Favorite books of 2016.

In hours 2017 will be upon us.

A new year is starting and I simply can't say goodbye without expressing how a good reading year 2016 was.

This year i stopped caring about the Goodreads challenge; and it was such a relief. I didn't stress myself at all into reading, unfortunately i DNF many books; the way i see it is that if you're not enjoying a book, put it down pick something else up and go back to it later. I read so many amazing books this year, to a point that looking back at it i wanted to put like a 20 books up there on the list; but oh well.

I read a total of 82 books; including re-reads, so without further ado, let's get started with my list:

#1. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

This book was the highlight of my year; I don't even know how to begin to explain how much I loved it. Maybe the fact that from its release date until today I've read it FOUR times. I don't think I've ever done that before. But it was SO good, addictive, seductive and action, romance and FEELS packed. 

#2. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Oh god the feels with this book. Clare once again amazed the hell out of me with her awesome ability to create a big cast of characters where you develop attachment to each single one as you go; even her villains are lovable. I won't talk about the new shadowhunter-crush; Julian Blackthorn because that boy had me hugging the book for about an hour after i finished it from the heart-wrenching feels. 

#3. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

What a ride this duo-logy was !

What an awesome cast of characters, I actually feel withdrawal now that i've finished it; I want more of them. Leigh took us back to the Grisha world with a new squad, and I didn't dislike ANY of them. My god they were all so dynamic and bad-ass; especially Mr. Kaz Brekker because damn it that guy kills. I certainly hope that Leigh writes more about them because missing them is so painful. 

#4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

All you need to know is that book broke me, from deep inside to the outside I couldn't function like a normal person for days after it. I read it all in one sitting - a 13 hours one but still. My core system was shocked, my nerves were fried and I did not see Maas taking it to THAT direction; holy crap this surprised me.

I'm scared to even think about what book 6 will do to me. 

#5. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

You know when you pick up a book and you feel like you just heard something clicking deep within you; like a clockwork cog fitting with its twin, a piece of puzzle falling into place. 

That's how I described reading this book. 

It was one of those contemporaries that you relate to so much that you can feel yourself right in the story. 

#6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

A beautiful, poetic read that made me fall in love with the entire universe. It spiraled up to the top of my all time favorites, right up with I'll Give you the Sun and that is something people. I loved it all, the friendship, the romance, the life withing this book. It was all so beautiful.

#7. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Holy crap this woman can write. 

Schwab knows her words, she knows how to keep you stuck in your chair until you finish the book. She knows how to write villains and monsters and make you fall head-over-heels in love with them. 

I loved how she connected monsters with power, music and beauty and ughhh... SO GOOD !!

#8. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them by J. K. Rowling

Now wait a minute so I'd fangirl about the fact that in 2016 a J. K. Rowling book is on my list AFTER 9 YEARS!!!!

Oh my god, the feels, the memories the thrill and the mystery of it all. I can't even express how much I enjoyed the movie and how much I enjoyed the screen-play. She took us back into the wizarding world we grew up in and made it all new and all ... Magical. 

#9. The Falling Kingdom series by Morgan Rhodes

Are you a Game of thrones fan? 

Then this series is definitely for you because oh.my.god it's so addictive. I loved everything about the world, the setting, the plot and the characters. I binged the first three, and procrastinated reading the fourth I didn't want the wait for the fifth book to be long but I caved and loved it. 

Now I'm in pain waiting still for the fifth book to arrive. 

Now these where my favorite books of 2016, what were your favorite reads this year ?

January'17, book of the month.

2017 is tomorrow.

Can you even believe it ?

Let's put a new spin to the new year; a book-club is the way I decided to do that. 

If you still don't know what "Around Cairo Reads" is; it's a book-club where every month a book will be chosen to be read at your own pace throughout the entire month. 

Each month's read will be different and the whole idea is that us - readers - read together and discover fantastic new books with each other. Instagram talks and tweets will be posted throughout the month under the #aroundcairoreads; so come on hop on board. 

