Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat Al-Himma by Melanie Magidow

2 reviews

lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark fast-paced

3.5

This is a fast paced series of tales about the Amira Princess Fatima, who was an amazing warrior featured in an Arabic epic tale.  It is fantastic to see a woman be heralded and honored in an ancient text.  This is an abridgment, as it is quite a long text.  I enjoyed reading the tales, and seeing Princess Fatima prevail, but there are a lot of trigger warnings, so please check those.  Fatima's son experiences a lot of racism as well.  The translation leaves a bit to be desired.  Parts read almost like stage directions, they are just actions, rather than emotions or feelings.  Also, some of the dialogue is what you would expect in an epic and more formal, "she was as beautiful as a full moon," and then there are parts that are more along the lines of "beats me!"  So there is definitely some uneven whiplash there, but I appreciate the translation nonetheless and Dr. Magidow working to make this available to English speakers. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lbelow's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...