By Zohra Nabi

When Yara’s mother passes away, she is given a letter. In the letter are some instructions, which lead her to a magical land across the sea and into a new world. But in that place, Zehaira, strange things and conflicts are occurring. Yara has to find out the truth about her identity, her mother, as well as to find her place in this new whole world. This book is very good for Zohra Nabi’s first book. The detail is good, and I love how she created this whole magical world while using England as an inspiration. There were also these really cool illustrations throughout the book  which I really liked since chapter books don’t often tend to have illustrations. The main character’s confidence was inspiring, as was Yara’s mother’s confidence. For example Yara just would not take no for an answer. She was stubborn in the best way. Also many fantasy books have romance but this book doesn’t.  I am all in for that refreshing change of pace! It wasn’t about “getting the relationship” in the end. The plot,in general, kept me going until the very end. However, I don’t really like the cliff-hanger at the end.  Since this is a new book, now I have to wait for the next part of the story! (But that could just be me. I’m sure it’s good for the author!) Overall, I would recommend this book to other fantasy lovers, especially if they’re not looking for romance, but rather a really strong set of characters and plot.

Review by 6th grader, Victoria L.