The extra thing is that the reads who live in Cairo get to MEET at the end of each month; so follow the hashtag for the meeting date and place announcement. 

For now that is all. 

Now are you read for the book of January?

You better be because I've only heard AMAZING things about it. 

...

......

.........

it's the long awaited, queen of hearts story retelling ; Heartless by the one and only Marissa Meyer.

Go ahead and grab your copy and join the read. 

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans. 

Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Author: Tara Sim
Rating: 5+/5 stars
Genre: LGBT / YA fantasy /
Steampunk
Published November 8th 2016
by Sky Pony Press

Goodreads synopsis:

"Two o’clock was missing. 

In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.

It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.

And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve. But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever."

______

Tell me that you're not intrigued after THIS; because after stumbling over it by chance - thank god for that - I didn't even blink. I went ahead, got it on my Kindle and immediately got to reading it, and I never wanted to stop. 

A Victorian story, taking place in London 1875, where the world's magic is Time itself and mechanics are the ones gifted to guard it. A world where clocks breathes life, a broken one breaks the town around it. In this first installment to a trilogy, Tara Sim takes fantasy with a touch of our reality and put a pinch of mythology to it and BAM; the perfect story was born. 

The story starts with our main character/ youngest mechanic of his age; Danny, is assigned a task to fix a never ending series of problems with the clock tower in Enfield. A boy who dives with  a strong dedication into his work, hoping to prove himself to his boss; The Lead, to get assigned to the job of building a new clock tower; something that's stopped happening hundred of years ago and no one knows anymore how to actually build one. 

Everything about them is myth, or so people thought so. 

A brilliant story with a fantastic setting and a world that will enthrall you and make you speechless. 

I fell in love with this book from the very first word till the last one. I love how Tara takes us right into the middle of the story from the start and revealed the magic as we read on. And oh man, she does it all perfectly. With a beautifully, poetic writing, she brings time and clocks to life. Reading about the myth of Aetas and how he gave powers to humans, how he got his powers from Chronos and how all the time zones, clock towers, and all that started was amazing. To see the gift of mechanics, how they could feel time, feel what it needs, what needs fixing was so good and feels packed. She made it all look like doctors and their patients, a mother and her child; a bond so strongly built with love. 

The characters in this book were so life like and realistic; especially our main character Danny. The guy was so true to his age, young and still learning, he didn't try to be the hero all the time, yet determined feisty, so eager to prove himself and full energy. A touch of guilt to what happened to his father and so head on to save him and bring back time to the town of Maldon. 

I enjoyed his friendship with Cassie and absolutely loved how accepting he was to who he is and so brazen about it. Brave boy that one. 

I liked how to she worked on the side characters just enough to makes us like them and keep us eager to know more. And oh how I enjoyed how she made us like his father without even meeting the guy. 

Genius plot, and Tara did it so damn well. The pace was perfect, the twists were in the right place and completely took me by surprise. I'm so happy I ended my 2016 readings with this perfect book and I can't wait to read the sequel. 

If you're a Schwab fan or a Cassandra Clare one, this book is definitely for you. It's what happens when The Infernal Devices meets A Darker Shade of Magic and The Archived. 

Fictional Deaths I'm still not over

And I'll probably never be over, like ever.

⇨ SPOILERS WARNING !! This article might contain spoilers, so please scroll down carefully to avoid being spoiled for a book you haven't read yet. 

In this I talk about : Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Mortal Instruments, Divergent and Game of Thrones. 

For me, i believe that books are not just stories, they're a whole life; a glimpse of one we get to live in an alternate universe for a few pages. Throughout the book, the story becomes your world, you find that the characters have become your friends, family and loved ones. 

It breaks my heart and takes me days to recover when an author decides to end a character's life. I know it's no easy task for them but still... it hurts like hell and slowly you start to move on. But some deaths out there I don't think I'll ever be over.

Sirius Black !

Now that was my very first fictional-heartbreak/shock/trauma/ ... overall devastation and pain !

