Reviews

I really enjoyed the blend of fairytale retelling with Malaysian culture and folklore! Perhaps my favorite part, though, was how food was integrated throughout the story. Throughout 2024 I'm challenging myself to make dishes inspired by food mentioned in the books I read, and Malaysian cuisine is not one I've had much experience with (in fact, the nearest restaurant that serves Malaysian cuisine is several hours away from where I live). I look forward to expanding my culinary comfort zone with some of the dishes mentioned in Hamra & The Jungle of Memories and finding new delicious things!

karlawaddles's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Enjoyed it. It wasn't predictable.

sarahbowling6608's review

Go to review page

3.0

Every time I go to the library I peruse the "new titles" section in the children's area and if there's one I think has a chance of being decent, I grab it. This is one of those titles.

Pros:
It is set in Malaysia during the Covid-19 shutdowns. I do not know much about Malaysia, so I was pleased to learn a bit about their culture. She also wove Malaysian folklore into the story, which I loved.
The main character is far from perfect. She struggles with the shutdowns and with her grandma getting dementia. Because of all of this she lashes out and breaks the rules. There are consequences for this. She also struggles with her temper and faces the consequences of that.

Cons:
There are Malay words and even phrases sprinkled throughout the book, which normally I would love, but not all of them come with enough context to figure out so I had to keep googling terms. At one point I just kept the Malay to English translator page up on my phone so I could get the phrases translated. I don't mind doing that but most kids aren't going to.
There is one swear word, but she says the swear word knowing it is wrong (and even says so) while in the midst of a string of bad choices brought on by her temper. I still don't like that it's there, but at least it is acknowledged as bad behavior.
There is a part toward the end that gets preachy about conspiracy theorists and Covid-19. I rolled my eyes and moved past it, but it did spoil the magic of the moment. There's also a subtle "humans ruin everything" theme throughout.
The ending leaves me wondering if the main character actually learned her lesson. She sees that there are consequences for her choices, but as it all works out in the long run, I'm not sure the character arch is really there or if I just want it to be there. It seems rushed and like the opportunity to really drive a point home was lost.

Overall, it was fine. I enjoyed parts of it and if my daughter really wanted to I'd let her read it. But it's not a book I would choose for her (when there are so many better to choose from) or one I would add to my personal library.

CC: dementia, magical creatures, violence, Covid-19, one swear word, the main character is Muslim and talks about praying to Allah several times, the concept of powerful magic corrupting you

qace90's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

More...