ending for Simon. I need more closure than that but apparently there’s a bunch of short stories about him so I guess I’ll have to read those to know more. Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to read them. More Shadowhunters!

Overall, I really did love this book. I still wanted more from it although I’m not sure what exactly. I don’t think this is my favorite book in the series, I think City of Lost Souls was better, but I still really loved it.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! You need a complete set. I wish I had one.

Favorite Line: 

“There are a hundred trillion cells in the human body, and every single one of the cells of my body loves you. We shed cells, and grow new ones, and my new cells love you more than the old ones, which is why I love you more every day than I did the day before. It’s science. And when I die and they burn my body and I become ashes that mix with the air, and part of the ground and the trees and the stars, everyone who breathes that air or sees the flowers that grow out of the ground or looks up at the stars will remember you and love you, because I love you that much.”

Stars:

4 stars

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Woman Crush Wednesday: Cameron Ann “Cammie” Morgan

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

The last Gallagher Girls novel came out before I even started this blog which I think is crazy. I loved this series, mainly because I related to Cammie in more ways than I planned to.

Similar to myself, Cammie grew up with a single mom, and her Dad passed away when she was young. Unlike myself, Cammie’s a spy in training who can speak multiple languages and kill people with just her hands.

In other words, Cammie is a BAMF in every definition of the word. Well, except when it comes to guys. At least in the first novel. Over the course of six wonderfully written novels I got to follow Cammie, along with her best friends, learn about boys and dating, beat bad guys, and get into some really deep stuff I didn’t expect from this series.

Cammie is still one of my favorite characters to this day. Her bravery, although sometimes reckless, I admired and her ability to still be a regular teenage girl despite being a spy was awesome. She’s very relatable while also being a boss.

If you’ve never read the Gallagher Girls Series I highly recommend it. Written by Ally Carter, who also wrote the phenomenal Heist Society series, the Gallagher  Girls Series is a fun and pretty quick read, even though there are six books. They’re all on the short side and they’re books you’ll easily get hooked on. Check them out!

I wanted to pull away, remind him that I was a big girl, a highly trained operative, a spy – that I’d been training for this mission my entire life, and I wasn’t going to be left on the sidelines. But in the dim space with Zach pressed tightly against me, only one thought came to mind. I kissed him – longer and deeper than I ever had before. The school was not watching us this time. There was nothing playful in the tone. We were just two people kissing as if for the first time, as if it might be the last. – Only the Good Spy Young

Book Review: City of Lost Souls

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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Synopsis from Amazon.com:

When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

If you haven’t read City of Fallen Angels yet stop here because spoilers ahead!

My life has been officially taken over by The Mortal Instruments series and I regret nothing. I’ve been speed reading through these because I have to know what happens next. God bless those of you that read these as the books came out. I don’t know how y’all did it. I would’ve lost it having to wait to read the next books. I almost lost it having to wait to get these from the library.

But now to the review. Cassandra Clare never ceases to amaze me with her writing style, excellent plot, and character development.  I’m honestly so upset the movie didn’t do well because I would’ve loved to see all these books in film form. Granted I haven’t watched the movie yet so maybe not.

The point is these books get better and better like a fine wine. Every time I think I know what’s going to happen next I don’t. This book was filled with action, drama, romance, fear, and sass. I don’t want to give too much away so I’m not going to talk about the plot too much. What I will say is Jace and Clary’s relationship is tested more than it ever was in the first three books. Clary is playing with fire by trying to get between Jace and her evil brother, Sebastian, and she’s forced to make some hard choices.

Meanwhile Alec and Magnus are having their own relationship issues, which drove me crazy because I love them together. Speaking of love, Simon and Isabelle have their own stuff to deal with as does Maia and Jordan.

As I said, lots of romance and drama but as always this book doesn’t fall short on action or bloodshed. There were excellent fight scenes and moments that made me so stressed I found myself asking why I still voluntarily read these books.

Seriously, though I can’t put these books down. If I didn’t have a job I probably would’ve finished them already but unfortunately responsibilities call.

I can’t tell you guys again to read these series because I’ve said it about a million times at this point. So in the words of Nike, “Just do it.”

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Go! Now! Buy it!

Favorite Line:

“Not enough,” [Jace] said, letting [Clary’s] hair slip through his fingers. “If I kiss you all day every day for the rest of my life, it won’t be enough.”

Stars:

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Man Crush Monday: Alec Lightwood

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Now that I’m close to the end of The Mortal Instruments series I’ve actually fallen for Alec, just when I thought I never would.

Alec is the definition of the silent, brooding type and in the beginning I found him to be annoying and somewhat irritating. But now that he’s grown on me and I couldn’t imagine the series without him. Moreover, it was his relationship with Magnus that really sealed the deal for me. Their love, as with most of the relationships in this series, is complicated.

Alec did a lot of things in their relationship that made me want to knock him upside his head but at the end of they day Alec does the things he does because he loves so fiercely. All he wants is to be with Magnus and protect Jace and Izzy and make his father proud.

Alec is very passionate in this very quiet way and when he does speak, every word he says is valuable. Alec is such a great, well developed character and I’m a huge fan.

Also, if you haven’t voted for your favorite Man Crush Monday yet make sure to do so before it’s too late. The final round has come to Jace Wayland, a good friend of Alec’s, and Maxon Schreave, from The Selection series. Click here to vote!

“I did not make a pie,” Alec repeated, gesturing expressively with one hand, “for three reasons. One, because I do not have any pie ingredients. Two, because I don’t actually know how to make a pie.”
He paused, clearly waiting.
Removing his sword and leaning it against the cave wall, Jace said warily, “And three?”
“Because I am not your bitch,” Alec said, clearly pleased with himself.” – City of Heavenly Fire

Man Crush Monday Final Face Off

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Yesterday you guys voted for part two of the Man Crush Monday face off and the winner with 100 percent of the votes is my favorite, Maxon Schreave from The Selection series. To learn more about Maxon check out the Man Crush Monday post I did for him.

As a refresher the winner of part one was Jace Wayland from The Mortal Instruments series. Therefore the final face off is between Maxon and Jace and I’m excited to see where this goes. I think these two both have big fan bases and I know I’d have a hard time trying to choose between the two.

If you’ve never heard of either of these characters and are wondering how your fave didn’t make it to the final round let me know who you think is the real Man Crush Monday in the comments.