As a 14 years old I couldn't even comprehend what just happened reading the chapter where it happened. Ever since Prisoner of Azkaban, I grew to love Sirius Black more and more until he became my absolute favorite. I loved the idea of him being Harry's parent, I loved the version of him with James that we didn't even get to see, but I loved him. And to have him just killed off like that, out of nowhere and for no apparent - at least to me - reason; it killed me. I remember crying for days, and even in my sleep. I still get tears in my eyes whenever I watch the scene or even look at the book. And to be totally honest, it's been years, but I've never re-read that chapter like ever. 

It's too damn hard to go over again. 

Fred Weasly !

Dooby !
Hedwig !

I do realize the fact that this book just ruined us all and is still difficult to go into until this day. But these three deaths ruined me the most, I was like: Rowling, did you REALLY need to go ahead and do that?!!. I remember rereading the scenes, hoping that I might have misread something or that there was a part that i dropped where they survive... anything. 

But nope ! Heartbreak, red-puffy eyes it is. 

Finnick Odair !

Now that one was plane evil. What made it worse is the fact that I didn't even realize what the hell happened until four chapters later. I reached a part where I asked myself where the hell is Finnick and suddenly they're talking that he's dead and I was like : W.H.A.T. !? When did that happen ? I went back and reread it and was a mess afterwards. 

I hate it the most when authors kill their characters in the not most respectable way they deserve and that one was the worst. 

Max Lightwood !

Ok Clare i do understand why you had to go ahead and do that but WHY ! Like, why the innocent little kid who didn't even hurt a fly. Oh I know why, so you'd just rip our heart out more and more. 

Jonathan Morgenstern !

Though we got only two glimpses of the real Jonathan and not the one twisted by Valentine's experiments but man i mourned him. I cried - sobbed is more accurate tho -  for the boy who never even got a chance at life. 

Hodor !

Yes, I do realize this is from the show, i really don't know what happens in the books - still haven't read them ; shame i know. But holy crap, this episode hurt like hell. 

Hodor is not even a character I thought to be important in the entire show, I didn't care much for him. But in this episode, with the whole scene and the damn music, I cried like a baby for hours. And now whenever I stumble on the soundtrack or even think about it i start crying all over again. 

Beatrice Prior !

Ok.
That one i'm holding a grudge for not because I cared for dear Tris or something. But her death was so pointless that it made me SO angry and frustrated. I thought it was not necessary to turn her into a martyr and in the most stupid way possible at that.

For me it ruined the entire series for, even tho I did enjoy reading the first two books.



These are the deaths that have stayed with me for quite a while and will continue to do so. And i'm positive that there are so many books out there just waiting to ruin me more.

Now tell me down below in the comments; which fictional death stayed with you the most?

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Author: Kendare Blake

Rating : 3.5/5 stars.
Genre: Fantasy / Young-adult
Published September 20th 2016
by HarperTeen

Goodreads synopsis:

"Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.

If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest."

___________________________________________________________

“Three dark queens

Are born in a glen,

Sweet little triplets

Will never be friends

Three dark sisters

All fair to be seen,

Two to devour

And one to be Queen”

Three Dark Crowns is the debut novel in what i honestly hope would be a trilogy;  it ended with a Holy-crap-wtf-cliffhanger. 

The story takes place on an island Fennbirn where in every generation a set of triplets; girls, are born to the now ruling queen. Each of the triplets is gifted with a different sort of magic. On the island their are the naturalists, the poisoners, and the elementals. Separated at the age of six, each sister is taken to a different corner of the island to come into her powers and be prepared for the bloody competition to win the crown. The sisters are raised to not love each other, they trained to overpower one another and to one has to kill the other two. Now, for a hundred years the poisoners ruled but now the two other sides are plotting to change the odds. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I found the story to be one of a kind, original even. The world and the magic were not like in other YA books and that was what interested me the most in reading. 

The story is told from 3 different POVs, which kind of didn't fit well together; for about 75% of the book i felt like i was reading three different books all in the same one. The good side to the POVs is that you get to understand each character of our main three alone; Katharine, Arsinoe and Mirabella. 

