Genre: YA Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Adventure
Key Stage: KS3
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/4
Nura and the Immortal Palace by M.T. Khan (2022)
Plot: Our protagonist, Nura is a twelve-year-old worker in the mica mines of her home town in Pakistan. Fatherless, Nura works laboriously in the mines to provide a better life for her widowed mother and three younger siblings. Not only that but there are rumours of a treasure deep within the mines. One day, due to Nura’s selfishness and greed, the mines collapse, taking four other workers around Nura’s age. One being her best friend, Faisal. Unable to accept their deaths, she searches through the mines but ends up finding the entrance to another world: the realm of the jinn.
Likes and dislikes: This story was quite the adventure. The number of times I had been tricked by these characters [especially by the two qareens] was uncountable. One thing I will say to those reading this book is that in this book don’t always trust what you see.
Who I would recommend this to and what to read next: This book should be recommended to everyone. Even though it is children’s fiction, it wouldn’t hurt anyone older to read it. I think it was a great read that was outside my usual genre which was surprisingly really nice. If this was a book in which you enjoyed, then I would recommend the Rebel Skies trilogy which is also within the same genres.
Reviewer: Yaminah, Year 9