Review: The Bird King

Fatima lives an unusual life as a concubine to the sultan. While her body and decisions are not her own, she does live a life of privilege in the palace and has plenty of time to spend with her best friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker. Hassan is gay and Fatima is the only Circassian who lives in the palace, so they don't fit in with the rest of the court. They spend their free time exploring the world through the magic doors Hassan can draw onto his maps. When the Spanish Inquisition arrives at the palace, things change very quickly. The sultan is willing to make sacrifices to keep the peace, starting with his mapmaker who is seen as a sorcerer by the Inquisitors. Fatima and Hassan escape the palace, searching for a place where they will be safe and accepted.

The Bird King is unlike anything I have read before. The magic in this story is apparent on every page, but its true focus is the friendship between Fatima and Hassan. While both of them will have romance in this story, their relationship is the heart of this story. It's wonderful to read about friends and see how the two of them support and fail each other in new and dangerous circumstances. There is a push and pull throughout between a blind faith and the work of putting one foot in front of the other, between kindness at your own expense and the expectation of pain and betrayal.

Every few chapters, I could point out another place where the story could have diverted and revealed the history of a relationship or a certain kind of magic. But the 440 pages are devoted instead to Fatima and Hassan's search for a mythical island where they will finally be free from the Inquisition. Fatima is certain that with Hassan's gift for creating places and helping them to get there, they can reach the island they have read about and live under the protection of the Bird King.

When I knew the end of the story was coming, I found that I was sad that my time with Fatima, Hassan, and all of the other characters was coming to an end. Surely this is the mark of a well-told tale, but G. Willow Wilson can also take this as my suggestion that she write another book set in this world!

The Bird King
By G. Willow Wilson
Grove Press March 2019
440 pages
Read via Netgalley

Readathon Mini-Reviews: Ms. Marvel and Submerged

Kamala Kahn is living a normal kind of teen life - she navigates her friendships, tries to get all of her schoolwork done, and bristles under the stern rules of her parents. One night, she sneaks out to a party and has an encounter with a strange mist. Suddenly, she is super strong, super stretchy, and can heal herself when injured. Kamala embarks on some amazing adventures, meets a longtime hero, and tries to make it home before curfew.

I was really glad to meet Kamala and I'm thrilled that kids (and adults) have a superhero to admire who is both female and Muslim. Wilson checks a lot of reader's boxes with a heroine who is both plucky and unsure of herself, a lot of references to and visits from other Marvel characters, and plenty of adventures to keep the reader and Kamala on their toes. I enjoyed reading this, but I don't feel the immediate need to run out and get the next one. The balance between superhero action and insight into Kamala and her friends and family just didn't work for me as well as I had hoped. 

Ms. Marvel, Volume 1, No Normal
By G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
Marvel October 2014
120 pages
From the library

Bailey vowed she would never return to her hometown of Yancey, Alaska. But when a beloved relative passes away, she has to go back for the funeral. The stay becomes even longer when evidence suggests that the plane crash was not accidental. Cole was one of the divers who dove to recover the wreck. He is surprised when Bailey returns to town. She broke his heart when she left town and never looked back. Can the two solve the mystery and repair the broken relationship between them?

This is one of those mysteries with romance that makes for a good read in a day or during one weekend. But a few weeks later, I'm having trouble remembering exactly what happened. I know that my reading preferences are not the same as everyone else. If you like clean romantic suspense with interesting locations and a dash of history thrown in, this might be the book for you! Submerged is the first book in a series of related books that follow Bailey, Cole, and their family members and friends in Alaska.

Submerged
By Dani Pettrey
Bethany House Publishers May 2012
313 pages
From my shelves