Throughout the entire story I could feel the author's leaning towards Arsinoe's character most of the time, she built a strong, bold and stubborn main character. However, the other two were a bit shadowed. You'll get to know them but you won't fully understand what they're made of. Something that i honestly which to change in the sequel; especially that suddenly in the middle of the book one of the pov just stops for a while. 

The author took her time to introduce us to the world, its ways, magic and culture; too much time in my opinion. Some details were thrown in the middle like facts and others were way too stressed upon; it made the pace really slow at first. But by the end, the world fit together, i could feel how rich it is and can there be so many different sides on the same land. I loved the new aspect of magic Kendare brought to this story; especially with the naturalists and the whole animals familiars. The poisoners were something completely new and out of the blue; i never thought that poisoning could be a skill, a magical one at that but damn it she made it look so mischievous, sneaky and good.

I did not enjoy the romance in this book like at all, it was so insta-love and unreasonable and I found myself not enjoyed the romantic scenes. The friendships tho are perfect; Kendare played more on that side which made it all up for me. 

Overall, i thought this book was a good start to a very promising series, it had potential to be a lot better but i'm crossing my fingers that it would be all made better in the sequel because the story can be one hell of an awesome story; some stitches here and there and we'll be good to go. 

 

مفكرة; Mofkera Notebooks, 2017 must have Agenda.

Throughout the past two years many designed notebooks and stationary businesses started booming in the Egyptian market. But believe me when i tell you that Mofkera 's stuff stand out from the crowd. Their designs are perfectly in line with the trend, the generation's style, mood and suitable for all needs. You simply won't be able to resist buying them.

However 2017 is definitely going to be special because of their fan-freaking-tastic new Agendas. 

It comes in five different designs: 

Pink Floral - Yellow Floral - Girly Patch - Blue Galaxy - Astronaut

Each of the five is more beautiful than the other, it was hard choosing which one to buy; in the end I went with the Girly Patch 70's themed one; it's awesome. 

Photo belongs to Mofkera

While the outside covers are gorgeous, the inside pages are an entirely different story. So let's talk about the perks of 2017 Mofkera weekly agenda. 

The 2017 Agenda is not just an agenda, it's year companion. It comes with a stickers set - patches like, motivational ones and emojii so you could use them to highlight important events throughout the year. The inside's typography is so on point, the font is script-ish; gives friendly, cozy vibes. The colors inside are so joyful and happyl positive vibes people, positive vibes.

Photos belong to Mofkera

It starts with a title page, to write your name, nickname, your birthday ... etc. Then comes the part where get people to write you a little something on your birthday, followed by a page where you write your own dreams; put them out there and don't loose focus to follow them. And then comes the travel list; your destination, the places you want to visit, your budget, the things you need to buy ... etc; all you need to keep your traveling very organized and well planned. 

A page to list your favorite Movies and Books in 2017, your Happiest days, and the things that made you happy, your upcoming Events so you won't forget any of them. Not only this, but you can add your best friends to list and write about the people who're not your friends anymore; it's like a life diary, it encourages you to not bottle up anything. It helps get out everything in a fun, artistic way. The motivational part hits a new level with the diet list and work-out plan; all to keep you on track towards your goal. After all these lists, comes the months of 2017. Each month starts with a coloring page, a quote and different sketch. The month is put out in form of days and weeks; makes it easier to document it all. 

Don't miss out on these agenda's you guys because they'll keep you entertained, positive and very motivating and they make the perfect gifts for dear ones. You can find it at Diwan, Alef, Virgin Megastores, or you can make online orders on the official website. 

The insanity of “How to get away with Murder”

IMDb rating : 8.3/10
"Annalise Keating  is a brilliant, charismatic and seductive professor of defense law, who teaches a class called How to Get Away With Murder. Annalise, also a criminal defense attorney, selects a group of students -- the best and the brightest -- to assist with cases at her firm alongside her employees, the trustworthy and discreet Frank Delfino and Bonnie Winterbottom, an associate attorney. Mysteries arise that test everyone's limits and reveal dark truths."

