Who Says Sequels have to be boring? The Bookbabe reviews A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

I was a little late to this party, as in I was a little late to this Fandom. But man alive how amazing is this series. It's got it all. Magic, suspense, thrills and laughs and a budding romance. This book also had a hell of a twist that I didn't see coming. So where to start? Well why not with the things I loved. I enjoyed the tension of this story; the way that Laia and Elias finally admitted their attraction. This was a slow burning tension. It was always there on the edges but never took center stage. The only relationship we ever really expected was that of Laia and Keenan. We also never expected the betrayal that that relationship would bring. There is a lot of intrigue in this sequel and a ton of moving parts that you do not see coming. Some of the back stabbing that happens was just not expected and it kept me turning the pages of this novel well into the night.
The things I want to know more about: Harper and Elias' father....Who is he? Have we been introduced to him already? Will Marcus go completely off the rails? I mean he is so shifty already. Is Helene's last living relative in real danger? Will Helene attempt to overthrow Marcus? Will The Commandant? And how are they all going to react to Elias still being alive? Also, why is the Nightbringer so interested in Laila? Of course, all of this will most likely be answered in the upcoming books of the series. But that does not stop me from wanting to tweet Sabaa Tahir about the book.
The best thing about these books are the new alliances; Afaya allying herself with Elias and Laia. Costing her members of her tribe and costing her brother a potential love interest. Then the alliance of Harper and Helene; Harper was once a spy for the Commandant and now he seems to have chosen a different path. The most interesting alliance was that of Keenan and Laia; she so easily trusted him. He seemed to want to comfort her and they both seemed so lonely in the world. However, Izzie and Elias see something "off" about him. It is not until a tender moment between himself and Laia that the truth about Keenan comes to light.
One of the other alliances that was interesting (and a bit creepy) was that of The Commandant, Kauf's Warden and the Nightbringer. The Nightbringer seems to have the ability to be anyone and to be anywhere. However, the reader can not seem to get a hold on what his angle is in all this. It's hard to see where he really fits in to all this. He seems driven by something - maybe hate but you really can't be sure. There just is not enough told to us about him at this point to draw any conclusions. He is definitely a character that we can expect to keep us guessing. I can not wait to see where Tahir takes this character.
The most heart wrenching scene in this book is the brutal lost that Helene has to endure at the hands of Marcus. I can see why it had to happen, Helene disobeyed Marcus' order. This fulfilled a prophecy; this is what breaks her. I have no doubt that whatever revenge Helene enacts on Marcus will be slo, painful and enjoyable. I wonder who will help her take him down.
This sequel left me wanting more and it avoided the dreaded sequel curse (meaning that sequels are tantamount to sitting and watching the grass grow). I really can not wait to see what Tahir has in store for us in rest of the series. I gave this novel 5\5 stars on Goodreads.

Quote I loved:

"You will poison Laia's joy, her hope, her life, like you have poisoned the rest. If you care for her, then do not let her care for you. Like the poison that rages within you, you have no antidote."

"Most people are nothing but glimmers in the great darkness of time. But you....are no swift burning spark. You are a torch against the night - if you dare to let yourself burn."

"Fear gives him power, like feeding oil to a lamp. It makes him burn brighter. It makes him strong"

The Book Every Woman of Color should read...My review of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I can not believe that I had not read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings before just a few weeks ago. I understand now why so many women of color have such a special connection with this book. At 32, I consider myself pretty well read. However, never had I read such a book as this one. Maya Angelou's story is deeply personal and some of her life experiences seem so close to my own. I can imagine another brown skinned, awkward young girl running around outside with friends. Enjoying summer church picnics and reading books by Dickens and Bronte. Like Angelou I was raised by my grandmother; who was also a strict woman. But was not very religious. If it had not been for my stepmother and a friend in high school I would not have been introduced to Christianity. (Even though I said prayers daily and could recite The Lord's Prayer). Another thing that Maya and I did not have in common: the surroundings in which we grew up and the era in which we grew up.
Maya Angelou grew up in rural Stamps, Arkansas; a small town, the area that she lived in was segregated and she attended a segregated school. Her upbringing was closer to my own Grandmothers. My gran grew up in a small, one stoplight town in Maryland named Greensboro. I on the other hand...did not have to deal with a segregated school or deal with the challenges of living in a small rural area. (Mind you I don't live in a bustling metro area either.) One of the things about Angelou's book that really resonated with me was the way that she always seemed to be conscious of her blackness. Her "otherness". However, her response to it was different from anyway that I have ever read it described. She was taught to have pride in her color. She saw nothing wrong with being colored. She was not aware that there was really anything different about her. However, "white folks" where different. They behaved, dressed and ate differently then she and her family. This was comical to me and understandable.
I can think back to a time when I was never aware of my difference from anyone else. However, that changed at about age 9 or 10 when I was called the N word by a classmate during summer break. That was the first time I was aware that there was a difference; it was the first time I had to have "the talk" with my grandmother. In this book Angelou has a similar incident with a dentist; while suffering with a toothache her grandmother took her to the only dentist in the area. The man flat out refused to help young Maya; he even went so far as to say he would never put his hands in a dogs mouth than that of a nigger. Of course, Mayas's grandmother will not be disrespected and sends Maya off the porch to wait as she goes into the office to deal with the mans disrespect. The was my favorite scene in the book because Maya, with her childhood imagination, imagines her grandmother as a superhero. Defending her honor and telling that man what's what. Especially since the man was to good to help them but was not to good to come to Maya's grandmother (who owned the general store in Stamps) for a loan. Like Maya, I was always a bit amazed by my grandmother. She was my superhero. Of course, it was not until I was older and wiser that I saw her humanity; however, she will never really come all the way down to my level. She will always be a woman of wisdom in which to learn from - flaws and all.
Angelou's book is one that I hope to return to a few years from now. And a book I hope to share with other young women and even some young men. There is so much in this book that we could all learn from. There is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom in this tomes pages.
I gave I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 5/5 stars on goodreads.com

Here are a few quotes that I loved:

"Words mean more that what us set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them wit the shades of deeper meaning."

"The Black woman in the south who raises sons, grandsons and nephews had her heartstrings tied to a hanging noose"

"It was awful to be Negro and have no control over my life. It was brutal to be young and already trained to sit quietly and listen to charges brought against my color with no chance of defense."

"Sympathy is next to shit in the dictionary, and I can't even read."

"All knowledge is spendable currency, depending on the market"