Synopsis
A ruthless murder. A magical herb. A mysterious manuscript.
When Nardeen’s home is stormed by angry men frantically in search of something—or someone—she is the only one who manages to escape. And after the rest of her family is left behind and murdered, Nardeen sets out on an unyielding mission to bring her family’s killers to justice, regardless of the cost…
My Review
When Nardeen’s family are murdered she promises that she will bring the killers to justice, but will Nardeen succeed.
This was a fairly short read coming in at just under 200 pages. I found the story really interesting especially when I learnt that the book fell into the historical fiction genre and was based around real events.
The storyline was very fast-paced for quite a short read and we follow Nardeen’s journey from losing her family to seeking revenge. Although Nardeen escapes and is the only survivor the first obstacle she faces is nearly being sold as a slave. But she is saved by Muallim Ishaq who knew her father. Muallim Ishaq takes Nardeen under his wing teaches her about medicine so she can use this as a way to get justice for her family. Knowledge is power and Nardeen needs as much knowledge as possible so she can use it to her advantage. Muallim Ishaq not only becomes her teacher and mentor but also becomes her surrogate father and someone who looks after her. He sees what Nardeen’s father saw that she has potential and is very bright. However, as Nardeen grows up her thoughts in seeking justice for her family become complicated when she starts to have feelings for someone and then she has to decide whether to seek vengeance or to choose love.
Nardeen was such a strong character. Despite everything she has been through she is resilient and focused.
An interesting read.
Author Bio
Djamila Morani is an Algerian novelist and an Arabic language professor. Her first novel, released in 2015 and titled Taj el-Khatiaa, is set in the Abbasid period (like The Djinn’s Apple), but in Kazakh- stan. All of her works are fast-paced historical fiction pieces. She is yet to have a full-length work translated into English.
Bookshortie 