I tend to always ask people to recommend me new shows to watch; something interesting, thrilling and edgy. A few weeks back a friend of mine told me that show is a must watch, but then I went and started asking people to tell me about something that would ease the pain of waiting for Season 7 of Game of Thrones; it’s a very tortures, long wait you guys; practically everyone recommended How to Get Away with Murder.

So, as the very curious person I tend to be, I decided to pull myself together and see what all the fuss is about; and holy crap I can’t stop watching; I started it two weeks ago and now I’m starting season 3. It’s crazy; and here’s why:

It starts with an insane flash-forward

Right when you press the play button on the very first episode, a roller-coaster jump starts to an insane scene in the middle of the season. It makes it very much impossible to stop now that you’ve began.

Mysterious characters

The story revolves around 7 main characters; ones that will definitely haunt your thoughts. They’re all extremely tough, forceful and very relatable. None is like the other and their stories are revealed bit by bit throughout the episodes and at this point I still don’t completely get them.

Fast paced

If you think it’s just boring lawyer-ing stuff, well you’re very wrong my friend. Each season is 15 crazy episodes; things evolve and spiral so fast. No time to rest and at some point you’ll find yourself short of breath with how insane things are happening.

Plot twists

If you think that you’re smart enough to figure out the plot from the few first episodes; you need to think again because Annalise will definitely make you feel stupid.

Criminal thinking 101

Throughout the show, you start understanding how the law works; I can’t help myself but think of this Cassandra Clare quote “The Law is Hard but It is the Law”. However, with Annalise thinks are extremely unpredictable. Nothing stops this woman; losing is not even in her vocabulary. Each episode has a new different case and the more you watch the more of a lawyer you become.

Don’t postpone; I advice to rip the band-aid, buckle up as soon as possible and get on this insane ride; it is SO worth it.

Give me that box of tissues please, because I’m crying my eyes out.

When it comes to crying when reading, I can teach lessons on the matter. I know many of you consider themselves the not crying type. Believe me, I’ve been there. And oh boy, how wrong was I. Movies, shows and books; three things that have the power to make a person made out of ice, melt and break down in sobs. If you feel like you’re bottled up and in need of a let out, here are five books that’ll make you cry your troubles away;

Hurt by Tabitha Suzuma

This book had me bawling my eyes out for hours in the middle of the night. The story of Matheo was heart-breaking and inspiring all together. Top of his class, world-best swimmer and hopelessly in love with his girlfriend. It was so hard to see his life turned upside down all in one night.

The Air he breathes by Brittainy C. Cherry

This book tackles, bravely, the subject of grief. It deals with what happens to the one left behind when the ones they love the most in the world leave them. A wife lost her husband and now she has to deal with that loss and raise her baby girl. A man lost his wife and baby boy. Hope seems lost but what are the chances that you can move when you meet someone going through the same.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

We all know about Hitler, WWII and what happened to the world back then. But this book takes you deep into the details; it takes to the people stories, the refugees, and the tragedies. It helps you understand what happens when governments decide to mess with each other and the people are the ones who pay the price. This book is a book about hope, will-power and survival.

 A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma

Music is considered to be a cure, a way to insert peace in the soul; but what about the mind? A Note of Madness threads the story of a pianist whose mind is on the verge of a cliff, and music is at times the thing that threatens to push him over.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Hoover’s books are all about the feels but she out-mastered herself with this one. Hopeless is a story about childhood friends, neighbors and love that sparked from a very young age; one that was tarnished, torn away from the kids with a slight explanation. But stay put, hope is not lost, as long as it’s tattooed on Dean’s arm he’ll keep looking for it.

A gentle warning!

Before you dive into these books, here’s a list of the things you’ll need:

• A very large box of tissues.
• A max chocolate bar, preferably with nuts.
• A mug of strong coffee to keep you going.
• A box of chocolate ice-cream ready and frozen – and not the low calories crap.
• A blanket because you’ll need to get comfortable and cozy. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them

Rating: 9.75/10 stars.
Release date : November 16, 2016.
Director: David Yates
Script by J. K. Rowling

"I don't think I'm dreaming... I ain't got the brains to make this up." 

