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A review by fauxvais
The Lady or the Lion by Aamna Qureshi
2.0
I keep forgetting to review this, and by now, my memory isn't as sharp so as to be able to go in-depth with a proper review, but I'd like to point out my major takeaways.
CW: anti-Blackness, colorism, semi-graphic violence, and one instance of sexual assault.
REP: all Pakistani MC's and SC's.
Qureshi is someone who has a wonderful way with words, and her prose brings every aspect of the novel to life, from the character interactions to the descriptions of clothing and scenery. That being said, I don't think that talent for prose is enough to buoy the novel itself, which, while it has a very attractive premise, is let down by the fact that the major plot points feel all too predictable. Predictability doesn't necessarily have to be a problem in a novel, but it's particularly significant here considering an important part of Durkhanai's personal arc is about proving herself worthy of engaging with politics so that she will be taken seriously rather than be condescended to by older members of her court. The accomplishments she makes in an effort to prove herself are too easy, and she's never challenged in a way that would warrant her experiencing significant setbacks that she would then have to navigate with developed smarts and skills. Her goal is to not be treated like a naïve princess who can only offer presence and platitudes, but I don't see how she makes any moves to actually accomplish this goal, because narratively, nearly everything is handed to her. I think it is one thing to want to write about political intrigue in a novel and another to actually possess the skill in order to execute it, and Qureshi to me lacks the latter, to the point that I ended up more invested in Durkhanai's cousins and their bare bones mentions, because the premise of their subdued deception is ultimately more interesting, especially with the revelations made at the end. Durkhanai's relationship with Asfandyar is also filled with loads of chemistry and sexual tension, but the political foundations of their initial antagonism are more or less lost to the wind because Durkhanai is rarely concretely challenged with regards to the colorism and extremism of her court. To the end, she makes excuses upon excuses for her grandparents, their prejudice, and their oppressive violence. Admittedly, this is something I hope the next novel in the series will try to address, but it's nonetheless incredibly annoying to read about an MC who is so pampered in her own worldview and her desperate need to be taken seriously that she ends up constantly justifying her family's bigotry and proving even moreso why she shouldn't be taken seriously at all. This is made even worse by the fact that Qureshi constantly inserts instances of anti-Blackness expressed towards Asfandyar by members of Durkhanai's court without any substantive follow-through; there's no concrete effort made to question her family's anti-Blackness and colorism and it feels almost as if these instances are sprinkled out to prove that the phenomena exist and nothing else. The antagonism between Durkhanai's court and Asfandyar's court is treated purely as one of political social standing and borne of the tenuous status quo that exists between bordering nation states, and colorism's impact is never brought into the picture despite clearly existing within the world and impacting how people interact with each other. It feels irresponsible of a non-Black author to engage with anti-Blackness and colorism in this way, and if possible, I hope these phenomena are addressed more conclusively in the sequel.
FINAL RATING: 2.5
CW: anti-Blackness, colorism, semi-graphic violence, and one instance of sexual assault.
REP: all Pakistani MC's and SC's.
Qureshi is someone who has a wonderful way with words, and her prose brings every aspect of the novel to life, from the character interactions to the descriptions of clothing and scenery. That being said, I don't think that talent for prose is enough to buoy the novel itself, which, while it has a very attractive premise, is let down by the fact that the major plot points feel all too predictable. Predictability doesn't necessarily have to be a problem in a novel, but it's particularly significant here considering an important part of Durkhanai's personal arc is about proving herself worthy of engaging with politics so that she will be taken seriously rather than be condescended to by older members of her court. The accomplishments she makes in an effort to prove herself are too easy, and she's never challenged in a way that would warrant her experiencing significant setbacks that she would then have to navigate with developed smarts and skills. Her goal is to not be treated like a naïve princess who can only offer presence and platitudes, but I don't see how she makes any moves to actually accomplish this goal, because narratively, nearly everything is handed to her. I think it is one thing to want to write about political intrigue in a novel and another to actually possess the skill in order to execute it, and Qureshi to me lacks the latter, to the point that I ended up more invested in Durkhanai's cousins and their bare bones mentions, because the premise of their subdued deception is ultimately more interesting, especially with the revelations made at the end. Durkhanai's relationship with Asfandyar is also filled with loads of chemistry and sexual tension, but the political foundations of their initial antagonism are more or less lost to the wind because Durkhanai is rarely concretely challenged with regards to the colorism and extremism of her court. To the end, she makes excuses upon excuses for her grandparents, their prejudice, and their oppressive violence. Admittedly, this is something I hope the next novel in the series will try to address, but it's nonetheless incredibly annoying to read about an MC who is so pampered in her own worldview and her desperate need to be taken seriously that she ends up constantly justifying her family's bigotry and proving even moreso why she shouldn't be taken seriously at all. This is made even worse by the fact that Qureshi constantly inserts instances of anti-Blackness expressed towards Asfandyar by members of Durkhanai's court without any substantive follow-through; there's no concrete effort made to question her family's anti-Blackness and colorism and it feels almost as if these instances are sprinkled out to prove that the phenomena exist and nothing else. The antagonism between Durkhanai's court and Asfandyar's court is treated purely as one of political social standing and borne of the tenuous status quo that exists between bordering nation states, and colorism's impact is never brought into the picture despite clearly existing within the world and impacting how people interact with each other. It feels irresponsible of a non-Black author to engage with anti-Blackness and colorism in this way, and if possible, I hope these phenomena are addressed more conclusively in the sequel.
FINAL RATING: 2.5