— Jacob Kowalski.

Movie synopsis:

"The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds."

_________________________

Where do I even start with this? 
It's all very exciting, squeals and fangirling and full on Potter-head mood.

From the moment I saw the trailer a year ago, I knew this new story will blow my brain to pieces. The fact that J.K.Rowling decided to takes us all back into the wizarding world after 9 years of waiting, thrilled the 11 years old kid in me more than life. It also scared the living hell out of me because I was scared of being disappointed. But come on it's Rowling and Yates, they beat up every expectation I had for and a smidge more.

This new adventure takes place in New York city, 1926 right in the middle of the American wizarding society. It follows Newt Scamander as he sails from England to the US in order to "buy a birthday gift"; now of course you should not fall for that. What's interesting about Mr. Scamander is that he enters NYC with a leather case full of beasts, beautiful, rare and of every kind beasts. Not being the luckiest guy out there, things doesn't go like a piece of cake for him.

Rowling took us into a world we're familiar with like our own names, yet it's completely new to us. Not many details about it were revealed in this installment which left me wanting for more, more knowledge about the wizarding society of america, the culture, the era itself... i certainly hope for these gaps to be filled throughout the sequels.

Putting my curiosity on the side, I found myself enjoying this more than possible, I loved everything about the plot, the freak-out-moments twists and the direction Rowling is taking the story in is definitely promising. That woman is a mastermind.

Around Cairo Reads

You see the hashtag #aroundcairoreads and you ask yourself now what is that?

Around Cairo Reads is a book-club for all bookworms out there. It's main goal is to gather all readers who live in Cairo, reading the same book every month and meeting up to discuss it and have all the bookish talks in their fan-hearts. Also, get more people to discover what a beautiful thing reading is. 

Every month - starting January 2017 - a book will be chosen to be the book of the month. The reading will go on throughout the entire month; you can read at your own pace no time frame or anything like that. While reading, keep on updating on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #aroundcairoreads !!

At the end of the month, reviews and talks will be shared on different social media platforms. 

Up until this point, anyone can join us.

The special treat for those living in Cairo, is that WE MEET at the end of every month; it will be on a day in the last week of each month; which will be posted about before hand. 

Read-on bibliophiles,

Noha Badawi; @thebookishword. 

This is super exciting and I do hope a lot of you can join me on this. 

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Rating : 5+/5 stars.

Genre: Fantasy / Young-adult

Published September 20th 2016 

by Henry Holt and Company

Goodreads synoposis: 

When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

" Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets ― a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world."

________________________________________________________

“I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.” 

Ok.

Where do I even start with this?! Leigh Bardugo just blew my brain into a million pieces, knocked the breath out of me with this beast of a book. Damn this woman knows how to end a series. 

Beginning 2016, I read Six of Crows and didn't even think that it's possible for the sequel to beat how good it was.
But it DID. IT SO FREAKING BEAT IT ALL TO KERCH AND BACK !

I enjoyed every page of Crooked Kingdom, I savored reading it. I was on the edge of my seat for literally 90% of the book. I loved how Bardugo took her time to tell the back story of every character. Everyone got his own spotlight at some point throughout the story and it was perfect. Major character developments were even better than i imagined and don't even get me started on the plot twists with every damn new part, it's I.N.S.A.N.E. 

With all the action, twists, surprises ... nothing felt out of place. Every knot was released; or at least in a relieving way, a way I could live in. The thing is that I feel wanting more, I want to know more. I want to know what happens next, I wanna keep reading the crows stories, I can't get enough with only two books. 
I can't even pick a favorite character because I loved them ALL. Well of course I might lean a bit towards Mr. Kaz Brekker, but the others are SO close to him. 

Basically, If you want to read a book with a bad-ass story, and very much alive, heart-beating through the ink on pages, PICK THIS DUOLOGY UP.

This book - this duology - is P.E.R.F.E.C.T.I.O.N